Dire Straits

Please Gimme 🙏🙏🙏 All Your Power Stones.

30 Advance chapters in my pat.reon. Pat.reon.com/ Saintbarbido.

I'll be putting up another tier. For 3 dollars, get 7 - 10 chapters ahead.

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(Aden's P.O.V)

"Maelstrom, do you copy?"

Aqualad's voice came through the coms. 

"Loud and Clear Aqualad, I have the container in my sight. It's headed towards Gotham."

"I have Kid on the road as well, he will link up with the other team. Robin has a way to track the location where the monkeys are headed. Don't engage until the rest of the team is around for back up."

I frowned.

"I can take them. The container is literally a few hundred meters away from me."

"No, stand down. Let's use this chance to follow the parts to where they're headed to first."

I slowed down, already seeing the mistake in Aqualad's plan. 

"Aqualad, if the other container is headed towards Gotham as well, that means there's a high chance they're convening in the same spot. Ivo could assemble the parts again and that would be game over for us. We can't take that chance."

"He's right. The android took 8 league members four hours just to take it down. We're great but not League level yet, Aqualad. Plus Robin is already tracking the other parts."

Kid Flash added. Kaldur was silent for a while.

"Can you take them down by yourself? The robots are weak individually but in huge numbers, they are a problem."

"Don't worry, I got this."

My speed suddenly increased as I cut through the air heading towards the fleeing container. Some of the monkeys broke away from the group carrying the container to assault me with lasers. I ducked and weaved past the attacks using the wind to blow the robots away and then smashing them with my fists once they were thrown off kilter. 

A wind funnel spread out before me, fanning the monkeys blocking my path to the side, only for them to be sliced apart by the tornados following behind me and on the sides. I dealt with the last of the robot monkeys and carried the container down. 

"Maelstrom to Aqualad. I've recovered the parts."

"Good. Signal me and I'll head to your position while you go on ahead and help the others."

I looked around and made sure that no other surprises were hiding in the cornfields and flew off towards Gotham. Leaving a tornado of crops to show Aqualad the way.

"Miss Martian. Tell. me once I get within your telepathic range."

"Copied, Maelstrom. See you in a bit."

Her voice came through the earpiece.

I had never really seen how fast I could fly before. This was as a good a time as any.

"5 bucks says I can break the sonic barrier."

I pumped myself up and increased my flight speed to it's limit. The environment passed me by in a blur. I spared a look at the sides and came to some  conclusions. My speed was just subsonic. Not quite enough to break the sound barrier.

Zaheer from Avatar could also use the wind to fly but there were clear differences between us. For starters, he didn't produce a gust of wind when flying. For all intents and purposes, he was the wind. In my case however, I produced wind gusts to propel me forward. 

Secondly he was…in a sense, freer. His range of movement allowed him to be flexible like the air. He could stop suddenly and drag or airspeed did not affect him. 

All that showed me was that I still had more improvements to make. The good thing is that at Master level, I didn't need to do any bending moves. I was deeply connected with the air at that point, that with the slightest gesture I could control it to do my bidding.

"Maelstrom, you're within my range. Just follow the telepathic beacon to me."

Miss Martian's voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

"Got it."

I looked at the ground under me and found that I was nearing the edge of the corn plantation. A few hundred meters before me, was a ranch. Even before I got there, I could already hear the sounds of battle. I touched down before the red barn and ran inside. 

The front of the building exploded into a shower of wooden shards as a tractor broke through it. I threw my hands forward and a gale of wind caught the 7 ton vehicle before it could ram into me. I was about to place it to the side when something impacted the tractor from behind, making it slip through my control and fall on me. 

Fortunately I caught it with my hands and placed it on the ground. Kid Flash extracted himself from the wrecked side of the tractor and jumped up, looking completely fine. 

"Great. You're here. We have a…slight problem."

We heard a grunt and several explosives from the barn which made me raise an eyebrow at Kid Flash.

"Ok. It's a big problem. Ivo managed to repair the android."

"What? How? We recovered the other parts before he could get them."

Kid Flash didn't need to answer me because before we could go in, loud mechanic steps echoed out of the building and out came Amazo. Superboy and Robin were held in the Android's two hands by their necks.

"Oh shit! He used the Robotic monkeys as a replacement for the lower body!"

I gasped.

"Right you are my dear boy. It's a shame my Monqis failed to retrieve the other parts but the true mark of a genius is to solve problems and so I did. Amazo, show no…"

"Oh no you don't!"

Ivo found himself lifted into the air by Miss Martian's telekinesis. He flailed about in panic.

"Amazo! Protect your master. Primary directive!"

The Amazo threw Superboy and Robin to the side and turned to Miss Martian.

"Access Superman."

It intoned.

The man of steel's familiar heat beams exploded out of Amazo's eyes towards Miss Martian. She dodged them but the beams followed her. 

The heat beams carved a demolition line across the corn field setting it on fire just as Kid Flash and I jumped in to attack him. I punched out a hand onto the Android's face that he caught and squeezed, making me grunt in pain. Kid Flash came in from the side and started hitting him with a metal bar he found, which did nothing. 

My foot slammed onto Amazo's torso with great impact, pushing him back as I flipped away. Kid Flash cleverly tripped the Android and it fell to the ground. 

Explosive birdarangs dug themselves onto Amazo's body but fell through when the Android accessed Manhunter's phasing ability. The explosion sent me spinning away for a few meters but I got up and charged.

"Anyone have an idea? We're getting our asses added to us!"

I shouted through the coms, receiving no answer. Miss Martian begun flying away with Ivo and the android pursued.

"Access Red Tornado."

A red Tornado sprang up below the Android and carried him towards Miss Martian. Why didn't he just access Superman's flight? The big blue is faster than Tornado by far.

"He doesn't have all the abilities he copied from the League!"

Robin came to the same conclusion I did.

"That means if we overwhelm him with many attacks while he's occupied with getting Ivo  back, we can take him down."

"Right!"

"Let's do it."

"I'm in. I'm going to turn it into scrap Metal."

The last words were from an angry Superboy. 

"Miss Martian lead the android to us."

Miss M did as instructed and passed by us, with Ivo screaming bloody murder and Amazo hot on her heels. Superboy growled and took a leap, shoulder checking the Android on to the corn field. The crops were decimated and a groove was left on the ground. We ran towards the pair just as Superboy interlocked his hands and slammed a double handed fist onto the Android.

"Access Manhunter."

The attack phased through the Android and a tremor through the ground.

"Whoa!"

Kid Flash lost his footing and fell, his body tumbled away, carving another path through the crops. 

"The owner is not going to pleased."

Robin chuckled as he disappeared off into the plantation.

"Access Black Canary."

Canary's sonic cry sent Superboy spinning away into the air. I jumped and grabbed ahold of his hand, spinning and throwing the boy of steel back at Amazo. 

"Access Fl..."

His words were cut off as Conner slammed into the unsuspecting android and actually damaged it this time. 

On of it's hands were bent the wrong way and it's torso was caved in. 

"Take this!"

Superboy pulled his hand back but the android opened it's mouth and activated Canary's signature move. Superboy managed to hold his ground despite being pushed back while covering his ears.

Smoke bombs from boy wonder obscured the Android's vision, covering me as I charged in. Wind surrounded both my palms, twisting and gyrating around.

I enhanced my speed and cut through the smoke like a ghost.

"Access Superman."

My eyes widened once I saw Amazo's eyes light up. I ducked just in time as the beams of solar energy flew above me.

'That was so close!'

To shorten the distance, I controlled the wind, sliding the rest of the way and then...

whoosh! 

I passed by Amazo. Sparks started running around it's hips after my palm cut through it like butter.

"Access F..."

My palm slashed out and the head separated from it's torso. The android fell down in 3 detached parts including the the lower body from my earlier attack.

I walked over to its head and slammed a foot down, totally crushing it. I breathed out and sat on the android's torso. 

"Dude, how do we keep ending up in these situations? When will a mission go right? Just for once?"

Wally complained spitting out pieces of leaves from his mouth.

"No! What have you done you...you buffoons! My genius!"

Ivo's red bowtie detached to wrap itself around his mouth just as he and Miss Martian landed before us. 

"Sorry, I don't like his attitude."

M'gann shrugged at our looks.

"Trust me, no one blames you beautiful."

Kid Flash winked at Miss Martian while Robin went off to look for Superboy. Meanwhile, I tapped on my earpiece to update Aqualad on how things had turned out. He was the only one of the team who was left behind.

"Maelstrom to Aqualad."

"Maelstrom, what is the status?"

"We're all fine. We have Ivo in our custody and Amazo is scrap metal again."

"Good. Miss Martian's bio-ship is on its way to pick you up. Great Job."

(Elsewhere)

"The children are becoming more than a nuisance."

One of the human like figures made of light said through the screen.

"Ivo has been captured. He was a valuable asset."

Another added.

"They have dared to stand in our way too many times already. This deserves retaliation."

This voice was deeper than the rest.

"You're all correct. But for now let us leave them be. When the time is right, even they shall see the light."

The last voice was more menacing than the rest.