24 Chapter 24: Amazo
[AN: I'm posting it early since its either now or tomorrow night.]
[Third Person's Point of View]
[Bibbo's Diner, Metropolis. August 3, 21:18 EDT]
"Apple pie."
Reporter Clark Kent says to the waiter.
"The devil's food."
Bruce Wayne orders, handing the menu to him as well.
Once the waiter is out of earshot, Clark decides to initiate the conversation.
"Something tells me this isn't about dessert."
"You are too overprotective of Kara."
Bruce says almost immediately after Clark finishes his sentence.
"No, I'm not. I am just being careful. She needs time to adjust to her new powers."
Clark replies quickly.
"I had decades- no my entire life to get used to them and properly control them."
"Sorry, Clark, but you're dead wrong."
Bruce argues. Clark turns to look at him.
"Look, I know that her, potentially being in danger or becoming the danger… troubles you. She is the long-lost blood relative that you finally manage to get but she can not be one foot in our world and one foot out.
I know that you still feel guilty about what happened with Agamemnon but that was not your fault..."
'It was mine, I should have been prepared for any type of situation. Had I been, none of the following repercussions you face would have happened.'
Bruce pauses for a second as he thinks that before resuming.
"... I know that you are afraid of seeing her being manipulated but if you keep her one foot in and one foot out, she will not be prepared to face those types of situations."
As Bruce finishes what he has to say, a silence surrounds both men before Clark sighs.
"You're right. I know you are right but... I just can't help to worry about her. I know she could survive practically anything on this planet but that still does not alleviate my worries."
"All you can do is try and trust her to do what you taught her to do. Which is to do the right thing when the situation needs it."
Bruce advice. Clark chuckles before speaking.
"Who would have thought you would be so good at giving emotional advice."
At his quip, Bruce brought the coffee to his lip for a sip before responding.
"That's why I have Alfred write what I was going to say to you."
"Huh?"
Clark muttered.
"He refused, of course, saying that I should speak from the heart..."
This brought a smile to Clark's face but it faded once Bruce finished his sentence.
"... So I repeated what he told me once about trusting my partner."
"You always have to get the last word."
Clark chuckles.
"Yes, although Alfred did ask me to convey his worries that your overprotectiveness would impede on Kara's dating lif-"
"She is not dating until she is twenty-five!"
Clark says sternly, standing up only to realize that he had raised his voice and caught everyone's attention. Embarrassed, he grabbed his hat.
"I'll take that pie to go."
He tells the waiter and walks over to the cash register to pay. Bruce settles back into the booth as he thinks over the conversation.
'Clark and Acnologia might just have a chance to finish their battle.'
[Gotham City. August 3, 21:21 EDT]
The monkey robots laugh hysterically as they transport the android parts to a moving train. A train car's doors open and both teams of jet-pack monkeys fly in, depositing both sets of parts inside. Supergirl, super-hero lands, on top of the train car.
*FZZZZ*
Lazering a hole in the roof, she pries it open far enough for her to slip through. She lands on the floor of the train car and stands, hearing the sound of the monkey bots' laughter at her arrival. At the other end of the car, surrounded by the mechanical monkeys, stands a small, thin man with graying red hair. His vibe screams, I am the bad guy that you are looking for. The man looks at her in mild surprise.
"Oh, hello."
"You?"
Supergirl asks, scorn dripping from her voice.
"You're Ivo? I'm whelmed."
"You're one to talk."
Ivo replies. He shifts into a thoughtful pose, his chin in his hand, showing off his green sweater vest and red bow tie.
"Now since when does the Big Blue Boy Scout let you walk outside all alone? You know the world is very dangerous for a damsel in distress like you."
"I am not a damsel."
"Eh, if you say so... but you are still in distress."
Ivo raises his hands, gesturing to the dozens of his monkey creations.
"Have you met my Mobile Optimal Neural Quotient Infiltrators?"
The laughter begins again, and a wave of the mechanical beings launches themselves at the teen. Supergirl makes quick work of the robots, lazering them into oblivion. A single offline head bounces to a stop in front of Ivo, and the neon green light fades from the mechanism.
Ivo sighs and turns away in disappointment.
"*Sigh* And after all the trouble I went through finding an acronym for monkey."
Supergirl grabs the heads of two last bots and smashes them together. She speaks to Ivo but is interrupted by someone.
"Surrender or you are going to end up just like them."
"Access: Captain Atom."
A blast of red light hits the super teen in the face, knocking her back. She looks back up as the inventor steps into her line of vision, seeing a large gap between its shoes and the hem of its slacks.
"Since Professor Ivo's magnificent M.O.N.Q.I's don't float your boat..."
Ivo steps to the side with his hand raised in a theatrical pose.
"... maybe my amazing Amazo would better suit you. Or better yet, slay you."
The android stands tall in front of the teen hero, mechanical muscles with green plating covering him from the waist down. His hair is simply metal molded into shape and painted red-orange, and his optic lenses are tiny red pinpricks of light. His ears are pointed on the ends, reminiscent of a Terminator with an elf fetish.
Supergirl wipes her mouth with her fist, standing back on her feet.
"Gimme your best shot, tin can."
She challenges.
Two of the M.O.N.Q.I.s laugh behind the professor, resting on boxes at the other end of the train car.
"Please."
Ivo scoffs.
"My android has the strength of SuperMAN. What chance do you have? SuperGIRL"
Infuriated by the small evil inventor's words, Supergirl dashes forward with an inarticulate cry of rage, throwing punches left and right. The Amazo android mechanically blocks them until one connects with the metal jaw, the force causing his face to turn almost 180°.
Unfazed, he catches the next punch with his metal fist and cracks the knuckles of Supergirl's right hand. This was due to Captain Atom's ability. What she had been hit was a concentrated ray of red solar energy and it weakened her powers.
"Oh sorry, did that strike a nerve?"
Ivo asks in a false concerned tone.
"Amazo, strike a few more."
Amazo complies, winding up his other fist and punching Supergirl hard enough to lift her off the ground and slam her into the roof of the train car. As his foe regains his feet, Amazo is busy scanning her for weaknesses.
"Access: Black Canary."
The android's jaw extends, much like a python's or a boa's before they start swallowing their prey. A second worth of pause, then a shrill shriek emanates from the mechanical man. Supergirl screams and clutches her ears as the canary cry blasts her against the wall again. She stands on shaking legs.
"Access: Flash."
Amazo moves forward quickly and starts punching the super teen with blinding speed on her unprotected chest, face, arms, and legs. Supergirl manages to stumble backward and falls to the dusty floor in defeat. Ivo sighs again.
"Oh, no wonder Suppy keeps you hidden away. You're not really doing justice to the old S shield, are you? Ha!"
His taunts getting a rise out of her, Supergirl gets up and swings her right fist back, yelling out in anger as she moves to attack.
"Access: Martian Manhunter."
Her fist swings right through the android's head as its density shifts. Caught off guard, Supergirl's momentum carries her through a 180° turn, her back to the enemy. She turns back to face Amazo, but is struck on the cheek with enough force to knock her through the wall of the train car and onto the shipping platform behind it.
Amazo grabs the roof of the train car and swings itself through the hole to land in front of the super teen.
"Access: Superman."
The android picks up the teen hero by the front of her suit's shirt punches her high into the sky, and watches as she eventually crashes through the windows of a classroom, breaking the desks and interrupting the perfectly straight rows. Fortunately, school was out for the day.
Unsure of what to do now, Amazo looks to his creator for instruction. The M.O.N.Q.I.s laugh from their position beside the older inventor. Ivo shrugs dismissively.
"Finish her. Priority Alpha."
With an electronic beep, Amazo acknowledges his new command and launches into the air.
---
Robin drives along the road towards Gotham as they pass the city limit sign. Suddenly the sound of super-speed running approaches them, and Wally in his Kid Flash uniform runs alongside his best friend.
"So you changed too?"
Robin asks rhetorically.
"Are you kidding? I feel naked in civies."
The speedster shivers.
"You still tracking the parts?"
"They were earlier, but now they've veered. Wait! Dude, they're at my school!"
Robin exclaims.
"There's noise coming from the gym."
Kid Flash tells him as they arrive before speeding off. Robin follows him.
"Access: Superman."
A robotic voice says.
'The android must have already been reassembled!'
Kid Flash thought as he zooms through a set of double doors. Robin hops off the bike behind him and comes up the stairs. They find themselves in a large room with wooden floors and bleachers lining the sides. On the far side of the room is Supergirl lying on the floor with the android standing over her preparing a canary cry.
"Yoink!"
Kid Flash says as he grabs Supergirl from off the floor in a princess carry. He pulls her over to where Robin is standing. Supergirl saw Kid Flash save her groans before speaking.
"The day keeps getting better and better."
"Access: Martian Manhunter."
Amazo says and density shifts as Robin throws disks at it. The disks pass through it and explode on the wall behind.
"Access: Red Tornado."
The android says as a red vortex swirls around his lower body. He send it towards the heroes and the sudden wind sends them flying. Supergirl and Robin go in one direction, while Kid Flash crashes into a wall.
The speedster gets up as Amazo walks over to him.
"Access: Captain Atom."
Amazo holds out his hand and it starts to glow. Kid Flash quickly dashes behind the bleachers and runs to the opposite end before reversing direction once on the gym floor and super speeds towards Amazo. The android speaks again.
"Access: Black Canary."
Kid Flash's eyes widen as Amazo's lower jaw unhinges. The canary cry sounds throughout the room, amplified by the gym's natural tendency to echo. It knocks Kid Flash back who is clutching their throbbing ears.
"Access: Superman."
Amazo says and catches Supergirl's fist aimed at its head. It then punches Supergirl back into the bleachers above Robin, who is just getting up. The Boy Wonder throws more exploding disks.
"Access: Martian Manhunter."
Amazo intones, and this time his arms elongate like a stretched rubber band. He uses the flexibility, plus his natural mechanical durability, to block the disks from hitting anything vital. One of the arms slams down right where Robin had been a moment before, then retracts.
Ears still ringing, Kid Flash gets up and rushes over to try and knock Amazo down. But the android envelopes him in a bear hug and starts squeezing.
"Access: Superman."
It says, accessing the Man of Steel's strength.
"Ahhhh!"
The young speedster yells in pain. As the other young heroes fear for Kid Flash's fate, they watch as Amazo changes power.
"Access: Martian Manhunter."
Amazo says suddenly, looking to the side. its density shifts and Kid Flash drops from his arms as a green arrow passes through the android's head.
*shunk*
It lands next to Robin, who looks at it for a moment in confusion.
Now free, Kid Flash zooms off to the side to recover and regroup before jumping into the fray again. Amazo looks like he is about to follow but is cut off when Supergirl jumps at him.
"Access: Superman."
The android says. He grabs her leg and twirls her around and around before releasing her. She sails upward and breaks through the ceiling tiles, where she gets tangled in the cables and wires. They can not support her weight, though, and snap under the strain. She falls to the bleachers and groans.
"Access: Black Canary."
Amazo says using the same move Canary used on her earlier. Robin stands and throws more disks at the android, but the android swiftly ducks out of the way.
"Access: Superman."
Amazo's eyes turn red, and that's all the warning Robin gets before laser beams are shot at his chest. Kid Flash zooms over and tackles his best friend before the burning lasers can hit him.
Supergirl sits up from where she was thrown into the bleachers and sees Professor Ivo sitting with two of his M.O.N.Q.I.s on the opposite bleachers and Amazo slowly moving towards the right where Kid and Robin are slumped, dazed from the small explosion the laser eye beams created.
"Oh, yawn."
Ivo says from the other side of the gym.
"Normally Amazo would study and mimic your abilities during battle, but what's the point? You're all such poor copies of the originals, especially you, superskirt."
The M.O.N.Q.I.s laugh at this like it's the most hilarious thing in the world.
"A copy, you say?"
Supergirl clenches her teeth when she remembers the last time she had been this angry, she has a flashback.
[Flashback]
Kara and Acnologia are facing each other.
"You want me to train you, I accepted but I want to know why?"
Acnologia asks as he is readying himself for a fight.
"Cuz you're the only one in here that won't pull his punches and look at me with pity as if I am some kind of victim."
Kara says as she grits her teeth. The only that she hated more than the pity looks every leaguer gave her was the fact that she could not do anything nor save anyone when her home was destroyed.
It was something that she learned was called survivor's guilt on Earth but that did not make her feel any better. Acnologia sighed and gave her the same look he usually gave at that time, an uncaring stare before bringing his right hand up. Three fingers were raised upward while the rest were folded.
"The training will begin in three... two... and you are dead."
Acnologia said as he lowered two of his three fingers pointing upward before pointing at Kara and using his ability to control water to control her blood and immobilize her.
"W-What?! That's not fair! You cheated!"
Kara yelled while trying to move but could not.
"Lesson number one, always have your guard up, you will be able to move shortly but if this had been a real fight... had I been your enemy, you would have been dead."
Acnologia said as he walked out of the training room. Kara starts berating herself in her mind but stops when she hears Acnologia's next words.
"Granted, you would have not been able to defeat me in any case but you could have lasted an instant longer."
'One day, I'm going to punch that smug face.'
She thought as she imagined Acnologia smirking as he said those words since she could not see him. Later on, she would eventually succeed in punching Acnologia's face but that just increased her training's difficulty, and the hellish training began. She could still remember his words.
"Good. You managed to lend a hit so the warm-up is over... Now we can finally begin the true training. For your second lesson, I will be teaching you how to... DODGE!"
After he said those words all she could remember was him disappearing and reappearing in front of her before everything faded to black.
[End of Flashback]
'Lesson number one, always have your guard up.'
Supergirl thinks as she starts to smirk. She then glares at Ivo as her eyes become red.
*FZZZZ*
Her heat vision fires off at Ivo, more precisely his legs, who does not even have the chance to dodge it but before it can hit the mad scientist, shadow-like tendrils block the heat vision. At the same time similar, shadow-like tendrils wrapped around Ivo before bringing him into the air.
"What is this?!"
The M.O.N.Q.I.s launch themselves to free their inventor but are quickly shredded to pieces by multiple shadow-like tendrils coming from the ground.
"So this is the elf fetish base tin can that caused the League hours to disassemble."
A new voice emerges as steps can be heard. They all look to see Acnologia emerging from the shadows.
"Dude, where have you been?"
Kid Flash asks.
"I just finished a mission with Wonder Woman. I was excited to fight the hellhound called Cerberus but it turned out to be just a beast conjured through sorcery... I believe the term on the surface world for this sort of situation is being Blue balled.
We prevent the artifact that it was targeting to be stolen but sadly the sorcerer who conjured the beast never showed his face. Things had just concluded when I received a call from Aqualad. He requested backup at the right moment."
"Well, ain't that nice, coming to help your friends. You know what else is nice?... Amazo! Protect your master! Priority Alpha!"
Ivo says, fearing for his life. The android turns to look at Acnologia, it points its hand at the young Atlantean before speaking.
"Access: Captain Ato-"
Before it can even finish what it is saying, Acnologia suddenly attacks, tearing a large hole in the left side of its stomach nearly dividing the android in half with a swift swipe of his right hand. As the young heroes and Ivo look at Amazo with shock, another pair of Acnologia's shadow-like tendrils diced Amazo into pieces.
*Thud* *Thud* *Thud* *Thud* *Thud*
"Guess it wasn't all it was cracked up to be."
Acnologia said before looking at Ivo.
*VRMM*
With a burst of Haoshoku Haki, Ivo fell unconscious, or at least that is what it seemed. What Acnologia had done was mix Haoshoku with his blood magic, which no longer required him to use his hands ages ago. He had placed a subtle command in Ivo's mind.
Arcane Energy had upgraded his abilities thus his ability to instantly being able to transmute anything into whatever he had once touched had also been upgraded. Now if he wished he could learn anything he wanted from what he was touching.
He used this ability to understand how the android worked and discovered that it could not copy magical abilities. But that was only a matter of time, he knew this because the shadow tendrils were a part of himself thus he could learn anything he wanted from Ivo.
It was like looking into the villain's mind. Acnologia learned that Ivo had yet to learn how to incorporate magic into Amazo's range of mimicry but was still searching for a way. The reason why Acnologia destroyed the android and searched for its information instead of eating it was simple.
He did not want to become a beast that ate anything it saw for power. For most occasions, he would learn at least a minimum of information about the ability in question that picked his interest before using his shadow to acquire it.
In Amazo's case, Acnologia saw the bigger picture. As they say, give a man a fish and you feed him for a day but teach a man how to fish and you feed him for life. Why take the incomplete version when he could get the complete version?
The command that he had put in Ivo's mind was to finish the mimicry ability of Amazo and then send it to Acnologia. The command was done such that Ivo would not realize what he was doing, to him once he was done upgrading the android's mimicry, it would go rogue.
It would be looking for Acnologia before Ivo finalizes its combat programming thus delivering an almost defenseless meal to Acnologia. The mental command would not be noticeable to even telepaths. Still, that did not mean that Acnologia was going to place his eggs in one basket.
Though the acquisition of metahuman abilities required Acnologia's shadow to eat its target the same could not be said about knowledge. Although it consumed some magic out of Acnologia, he could copy the full knowledge of his target as he did with Nabue. He copied Ivo's full knowledge and intellect.
Acnologia could now create an Amazo of his own but the reason why he placed a command in Ivo's mind was that it had already become clear to the young Atlantean that the villains never stayed down, they went to jail and escaped the next week.
He did not care enough to kill Ivo and deal with the mess that came afterward. To Acnologia, if he had to kill a villain then the satisfaction of his or her death better be worth all the lectures he would allow to be heard left from right.
With the mental command, Acnologia ensures that if- when Ivo got out and planned for his revenge as any villain would do, it would be sabotaged from the get-go. When Aqualad and Miss Martian entered the gym, Acnologia caught on a peculiar memory from Ivo.
He decided to inform the league via his report as the Team's leader. Normally, it would have been Kaldur's job as the latter was appointed Vice-leader of the Team but since Acnologia intervened, he also had to make a report.
[??? location]
In front of a gigantic window overlooking several planets, a man with pink skin and hair, that indicates that his barber has a grudge against him, watches the planets as they go by. If one were to look closely, one would notice that each planet was Earth or to be more precise, a version of Earth.
"Another Earth has failed the test."
The man says as he moves his right hand sideways before one of the planets he is observing explodes.
"You know, one would start to think you have a hate boner for Booster Gold with all the variants of him, you have used as a delivery system to send your trial to the respective universes. Most of them die without even learning why. How... sad."
A voice, that sound like an amalgamation of several people's voices, can be heard around the man but no one is seen talking or existing near the man with the fucked up hairline.
"I would not have to do this if you told me which universe is the correct one."
"If I tell you then I would also have to tell your brother which one he is looking for and where would be the fun in that? You know my motto, equivalent exchange... for most. If I tell you where that Paragon is, I will have to tell him where that Horseman is as well."
The man looked up with an annoyed look in his eyes.
"Don't give me that look Mar Novu, I told you which individual and their variant you should be looking for... It just so happens that what both you brothers are looking for is the same individual.
However, I wonder if Mobius will find the variant he is looking for first, or... will it be you? Let's just hope that your test reaches the correct variant in time."
The amalgamation resumed.
"Let's hope indeed... Source."
[AN: I want to thicken the plot a bit more before getting into the action because I don't want some event to happen and people feeling like it came out of nowhere.
Since the Harem has been decided I figured I'd let you guys decide on it further. Spoiler alert, for it to be a Harem it has to have a minimum of three partners with the MC and I feel like five is going overboard like I would be writing myself into a corner trying to fit all of them into the actions and story without breaking my main character's... character. So here is the choice and REMEMBER 1 VOTE PER PERSON, I DON'T WANT TO COUNT MORE THAN I NEED TO:
3 female partners (Already have them picked in mind)
OR
4 female partners (Give one female that I should add and if this has more votes, I will pick one of the female characters that you have put as a choice. I already have a few in mind for the fourth female so I will pick the one that is the most requested from my choices here. I am keeping it a secret to keep the mystery of future events.
PS: Atermis is not an option since I just can't bring myself to prevent her and Kid Flash not after what happened in Season 2.)
DEADLINE IS NEXT THURSDAY 9PM EST
Want more? Like Thanos, I want those STONES!!!]
