10 Independence Day Part 1

Above the East Coast

"Woohoo!" Tora smiled as she soared through the air.

To her left, Heatblast grinned forward, piloting their flaming rock. "I told you that it'd be fun.

Tora kept herself stable with ice stakes pierced into their platform.

Even though the sky was dark, Beatriz and Heatblast's fire lit the way. She turned to Ice with a smirk. "How's the 'hot rod?'"

The three of them chuckled. Tora smiled back, "A bit warm, but nothing I can't handle." A small wave of ice extended down the spices and her feet, keeping her in place.

"I have to try that out later," Fire smirked.

Heatblast sighed. "It's too bad a Doomsday scenario cut our day short."

Beatriz shrugged. "It's nothing. We're used to danger putting a pause on life."

Tora continued. "What use is a day at the beach if it's gonna be completely dark the entire time."

"Hopefully, we don't waste the whole fourth of July on this guy." Heatblast narrowed his eyes. "I think I see something up ahead." He pressed a finger to his headset to zoom into the distance.

The Omnitrix symbol on his HUD lit up. "We are nearing the state known as New Jersey."

"Uh, guys, I don't think Wotan's doing this alone." Tora's pupils shrunk for a second as she stared at a massive horde of unknown creatures swarming through the city streets. Not a second later, one of the smaller ones flew by before exploding into a mess of stone rubble.

Heatblast frowned. 'Reminds me of Charmcaster.'

Fire cringed. "Wow, this is close to your story, Ben."

The Pyronite witnessed a green anti-aircraft gun materialized before cutting down stone golems. Nearby, a bolt of lightning struck down, turning a parking lot into a crater. "Woah..."

"That must be the League!" Beatriz took the lead. As they drew closer, the trio started to notice the scope of the battle. Several heroes scattered throughout the battlefield. Each of them faced their group of summons.

Some of the soldiers noticed their arrival, and a stray blast of electricity narrowly missed the trio. Heatblast huffed. "Looks like we're not too late for the party." He looked around.

At the center of the enemy forces, a large pyramid had grown from the ground surrounded by a transparent yellow shield. At the top, the wizard they assumed to be Wotan floated cross-legged with closed eyes. The strange object around his neck glowed with fury.

Beatriz sweat-dropped. "Are you seeing what I'm seeing?"

"An ancient temple unleashing an army of darkness upon the city?" suggested Tora.

She slowly nodded back. "Oh, okay. Just wanted to make sure."

"I swear, this place looks like a disaster movie." Heatblast noticed a giant golem flowing with orange light, launching someone through two buildings. "Some of them are having more trouble than others. We better split up."

Tora's eyes narrowed. "Ben, drop me off below, and we'll all try to help push the enemy line out of the city."

Heatblast started their descent and gave her a thumbs up. "Everyone stay safe. Activate comms "

Beatriz started charging her hands. "This will certainly be one hell of a story."

Atlantic City, New Jersey

When Zatara requested a full League response for Wotan blocking the Sun, Barry didn't expect much. He imagined the wizard to be floating in the air with his arms raised into the air. They would listen to him monologue for a minute before Superman or Wonder Woman would take him down. Afterward, they would hit the city for drinks to celebrate before checking up on the kids. Barry was way off the mark. If there's one thing he learned on the job, it is that magic is a bitch.

The Flash sped through the city. He scoured several city blocks to help evacuate any remaining citizens. Barry activated his comms. "Bats, I've cleared the last of the civilians. What's our status?" He hears a loud explosion before the Man of Steel is launched through an apartment building. "You okay Supes?"

Superman, the Man of Steel, replied with a heavy groan. "I've been better." Getting up, he stretched his arms. "Lousy magic..."

Gargoyles and Wraiths took to the skies as they targeted the sleek bat-shaped jet soaring above. The Batwing's artillery guns fired several missiles at a swarm while being chased from another squad. Batman, the Dark Knight, shook his head. "Not ideal." The smoking entities behind him gathered flames in their jaws, ready to unleash.

Suddenly, a pair of heroes with giant wings tailed the Dark Knight and the flying squadron. A simple mace crushed the opposition. Hawkman took a deep breath. "This is getting old," Hawkman declared. "I've taken out like fifty of those things, already."

Beside him, Hawkwoman rolled her eyes. "You're just mad that I'm still in the lead." Hawkwoman snarked before stretching her dominant arm. "Still, you're not wrong. We need to pull the plug on this."

Batman grunted in acknowledgment. "It's clear Wotan came prepared for the League's interference." The Batwing fires a hailstorm of projectiles at Wotan's pyramid only for them to not even scratch the magical barrier.

Flash ran towards the fray. "No kidding."

Batman pulled up higher into the air. "I need to locate Zatara so we can regroup for a counterattack."

Dodging incoming magical bolts, Flash vibrated his fist before punching straight into a golem's torso. "I'll get Canary and GA." He switched channels. "Canary. Arrow. You copy?" No response. Barry groaned before a loud screech echoed a few blocks down. "Better than my car keys." Approaching the area, Flash witnessed his friend cleaning up the last of the block.

The female fighter with long blonde hair dodged a stone fist. Her distinctive costume included a black one-piece bustier-leotard, gray stockings, boots, fingerless gloves, and a blue jacket. Black Canary dropped kicked a wraith before it dissipated into smoke. With another scream, the stone warrior shattered to pieces before catching her breath. Seeing sudden movement in the corner of her eye, she pivots, ready to strike. Just as her heel was an inch from the torso, she glared at the nonchalant crimson speedster. "Took you long enough." She took the chance to catch her breath. "I need a drink when this is over."

They heard a growl from above as a stray gargoyle dived for them. Dinah looked at the thing with an annoyed expression. Before the beast could attack, a blur flies by, freezing it solid before fracturing into pieces. "First rounds on me." Flash and Dinah turn to see the Emerald Archer jump down from his vantage point. "Late as always, Flash." Green Arrow loaded another explosive arrow just in case. "So? We got a Plan B or what? I'm not an expert on this magic crap."

Batman didn't tell Flash the precise details of the plan. "Uh, we're working on getting Zatara back, but we need to get everyone together."

Suddenly, the trio hears a chorus of inhuman wails coming from above. Taking a battle stance, they readied themselves for another wave of summons. To their surprise, lumps of flaming entities crashed around them as they burnt to ash.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Arrow called out to no direction in particular. "Thanks for the help, Supes!"

However, a much deeper voice replied. "You're welcome, but I'm not Superman!"

The trio's eyes widened before turning above. They were not expecting a flaming bipedal rock monster.

Remembering the invasion seven years ago, Green Arrow quickly fired an ice arrow. "Fire Lord!"

'Fire what?' Heatblast's eye sockets widened. He leaned out of the arrow's trajectory before attempting to land. The sonic screams following him did not make it easier. Touching down, he quickly put his hands up as the speedster ran toward him, ready for a punch. "Hold your fire! Hold your fire!"

To Flash, the world slowed. He reared a fist back, but as his eyes took in the newcomer, he noticed the familiar green hourglass badge on its chest. Realizing his mistake, Barry stopped his attack halfway, almost tripping over himself. "What the heck? Rath's friends with an Applexian."

Hearing Flash, Heatblast groaned in annoyance. "Applexian? Are you serious?" He stared at the speedster dryly.

Arrow and Canary readied for anything behind the alien. "Turn around slowly."

Heatblast complied. "Whoa whoa whoa. Chill." He motioned his flaming hands as non-threateningly as possible.

Green Arrow raised a brow. Seeing the universal hand gesture for surrender, he lowered his bow. "Ironic."

"So you aren't Fire Lord?" asked Canary. She saw the report of the League's first team-up.

Heatblast turned to the woman before staring in mild shock. Her hair was blonde, but he recognized her face and physique from their spars and hangouts. 'Uh, when the hell did Dinah become a superhero?!' "No. No, I'm not." He kept a straight face, telling himself that he would talk with her later.

Arrow turned to Flash. "Who the hell is this guy?"

Flash pointed at the alien's chest. "Judging by that symbol, he's with Rath."

Now that the tension settled, Heatblast nodded in relief. "Pretty much."

"You mean that Tiger luchador-looking alien?" Canary walked up to him and eyed Heatblast. "That so? I haven't seen you around Central City. Far from there right now too."

Heatblast gave a nervous chuckle. "It's not a great first impression for a walking fire hazard to tour the city." He pointed to the blackened sky. "This is the exception."

Arrow nodded skeptically. "Right. Just to be clear, you're on our side."

"Yes. I am." Heatblast huffed. "I can say it all I want, but I doubt you'll believe me until after we clean up this mess. By the way, call me Heatblast."

Flash chuckled. "Fitting."

"Eh, it's more of a codename."

"Where's Rath anyways? Is he here too?"

Heatblast dismissed it. "He's got his mission at the moment."

"Sure," drawled Canary.

"Getting back on topic," interrupted Arrow. "We have to regroup with the League for a coordinated counter-attack."

"Hopefully, you can make it easier to deal with all the monsters," the speedster smirked as he pointed to the Pyronite.

"By the way, where's that mini-you that Rath mentioned?" asked Heatblast. "I would have thought you brought him along to this."

"He and his friends are staying behind." Flash frowned a bit. "We disagreed before I left, and I didn't want him caught up in all this." A nearby empty building toppled over.

Heatblast nodded. "I see what you mean. In that case, I have good news." The Pyronite smiled. "I brought help."

Canary raised a brow. "Who?"

"Fire and Ice."

She remembered meeting them in passing at the Watchtower. Canary thought about their powers set. "Would you look at that? You fit right in."

The alien hero laughed. "Just some of the time." The others didn't understand what he meant. Heatblast placed a hand to his chin. "I wonder who they're with right now."

Several Blocks Away

A tall red robot with a blue cape flies upward. Red Tornado evades several thrown objects. "J'onn, the probability of our success is slowly decreasing." His hands become cyclones as miniature tornadoes sweep the area.

Down below, a tall, green-skinned humanoid turns transparent as the strong winds and numerous creatures phase through him. "I am aware of our current predicament." Martian Manhunter pushed out his hands, sending more enemies into the torrent of wind.

Several wraiths and golems crash into each other like a blender, leaving only debris and ash. Before Tornado could send out another series of cyclones, his radar pinged, detecting incoming bogeys. Turning in their direction, he noticed a familiar trail of ice and green fire approaching. "Our probability of success has risen dramatically."

Manhunter didn't notice the arrivals until an entire wave of summons became trapped in thick sheets of ice. Not missing the opportunity, J'onn focused his telekinesis, releasing a wave of psychic energy. The frozen evils didn't stand a chance, shattering to bits. The martian looked to the sky and smiled at the sight of Ice raining down attacks. It didn't take long for him to remember who is always close by. His expression grew nervous and fearful as balls of green flames scorched the Earth around him. Wraiths screamed in pain as gargoyles pushed through the fire.

The summons' attempts to escape the fire were to no avail as Ice trapped them in several frozen barriers

"Red, fan the flames!" the emerald beauty called out, continuing her barrage.

Red Tornado outstretched his metal arms and complied. Each cyclone fed oxygen to the fire, burning brighter and hotter.

Feeling the immense heat, J'onn phased through several walls to evade it. He drew heavy breaths, safe from the danger. He waited a minute before feeling out for the women. Phasing through the walls back to the street, get gazed at the scorched Earth. The area had been cleared, leaving molten slag behind. Looking back up, he saw Red Tornado greeting the reserve members.

Tornado shook Beatriz's hand. "Thank you for the assistance, Fire."

"No problem," she smiled. "It's why we signed up for the gig."

The robot greeted Tora as well. "It's a pleasure to work with you once more."

Ice sighed. "I hope we can take care of this soon." Looking down, she saw J'onn. "Oh, hey, Martian."

The green man calmed himself before nodding. "Hello to you as well."

Floating down, Beatriz waved to the Senior member. "It's a good thing we got here. Everything is chaos."

Martian Manhunter looked at the fiery woman before turning away slowly. "Yes, it is. We must get going. Come Tornado, Ice,... Fire."

As the senior members took the lead, Beatriz crossed her arms in annoyance and turned to Tora. "What's his problem?"

Her best friend simply shrugged. "It's been a while since they last met. Maybe it's a Martian thing." With that, the heroes moved out to help the rest of their comrades.

Meanwhile at Cadmus

A gray creature sits on one of the desks in an expansive lab as Desmond paces across the center. Finally slowing as seven screens come down from the ceiling. All seven are active, but instead of pictures, white outlines counteract the blue background.

"Dr. Desmond, you require an audience with the Light?" a man's voice asked, anger clear in his tone.

"Yes. I'm sorry to disturb you," the doctor replied.

"Just make your report," another man's voice spoke up, annoyance clear in his tone. His outline had an oval-shaped head.

"Of course," Desmond said quickly. "Well, we had a small fire, here at Project Cadmus. The origin is still unclear, but I've heard rumors that it was caused by a cigarette."

The screen with a smooth outline growled. "This is why I was against smoke breaks. Damn labor unions and their asinine demands."

"Let it go, L. We've heard your rant numerous times. That's why I control my men with strict discipline," the feminine figure replied. "Continue, Doctor."

"Anyways, the fire attracted the attention of three young men." A sly smile grew. "Robin, Aqualad, and Kid Flash penetrated my security. They went deep into the facility, found, and released the Superboy. Of course, the Superboy is under my control and, as ordered, turned against his would-be liberators." His attitude went giddy. "The three are currently restrained, and we don't believe the League knows they're here." With that, he finished his report.

The room went silent for a moment as they noted the Doctor's change in tone. "Yes... Thank you for telling us."

"How do you plan on dealing with them?" asked the gruff voice, unnerved about his tone.

Now comes the climax of the conversation, why he called them. The grin turned much more malicious. "Shall I repeat what I did last time? I can't wait to get my hands on those boys. I'll be able to pull things out of them that they never knew he had."

Once again, the room processed the request and the possible undertones. "Uh... sure. Just dispose of them after," the deeper voice commands with a little uncertainty. "Leave no trace behind!"

Desmond only smiles sadistically in response. "Don't worry. I'll be sure to suck them dry." He turned around to leave the room.

The white figures in the monitors went silent.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"We were talking about cloning, right?"

"God, I hope so."

"Who was in charge of hiring him?"

The white figure with devil-like horns raised his hand and giggled.

With Heatblast

After giving Heatblast a brief rundown on Wotan, Flash scouted ahead while the others followed behind. Arrow turned to their new acquaintance. "If we're gonna stand any chance, we have to find our heavy hitters."

Heatblast nodded. "According to Google, there are supposedly gods among you guys. That true?" The sky flashes with light before thunder crashes in the distance.

Black Canary waved a horizontal hand. "Well, yes, but actually no."

"It's complicated," summarized the Archer.

Suddenly, Flash zoomed in front of them. "Quick! I found more of the others." He dashed back into the fray.

As Heatblast flew after him, the Omnitrix symbol illuminated. "Uncatalogued DNA has been detected nearby."

Knowing what would happen if he allowed the Omnitrix to continue, Heatblast quickly replied. "Please hold off the scanning process until I say so."

"Understood," replied Azmuth

By the time the trio caught up with him, they had found a blond man in an orange scale-mail tunic, dark green leggings, and golden gauntlets stabbing into the stone beast with a trident.

Above, a man in a red costume with a lightning bolt logo grabbed onto two gargoyles before slamming them into the ground.

Not wanting to be left out, the trio made their moves. "Blaze Rush!" Heatblast threw his hands back and propelled himself forward. Landing in the middle of a large group, the Pyronit charged up. "Solar Flare!" A brief burst of flame lit up the entire area, leaving molten shells of the summons.

Seeing the newcomers, Captain Marvel dropped down to Black Canary. "Thanks for the assistance." He pointed a thumb at the living torch. "Who's the new guy?"

"He's an alien," she replied before screeching in another direction.

The Captain looked back at the hero and smiled. "Cool."

The group made their way towards the central spire, fighting many minions. As much as Ben wanted to speak to Dinah, now wasn't an appropriate time for personal stories. The Justice League slowly pieced itself together, even meeting up with Fire and Ice's group. Heatblast introduced himself to the likes of Wonder Woman, Captain Atom, the Green Lanterns. By the time Batman flew by with the Hawks, Azmuth was preparing genetic scans and analyses. He was most interested in the species cohabiting the Earth. It was surprising to see an emerald Hard Light vehicle arrive. With the Dark Knight landed and updated on the situation, Batman gave each group-specific orders to trim down the opposition; however, he was still suspicious about the newcomer.

Several pairs teamed against large stone giants, more swarms of gargoyles and wraiths, and squads of artificial paladins.

Heatblast spun himself around in the air, building up momentum with his arms before firing a flaming tornado at a paladin that caused a massive explosion. Not stopping, Heatblast moves through mid-air and grabs a golem before using his free arm to propel himself. He spins himself and his target with thrusters until he gains enough momentum to slam the magical swordsman into the ground forcefully. Collecting himself, Heatblast took note that if this kept up, the beasts would overrun them. Turning his head, he notices Green Arrow bashing down on a Wraith with his bow, his quiver empty. Several more wraiths came over with mouths charged up and ready to fire. In response, Heatblast ignited his arms and rocketed toward him.

Dinah noticed as well and called out to him. "Olly!" A blast of purple and green light filled the area. When the smoke cleared, Dinah was both confused and relieved. In place of Heatblast was a large green turtle shell. It's arms and legs wrapped protectively around the Archer. "The hell?" she looked at the two in disbelief.

When the new alien released him, Green Arrow got a better look, also confused. "What happened to Heatblast?"

Terraspin rubbed his head with a flipper nervously. "Heh heh heh. Surprise..."

Dinah and Arrow shook their heads, deciding to save it for later. "I demand an explanation when this is all over."

"Yeah, we all do," added Dinah.

Captain Marvel touched down to check up on the archer. "I'm glad you're okay, man." He looked at the alien with the same symbol on his chest. "Woah, you turned into a turtle. Are you like a Martian or something?"

Terraspin raised a brow. 'Martian?' Before he could answer, Wonder Woman called out to them.

"I've found Zatara, but he's in bad shape."

Following the voice, everyone made their way towards the pyramid. They soon came across a smoking man in a magicians suite crumpled up in nearby rubble. The Warrior Princes carefully pulled him out before setting him down on the ground with the others on guard. With Doctor Fate currently in retirement Normally the league's own master of the mystic arts could deal with him all by himself. But with the mystic Amulet of Aten around his neck. It was simply too much for him on his own. But even with the help of his superpowered friends, this was proving somewhat difficult.

Suddenly, every creature went still. Their glowing eyes slowly dimmed before collapsing into an empty husk.

"Uh... Did we win?" questioned Hal Jordan, putting down his ring.

As the last minion fell, the pyramid released an enormous beam of light from its peak into the clouds.

John Stewart groaned. "Why did you have to say that?"

The light at the apex of the pyramid faded.

Zatara's eyes fluttered before he gagged. Seeing his teammates, he went somber. "I couldn't stop him. I'm sorry," the magician muttered.

"Greetings, peasants." The being known as Wotan stole their attention, floating down from his temple.

Terraspin noted his light blue skin and red eyes. Wotan was adorned in crimson robes with several golden lines, appearing like circuitry. The heavy aura of arcane energy permeated from him. The devil-horned hairstyle accentuated his presence.

Wotan looked down upon the League like ants. "You know not what stands before you. The Power of the Sun is mine to command!"

From Terraspin's communicator, Azmuth warned "He's building up critical energy.

Eyes widened, Terraspin grabbed onto the injured mage and gestured to everyone. "Everyone take cover!"

Gusts of wind pick up as Wotan floats higher into the sky. He laughed maniacally with surges of magic flowing through him each second.

Everyone got out of dodge, braced for impact, or constructed their barriers. Several explosions raged across the battlefield.

From a collapsed building, Terraspin vented the dust out of his shell. Thankfully, he could handle magic. Placing down Zatara, he asked the man, "What the hell just happened?"

Zatara looked at the turtle creature and coughed up a bit of blood. "It took a while, but Wotan managed to unlock the Amulet of Aten's power. I tried to cut off the ritual, but I wasn't strong enough. Now, he has the power of an Egyptian God."

Remembering documentaries from the History channel, Ben knew how serious that sounded. Terraspin looked at the floating wizard crackling with magic, thrashing against Captain Marvel in the distance. "Well, shit..." 'I might have to bring out the big guns.'

Green Arrow stood next to Batman and Dinah safe in a bubble shield with a strained John and Hal. Dryly, he turned to their leader. "So, Bats. How's that plan B coming along?" All he received back was a deep glare.

Half a second before the bombs dropped, Flash raced to the rooftop of a distant highrise and out of danger. Wotan threw spells in several directions. The speedster sighed, seeing his friends taking up arms once again. "I'm really glad that the kids are safe back at the hall."

Meanwhile

Three teens were trapped in pods as they looked down at their captors.

"You won't get away with this!" the yellow speedster exclaimed. "If we don't get out, the Justice League will bring this place down."

Doctor Desmond smirked. "Oh, you mean this place that's secluded and deep underground. Where there's no one nearby for miles to hear loud noises, like say someone screaming."

Aqualad nodded without hesitation. "Yes, exactly."

In contrast, his friends grew worrisome. "I don't like where this is going," stated Robin, discreetly taking out his lock pick.

Desmond shrugged. "You won't like what I'm about to do either. It's too bad for you fine young boys that all the heroes are away."

Kid Flash went a bit pale. "Robin, I don't. I don't feel so good."

The doctor chuckled. "I've been told that I tend to have that effect on people. Now, stay still." He stepped over to the terminal, typing out several commands. "It's your first time, so I might be gentle. Drift away as I penetrate deep inside you and suck out your life juice.

"We need an adult?" Robin smiled weakly, his right hand desperately trying to unlock his restraints.

Desmond grinned at them innocently. "I am an adult." His finger pressed down onto a large red button.

Omnitrix DNA Entry:

Name: Terraspin

Species: Geochelone Aerio

Home World: Aldabra

Powers and Abilities:

Geochelone Aerios can retract their heads into their shell, where an opening in the shell serves as a viewfinder, their fins become triangular and their legs combine into a similar triangular shape. Geochelone Aerios can blow a powerful wind from the holes in their shell while also using their triangular shape arms as propellers; allowing varied powers such as creating winds and spinning themselves at high-speed; they can use this blowing ability to fly. Their appendages rotate with their shell, staying static and suspended when flying. Geochelone Aerios also have super strength. This species also has selective mana and magic immunity. Geochelone Aerios can learn to use magic.

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