The bioship hummed softly around us as we maintained stealth mode, invisible against the darkening sky. Below, the convoy moved steadily along the highway, headlights cutting through the early evening gloom. The road stretched ahead like a black ribbon through sparse woodland and open fields, the kind of empty terrain that made ambushes easy and escape routes limited.
I stood near the front of the bioship with my arms crossed, watching the monitors that displayed multiple angles of the convoy below. The new suit felt like a second skin, the nanites responding to every micro-movement of my body. The hoodie was pulled down, resting against my shoulders, and the black material with burgundy accents caught the dim interior lighting of the ship.
Miss Martian sat at the pilot's position, her hands moving gracefully over the bio-organic controls as she guided the ship with practiced ease. Her green skin seemed to glow faintly in the soft light, and her white cape draped elegantly behind her chair.
"Superior," M'gann said without turning around, her voice calm and professional. "Flash says the next ten miles are all clear."
"Thanks, Miss Martian," I replied, keeping my eyes on the monitors. "And sorry I can't use the team's psychic comms. I really don't know why."
M'gann glanced back at me with a reassuring smile. "It's fine, Caius. We can figure out why you're immune to our psychic link later. We have secure backup comms just in case."
I nodded, appreciating her understanding. The psychic immunity was something I'd discovered during training exercises with the team. No matter how hard M'gann or J'onn tried, they couldn't establish a mental link with me. It was frustrating for coordination purposes, but at least we had contingencies.
That's when I noticed Eve looking at me.
She sat in one of the seats along the side of the bioship, her red hair catching the light as she studied me with an expression I couldn't quite read. Her eyes held something like concern maybe or curiosity? It was hard to tell, but the intensity of her gaze made my skin prickle with awareness.
While I saw Kara sat in another chair nearby, her face was flushed as she stared determinedly at the floor. Her blonde hair fell forward slightly, partially obscuring her features, but I could see the tension in her shoulders and the way her hands gripped the armrests of her chair.
I could tell she was flustered, and I'd be lying if I wasn't flustered either. These damn pheromones make me want to do some things with her, and it's just awkward. because I been told be Dick and Conner that my bulges are always noticeable.
The suit was form-fitting, and despite Art's assurances, I was acutely aware of my body's reactions. The last thing I needed was for everyone to notice the bulge in my new suit. I shifted my weight slightly, trying to adjust without being obvious about it.
I turned toward Eve, keeping my voice casual. "Is there something wrong Eve?"
Eve paused for a moment, like she was trying to figure out what to say. Her eyes searched mine, and I saw genuine concern there beneath the surface.
"I'm fine Caius, but are you okay?" she said in a low, concerned tone.
I turned to face her more fully. "Yeah, why?"
Eve's expression softened, but the worry didn't leave her eyes. "It's nothing that can't wait until after the mission."
I looked at her, confused. What was she talking about? But before I could press further, Conner spoke up from where he stood near the opposite wall.
"Nice suit, Cai," Conner said with a grin. Then his expression shifted to something more skeptical. "But Superior, really?"
I shrugged, meeting his gaze steadily. "The codename is a reminder to me to be better."
Conner raised an eyebrow. "Better than who?"
"Better than Invincible and the Viltrumites," I said simply.
The words hung in the air like a physical weight. The ship went a little tense with quiet. M'gann's hands stilled momentarily on the controls. Eve's eyes widened slightly. Even Kara looked up from the floor, her blue eyes meeting mine for a brief, charged moment before she looked away again.
The hum of the bioship seemed louder in the silence. Then the physical comms through the ship rang, breaking the tension. Robin's voice came through clearly from the convoy below.
"This is Team B to everyone else, do you copy?"
Miss Martian's hands moved over the controls, activating the comm system. "This is Team A, we read you."
Robin's voice came through again. "How are we doing up there, Eagle Eye?"
"Your all clear on our end Robin," Miss Martian replied.
Wally's voice crackled through next, his tone characteristically upbeat. "This is Hedgehog, we're all clear up ahead."
I could hear the distinct sounds of chewing in the background, and I couldn't help but smirk. "Flash, are you eating?"
"What?" Wally said defensively. "There's a truck stop up here at the checkpoint, and I've been running back and forth several times. Speedster's guy's gotta refuel."
That made everyone chuckle, the tension from moments before dissipating slightly. Robin's voice came back through, more serious now. "The package is still secure on our end."
"Is it just you, Static, and Aqualad in there?" I asked.
"Nope," Robin replied. "GDA guys are here with us too."
"That's good," I said. "Well, we've got about a two-hour drive, so let's stay focused."
Conner chuckled from across the ship. "You're sounding like the team leader."
I shook my head quickly. "My bad, Miss Martian. I know Nightwing put you in charge of this mission."
M'gann just shook her head with a gentle smile. "No, you took the words right out of my mind, Superior."
Then her expression got a little more serious, as she straightened in her seat, her voice taking on a more commanding tone that reminded me she'd been leading teams for a while.
"Alright, team," M'gann said. "Flash, use the secure channel since you're out of range, but maintain radio silence unless you're checking in or notice something."
A chorus of "Roger" came through from everyone on the team.
I settled back into position, watching the monitors with Conner as the convoy continued its steady progress. The road ahead looked clear, the surrounding terrain quiet and empty. But something in my gut told me this wasn't going to stay peaceful for long.
Further up in the atmosphere, so high that the curvature of the Earth was visible below, Guardian floated in the darkness of space.
His costume seemed to absorb the starlight around him. The reflective black glass of his helmet showed nothing but the planet below, a beautiful blue and green marble suspended in the void. The moon was visible on the horizon, and distant satellite, and The Justice League Watcher drifted in the far distance.
Mark floated there, motionless, his enhanced Viltrumite physiology allowing him to survive in the vacuum without effort. The cold didn't touch him, and no air didn't matter to him since his suit maintain a oxygen source, but he could hold his breath for days no problem. Out here he simply existed in the silence, watching and waiting.
That's when his comms activated, Cecil's voice coming through clearly despite the distance.
"Guardian, do you read me?"
Mark's voice came through the helmet's internal speakers. "I read you, Cecil."
"How are you doing, kid?" Cecil asked, his tone carrying that mixture of professionalism and genuine concern that Mark had come to recognize over the past few years.
"I'm fine," Mark replied. Then, after a pause, he added, "And thanks again for letting Galatea stay with me for the past few days."
Cecil chuckled. "It's no problem, kid. Waller was getting tired of her attitude anyway. All I had to do was say I needed Red Daughter for a mission-sensitive operation."
Mark chuckled despite himself. "And she bought that?"
"God, no. The woman knew exactly what I wanted her for. But she said since I have such a good history with attitude adjustments, I needed to help your little girlfriend with hers. But Since I don't like Waller I will just take my time with it."
Mark smiled beneath the helmet, thinking of Galatea's fierce independence and the way she challenged him constantly. She was one of the few people who saw past the Guardian persona to the broken kid underneath, and she still loved him anyway.
"Mark," Cecil's voice turned more serious. "I want to know something."
"What is it?" Mark asked.
"How will you handle seeing your old team again? Or Caius?"
Mark was quiet for a moment as the Earth turned slowly below him, and he could see the lights of cities beginning to appear as the planet rotated into night. Somewhere down there, his mother was there waiting to hear from him. And his old team, no there were never his team, he never saw them like that, they were always Caius's team. He started it and invited me to join, but I was.... I was such as shitty person back then, because I thought I was better then them and him. But it was Caius who was about to kill me.
"Honestly, I don't know," Mark finally admitted.
Cecil sighed on the other end. "That's fine, but just focus on the mission, alright? Everything else can wait."
"Understood," Mark said.
The comm line went quiet, leaving Mark alone with his thoughts as he drifted in the open vast emptiness of space.
One hour later.
I stood with my arms crossed, looking at the ship's monitor displaying the convoy below. We were about to pass the gas station Flash had been at a little while ago. The sun had fully set now, and the highway was illuminated only by the convoy's headlights and the occasional streetlight.
Eve's voice cut through my focus. "That's weird."
Everyone looked at her. Conner pushing off from the wall where he'd been leaning. "What do you mean?"
Eve pointed at the monitor showing the gas station. "Shouldn't Flash be there?"
I looked at the monitor more carefully. She was right. It was a large gas station, one of those truck stop complexes with multiple pumps, a convenience store, and a small restaurant attached. The lights were on, casting pools of white illumination across the parking lot, but there was no sign of the red-and-white blur that should have been Wally.
"She's right," I said, leaning forward. "There's no sign of him."
Miss Martian's expression shifted to concern. Her eyes took on that distant look that meant she was reaching out with her telepathy.
"Flash, do you read me?" M'gann said through the psychic link.
For a moment, there was nothing. Then a voice came through. "Flash can't come to the phone right now, but I can take a message."
M'gann's eyes widened in alarm. She immediately spoke out loud, her voice sharp and commanding.
"Everyone, stay on high alert! Our comms are compromised, Flash isn't responsive and there is a possible psychic close by!"
The words had barely left her mouth when an explosion erupted ahead of the convoy.
The blast was massive, a column of fire and debris shooting up from the road itself. The lead vehicle in the convoy, a reinforced GDA transport swerved hard, its tires screeching as the driver fought for control. The entire convoy came to a sudden, jarring halt, vehicles skidding and stopping in a defensive formation.
Inside the main convoy truck, Static gripped the support rail as the vehicle lurched to a stop.
"Oh great," Virgil said, his voice tight with tension. "Look like things are about to get messy." He said with electricity crackling around his hands.
Aqualad, stood near the back of the truck, "We have to trust everyone outside, our job is to be here with Robin just in case Amazo gets activated."
Robin was already moving toward the rear doors, his hand on his utility belt. "Stay sharp. This is exactly what we were expecting."
The GDA soldiers in the truck moved with military precision, checking their weapons and preparing to deploy. The back doors opened with a hydraulic hiss, and the soldiers poured out, boots hitting the asphalt in synchronized rhythm.
They immediately formed a military perimeter around the convoy, taking defensive positions behind the vehicles and scanning the surrounding area with their weapons raised. The team leader barked orders into his comm.
"Do we have eyes on the target?" the sergeant demanded.
"Negative," one soldier responded, his rifle sweeping across the darkened tree line.
"Wait," another soldier said, his voice rising slightly. "I have eyes on a possible target. And he's huge."
Everyone's attention snapped to the gas station.
A massive figure was walking out of the convenience store, silhouetted against the bright interior lights. He was devouring multiple hot dogs in just a few bites, shoving them into his mouth with casual disregard as he walked.
As he stepped fully into the parking lot lights, his appearance became clear.
He was towering easily seven feet tall, and massively muscled. His body was built like a tank, with shoulders so broad they seemed almost inhuman. Long orange hair fell past his shoulders in wild, unkempt waves. He wore a costume that featured a sleeveless black unitard accented by striking yellow geometric patterns that ran down his sides and across his chest. His arms were bare, showing muscles that looked like they could crush steel.
His face was brutal and simple, a heavy brow, square jaw, small eyes that held a kind of animal like gaze. He finished the last hot dog, tossed the wrapper aside, and cracked his knuckles as a wide toothy grin formed on his face..
Conner stared at the monitor, his expression hardening. "Who is that?"
"Doesn't matter he looks like trouble," I said, my voice steady despite the adrenaline starting to pump through my system. "Miss Martian, what's the call?"
M'gann's hands moved over the controls, and I could see the determination in her eyes. "Titans, go! Protect the convoy. I'm going to stay in the ship and locate Flash."
Everyone nodded. The bioship's hatch opened and we jumped out.
The rush of air hit me as I flew from the ship,. As we landed, more figures emerged from behind the massive man at the gas station.
The first was a young woman maybe eighteen or nineteen, with an athletic build and an almost feline grace to her movements. She had pale skin and striking pink hair cut in a long pixie cut. Her eyes were an unnatural shade of violet, almost glowing in the dim light. She wore a form-fitting black bodysuit with purple accents that ran in curved lines across her torso and limbs. Her hands were already glowing with what looked like violet energy, and it was crackling.
Next to her was a shorter figure, a young man, maybe seventeen, with a wiry build that. He had messy brown hair and wore what looked like a heavily modified tech suit covered in pouches, gadgets, and small mechanical devices. Goggles sat on his forehead, and a backpack bristled with antenna and blinking lights. His expression was one of manic excitement, like a kid in a candy store who'd just been told he could blow something up.
Behind them, another figure stepped out of the shadows like literally. One moment there was nothing, the next a young man materialized from the darkness itself. He was tall and lean, wearing a costume that was entirely black with a high collar and a hood that cast his face in deep shadow. Only his eyes were visible, they were pale and unsettling. A tattered black cape hung from his shoulders, and he moved with an eerie, silent grace that made him seem more like a ghost than an actual person.
The last figure was the strangest. He looked like a normal teenager, maybe nineteen, with average height and build, blonde hair, and an unremarkable face. He wore a simple costume of black. But as I watched, he suddenly split. One became two. Two became four. Four became eight. Within seconds, there were dozens of identical copies spreading out across the parking lot, each one moving independently but with perfect coordination.
The massive orange-haired man cracked his neck and grinned. "Finally. I was getting bored."
The tech-suited kid pulled something from his belt and pressed a button. Immediately, small flying drones erupted from his backpack, buzzing through the air like mechanical wasps. They spread out in a coordinated swarm, their weapons systems activating with high-pitched whines.
"Cover me!" he shouted to the others. "I'm going for the package!"
The pink-haired girl raised her hands, and violet energy crackled between her fingers. "With pleasure."
The shadow figure simply nodded, his pale eyes fixed on the convoy. And the duplicating teenager grinned as his copies continued to multiply. "Let's party!"
Everything happened at once.
The drones opened fire on the GDA soldiers, energy blasts and small explosives tearing through their defensive positions. Soldiers screamed and dove for cover as their comrades were cut down by the precise, coordinated assault. Blood sprayed across the asphalt. Bodies fell.
The large man charged forward with a roar that shook the air, his massive fists swinging like wrecking balls.
Conner met him head-on as he was about to hit two soldiers.
The impact of their collision was like a thunderclap. The ground beneath them cracked and cratered from the force. Mammoth's fist connected with Conner's crossed arms, and Conner slid backward several feet, his boots tearing furrows in the asphalt.
"Big mistake, kid!" Mammoth bellowed, swinging again.
Conner ducked under the punch and drove his fist into Mammoth's ribs. The blow would have shattered concrete, but Mammoth barely flinched. Instead, he grabbed Conner by the arm and hurled him into the side of a parked semi-truck. The impact crumpled the trailer like tinfoil, and Conner crashed through it in an explosion of metal and cargo.
"Superboy!" Kara shouted, starting to move toward him.
"I got him!" I yelled. "Focus on the drones!"
Kara nodded and shot upward, her heat vision lancing out in precise beams that cut through the flying drones. They exploded in small bursts of fire and sparks, raining debris down on the battlefield.
"Supergirl careful about the heat vision or your gonna blow out the whole station." I said.
"I got it!"
I launched myself at a cluster of the larger robots that had emerged from the gas station, massive, bipedal machines with heavy armor plating and mounted weapons. They were easily twelve feet tall, with glowing red optical sensors and arms that ended in rotating cannons.
My fist connected with the first robot's chest plate, the metal crumpled inward, and the robot staggered backward, sparks flying from the damaged systems. But two more immediately moved to flank me, their cannons spinning up with a mechanical whine.
I threw myself to the side as energy blasts tore through the space I'd just occupied. The heat washed over me, and I could smell ozone and burning asphalt. I landed in a crouch, then launched myself upward, propelling myself in a tight arc over the robots.
As I came down, I grabbed one robot's head with both hands and twisted. The metal shrieked in protest, and the head tore free in a shower of sparks and hydraulic fluid. The robot collapsed, its systems shutting down.
The second robot swung a massive arm at me. I caught it, stopping the blow inches from my face but I held firm. Then I yanked, pulling the robot off balance, and drove my knee into its optical sensor. The glass shattered, and the robot stumbled blindly.
Kara appeared beside me in a blur of red and blue, her fist punching clean through the robot's chest and out the other side. She ripped her arm free, and the robot collapsed in a heap of sparking metal.
"Thanks!" I shouted over the chaos.
"Don't mention it!" Kara replied, already turning to face the next threat.
Meanwhile, Eve and the girl had found each other. The girl raised her hands, and violet energy streaked toward Eve in crackling bolts.
And the ground beneath Eve's feet suddenly cracked and gave way. A piece of debris from a destroyed drone suddenly changed trajectory mid-fall, hurtling toward her head. The pink energy wall she was standing on flickered and destabilized.
But Eve was ready.
Her own pink energy flared, and she manipulated the matter around her. The cracking ground reformed, the molecular bonds strengthening instantly, and the debris disintegrated into harmless dust before it could reach her. The platform solidified, becoming more stable than before.
"Nice try," Eve said, her voice calm despite the intensity of the fight.
She thrust her hands forward, and pink energy lanced out, reshaping the asphalt beneath the girl into grasping hands that reached up to grab her.
The girl backflipped away with acrobatic grace, her violet bolts firing continuously. Everywhere she aimed, things went wrong for Eve weapons misfired, and structures collapsed around her, the very air seemed to turn against her.
But Eve countered everything with precise matter manipulation, turning this crazy bad luck into neutral probability, she was reshaping reality to match her will.
The two moved in a deadly dance, pink and violet energy clashing in bursts of light and sound. Neither could gain the upper hand. The girls attacks were unpredictable and chaotic, but Eve's manipulation adapted in real time with precise control. It was chaos versus order.
"You're good, and you seem familiar, do I know you from somewhere?" the said, breathing hard as she dodged another matter construct.
"So same to you," Eve replied, sweat beading on her forehead from the concentration required to counter the girls unusual attacks. They clashed again, energy meeting energy in a brilliant flash.
Back at the convoy, Gizmo had made his move.
While everyone was distracted by the fighting, the pale kid had pulled him into the shadows. One moment they were at the gas station, the next they materialized inside the convoy truck itself, right next to the containment unit holding Amazo.
Robin, Static, and Aqualad spun around in shock.
"Who are you?!" Robin demanded, his bo staff already in hand.
The boy grinned behind his goggles. "Your worst nightmare, bird boy."
He pressed a button on his wrist device, and dozens of tiny spider-like robots erupted from his backpack, skittering across the floor toward the three heroes.
"Oh hell no!" Static shouted, electricity crackling between his hands. He sent a bolt of lightning into the swarm, frying several of the robots instantly.
Aqualad's water-bearers glowed, and he formed a whip of hardened water that lashed out, smashing more of the robots into pieces.
Robin threw explosive discs that detonated among the swarm, destroying clusters of them in small bursts of fire. But they kept coming, wave after wave of mechanical spiders climbing over each other to reach them.
"That should keep you loser's busy for a while!" the kid shouted, working frantically at the containment unit's control panel.
The pale stood silently nearby, pale eyes watching the fight with eerie calm. Whenever one of the heroes got too close to his friend, shadows would reach out and pull them back, or he himself would materialize in their path, forcing them to engage him instead.
Robin fought with precise, his staff moving in a blur as he smashed robots and tried to reach the kid near the android. But his partner was always there, always in the way, teleporting through shadows faster than Robin could track.
Static and Aqualad worked together, electricity and water combining to create devastating attacks that cleared large sections of the robot swarm. But for every dozen they destroyed, more seemed to appear.
"We can't hold them off forever!" Jackson shouted, his water constructs starting to lose cohesion from the strain.
"Just a little longer!" Robin replied, throwing another explosive disc.
Then the kid laughed triumphantly. "Got it!"
He pulled a small device from his belt a circular disc covered in blinking lights and antenna, and slapped it onto Amazo's head.
"You losers failed!" kid called out mockingly.
Robin spun around, his eyes widening in horror as he saw the device activate. Red lights began pulsing across Amazo's surface. The android's eyes snapped open, glowing with an ominous crimson light.
"Fuck," Robin said.
Outside, Conner had managed to get back to his feet after being thrown through the truck. He and the man were locked in brutal combat, trading blows that would have killed normal humans instantly.
The man swung a haymaker that Conner barely blocked, the impact sending shockwaves through his arms. Conner countered with an uppercut that snapped his head back, but the massive man just laughed and headbutted Conner hard enough to make his vision blur.
They grappled, muscles straining, neither willing to give an inch. The man was big and surprisingly very durable, but Conner was stronger.
"You're tough, kid," the man grunted, trying to get Conner in a bear hug. "But not tough enough!"
Conner drove his knee into his gut, then followed up with an elbow to the jaw. The man staggered, and Conner pressed the advantage, landing a combination of punches that would have felled a building.
But the massive man just shook it off and roared, grabbing Conner by the leg and swinging him like a club into the ground. Once. Twice. Three times. The asphalt cracked and cratered with each impact.
Then he hurled Conner away, sending him tumbling across the battlefield.
The regular looking teen and his copies were everywhere, overwhelming the GDA soldiers with sheer numbers. Every time a soldier took down one copy, two more would appear to take its place. They fought with coordinated precision, using their numbers to flank and overwhelm.
I saw one soldier get dragged down by five copies, his screams cut short as they beat him mercilessly. Another soldier tried to run, only to be tackled by a wall of Billy clones.
"We need to thin out those copies!" I shouted to Kara.
She nodded and unleashed her freeze breath in a wide arc. Several copies froze solid, then shattered when other copies accidentally crashed into them. But more kept coming.
I grabbed one of the destroyed robots and hurled it with my TTK, using it like a massive bowling ball to knock down a cluster of copies. They scattered like pins, but reformed almost immediately.
This was pure chaos, and then it got worse.
Robin's voice came through the physical comms. "We've got a problem! Amazo's activated!"
I looked toward the convoy just in time to see Robin, Static, and Aqualad leap out of the truck as Amazo flew out behind them.
The android was tall, at least seven feet, with a chiseled muscular build, sharp facial features that looked almost human but not quite. Its skin was a metallic gray, and its eyes glowed with that ominous red light. It wore Green skin tight pants, its body a seamless construction of advanced technology.
Amazo floated into the sky above the battlefield, its head turning slowly as it surveyed the chaos below. Everyone stopped fighting, all eyes turning to the android.
"What's it doing?" Static asked, electricity still crackling around his hands.
"It's scanning," Robin said, his voice grim. "Cataloguing everyone's powers and abilities."
The pale teen materialized next to the kid, pulling him through the shadows back to where the other villains were regrouping.
"We're done here," the pale kid said in a voice like rustling paper. "Time to go."
The girl disengaged from Eve with a final bolt that forced Eve to focus on defense. " To bad, I was starting to have fun. See you next time pinky!"
Eve eyes widened with signs of realization. "Kitty?"
But the girl only winked and waved goodbye as she disengaged.
The massive man landed one more devastating punch on Conner that sent him crashing into a car, then turned and ran back toward the group. "This was fun! Let's do it again sometime!"
The teen with copies all converged, merging back into a single person who grabbed onto the pale kids arm.
"Later, losers!" he called out.
The pale kid's shadows expanded, engulfing the entire group. In an instant, they were gone, leaving only darkness that quickly dissipated.
"Who the hell even were those guys?" Kara asked as she landed next to me.
"No idea," Conner said, pulling himself out of the wrecked car. "But we have bigger problems."
M'gann's voice came through the comms, urgent and worried. "Everyone, be careful! This thing is programmed to go against the Justice League!"
Amazo's head stopped moving. Its scan was complete. Then it looked directly at me.
"Target identified: Caius Dawn. Viltrumite Hybrid physiology detected. Homo-magi genetic markers. Powers: Tactile telekinesis, and enhanced physiology. Current threat level: High." Its voice was cold, mechanical, utterly devoid of emotion, and then it moved.
Amazo crossed the distance between us in a blur, faster than I could track. Its fist slammed into my guard, and even with my TTK reinforcing my defense, the impact sent me skidding backward, my boots tearing through the asphalt.
"Shit!" I gasped, my arms aching from the blow. "This thing hit's as hard as the Omni-man program, and how the hell does it know who I am?"
Amazo didn't give me time to recover. It was on me again, throwing a combination of punches that I barely managed to block and dodge. Each impact sent shockwaves through my body, and I could feel my TTK straining to absorb the force.
I countered with a punch of my own, my TTK amplifying the blow. My fist connected with Amazo's jaw, and its head snapped to the side. But it didn't even stagger. It just turned back to me, its expression unchanged.
"Adaptation complete. Increasing density and shock absorption to counter strength and tactile telekinesis."
Amazo's body seemed to shimmer, and when I threw my next punch, it felt like hitting solid steel. My knuckles screamed in protest, and I had to pull back before I broke my hand.
"Superboy, Supergirl I need help!" I shouted.
They were already moving. Kara hit Amazo from the side with a flying tackle, but the android barely moved, but it did turn its attention to her.
"Target identified: Supergirl. Kryptonian physiology. Solar energy absorption. Flight. Super strength. Heat vision. Freeze breath. Threat level: Extreme."
"Oh shit!" Kara said as her eyes widened.
Amazo's eyes glowed, and twin beams of heat vision lanced out, meeting Kara's own heat vision in a brilliant clash of red energy. The air between them superheated, and I could feel the temperature rising even from several feet away.
But Amazo's heat vision was stronger. Kara gritted her teeth, pouring more power into her beams, but she was slowly being pushed back.
Conner came in from behind, grabbing Amazo in a full nelson and trying to restrain it. "A little help here!"
"Target identified: Superboy. Kryptonian/Human hybrid. Tactile telekinesis. Enhanced strength and durability. Threat level: High."
Amazo's body shifted, its arms elongating slightly to break Conner's grip. Then it spun, faster than Conner could react, and drove an elbow into his ribs. I heard the crack of breaking bones, and Conner gasped in pain, his grip loosening.
Amazo followed up with a punch that sent Conner flying backward, crashing through the remains of the semi-truck he'd been thrown into earlier.
"Superboy!" I shouted.
Static and Aqualad joined the fight, electricity and water combining in a coordinated assault.
"Target identified: Static. Metahuman. Electromagnetic manipulation. Current threat level: Moderate."
"Target identified: Aqualad. human-Atlantean hybrid physiology. Hydrokinesis. Electrokinesis. Enhanced strength and durability and senses. Current threat level: Moderate."
Amazo raised one hand, and electricity arced from its palm, meeting Static's lightning bolt. The two streams of electricity clashed, but Amazo's was more powerful. Static's attack was pushed back, and he had to cut off his power before it reached him.
With its other hand, Amazo manipulated the water from Aqualad's constructs, turning them against him. The water whips that Jackson had formed suddenly wrapped around his own body, binding him.
"What the...?" Jackson struggled against his own power, but Amazo had complete control.
Eve tried to intervene, her matter manipulation reaching out to destabilize Amazo's molecular structure. But the android adapted instantly.
"Target identified: Atom Eve. Cadmus Subject A-E. Metahuman. Subatomic matter manipulation. Current threat level: Moderate to Extreme."
Amazo's body became fluid, its molecular structure shifting faster than Eve could affect it. Every time she tried to break it down, it reformed in a different configuration.
"I can't get a lock on it!" Eve shouted in frustration.
Kara flew at Amazo with pure physical force, her fists glowing with solar energy. She landed a devastating combination, a left hook, right cross, a uppercut, then a knee strike.
Amazo tanked every hit, its body adapting to absorb the kinetic energy. Then it caught Kara's next punch in its hand.
"Adaptation complete. Kryptonian physiology replicated. Supergirl threat level changed to High."
Kara's eyes widen. "Oh you son of a..."
Amazo's eyes glowed brighter, and it headbutted Kara with enough force to make her vision blur. Then it spun her around and threw her toward the ground. She hit the asphalt hard enough to create a crater, and I saw her struggle to get up, clearly dazed.
I launched myself at Amazo, my TTK flaring to maximum output. I hit it with everything I had reinforced punches, kicks, and a telekinetic blast.
But Amazo adapted to every attack. It matched my speed, countered my techniques, and absorbed my strikes better then before.
"Adaptation complete. Combat patterns analyzed. Countermeasures implemented."
Amazo caught my punch, grabbed my arm, and drove its knee into my stomach. The air exploded from my lungs, and I felt something crack. Then it grabbed me by the throat and lifted me off the ground.
Its grip was like a vice, cutting off my air. I struggled, my TTK pushing against its hand, but it just squeezed harder.
"Caius Dawn. Threat level: Neutralized."
My vision started to blur. I could hear my teammates shouting, but it sounded distant, muffled. I tried to break free, but this Amazo was too strong and too adaptive.
Then Amazo's mouth opened, and a high-pitched sound erupted from it, a hypersonic attack that felt like knives being driven into my skull. I couldn't even scream. The pain was beyond anything I'd ever experienced, not even Black canary was this loud, every nerve in my body screaming in agony.
Then something hit Amazo with great force.
The android's grip released, and I fell to the ground, gasping and clutching my throat. Through my blurred vision, I saw a figure in black and green standing between me and Amazo.
It was Guardian.
The android had been sent flying backward, crashing through one of the destroyed robots and tumbling across the battlefield before catching itself mid-air.
Guardian stood there, his reflective black helmet showing nothing, his posture was focused, as the green accents on his costume glowed faintly in the darkness.
I coughed, trying to get air back into my lungs. "About time you showed up."
Guardian's voice came through distorted, processed through the helmet's systems to be unrecognizable. "I thought you all had it handled."
I pushed myself to my feet, my body aching but my healing already starting to work. I smirked despite the pain. " This things tougher then I thought but now that I know how it works I won't hold back anymore."
"You were arrogant enough to hold back against a android built to fight the whole League?"
I could hear the disappointment in his voice. "Yeah, this isn't that last model from what I hear, and I was right its dangerous but in a annoying way. "
"Think you can keep up Mr. Guardian?"
Guardian was silent for a second, and I could almost feel him sizing me up through that reflective visor.
"Same to you, what's your name ?" he said finally.
"Superior."
Mark raised an eyebrow behind his reflective visor. 'Really?"
I sighed. "Yeah"
We stood side by side, facing Amazo as it floated back into position, its red eyes fixed on both of us now.
"Target identified: Guardian. Unknown physiology. Extreme strength, durability, and flight. Threat level: Extreme."
The android's body shifted again, adapting, preparing. And we charged towards him at blinding speed.