Chapter 9
The Return
The Watchtower
Superheroes aren't generally known to gossip; otherwise, secrets that should have been kept secret get out. Still, after a few weeks, the fact that Ben and Kara were dating wasn't so much rumor as it was common knowledge. Anyone in the Justice League who'd seen the two heroes together could tell that they were already close, and many Leaguers had secretly suspected that they'd been dating long before they actually were.
Most of the older heroes were impressed with how professionally the two acted while on the Watchtower or on a mission. Save for the occasional kiss between them, you'd never be able to tell that they were anything more than friends.
The dates went well between them, both just happy to be in the others' company. Most of the time they either went out to dinner or watched movies at Ben's house (they would have gone to the Kent house for movies too, save for the fact that the elder Kents didn't have any movies that they liked). Still, anyone who knew Ben's past was happy for him; while he had improved in the months since he arrived in the universe, he had still seemed off to those who knew him. Now, though, he was upbeat and happy, so much so that it was palpable.
At the moment, however, Ben wasn't really that happy; mostly because his girlfriend was tossing him around the training room like a rag doll.
"Lemme tell ya something, Supergirl!" Rath yelled, "Rath does not appreciate it when you punch Rath and then fly away! Rath can't fly!"
Supergirl only laughed; she and Ben had sparred several times, and she'd always beaten him easily. She'd never gone against some of his most powerful aliens, like Way Big, but Ben himself had admitted that Way Big might have a tough time against a Kryptonian.
"Come on, Ben!" she shouted down from the top of the training room, "We've got monitor-duty in five minutes!"
Rath grunted. "Fine, Rath was going easy on you anyway." Then he slapped the Ultimatrix dial.
"DIAMONDHEAD!"
As Supergirl floated down to the ground, she gave a cocky smile. "Were you really going easy on me as Rath?"
Diamondhead laughed. "Nah, Rath just likes to bluster when he loses."
Supergirl shared the laugh as they entered the elevator. As they went up to the monitor section of the Watchtower, she asked, "So, are we still on for dinner tonight?"
Diamondhead smiled. "Of course; I wouldn't miss it."
…
As they reached their destination, they saw that Green Lantern and the Martian were speaking to a small, blue alien on a vid-screen. He was one of the Guardians of the Universe, and Green Lantern's boss. Green Lantern was currently arguing with the small alien about trying to get a temporary reassignment to Oa, the homeworld of the Guardians and the Green Lantern Corps. However, John had been denied the posting every time.
Diamondhead and Supergirl were passing the arguing group when alarms began to sound on the Oa side of things.
"What's going on?" asked a concerned Green Lantern.
"There's an object approaching Oa at a somewhat astonishing speed." Answered the Guardian.
"We'll take care of it." Said Kyle Rayner, another human Green Lantern, as he and several dozen other Lanterns flew out into Oa's atmosphere. Once there, they combined the power of their rings to form a massive barrier.
"Nothing's getting through this baby." Said Rayner confidently.
Sadly, that confidence was ill-placed, as the object blasted through the barrier without even slowing down.
Back on Oa, the Guardian had allowed the security feed from the planet to be shown to the League, in case their assistance was required, so the heroes of Earth could see everything that happened.
"Activate planetary defenses!" Barked a Guardian, "Magnify the image!"
The object was revealed to be a humanoid being, seemingly made of gold, and had no face, save for a pair of glowing, red eyes.
"Professor Ivo's android!" said the Martian in shock.
If Diamondhead's body had been capable of sweat, it would have broken out in it at this point. He had read about the android, called Amazo, in the old case files. The nanotech-based creation had the ability to copy the powers of anyone it saw, and in only a few hours, had been able to defeat all seven of the founding members of the League. That had been years ago; what sort of strength did Amazo possess now?
"Holy mother of…" Green Lantern didn't have time to finish his sentence as Amazo slammed into the surface of Oa. In a massive flash of light, the planet disappeared.
Oa, center of the stability for the universe, was destroyed.
…
Everyone who had seen it simply stared; this single being had destroyed one of the most powerful civilizations in mere seconds. There were no words, no coherent thoughts. All they could do was stare.
"Oa," murmured Green Lantern, "it's gone."
The loss of Oa was particularly hard for John; it had been both a base of operations and a home away from home for him. He and the rest of the Corps had devoted their lives to protecting the planet, and in turn, Oa gave protection to their worlds. Now it, and everyone who lived there, was dead.
Diamondhead was similarly stunned; while he had seen destruction on a cosmic scale, he'd never seen a civilized world destroyed before. For a moment, the room spun and he stumbled, until Supergirl caught his elbow. He looked down at his girlfriend, who had gone pale; she wasn't taking this any easier than he was.
"It's going to get worse." All who heard that turned to the Martian, who had activated a star chart on a holographic display. "The android is heading for Earth."
Diamondhead's eyes went wide, and he ran for the nearest communication station. Though he wasn't a founding member of the League, he'd been given enough authority to do this.
"Attention, all Justice League members and associates," he announced as firmly as he could, "we have an Omega-level threat; all members and associates are to report to the Watchtower for assignment. This is not a drill."
Diamondhead turned to the Martian, who nodded in approval. One of the most powerful beings the League had ever fought was heading for Earth, and they were going to need all hands on deck.
…
In less than an hour, the entire League was assembled and briefed on the situation. Some of them looked nervous, but they were still determined to defend their home. They had already lost Oa; they weren't going to lose Earth.
"We'll set up three layers of defense." Said the Martian, "One on the ground, one in the upper atmosphere and one in space."
"That last one is me," said Green Lantern, "I wanna hammer that thing before it gets anywhere near here."
"Move out!" barked J'onn. As the Leaguers moved to the teleporters to be sent to their assigned areas, Superman paused. "What is it?"
Superman turned to his friend. "When the android left Earth, he said he'd evolved to a level where none of us could offer us anything. So why's he coming back?"
The Martian looked down for a moment, before his head snapped back up.
"Supergirl, Diamondhead!" Both heroes turned. "I have another assignment for you."
…
Luthor Mansion, Metropolis
Lex Luthor, former president and CEO of LexCorp, reformed villain and all-around jerk, was currently being interviewed at his estate. He had been getting a lot of press lately, mostly because the man who'd tried to kill the Justice League and take over the world was suddenly very philanthropic. Despite his claims of reform, people were still suspicious of his motives.
"Your new book, 'Into the Light', certainly projects the image of a man who's reformed," said a reporter, "but many people are skeptical, Mr. Luthor. For good reason."
"I understand their skepticism," replied the bald multibillionaire, "but the fact is that I'm not the man I was before."
With that, Lex opened his shirt to reveal a green vest with a red hexagon on the front.
"This device might stop my Kryptonite-induced cancer for another thirty years." A rueful smile appeared on his face. "Or it might be thirty days; for all I know, it could be another thirty minutes. However fate plays her hand, I want my remaining time to have meaning; I want to have a positive difference in the world."
The reporter looked at him, not quite believing him. "So you're a new man?" she asked, "No grudges or vendettas? Even against the Justice League?"
Luthor laughed as they walked outside. "Oh, far from it; I owe them everything."
He was of course referring to how the League had gotten him a full pardon after he'd helped them defeat their evil counterparts, the Justice Lords.
"They trusted me when no one else would," he continued, "I'd like to think that we might be friends one-what the devil?"
He, the reporter and her crew looked up to see Supergirl and Jet Ray swoop down towards them. Before Luthor could get away, Supergirl grabbed him under his arms and flew off, Jet Ray close behind them.
They flew into Metropolis, with Luthor futilely struggling in Supergirl's arms.
"Let go!" ordered Luthor.
"Keep fighting me, Lex, and I just might."
Luthor looked down to see that he was several hundred feet in the air, and that being released right then and there wouldn't be beneficial to his health.
"What is this about?" demanded Luthor.
"There's an old friend of yours coming back to town." Replied Supergirl.
"Ivo's android." Clarified Jet Ray.
Luthor's eyes went wide; he remembered how he'd manipulated Amazo into stealing technology for him, then made him attack the League. When the android found out that he'd been used, he didn't take it well. If he was coming back, it probably wasn't for a friendly conversation with Lex.
"Wherever you're taking me won't be safe enough," said Luthor after a moment, "but I know just the place."
The two aliens looked at each other uneasily.
…
Following Luthor's directions, the aliens landed in front of a barber shop.
"This is your safehouse?" asked Supergirl disbelievingly.
"Gotta hand it to you, Luthor," said Jet Ray, "no one would think to look for you here."
Luthor shot him a glare, not really liking it when people made fun of his lack of hair, then marched inside. The two heroes followed. Once inside, the barber, an associate of Luthor, turned a chair towards him. Lex sat on it and made himself comfortable.
"So, after you get your nose-hairs trimmed, then what?" Jet Ray liked getting under the skin of the bad guys; even reformed ones.
"Just watch." Said Luthor, as the barber pushed a button. A metal, egg-shaped shell surrounded Luthor as a hole opened up beneath him.
"Hey!" shouted Supergirl as she flew down after him.
The hole was too narrow for Jet Ray's wingspan, so he slapped the Ultimatrix dial.
"AMPFIBIAN!" When the flash of green light faded, Jet Ray was replaced by a floating, blue jellyfish. It had six tentacles, two acted as legs, even though it could fly, and four acted as its arms. The only facial feature it possessed was a pair of green eyes. The Ultimatrix symbol was displayed on the center of his body. Ampfibian quickly followed Supergirl.
The two aliens chased Luthor's pod down a long tunnel, doing their best not to lose him. After every twenty feet or so, a thick door would slam shut after the pod passed it. The doors didn't even slow Supergirl down; a few holes opened up in the walls, revealing energy cannons, but Ampfibian blasted them with bolts of electricity before they could fire.
After a minute, they reached an area with five branching paths. They had lost Luthor's pod.
"Where did he go?" asked Supergirl.
"I guess we just pick one." Said Ampfibian, as Supergirl rocketed into the center tunnel.
However, Supergirl didn't get very far; the tunnel had chunks of Kryptonite embedded in the walls. Within seconds, she collapsed as the poisonous radiation made its way into her system. Ampfibian quickly pulled her out of the tunnel; she needed the restorative properties of the sun fast, or she'd be in serious trouble.
"Thinks of everything, doesn't he?" asked Supergirl weakly.
"Come on," said Ampfibian, despite his lack of a mouth, "let Luthor hide himself away; we've got an android to fight."
…
Outer Edge of Earth's Atmosphere
Superman floated above his adopted homeworld, clad in a suit of armor that flooded his body with extra solar radiation; he felt that he would need all the power he could get to stop Amazo. Beside him was Green Lantern, adjusting the ring on his finger. Near them was Captain Atom, Orion, son of Darkseid, the armored form of STRIPE, and several other heroes who could survive in space. Behind them was the League's entire complement of Javelins; two-dozen in all, piloted by League members who would be unable to fight Amazo directly. It was an impressive defense, but Superman wasn't sure that it would be enough to stop the android.
You cannot keep me from my goal.
The heroes looked around, trying to find the source of the voice.
"Telepathy." Murmured Superman.
"I'm not impressed." Said Green Lantern.
"Why have you come back?" demanded Superman.
Why do you ask questions that you already know the answer to?
"Luthor." So J'onn had been right.
A bright, golden light appeared in front of them. It was far away, but closing fast.
Of course.
"We're not going to give him up." Stated Superman.
He's your enemy; you owe him nothing.
Now the assembled Leaguers could see the golden form of Amazo. He wasn't slowing down.
"Turn back now." Superman charged up his heat-vision for emphasis.
I have evolved far beyond what I was when we last met. You do not want to challenge me.
The android entered weapons' range.
"Light 'im up! HAAAAAARGH!" Green Lantern unleashed the most powerful blast he'd ever generated from his ring.
Every Javelin opened fire with its energy cannons, Superman used his heat vision, Orion fired bolts of energy from his chariot, Captain Atom released a wave of radioactive energy, and STRIPE launched missiles from his shoulders.
The incredible amount of firepower slowed the android; it even began to push him back. It was working! But just as the League began to hope, Amazo pushed forward yet again. This time, he wasn't stopped.
…
Above Metropolis
"Be prepared," came the voice of the Martian in Supergirl's ear, "the space team has failed; he's coming."
"Not for long." The Kryptonian declared, though in reality, she was terrified. Amazo was able to beat a group with enough combined power to destroy a planet, and now it was up to her and a few others to try and stop him.
I wish I'd been able to say more to Ben earlier, she thought. She had hoped that Ben would be on the same team as her, but most of Ben's more powerful transformations were ground-based, so he'd been placed on the last line of defense. While she was determined to not only survive, but win, she still had a feeling that she might not see her boyfriend again.
Her enhanced senses detected Amazo heading towards the city, and she charged up towards the android. For a moment, knowing what she was up against, she faltered, but she corrected herself and slammed into the golden being. However, the android was too powerful, and Supergirl was slammed into Metropolis's warehouse district with the force of a small meteor. She tried to rise again, but fell into unconsciousness.
The other three heroes that were in the sky team were Red Tornado, an android with the ability to create and control tornadoes, Fire, a Brazilian woman that could wrap herself in and shoot blasts of green flame, and Rocket Red, a man in a flying armory.
Fire looked down at Supergirl in concern, then at Amazo in fear. Before she could react, Rocket Red flew by her and unleashed a massive barrage of missiles, all of which hit Amazo square-on. Amazo kept going as if nothing happened. Rocket flew backwards, while firing a minigun that was mounted on his shoulder. Amazo kept up with him, ripping off the weapon and punching Rocket back several hundred feet.
Before he could continue, he was engulfed in emerald flame. He glanced up at Fire, before actually absorbing her attack and grabbing her by the throat. As Fire began to lose consciousness, she heard Amazo's voice in her head.
Your bravery is admirable, but annoying.
He flung Fire to the streets below, but she was caught by a twister, courtesy of Red Tornado. She was then picked up by the damaged Rocket, who took her to safety. Red Tornado sent another twister at Amazo, but the golden android shrugged it off and sent a blast of energy into Red, slicing him in half. The dismembered robot fell to the roof of a nearby skyscraper.
Amazo kept going.
…
Metropolis
Wonder Woman heard her communicator ping.
"The second line of defense is down?" she asked J'onn.
"Yes," came the reply, "you are all that is left. Good luck."
Wonder Woman looked at her team, composed of every ground-based hero that hadn't been piloting a Javelin. More specifically, she looked at Ben, now transformed into Chromastone. She knew that he was worried about Supergirl.
"Don't worry, Ben," she whispered to him, "it'll take a lot more than one punch to kill Kara."
Chromastone looked at her for a moment, then nodded. They needed to get ready.
…
Watchtower
The Martian sensed a presence behind him and turned.
"Have you come to offer help?"
Out of the shadows stepped a man wearing a blue, skintight outfit, with gold boots, gloves, belt, cape, and a golden helmet that obscured every part of his face.
"Not help," amended Dr. Fate, Sorcerer Supreme of Earth, "hope."
…
Metropolis
Amazo floated down in front of the barber shop and stepped forward, only to be surrounded by Wonder Woman's team.
When will you learn?
Amazo sent out a wave of energy that cracked the street and knocked all of the heroes out of commission. That is, save for Chromastone, who'd absorbed the energy he'd been hit with. He still stood against Amazo.
"Can we talk for a second?" Chromastone asked.
Amazo stared at him for a moment; it was rare for a being to withstand one of his energy attacks. Maybe this being would offer something new for him.
Very well. What do you wish to discuss?
…
Outer Edge of Earth's Atmosphere
The space team floated helplessly in the void. Amazo had incapacitated every Leaguer and crippled every Javelin. Superman was just starting to come around when he noticed a bright green light behind him. From outside the solar system appeared dozens of Green Lanterns; every one that had escaped the death of Oa, plus any other Lantern that had joined them on their way to Earth.
The Lanterns used their rings to bring the injured Leaguers and crippled ships back to the Watchtower, while John Stewart was approached by Kyle Rayner.
"You're alive!" said John.
"Which is more than I can say for Oa." Replied a somber Kyle.
John's face grew serious. "What's the plan?"
"We're gonna use every bit of power we have left in our rings; we'll take one last shot at the android."
John was taken aback. "A blast like that could destroy half the planet."
Kyle looked down at Earth. "Half a planet is better than none."
…
Watchtower
J'onn, having heard the conversation between the Lanterns via John's communicator, sighed.
"It's the only way."
Dr. Fate scoffed. "Those words are always used to justify destruction."
The Martian turned. "We can only guess how much power the android has amassed as it's made its way across the galaxy. It has to be stopped, Fate! Here and now; not just for the sake of this world, but for all worlds."
Dr. Fate floated into the air, disappointed. "Then for the sake of all worlds, I will continue to seek a better way."
Then, with a purple ankh appearing behind him, Dr. Fate vanished.
…
Metropolis
"Why do you hate Luthor so much? Why do you want to kill him?" Chromastone had heard of what Luthor had done from the mouths of the founding members, but he wanted to hear Amazo's opinion on the matter.
He used me; he tricked me into stealing for him, and attacking people for him. For that, he will die.
"Okay, I get it, Luthor is scum and won't be getting any mercy when he goes to meet his maker. But why are you the one who gets to play executioner? He used you, sure, but did he hurt you, or someone you cared about? You really want to kill someone just because he hurt your feelings?"
Amazo stared at him. Chromastone figured that was the closest the android came to blinking.
He has done much harm to this world, all for his own personal gain. He must be stopped.
"If you haven't heard, he's dying already; that cancer of his will kill him sooner or later, and he'd watched by both the government and the League. He can't even sneeze without someone knowing about it. He isn't a threat anymore."
Amazo shook his head; he was determined to exact his revenge. Chromastone decided he needed a different approach.
"Okay, even if you do kill Luthor, what are you going to do next?"
What do you mean?
Chromastone sighed. "I mean, what are you going to do with yourself? Do you have a plan, or a goal? Or are you just going to sit on your butt until the end of time?"
The android looked down, lost in thought.
I… I do not know. But I have a question for you.
"Okay, shoot."
You asked me if Luthor had hurt me or someone I cared for.
"Yeah?"
What would you have done if that had happened to you?
Chromastone crossed his arms. "I don't have wonder what I'd do; I've been there."
What?
"One of my villains back home attacked my family; he killed them all."
And did you kill that villain?
"No, I didn't."
Why not?
Ben had asked himself that same question many times. Why hadn't he killed him?
"Because it wouldn't have brought back what was taken from me; will killing Luthor honestly make you feel better?"
Amazo walked over to the barber shop; Chromastone made no move to stop him as he placed his hand against the door. Time seemed to stretch as Amazo reached his decision.
…
The Green Lanterns, led by John Stewart, flew down towards Metropolis with vengeance as their goal. They saw the android next to Chromastone, and John wondered why he wasn't fighting. Had Amazo done something to keep him from moving? John gritted his teeth at the thought of another friend getting attacked by that monster.
Before the Corps could attack, a giant purple ankh appeared in front of them, as did Dr. Fate.
"Wait," asked Fate, "please. The android's nature has proven benign before; I believe that it will again."
"Benign?" Asked John incredulously, "You call destroying Oa benign!?" John, as well as the rest of the Corps, charged up their rings and aimed at the Doctor.
"If you do this," Fate explained, "you will ruin any chance Ben has."
"What do you mean?" asked John, not surprised that Fate knew Ben's identity; he seemed to know everything.
"Ben Tennyson is saving the universe."
…
"Have you reached a decision?" asked Chromastone.
I have. I… will not kill Lex Luthor. His death would only satisfy my desire for petty revenge. But a new dilemma is before me.
"What's that?"
What will I do now? Killing Luthor was my only goal, and now I realize that it was a foolish desire. Why am I here, what is my purpose? I must know; can you tell me?
Chromastone shook his head. "You can't give another sentient being purpose for living, not really, anyway. You'll have to find out what your reason for existence is on your own."
Amazo looked down in disappointment.
"Still," continued Chromastone, "if you need advice every once in a while, I'd be happy to give it to you."
You would do that?
"Yeah, that's what heroes do; they help people."
… Very well; I will find my own purpose. I need only find a place to start looking.
Amazo took a few steps away from Chromastone; that was all the Lanterns needed to see. Kyle Rayner picked up Chromastone and the unconscious Leaguers and moved them out of the way, while the others surrounded Amazo with charged power rings.
Before they fired, Dr. Fate appeared next to the android.
"Get out of the way!" Barked John.
"It's over," said Fate, as he turned to Amazo, "isn't it?"
Yes.
"He murders an entire world and it's over? Just like that!?" demanded an outraged John, "I don't think so."
Right, forgot about that, thought Chromastone, that might be a problem.
I did not destroy Oa; I simply moved it to another dimension.
Everyone present, save for Dr. Fate, stared at the android. The Lanterns lowered their rings.
It was in my way.
"Then could you move it back?" asked John as calmly as he could.
Amazo's eyes glowed.
Done.
The android turned to Chromastone.
Like Luthor, your friends have done nothing to warrant the harm I have wrought upon them. I shall undo that mistake.
Amazo's eyes glowed once again. In space and on the ground, all injured Leaguers found themselves healed, and repair crews on the Watchtower found two-dozen undamaged Javelins.
"Thanks." Said a grateful Chromastone, as he helped Wonder Woman to her feet.
Dr. Fate looked up at the eight-foot-tall android. "I can help you on your journey; in your search for meaning."
Help me? Why?
"Because like Chromastone, helping people is my purpose."
… I accept your offer.
Fate nodded, and a purple ankh appeared behind them both. In a flash of light, they disappeared.
…
After thanking Ben, who had transformed back into his human form from lack of power, the Lanterns returned to Oa, save for John.
"Thanks for what you did, Ben." The Lantern wasn't actually looking at Ben as he talked; rather, he stared out at Metropolis from roof of the building they'd moved to. John and Ben had been joined by the ground team, who had been surprised at Ben's true form since many of them hadn't known his secret identity.
"Eh, no problem; saving the day is old hat for me."
"So," asked Green Lantern, smirking at Ben's comment, "you gonna join the rest of the League in celebrating our first mission with everyone together?"
Ben turned his head and smiled at a certain blond Kryptonian heading his way. "Maybe later, John; I've got a dinner date first."
…
The Tower of Fate
Dr. Fate and Amazo appeared inside of the main room of Fate's tower. The android looked around at the strange, mystical artifacts and books lining the walls. They were approached by a woman wearing blue pants and a yellow blouse, her black hair tied in a ponytail.
"We have another guest, Inza," Fate said to his wife, "would you prepare a place for him?"
"Of course, Kent." Inza turned to Amazo with a smile. "Welcome."
Amazo was a little taken aback. Never had he been greeted so cordially before. He found himself liking the experience.
"Are you all right?" Inza asked her husband.
"I am fine," Fate replied, "although there was a moment when I actually thought that John Stewart was going to attack me."
"Oh, I don't know about that," the three turned to see a woman approach them. She had orange hair, striking green eyes, and white wings on her back.
"His bark is a lot worse than his bite." Finished Shayera Hol.