Ben 10: Justice Incarnate Chapter 27 (Early Preview) (Patreon)

Earlier

The streets of Star City were a warzone, the battle between AMAZO and the Justice League leaving destruction in its wake. Smoke and debris filled the air. Black Canary, Green Arrow, and Batman pulled back to get a breather. Hopefully, their heavy hitters could wear down the android more.

Superman barely dodged a series of sonic blasts from AMAZO, each one tearing through the air. His cape fluttered violently as he moved. Narrowly evading another scream, Superman clenched his fist and surged forward, landing a powerful punch on the android's chest. The force of the blow echoed, but AMAZO barely flinched.

Its eyes locked onto the hero. "Access: Superman." In an instant, AMAZO retaliated, launching itself at Superman.

Superman ducked and weaved, dodging a flurry of punches that blurred the air around them. Superman ascended, trying to gain distance, but AMAZO grabbed his cape, yanking him out of the sky and slamming him into the ground with a sickening thud. The pavement cracked beneath the force, and AMAZO swung him again, smashing him into the ground several more times before throwing him aside like a ragdoll.

Superman skidded across the street, creating a trench as he finally came to a halt.

Red Tornado attempted to assist, summoning a powerful windstorm to disorient the android, but AMAZO was faster. It closed the gap in a blink, delivering a crushing blow that sent Red Tornado flying through a nearby building, the structure collapsing.

Captain Atom descended from above, striking fists glowing with nuclear energy.

AMAZO leaped high into the air, avoiding the attack, and came crashing down, its heavy frame shaking the ground.

Captain Atom narrowly dodged the impact, the force creating a small crater where AMAZO landed.

Bruised, Superman, took to the sky again to get some breathing distance. The android's eyes followed. The chase was short-lived. AMAZO accelerated, cutting off Superman's escape route and meeting him head-on. With a powerful uppercut at the last millisecond, Superman staggered the android, sending it reeling backward.

As AMAZO recovered, Captain Atom soared into view, his hands glowing with a concentrated blast of nuclear energy.

"Access: Captain Atom." AMAZO did the same; its own hands were now glowing with the same power.

Both released their energy simultaneously, the beams of nuclear force clashing midair. The explosion that followed was a fiery burst that lit up the sky and sent shockwaves rippling through the streets. Smoke engulfed the area, obscuring everything in a thick, choking cloud.

Superman's enhanced vision pierced through the smoke, spotting an opening. Without hesitation, he rocketed through the air and delivered a devastating uppercut to AMAZO, sending it soaring above the smoke. Not letting up, Superman followed with a barrage of blows, each one driving the android higher and higher. He finished with a powerful kick to AMAZO's head, sending it tumbling through the air.

"Access: Superman." AMAZO recovered in midair quickly. It lunged at Superman, trying to grab him.

Superman was quicker. He dodged, circling around to grab AMAZO by the leg. With a mighty swing, he hurled the android back toward the ground, where it crashed with a thunderous impact.

The dust settled, revealing AMAZO, unscathed in the center of a smoking crater. It was as if their efforts had been nothing more than a minor inconvenience.

AMAZO then set its sights on Red Tornado. With a burst of speed, the android charged at the robotic hero, colliding with Red Tornado and knocking him off balance. Before Red Tornado could recover, AMAZO unleashed a barrage of energy blasts.

Red Tornado was quick, summoning a wind wall to deflect the incoming attacks. The blasts veered off course, dissipating harmlessly into the air. Not wasting a second, Red Tornado shot off in a whirlwind, propelling him forward as AMAZO pursued.

AMAZO's eyes glowed as it unleashed more energy blasts, trying to catch the elusive hero. Red Tornado maneuvers kept him just out of reach, the blasts missing their mark as the two androids sped through the city. AMAZO altered its strategy. It lunged forward with terrifying speed, catching Red Tornado off guard and slamming into him with enough force to send him hurtling into the sky.

Red Tornado spun wildly as he was knocked into the air, but before he could stabilize, AMAZO was on him again. The powerful android struck, knocking Red Tornado higher and higher. Red Tornado was sent careening upward, only to be spiked back down toward the ground with a final blow.

Red Tornado crashed into the earth, the impact forming a deep crater. AMAZO twisted its body, preparing for another strike, but something was wrong. The android froze, seeing a transparent arm intersecting with its chest.

The Martian Manhunter had phased through AMAZO, attempting to disrupt the android's internal systems.

In response, AMAZO shifted into its own density-altered state, mirroring the Martian's powers. With a sickening crunch, AMAZO headbutted J'onn. J'onn was knocked back, but before he could recover, AMAZO followed with a brutal kick that sent the Martian flying.

The wind began to howl as Red Tornado reappeared from the smoke. AMAZO dug its feet into the ground, switching to Superman's strength to brace against the incoming storm.

Red Tornado summoned dual vortexes twisting toward AMAZO.

AMAZO launched itself into the air, flying above the swirling winds.

The winds had quickly stopped, and AMAZO was met with a punch from Martian Manhunter, who returned while invisible.

As AMAZO fell to the ground, he grabbed Red Tornado, and both crashed into a nearby building.

Just as Martian Manhunter was about to follow, he appeared to get a message from his communicator. He was hesitant to leave but willing to take the risk to get more assistance.

As Red Tornado struggled to regain his footing, AMAZO pressed the attack. With a powerful kick, it sent Red Tornado flying through the wall. AMAZO fired another barrage of energy blasts, not letting up, driving Red Tornado further away. The hero skidded along the ground, unable to regain his momentum as AMAZO bore down on him.

Superman swooped down, got behind AMAZO, and put him in a headlock, restraining him momentarily.

Red Tornado then conjured a massive tornado. Seeing the vortex, Superman released AMAZO to be engulfed in the swirling winds. The sheer force of the storm was enough to unbalance even the android. Red Tornado strained to keep the storm contained.

For a moment, it seemed to work. But then, a hand appeared from within the tornado, clawing its way out of the suction with terrifying ease. Red Tornado increased the power of the winds, trying desperately to hold AMAZO back, but the android's eyes glowed red.

Superman raced to stop it, but AMAZO blasted through the tornado, the beams cutting through the winds and slamming into Red Tornado. The robotic hero was tossed back.

Avoiding Superman, AMAZO leaped into the air, suplexing Red Tornado before hurling him across the battlefield. Red Tornado quickly crashed through three walls, shattering the structures like glass.

AMAZO seemed to look into the distance before flying off.

Superman had stayed behind to get Red Tornado back up.

#

Meanwhile

Batman, Black Canary, and Green Arrow huddled inside the crumbling remains of a building. They took a moment to catch their bearings.

They had been at this for over an hour, and it was starting to wear on them.

Black Canary clenched her fists. "Seriously. I would wring the neck of whoever sent that thing after us. This is really starting to tick me off!"

Green Arrow wiped the sweat from his brow. "Same. This is crazy. I'm pretty sure we've lost a few city blocks because of this thing."

Batman was already taking stock of his remaining gadgets. He huffed as he counted the dwindling supplies in his utility belt. "We could have avoided some of this had you reported it had replication capabilities."

Green Arrow shot him a glare. "Well, sorry. Canary and I were a bit busy trying not to lose our hearing or, you know, die."

Batman sighed. "Regardless, we need to make do with the current situation. Based on the fight so far, it's clear that the android is learning. We can't let this keep going."

Black Canary nodded. "I know. This situation will require brains, not brawn. We need a plan."

Green Arrow chimed in. "But we can't afford to waste any more time. Not while AMAZO is on the loose."

Batman was already moving, leading them toward the resupply point. "We're almost there. It should be around the corner."

They followed Batman through the building, keeping low to avoid detection. The Dark Knight had been careful to keep the Batwing grounded; he couldn't risk it being shot down.

As they neared the alley where the Batwing was hidden, a faint thud echoed, barely perceptible but enough to make Batman's instincts flare.

Black Canary paused. "Did you hear that?"

Green Arrow shrugged, his eyes darting around. "Hmm? Hear what? I didn't hear anything."

The ceiling above them shook again, more noticeably this time.

"There it is again," Black Canary muttered. "Is it just more of the building coming down?"

Green Arrow gripped his bow. "I highly doubt it, but we gotta keep moving."

"Yeah, we're not taking any chances. Let's get out of here before something does happen," Black Canary agreed.

As they began moving toward the exit, Batman lingered, his eyes fixed on the ceiling. Another quake, more intense this time, sent dust raining down on them. Batman noticed a crack forming, spreading like a spiderweb across the structure.

"Move!" Batman barked.

In a blur, Batman pushed Black Canary and Green Arrow out of the way just as the ceiling caved in. With a loud crash, AMAZO landed in the room right where they had been standing moments before.

AMAZO lunged at them without hesitation, its fist connecting with Black Canary before she could react. The force of the punch sent her flying backward, crashing into a nearby wall with a pained cry.

Before Green Arrow could even raise his bow, AMAZO spun around, its arm extending and firing a rapid volley of energy shots. Green Arrow dove for cover, rolling to avoid the deadly blasts. Just as AMAZO prepared to unleash another barrage, a blur of red and gold streaked through the room, slamming into the android.

Flash skidded to a stop. "Sorry for the late arrival. I called for backup."

"About time," shouted GA.

AMAZO turned its attention to the speedster. Flash zipped around the room, avoiding the android's heat vision. AMAZO escalated its assault, launching nuclear blasts directly at Flash.

Flash kicked off the wall, attempting to run back toward AMAZO, but the beams exploded behind him, the shockwave sending him tumbling across the ground.

Batman launched himself at AMAZO, delivering a series of fierce kicks and punches. Unfortunately, AMAZO's reflexes with Flash's speed were too fast, and it blocked each blow.

In a blur of motion, AMAZO caught Flash mid-stride and slammed him against the ground with a resounding thud. The android then hurled Flash down a nearby hallway, the speedster crashing painfully into the debris.

Behind AMAZO, Black Canary unleashed a powerful scream, but the android dodged, evading her sonic attack. Canary followed up with a flurry of kicks and punches, forcing AMAZO to stay on the defensive. The android didn't notice that this gave Flash enough time to recover.

Flash charged back into the fray with a burst of speed, intercepting AMAZO's next attack just in time to save Green Arrow, who took advantage of the moment to fire an electrified arrow into the android. The arrow sent a jolt of electricity through AMAZO's body. The android staggered, but it flung Green Arrow aside.

Flash then knocked AMAZO against the wall, moving at such speed that the android had no time to react. Seeing an opening, Batman deployed several fast-drying foam grenades, hoping to trap AMAZO against the wall.

The foam expanded rapidly, hardening around AMAZO, but the android simply density-shifted through it, mimicking Martian Manhunter. AMAZO followed up with a vicious counterattack, colliding with Flash in a blur of movement. The two exchanged blows at incredible speeds.

Black Canary, Green Arrow, and Batman barely managed to stay out of the way, dodging the debris and shockwaves from the battle. Despite Flash's best efforts, AMAZO eventually caught him, slamming him through the wall.

AMAZO then held Flash up by the throat, pinning him against the wall. The android's grip tightened, and for a moment, it seemed like the speedster's fate was sealed.

But before AMAZO could finish him off, a blur of blue and red streaked through the ceiling, smashing into the android with the force of a freight train. Superman had arrived, and with one swift motion, he tore Flash from AMAZO's grip, grabbed all four heroes, and flew them outside to safety.

AMAZO got back up, but he was in no rush to pursuit.

#

When they were let back down with the other heroes, they took a sitrep. Well, they were alive yet battered. J'onn was still missing. They knew that the android would return to them soon.

Batman had already cycled through numerous gadgets and strategies. One trump card was in his belt, but he was still unsure if it would work. Still, he would have about a one-in-five shot for the opening to happen. Clearly, AMAZO's ability to replicate their powers had made it nearly invincible. "We can't keep fighting it head-on like this."

"He's right," Superman cut in. "If we keep fighting haphazardly, we'll just wear ourselves out. We need a new plan."

As the heroes prepared to say something, a sudden, unexpected voice echoed in their minds. "Justice League. Don't worry. This is Ark. I'm with Martian Manhunter."

"Oh, thank god," muttered Flash.

The League members paused, exchanging glances.

Batman's eyes narrowed. "What are you doing with J'onn, Ark? He should be here with us."

"Trust me, he'll be more beneficial as a support role for now. I have a plan."

"I am well and am willing to hear him out," Martian Manhunter responded calmly. If his appearance is anything to go by, he's... thought about this plan thoroughly."

"Right..." Batman retorted, his suspicion evident. 

But Ark's voice cut through the doubt. "You've all fought this thing long enough to know that brute force alone won't work. AMAZO has already copied your powers and abilities—it can counter every attack you throw at it. By my calculation, you guys can probably adapt and win the fight in about three more hours."

A few league members cringed. They had already damaged a good portion of downtown. What more could three hours do?

"That's an oddly specific guess," commented Green Arrow.

"Again, not a guess. Calculation," retorted Brainstorm.

Superman put a hand up against Batman. "What's your plan, Ark? We're open to any ideas at this point."

Batman frowned. "I have my reservations to trust this plan."

"Let's just hear it..." groaned Captain Atom.

"Here's the thing: I'm going to have to guide you through the psychic connection every step of the way."

"How?"

"Through Manhunter's help, I'll be tapping into all of your senses throughout the fight. I'll be able to assist in mitigating any variable that comes our way."

Flash blinked. That was some serious mind melding. "Seriously? You're not gonna read our minds and learn all our secrets or whatever, right?"

Several brows raised at that.

"Worry not, my fellow heroes," eased Manhunter. "I will be acting as the proverbial conduit and filter. Nothing that I don't want will go through."

"I guess."

Superman hummed. "I can hardly believe you can handle the thoughts of several people all at once."

"Trust me. I can handle the mental capacity." Brainstorm sighed. "I've dealt with entities like AMAZO before. "

Batman huffed. "Fine If you have a strategy that can help us, Ark, then we'll do it."

"Good," Ark replied.