Ben 10: Justice Incarnate Chapter 26 (Early Preview) (Patreon)

Chapter 26: Power Struggle

Star City

August 3rd, 6:38 EDT

So far today, the streets have been quiet. The typical morning commute has gone on around them. Green Arrow and Black Canary went on their first joint patrol in a while.

Green Arrow raised a brow. "How's Central treating you?"

"It's fine. Getting my apartment in order and making some new friends while I was at it."

"Happy to hear."

"You wanna stop by that Bagel across the street place for a snack?" asked Dinah.

Oliver shook his head. "Nah, I'm gonna wait. Felicity and I are going for Brunch where they had that Honey Toast Tower."

An explosion shattered the mundanity.

Both heroes quickly took cover.

"What was that?" Dinah whispered.

Before Oliver could respond, a figure crashed onto the rooftop across from them.

It was over seven feet tall and clearly made of some sort of metal. Strangely enough, it was bare-chested with a pale gray color scheme. Its eyes glowed red. A band of dark green metal encircled its wrists and legs, resembling clothing, while the crown of its head was colored orange as if to imitate hair. The figure's face was stern and unsettlingly human, with chiseled cheeks, a square jaw, and a narrow, aquiline nose. Pointed ears made it look like an elf.

"A robot?" Oliver muttered, already drawing an arrow.

The android's head turned toward the two heroes' location. "Target Located: Green Arrow and Black Canary."

Oliver rolled his eyes. "Well, it looks like someone wants to assassinate us."

Dinah groaned. "And while we're on an empty stomach, too. Any idea who sent it?"

"Well, not many people can build robots like that, and none of them know me personally."

Oliver loosed an arrow at the android, aiming for its chest. The arrow struck, but instead of piercing through, it merely glanced off the android's metallic skin, leaving no mark. "Yeah, I expected that to happen." Thankfully, he had several custom arrows ready.

The android began moving toward them. Its gaze remained on Dinah.

"Target acquired: Black Canary." The android raised a hand toward her. Energy crackled around its fingertips.

"Get down!" Oliver shouted.

Dinah darted to the side, narrowly avoiding a blast of energy that seared the air.

The rooftop shook with the force of the blast.

She quickly regained her footing. "Alright, let's see how it handles this!"

She took a deep breath and unleashed her iconic Canary Cry. The focused sound wave erupted from her, aimed directly at the android. The force sent the surrounding debris flying.

The android staggered, but to Dinah's frustration, it didn't fall. Instead, its eyes glowed brighter. "Power detected: Sonic screams. Replicating."

Their eyes widened upon hearing that last word. The duo quickly split up to get out of the line of sight.

Deciding who the bigger threat was, the android opened its mouth and released a scream identical to hers.

While it wasn't a direct hit, the ambient sound still knocked her off her feet, sending her crashing into the rooftop behind her.

"Dinah!" Oliver released another arrow—this time an explosive one—at the android. The arrow struck its shoulder, detonating in a burst of fire and smoke, but when the smoke cleared, the android stood unharmed, its gaze now fixed on him. Oliver needed to give his partner time to recover, so he kept running.

The android opened its mouth again with a scream aimed directly at Oliver.

Oliver dove off the building without missing a beat as the sonic blast reverberated above him. A quick grappling arrow slowed his descent back to street level.

The android advanced. "Resistance is futile."

Dinah shook off the ringing in her ears. This wasn't the first time the echoes of her screams went back at her. Thankfully, sonic screams came with more durable eardrums. She pushed herself to her feet. "Dammit..." Still, she wasn't expecting that. She looked up at the robot chasing after Oliver. She activated her communicator. "Arrow, thanks for the save. Copycat is on your tail."

"I know."

"What direction are you running? I'll intercept."

Metropolis

August 3rd, 7:38 EDT

A school bus filled with children on their way to school drove across a suspension bridge. The morning sun glinted off the water below. Everything was business as usual.

Without warning, the concrete support underneath cracked and crumbled into the waters below. The increased tension caused two support cables to snap, falling across multiple lanes of traffic. Several cars, including the school bus, slammed the brakes to avoid them.

The bus veered right, hit the concrete guardrail, and came to a full stop. Unfortunately, a Lex-Corp semi-truck behind them couldn't stop fast enough.

The semi-truck collided with the rear of the school bus and a white sedan. While the latter crashed into the sidewalk and safety barrier without falling over, the school bus was rammed through the sidewalk barrier. Luck was not on their side as a red sports car also crashed into the bus, forcing it through the final safety barrier. The school bus was left balancing over the edge of the bridge.

#

Bruce Wayne saw the situation across the water in an office above the streets. His expression hardened. He moved to his desk, where an ornate bust of Alfred Pennyworth sat. He tipped back the bust's head, revealing a hidden red button beneath.

Pressing it, Bruce slid a drawer open, revealing his Batman costume. But just as he reached for it, a loud sonic boom sounded. He turned toward the windows.

In the distance, a familiar blue and red figure streaked through the sky at incredible speed. Bruce recognized Superman flying directly toward the bridge.

#

Superman flew past the bus and shot under the bridge to assess the structural damage. He had to stabilize the bridge before it collapsed completely. Holding up the crumbling section, Superman carefully mended the cracked horizontal supports with his heat vision.

Meanwhile, Superboy easily jumped from support tower to support tower on the bridge, getting himself closer to the accident before landing on the bridge roadway.

Unfortunately, the impact force undid some of the patchwork Superman was mending. With a raised voice, he tried to advise his newfound sibling. "Careful up there! I'm trying to keep the bridge together! Tend to the civilians!"

Superboy hesitated, a little self-conscious that he might have endangered some of the people if Superman hadn't been holding the road up. His eyes scanned the bridge, spotting the white sedan perched dangerously close to the edge. With renewed determination, he sprinted toward the car, gripping its rear end with a grunt and hoisting it back to safety. The car's tires screeched as he carefully set it down in the center of the lanes, far from the crumbling edge.

High above, Bruce Wayne observed the scene through high-powered binoculars from his office. He watched as Superboy handled the situation with raw strength but little finesse. Clearly, the young hero was still learning—still finding his footing amid a crisis.

#

On the other side, the school bus slipped further over the edge, causing the kids inside to scream in fear.

Superboy sprinted toward the rear of the bus, grasping the bumper. His combat boots tried to grip the pavement. With another pull, he could keep the bus from sliding any further.

"I'm almost finished down here!" Superman called out.

"I'm busy with a bus!" Superboy shouted back.

Superman's tone shifted. "I'm coming!"

"Wait! I think I've got it!" Superboy adjusted his grip and pulled the bus back by a few inches.

Suddenly, the strain on the bus lessened. Superboy could pull it back several feet until both wheels were back on the roadway. The cries of relief and cheers from the children inside filled the air, and Superboy let out a sigh of relief.

As he walked to the front of the bus, he saw Superman standing at road level, his hands supporting the front bumper. The elder hero looked up and gave him an encouraging nod. That explains it.

Superboy rubbed his arms as he walked toward Superman. He glanced at the bus and then back at his pseudo-brother. "I could have handled that..." he muttered.

Superman smiled and patted the teen on the shoulder. "Yes, you could have," he agreed gently, "but we're all part of the same team. With lives on the line, we can't be prideful. Accept any help if it means making the job easier for everyone."

Superboy hummed, his eyes on the ground. "I guess that makes sense..." He sighed, his shoulders sinking. "Thanks."

"We don't want to take any unnecessary chances. I should know..." Superman's gaze shifted to the imprint Superboy left on the asphalt. He gestured to it. "Moving forward, a gentler push is sometimes all you need. If I wasn't supporting the bridge, you might have had even less time to save those people."

"Yeah..." Superboy sighed at his inadequacy.

Superman nodded. "Don't get me wrong. You're doing about as well as I did when I was your age. Jumping over tall buildings in a single bound wasn't as easy as it sounds."

Superboy considered Superman's words. He then looked up, his voice hesitant. "I don't suppose we can make time to help me figure that out...?"

Superman hummed thoughtfully. "Well, I'm free between 5 PM and—" He was interrupted by a beep from his communicator. Superman reached up to activate it. "Superman," he responded, listening intently. "Wait, Arrow. Slow down. What's attacking?" His face tightened as he listened to Green Arrow's hurried explanation. "No, Superboy and I got things handled here. If you're in trouble, I can help. Coordinates? ... Acknowledged. On my way."

He turned back to Superboy, his expression apologetic. "Sorry about that. I'll try to meet you at the mountain later today. Is that okay?"

Superboy's eyes lit up at the offer. "Uh... Yeah. Sure."

Superman smiled and nodded. "Duty calls." With that, he took off into the sky, a blur of red and blue streaking toward the horizon.

Just then, Superman's communicator beeped twice more. He reached up and opened the line. "Already got the alert, Bruce."

Inside the Wayne Tech building, Bruce Wayne watched Superman fly away, his phone pressed to his ear. "I know, Clark, but I wanted to say I'm glad you're taking the right steps with the boy."

Superman's voice softened slightly. "Thanks, Bruce. I'll keep at it."

Star City

August 3rd, 7:48 EDT

Civilians ran from the explosions, and Green Arrow sprinted and swung to a less populated area of the city, where Green Arrow ducked behind the cover of a nearby building. A recovered Dinah took over, distracting the murder machine. Green Arrow closed his communicator. Now, it was a waiting game, hoping the League would get there in time.

Black Canary avoided physically striking the robot. It would be a fool's errand if this thing was designed to take hits from Superman. At that moment, both she and the attacker were shooting sonic cries at each other from a distance. He and Dinah already called the League for backup. This robot was clearly designed to hunt down superheroes.

Sadly, Dinah was too slow to dodge a grapple from the android. The thing grabbed her by the left arm and started applying pressure.

Not a second sooner, Green Arrow loosed an explosive arrow aimed directly at AMAZO's back. The arrow struck its mark, detonating with a powerful blast that allowed Dinah to slip from his grip but not unscathed.

"Thanks."

"No problem." Green Arrow pulled her along another path.

The two were running through alleyways, thinking they might have lost the android, when it crashed into the ground about twenty feet ahead of them.

"Shit!"

"Access: Black Canary." AMAZO's jaw opened.

Needing to protect them both, Dinah released her own Canary Cry at the same time. The two sonic waves collided in the air, creating a shockwave that shattered windows and sent ripples through the surrounding buildings.

Eventually, both stopped screaming. Dinah dropped to one knee, panting heavily.

Before either of them could recover, they heard the heavy footsteps.

Oliver and Dinah's hearts raced as they tried to think of another distraction as AMAZO moved closer.

Suddenly, a blue blur shot through the air and slammed into AMAZO with the force of a speeding train. The android was sent hurtling through several walls.

"You guys okay?" Superman asked as he floated down.

Dinah and Oliver breathed a sigh of relief. "Yeah. Thanks, Supes."

One by one, more heroes arrived on the scene: Captain Atom, Martian Manhunter, Red Tornado, Flash, and finally, Batman in the Batwing.

The brief reunion was cut short by a chilling, robotic voice that sliced through the air. "Target Detected: Superman. Replicating."

Stomachs dropped as the full realization of what was happening literally sped forward and hit Superman with a punch to the gut.

"Oh, fuck..." Oliver muttered under his breath. He had forgotten to tell the others it could copy powers.

One Hour Later

Things have not been going well so far.

"Access: Flash." With a blinding speed, AMAZO zipped around the League members.

"Access: Captain Atom." AMAZO's hand crackled with atomic energy as it fired a concentrated blast directly at him. Captain Atom barely managed to throw up a defensive shield, but the force of the attack sent him flying backward, crashing into a nearby building.

"Damn it!" Captain Atom grunted as he struggled to his feet.

Superman flew in, trying to catch AMAZO off guard.

"Access: Superman." The two collided with a shockwave that rippled through the streets, the force of their clash shattering windows and sending debris flying. AMAZO's eyes glowed red as it unleashed a blast of heat vision identical to Superman's. The beams cut through the air, forcing Superman to dodge and retaliate with his own heat vision. The two beams clashed in mid-air, creating a blinding explosion of energy.

Meanwhile, Flash was circling AMAZO at lightning speed, hoping to disorient it. But AMAZO matched his speed effortlessly, and before Flash could react, the android struck with a punch that sent the Scarlet Speedster sprawling.

"Barry!" Batman shouted, throwing a Batarang at AMAZO, hoping to create an opening. The Batarang flew towards AMAZO's chest.

"Access: Martian Manhunter." The android density shifted, allowing it to phase through the attack harmlessly.

Similar to Mister Twister, there was no mind for Martian Manhunter to attack psychically.

Red Tornado tried to intervene, whipping up a powerful cyclone to trap AMAZO.

"Access: Red Tornado." The android countered with an even stronger gust of wind, dispersing the cyclone and sending Red Tornado tumbling through the air.

Superman gritted his teeth and flew at AMAZO with everything he had. But the android met him blow for blow. The ground trembled, each punch sending shockwaves through the surrounding buildings.

As AMAZO and Superman clashed, Batman activated his communicator, sending a message to Green Arrow and Black Canary, who had retreated to a safe distance. "We need to divide its attention. Hit it from all sides—now!"

Green Arrow and Black Canary didn't need to be told twice. Green Arrow fired a barrage of specialized arrows at AMAZO, each one designed to exploit a different vulnerability. Explosives, EMPs, freezing agents—all struck AMAZO simultaneously.

At the same time, Black Canary unleashed a powerful Canary Cry, directing it at AMAZO's head. The combined assault forced AMAZO to momentarily freeze.

Superman seized the momentary distraction, landing a devastating punch that sent AMAZO crashing into the ground. But before the League could capitalize on the opening, AMAZO's body began to glow with an ominous light. AMAZO released a massive blast of atomic energy, forcing everyone to scatter. The blast tore through the city street, leaving a smoldering crater.

#

The Flash ran across a battered city block before catching his breath outside the blast radius. Flash sighed as he activated his communicator. "Ark, do you copy?"

The other line picked up, "Yeah. What's up, man?"

Flash glanced up just in time to see Captain Atom being hurled into another building. "I don't suppose you've seen the news in Star City?"

"What's wrong?" Ark was now concerned.

Flash grimaced as AMAZO blasted Superman with his heat vision. "We need backup."

"Is this another Wotan incident?" Ben asked, already preparing for the worst.

"Might as well be. We've been fighting this thing for over an hour, and it's not letting up." Flash's voice was tense, the weight of the situation clear. This was turning into a battle of attrition, and he didn't want to see how much longer they could last before something—or someone—broke.

Ben's voice came through again, more focused now. "Thing? Is this another robot? Like the one you and I dealt with before?"

Flash let out a hollow laugh devoid of humor. "I wish we were dealing with that one. The thing we're fighting can copy superpowers."

There was a brief pause on the other end, followed by Ben's low, thoughtful hum. "... Flash, how many Justice League members are fighting there?"

Flash hesitated, not wanting to admit the full extent of their predicament. "Black Canary, Green Arrow, Captain Atom, Martian Manhunter, Red Tornado, Superman, and Batman."

A sigh came through the line, heavy with the realization of the situation. "I take it that all their powers, including yours, were copied."

Flash winced, feeling the weight of his failure. "... Yes... We're running out of options."

Ben groaned audibly. "You're lucky I've dealt with similar enemies before."

Flash blinked, his mind racing. "You have?! Never mind. So, you're gonna help out?"

"I'm gonna have to observe it before I do anything," Ben replied, his tone pragmatic.

Flash's heart skipped a beat, his hope rising. "Is that a yes?"

"Yeah. Yeah. I'm on my way."

With that, the line went dead, and Flash lowered his communicator. Another car thrown at the android was cut in half by heat vision. This was gonna be a long day.

#

Moments after the call ended, a blue blur zipped through the streets of Star City. The blur came to a sudden halt, revealing XLR8. From the sidelines, he could see the Justice League struggling against the android that had already replicated the powers of several League members.

Ark didn't rush in. Experience had taught him the dangers of charging blindly into a fight, especially against enemies like this. He'd faced Osmosians who could absorb powers and extradimensional baby toys that could copy them. The worst thing he could do now was to add more powers to the robot's arsenal. If the android had already copied Superman's abilities, transforming into heavy hitters like Humungousaur or other powerful aliens would only worsen things.

Instead, Ark activated his communicator, his voice calm and focused as he contacted one of the League's most strategic minds. "J'onn, I need you to meet me at my location."

There was a brief pause before Martian Manhunter's voice came through. "I'm on my way."

Within moments, Martian Manhunter descended beside Ark. The other Leaguers kept fighting, but Ark had a plan in mind.

"You called for me, Ark," J'onn said. What's your plan?"

Ark smirked at him. "Can you telepathically connect all of us so we can coordinate by thought alone?"

Martian Manhunter hummed. "I can, but why? What do you have in mind?"

Without another word, Ark activated the Omnitrix. A flash of green light enveloped him. When the light faded, he had transformed into a large, light orange crab-like appearance with pincers for hands. The plates of his skull plates moved to reveal his huge, corrugated brain.

"I'm about to beat that bothersome bot at 17-dimensional chess," Brainstorm said in a haughty tone.

For situations like this, one had to play smarter, not harder. To the alien hero, time seemed to slow to a standstill. Every object in sight was broken down into mathematical variables and formulas. Equations and trajectories filled his mind's eye. He instantly processed the entire battlefield, each League member, the capabilities of the robot, and the environment around them. In mere nanoseconds, Brainstorm calculated millions of possible outcomes.

It was often said that Chess was a simulation of war. This scenario would be no exception. In this case, Brainstorm had pawns, rooks, knights, and bishops going up against a Supreme Queen Piece. If both opponents had access to the same abilities, it came down to strategy, outthinking an opponent move for move. All variables have been determined, and he found the solution.