Chapter 27: Extreme Prejudice.
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(General P.O.V)
Dismissed, a tense Jon stopped before leaving the room.
His teammates were already halfway out the door, but something clicked in his mind—a tweak to the mission plan that might prevent disaster.
"Wait," Jon called out, stopping the team in their tracks.
He turned to Batman, his expression determined. "You're right. We can't leave anyone behind. But for a mission like this to succeed, we need more than just four decoy trucks. We need to make it foolproof."
Canary curiously looked at Batman for his reaction. The Dark Knight gave a grunt, signaling Jon to continue.
"Instead of splitting into two groups, we form three teams," Jon proposed. "The first two handle the trucks, and the third focuses solely on taking down any threats before they become problems."
The room went quiet as Jon outlined his plan.
"Team A will be Robin and Powerboy. They'll escort the Boston shipment." Jon began, throwing a glance at his best friend. A glance that said, 'trust me.'
Robin gave a nod, adjusting his utility belt. Powerboy simply nodded. Even without being asked, he trusted his brother completely.
"Team B will be Aqualad and Kid Flash. They'll take the New York shipment."
Kid Flash grinned, giving Aqualad a thumbs-up.
"And Team C," Jon continued now emboldened, "will be me and Miss Martian. We'll coordinate from above and take out any threats before they get near the trucks. Call us the..." Jon paused dramatically. "...'Complications Eradicators'."
Kid Flash groaned. "Your naming sense is still terrible."
The team chuckled, breaking some of the tension.
Robin, ever the pragmatist, asked, "Are you really expecting that much trouble, Jon?"
Jon crossed his arms, his short red cape shifting slightly with the movement. "You're the one who always says, 'Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.' We know someone's coming for these parts. We'll be ready."
Batman's sharp eyes lingered on Jon for a moment before giving a slight nod. "You have my approval. But remember, if this plan fails, the responsibility falls on you."
Jon met Batman's gaze unflinchingly. "I wouldn't expect anything less."
---
-Jon's P.O.V-
The convoy rolled out an hour later, two armored trucks surrounded by the team on motorbikes.
Miss Martian's Bio-Ship hovered far above, invisible to most ground-level surveillance.
From my perch inside the Bio-Ship, I scanned the League's Satellite feed Batman had reluctantly given us access to.
For the first hour, everything was quiet.
"This isn't so bad," Robin quipped through the comms. "Not every mission goes awry, you know. Paranoia doesn't fit you, Superboy. Don't be Batman 2.0."
I couldn't help but laugh, eyes on the map displayed on the Bio-screen. "If anyone's Batman 2.0, it's you, Rob. You've got the whole mission-first mentality down to a science."
"Can't blame me for my dedication," he shot back.
"Dedication, huh?" Powerboy interjected. "Is that why you bring your utility belt everywhere—even to the bathroom?"
Miss Martian chimed in from beside me. "And why you never take off your glasses to hide your identity."
Aqualad's voice joined the teasing. "Not to mention how you disappear when no one's looking."
True...he did that sometimes. I still couldn't tell how though. Even with enhanced senses.
Kid Flash chuckled. "Face it, man, we've got you pegged."
Robin growled in frustration. "I didn't ask for a psychoanalysis. Focus on the mission!"
We were still laughing when Miss Martian's voice cut through the comms. "Jon, we've got movement on the satellite feed—about twenty miles out from both trucks."
I narrowed my eyes at the screen. A large flock of winged shapes was approaching both trucks at high speed. They were too large to be birds.
I knew it. Ivo was on the move. Those were his MONQIs. Mobile Optimal Neural Quotient Infiltrators.
"Where are they heading first?" I asked, widening the map.
Miss Martian scanned the data intuitively. "Team B, the New York truck."
"Got it." I stood, cracking my knuckles. "Aqualad I'll be there in a few seconds. Stay sharp, everyone."
I blasted out of the Bio-Ship, leaving a sonic boom in my wake.
---
-(General P.O.V.)-
Above Aqualad and Kid Flash, a red-and-blue blur streaked past, cracking the air with its speed.
Seconds later, it zipped back in the opposite direction. Headed for the Boston Truck.
"Both threats neutralized," Jon said through the comms, his voice calm as he floated in the air above a corn field.
There was a stunned silence.
"Uh... Copy that," Kid Flash finally said. "That was... fast."
"What kind of enemies were they?" Robin asked.
"Robot monkeys," Jon answered flatly, staring at the severed head of one sitting on his palm, it's eyes blinking with a dim green glow. He clenched his fingers and crushed it to bits.
"Just one robot monkey?" Robin pressed, his tone hopeful.
"No," Jon corrected, glancing at the smoking and melted remains of a half a dozen MONQIs on the ground. "A 'swarm' of them. I had to use my heat vision to take them all out."
Kid Flash turned to Aqualad, whispering off the comms. "Did you know he was 'this' powerful?"
Aqualad nodded, his expression a mix of awe and concern. "It's both reassuring and... frightening."
Miss Martian's voice broke through the chatter. "Another swarm incoming— heading for Team B."
"I've got it," Jon said, already blasting off. "Stay focused on your routes."
Above Poweboy and Robin, the blur streaked, doubling back.
-0-
For the next five hours, the convoy faced relentless attacks.
Wave after wave of robot monkeys descended, but Jon destroyed each swarm before they could even get close.
Distance was a non-factor to him. When he was ten years old, he could clear 7 km in a single second. At 14? The difference between Twenty miles and a hundred was negligible at best and a split second at worst.
All the Team heard was the sound of shredded air, then behind them the sky would burn red.
His heat vision blazed through the swarms at thousands of degrees, illuminating the darkness like firework trails.
He took no chances, and froze the remains before using a Lightbomb to wipe all traces. Eradication with Extreme Prejudice.
By the time the trucks reached their destinations, the team was equal parts impressed and exhausted.
"All clear," Aqualad reported as the New York truck reached Star Labs.
"Same here," Robin said from Boston.
Miss Martian confirmed the successful deliveries through the satellite feed.
"Good work, everyone," Jon said, still full of energy unlike the others."Robin, what do you have for me?"
"Despite the shaky connection, I used the Bio-Ship's access to retrace the swarm's origin," Robin said. "The source is..."
""Gotham Academy.""
The two of them said at the same time.
"How did you know that?"
Robin questioned.
"Easy." Jon answered, floating above their school. Robin's information had confirmed his meta-knowledge.
"I'm looking at an old man matching Professor Ivo's description right now. He's trying to make a run for it through the Lacrosse field."
"Superboy wait-" Robin began, but Jon was already moving.
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(Jon's P.O.V.)
I landed right in front of Professor Ivo, the man responsible for Amazo's creation.
He skidded to a halt, clutching a briefcase as if it could save him.
"Not so fast, Professor Ivo," I said, grinning. "Man, I've always wanted to say that."
"You pests! Give me back my Amazo!"
Ivo's face twisted into a snarl as he tried to claw at me. I grabbed him before he could break his fingers and flew him straight to Gotham PD.
Mission complete. No shenanigans. No Amazo.
---
(General P.O.V.)
From a distant rooftop near Gotham PD, a blonde-haired archer in a green costume lowered her binoculars.
She watched Superboy hand Ivo over to the authorities, her lips curling into a sly smile.
"This will be interesting," she murmured, disappearing into the shadows.
Back on the ground, Jon glanced toward the building she had been perched on, a knowing smile crossing his face.
"See you soon, Artemis," he muttered under his breath.