Chapter 15: The Team part 3

[Third Person Point of View]

Fire truck and ambulance sirens wail as the emergency personnel do their job, putting out the fire in the double-story genetics lab. Two scientists shout for help on the top floor.

"Stay put!"

The fire chief says through his bullhorn.

"We will get you out!"

Unfortunately, before anyone can act, another explosion blasts the scientists out of the blazing structure and a plummet into certain death. Kid Flash dashes over and runs up the side of the building, grabbing both men and depositing them on the roof before scrabbling for purchase to stop his own descent.

He manages to grab the bottom of the second-floor window sill.

"It's, what's his name again?"

The fire chief says excitedly, pointing at the sidekick before guessing.

"Flash-Boy!"

"Kid Flash!"

The sidekick calls down before he mutters to himself.

"Why is that so hard?"

Robin and Aqualad stop running as the building comes into view and they take in the scene.

"So smooth."

Robin comments.

"Does he always run ahead?"

Aqualad criticizes.

"We need a plan, we—"

He stops and looks around.

"Robin?"

"That's a Batman thing."

Supergirl comments as Acnologia teleports right next to them as he nods.

"Something is coming out of that building, you guys better get ready because it- they feel quite feral."

he says as he stretches his limbs.

After hearing a familiar cackle, Aqualad turns in time to watch the Boy Wonder leap onto the fire truck, shoot his grappling hook, and swing onto the window above the dangling Kid Flash. He pulls him up, and they disappear inside.

Aqualad manipulates water from the fire hose with his water bearers, his tattoos glowing an otherworldly cyan blue, then creates a platform and rides it to the rooftop. He encourages the scientists to climb aboard before lowering the platform to the ground while he steps off at the second-story window.

He finds Kid and Robin searching through filing cabinets and computers before commenting.

"Appreciate the help."

"Oh, you guys had it handled."

Robin says before adding on.

"Besides, we're here to investigate. Poetic justice, remember?"

Aqualad walks down the hallway and hears the ding of an elevator door closing.

"Are we going to stand around or do something?"

Supergirl asks Acnologia as he lifts his right hand with five fingers pointing up.

"Five, four..."

He says as he brings his fingers down.

"...Three, two, and... One."

*BOOM*

An explosion occurs at the same time Acnologia finishes counting down to one. Supergirl sees that the explosion was caused by a strong force as she witnesses an injured Kid Flash, Aqualad and Robin being sent flying from the hole of the building that was just made.

Before she can even react, the three sidekicks along with the rubbles that were sent flying with them are suspended in mid-air before they gently start to make their descent with the former landing right next to Acnologia.

"So how was it?"

Acnologia ask.

"Where were you? There's a bunch of weirdos in costume that just attacked us out of nowhere."

Kid Flash yells.

"One has the ability to manipulate air, one electricity and can even change into it, one can change into different animals, one can change and control water as for the last one he has yet to use his power if he has any but all of them seem to be attacking anything that moves."

Robin says as he gets up, bringing the duo up to speed since he knows that the fight is not over yet. As if to prove his point the five individuals that had injured them came out of the building.

From the left to the right, the first one had asiatic features and wore a white and red skin-tight suit with a few touches of black and green.

The second one wore a yellow, blue, and black suit with lightning motives and a blue helmet that had gigantic black glasses but left his mouth and nose exposed revealing his dark skin to the air.

The one in the middle wore what could be described as a futuristic native American suit. He had long black hair and his face seemed to be decaying like the others.

The next one was a girl who could be best described as an albino elf with a purple and black suit that had chest and shoulder plates. The last one was simply a male version of her or a twin if one preferred.

Aqualad and Kid Flash got up as the five decaying individuals jumped down from the building. They along with Supergirl and Robin prepared to fight them when Acnologia brought his hand down. 

*Crack*

"ARGH!"

*Crack*

"ARGH!"

*Crack*

"ARGH!"

*Crack*

"ARGH!"

*Crack*

"ARGH!"

As he did so, the five decaying individuals fell face-first into the ground with so much force that it cracked the concrete ground. Kid Flash looked at them then Acnologia then back at them a few times.

"You couldn't have done that earlier?"

He asks.

"And have them crashing through the building?"

Acnologia retorts before adding on.

"I immobilized them but if what Robin said is true, the two who can elementize will probably escape if they still have enough reason to use their powers."

As he said this, the albino elf male and the one who had gigantic black glasses turned into water and electricity respectively.

"I got the water elf."

Supergirl said as she flew towards the living water and used her super breath to freeze him in place. As the water froze, it slowly changed back into a frozen albino male elf. Aqualad ran towards the living lightning and brought his hand forward as it shot electricity toward him.

"I'll keep his attention on me, Kid Flash, evacuate the civilians before they get in the crossfire."

He says as his tattoos light up under electrocution.

"Got it."

Kid Flash says as he rushes to evacuate the civilians who were too slow to run away to safety. Supergirl also went to help after the male elf had passed out. Robin rushed to help Aqualad and after he threw some explosives toward the living lightning, it managed to revert to its human form.

Seeing this, Supergirl flew and threw a right hook that knocked the last feral enemy down. While this was happening, Acnologia had stopped using his power to alter gravity around the three unconscious feral decaying individuals. He had knocked them out with Haoshoku Haki.

He secretly used his magic to inspect their minds and find nothing. He did not know what they were or what happened to them, but their minds were now nothing more than animalistic, running on instinct and nothing more, which decayed along with their bodies with each passing second.

"We did it!"

Kid Flash celebrated as they rounded them up right before a series of black cars came and stopped around them. A group of black-suited men came out of each car and then proceeded to surround the young heroes.

"Thank you kids but we'll take it from here." 

One of the men in black said.

"Let's go."

Before Kid Flash was about to protest, Acnologia responded as he walked away.

"Hey, wait on a secon-"

*VRMM*

"I will not repeat myself."

Acnologia interrupted Robin as he used a bit of Haoshoku Haki. Robin, Kid Flash, and the men in black started to sweat a bit. After a few seconds of silence, the rest of the young heroes followed Acnologia. Once they were far enough, Acnologia led them to an alley.

"Robin, how good are you at hacking?"

Acnologia asks much to the bewilderment of the rest of the young heroes.

"I-I'm good at it, why?"

He asks.

"Good enough to hack into Cadmus undetected and leave without leaving any trace if we were to go there without anyone seeing us? Say, if you happened to be teleported along with me inside Cadmus."

Acnologia asked again but with a smirk this time.

"Oh, I can do that."

Robin smirked back.

"What? You just told us to leave and now you want to go back! Why? We could have just gone down there ourselves."

Kid Flash yells.

"They would not have let us enter and I have a sneaking suspicion that they were ready to fight if not dispose of us if given the chance."

Aqualad commented.

"We could beat them up but I don't think we would have been allowed to back in with the fire being put down and all."

Supergirl chimed in.

"But now that they think that we are gone, they won't be worrying about us and be more preoccupied with erasing the evidence before the League finds out. So preoccupied that they probably won't notice if I hack into their system and with Triton's help, I can get closer."

Robin adds.

"Okay, let us all go to Cadmus-"

"It will only just me and Robin, while you, Supergirl, and Aqualad will lounge around the Hall of Justice making our pursuers think we ALL are there."

Acnologia interrupted Kid Flash.

"Pursuer-"

*Snaps*

Supergirl says but is interrupted by Acnologia snapping his fingers and they disappear before reappearing inside the Hall of Justice. They lounged around for an entire hour before Robin and Acnologia teleported back to the Hall of Justice with the former holding a USB in his right hand but wearing a grim face.

Robin kept being quiet even under the assaulting questions of both Supergirl and Kid Flash. Hours went by fast until part of the League came to the Hall of Justice, namely, Superman, and Wonder Woman along with the others that were there earlier.

It was already night outside thus the visitors had already left and the first thing Robin did was to give the USB to Batman and speak in a grave tone.

"You all NEED to see this."

Seeing his expression even with his mask, the leaguers decided to view the USB before talking about how the Sidekicks went behind their back and almost got killed... in their eyes. Batman disabled the cameras in the room they were in and closed the windows before viewing the USB on the big screen. After seeing the content of the USB, everyone, except Robin and Acnologia were shocked.

{The Ultimen: 

A series of genetically engineered, artificial life forms; in essence, test tube babies, created in Cadmus laboratories by Emil Hamilton and possessed complete sets of false memories, implanted there by Dr. Hugo Strange.

Designed by Project Cadmus to be a popular alternative to the Justice League the government deemed too rogue. At the moment, the clones seem to be unstable as they decay only a few days after their creation.}

"After discovering that they were part of an experiment to create superpowered clones with implanted memories, the Ultimen rebelled and went on a rampage against Cadmus causing the fire that brought us to them."

Robin explains to the shocked heroes. Aqualad now understood why his friends had kept quiet, if they had known this, he was sure that Kid Flash and Supergirl if not him as well would have rushed to save them even if it was already too late. It would have only complicated the situation.

"They had been captured before we arrived but managed to escape, sadly after their minds had been reduced to their bare minimal and animalistic self. By that point, they had roughly hours left to live, if you can their final stage of life, living."

Acnologia comments before Robin adds on

"There is also info about a secret board of directors but there was nothing on the files that we read while taking a copy of everything that was on their server. There are still some encrypted parts to be decyphered but I doubt they would leave evidence that ties straight to them."

Acnologia then continued.

"Now that they have been brought up to light, they will move their experiments site elsewhere before resuming it."

"This is why you guys should have called us-"

Flash said but was interrupted by Acnologia.

"Cadmus was going to relocate regardless of our involvement since the Ultimen were going to be seen by the public with or without our intervention. The only difference is whether you guys would have been able to gain this information before they deleted it which they must of done three hours ago during your fight."

Batman gave Acnologia a mild batglare which earned a bored glare from the young Atlantean before the Dark Knight spoke.

"End results aside, we are not happy. You hacked Justice League systems, disobeyed direct orders, and endangered lives. You will not be doing this again."

"I am sorry."

Aqualad asserts himself before continuing.

"But we will."

"Aqualad..."

Aquaman adds in a firm voice.

"Stand down."

"Apologies my King, but no."

King Orin raises an eyebrow at this, inwardly shocked that loyal Kaldur'ahm would defy him.

'Did Acnologia's personality rubbed off on him?'

The Atlantean king asks himself.

"We did good work here tonight."

Aqualad explains before adding on.

"The work you trained us to do. Together, on our own, we forged something powerful. Important."

"If this is about your treatment earlier..."

Flash says before adding on.

"... The three of you-"

"The five of us..."

Kid Flash interrupts his mentor.

"You also benched Supergirl and Triton but it's not."

Robin steps forward, trying to appeal to his father figure and role model.

"Batman, we're ready to use what you've taught us. Or why teach us at all?"

"He is right Kal-El, when I came to this world, you showed me that I could use these powers for good but I- no we can't do this if we get told to sit down when people need us just because its dangerous."

Supergirl says as she comes near Superman.

"I'm just going to say it, you guys are babying them, and trust me when I say that when they meet an actual villain without you chaperoning them, they will get destroyed because you will have made them reliant on you guys."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence."

"It wasn't but your welcome."

Kid Flash retorts to Acnologia's comment who then retorts back at him.

"Also what made you think that I will let you guys constantly tell me what to do? I made my mind up and we're a team now so..."

Acnologia says indignantly. He steps ahead of the other four, toward the Leaguers.

"...It's simple. Get on board, or get out of the way... MY way."

He challenges.

[AN: This is one of the things that is going to be different. The Ultimen instead of Superboy for now.]