[IC] Titans: A DC Comics Roleplay

[mickilennial]

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_{Location: New York City, New York -- Adam Strange's Laboratory}

---

Koriand’r never liked zeta beam travel.

Being teleported through two beacons on separate ends of the galaxy was convenient, but it was also painful. For Kori it was like experiencing the worst of sensory overload and burning pain. She supposed the Rannian scientists who developed it thought the positive aspects outweighed the negative. The Princess of Tamaran obviously did not come to the same conclusion, though after being chased across an abandoned planet with her pursuers to her back she didn’t exactly think about the displeasure of zeta beam travel when she found a malfunctioning teleportation device in an old survey post. Kori knew the dangers of a working zeta beam transponder. But fortunately, instead of having her body deconstruct in the process of moving through time and space she found herself simply thrown into a laboratory halfway across the galaxy.

But Kori didn’t get the time to “take a breath” and try to figure out where she was. By the time she had gotten to her feet her pursuers had made the courageous move to follow her through the malfunctioning transponder and Kori was not so lucky to have them end up missing their limbs or frying their brains upon contact. She had immediately screamed as she scrambled to her back just as the laboratory’s warning device screamed out in a language she did not understand. Despite this, she knew exactly what was happening when her eyes caught sight of the device beginning to tremble and crack.

The transponder was going to go nova and the laboratory was going to explode.

She didn’t even have enough time to react.

The taste of concrete, the smell of gasoline.

Koriand’r winced, face down some amount of distance away from what remained of the laboratory she had found herself in. She closed her eyes and reopened them, trying her best to focus away from the pain and discomfort. The impact of the transporters overload had blown apart the lab’s easternmost wall, igniting the building with unnatural fire, and tossing what appeared to be a variety of primitive transport vehicles on their sides. Some people were crushed under debris and metal while others ran away in fear as Kori’s pursuers called out for her in a toxic, vicious tongue. She knew the words well.

Find the slave.

She couldn’t let the Gordanians catch her, but at the same time what kind of person would she be if she let innocent people be hurt simply for being in the wrong place at the wrong time? What kind of Princess of Tamaran would she be? These people had no chance against Gordanian weapons. The amount of energy she had left from X’chal was low, but she couldn’t just run away. She wouldn’t. A bright hue of energy surrounded her and she pushed forward, flying above the streets as her hands began to glow with neon green energy. She would do everything she could. Even if it ended in her inevitable capture.

“You chase me across the galaxy? Your master must be proud!” She shouted in Tamaranean as she shot out a beam of light at one of her would-be captors.

She was outnumbered. Maybe outmatched. But she was not going back.

[Supermaxx]

---

_{Location: New York City, New York -- A Rooftop}

---

New York City covered an area of about three hundred square miles and contained over eight million people. Enormous machines transported them across the city in underground tunnels- those that couldn't afford the smaller, personalized vehicles, at least. Structures towered above them all, the tallest of them stretched up to grasp the clouds, forming what the humans called a 'skyline.'

As obnoxious as Kelex's lessons were, Conner had to admit they were helpful.

Conner Kent sat on the edge of an apartment building's rooftop, his legs dangling precariously over the side. Dozens of humans passed by underneath him, rushing along the sidewalk in a terrible hurry to get somewhere else. There was one older man talking on the phone as he went, desperately trying to convince someone named 'Abby' not to get on the plane before he had a chance to say goodbye. Just in front of him a woman was dragging two crying kids along behind, both of them alternating between hitting her and then hitting each other. A yellow bus was being loaded with similarly sized children at the end of the street.

'Its all so...loud.' Honking cars, screaming people, radios being played too loud. He didn't know how anyone could live in a place like this without going crazy. It wasn't anything like the Fortress, or the farm. Conner could sit at the edge of a field at the farm and hear the grass blowing in the wind, the chirping of distant birds and the sound of a mole burrowing his way through the earth. He could tell the dripping water coming from the kitchen sink's facet from the pitcher pump in Martha's garden.

Here, though, there was just too much. There were a thousand disparate sounds going off at any given moment, all of them vying for his attention. It was giving him a headache; at one point it got so bad that Conner felt like his skull might explode from the pressure. It'd been even worse when he was on the ground earlier. He was just trying to walk around and check off all the places he'd visited in his booklet, but people kept yelling at him for bumping into them and crossing the street in front of their vehicles.

"Hmph," He grunted at the thought, pulling the crumpled booklet from his pocket to flip through it again. So far he'd marked off the statue, the park, the empire's building and the time square. It also recommended stopping for sustenance at noon, though Conner still wasn't sure if he actually needed to eat or not. Kal-El and the Kents had insisted he eat at consistent intervals, but if Conner really was a Kryptonian, wasn't that a waste of time?

His thoughts were interrupted by a terrible boom that shook the building underneath him and sent a stabbing pain through his ears.

"What was that?" Conner snarled, dragging himself to his feet as he tried to ignore the jackhammer in his skull. It sounded like thunder, but it was far more intense than any he'd heard before. And closer, too- like it'd come from the ground instead of the sky. He waited for the ringing in his ears to cease before stumbling in the direction of the sound, trying to focus on anything else coming from that way.

People were screaming, some in languages he'd never heard before. Cars were coming to a grinding halt and slamming down on their horns. He could hear concrete collapsing and glass shattering, too. Was a building coming down?

'Sounds like a job for Superman...Guess I'll have to do, though.'

[Hillan]

---

_{Location: Near Rockerfeller Plaza, New York City, New York}

---

Jason's banishment was wearing heavy on the young man. He knew he had done wrong, let his emotions get the best of him and gone against what Batman truly stood for. He was beating himself up about it, worse than Bruce ever could, and perhaps that was why he had sent his young protegé away. So that he could stew in his misery. He was laying on the bed in the hotel, staring up into the ceiling. He knew full well that this wasn't where he belonged. This wasn't a life that was truly his. He couldn't have deserved this, any of it, frankly. He was a fuck-up. A street-urchin. A bastard orphan and a thug. He had no right to walk next to the brightest among them.

He lifted his head and glanced at the suit, and his feelings of being an imposter grew even greater. It was a new suit, sure, but it carried the baggage of the one who had walked this path before him. Someone who had done it better than him. Richard Grayson wasn't a criminal - life had just kicked him down and Bruce helped a kid in a way that nobody had helped him. Richard had excelled at this kind of stuff, he was calm and collected, charming but able to put the mission before his emotions.

Jason wasn't like that. Not really. He was brash and abrasive. He spoke his mind, always. And he wasn't great at keeping his cool - as had been evident in the last encounter that had landed him here in exile from Gotham.

"If you ever leave, it's your choice, not mine, Jason."

Bruce had promised him before sending the boy into the car to take him to New York. The words felt hollow at the time, but now, two weeks later, Jason started to believe them. Maybe this was just Bruce's way of getting through to him. Maybe he would be welcomed back home with open arms when the time was right. But he didn't know how long his punishment would be.

"It's about time to go and try to make the old bat proud. Here's hoping I don't die."

The suit stared at him and he sat up in bed. And the pit in his stomach grew. He stood up, tearing his T-shirt off him, tossing it into the laundry basket, opening the glass-door into the wardrobe, revealing the suit. The black high-quality cotton in the white shirt, the jacket, and the matching pants. Even one of those fancy black sashes Bruce insisted on wearing to these events. A bow-tie. Custom-tailored to Jason's measurements, as well as a small tube of hair gel and a comb in the pocket.

The suit was a perfect fit, Jason had styled his hair and despite being one and a half heads shorter than Bruce, the 16-year old certainly looked like Bruce's mini-me today. He hated it.

He was going to attend a fundraiser at the Rockerfeller Plaza for the Martha Wayne Foundation, the same foundation that had gotten Jason off the street and into Bruce's care after Batman beat the snot out of him, and in the past years, Jason had become the poster boy for the At-Risk Youth program. The fundraiser today was for a new Youth Center in New York, expanding the program out of Gotham, and Jason would be there to take questions from people asking about the program.

He sure was glad Bruce had taught him how to fool a polygraph, but he feared that the press was worse than any means of torture.

[HenryJonesJr]

Location: United Nations Building, New York City

---

The crisp, clean hallways of the United Nations Building felt more alien to Kaldur'ahm than anything he had seen in his years since breaching the surface and becoming a part of two worlds. How the surface dwellers loved their straight lines, white walls, and shiny floors. He didn't understand why they wanted things to be so...sterile all the time. The buildings of Atlantis were swirling, sweeping works of art that cradled you in their embrace. They were as alive as the beings that lived in them. Here they were nothing more than a space you closed yourself off from nature in. He would never understand it.

Still, he was here on important business, and as strange as they still were to him, he enjoyed working with the people of the surface in order to advance his king's goals. Orin had sent him in his stead to brief the UN's science committee on ongoing ocean cleanup efforts between the two peoples. It was going well, even if there were some southeast Asia countries that could be doing more to stem the tide of plastics entering the ocean. Still, things were improving, and that was good news.

"Kaldur," the lead of the UN science team, a Doctor Khatri from India, smiled and shook his hand. "We're so glad to have you here."

"King Orin and Queen Mera send their apologies," he smiled politely at her, knowing he was not their first choice to address the gathered delegates. Orin, the Aquaman, just held far more sway of these kinds of people. Kaldur was not bitter at this. It was merely fact. The King of Atlantis was far more prestigious and inspiring than the King's squire. But the Aqualad would do his duty, and do it well. For that was what his king had charged him. "I do hope the scientific council are not too disappointed to be briefed by a sidekick."

"Oh!" she was taken aback with surprise. "Not at all! In fact I think it will reassure everyone that there is another generation of Atlantis ready to stand for our efforts in the future."

The thought brought a slight smile to his face. After all that had happened over the years, from Orm's attempted takeover of the surface, to Black Manta's repeated attempts to destroy Atlantis, it heartened Kaldur that the two peoples were creating a lasting partnership for the betterment of the planet. Aquaman always said that people were stronger together, and Kaldur took pride in the fact that he himself was helping to bridge some gaps.

"That is a welcomed point of view, Dr. Khatri," he nodded to her. "Whenever you are ready, I have my address prepared, signed off on by the King himself."

"Well, that's just great!" she smiled broadly. "If you want to follow me, we can get on with it right awa-"

A low rumble jostled through the building, and everyone around Kaldur'ahm fell into a deep silence. His eyes narrowed to worried slits. After a few moments, a pair of UN guards began trotting down the hallway towards him. The first snapped to attention, "Sir, we've been ordered to inform you that you...uhh...may be needed, sir."

"There's no need to salute me," Kaldur waved him off, embarrassed. "What's the situation?"

"Something unknown beamed down into the city," the other guard filled him in. "That's about all we known so far. We can give you the location."

"Thank you," he nodded to the pair of them before turning to Dr. Khatri. "My apologies, Doctor. Our address will have to wait for another time."

He headed off back to where he had left his water pack, knowing he would need it to deal with whatever was going on in the city. As he retrieved it, he fought the urge to call King Orin. The king had more important matters to attend to, and Aquaman had made it clear to Kaldur that he needed to try and stand on his own more.

"Kaldur," the king's voice echoed through his head, "you have served me well. But the world now needs you more than I do. It is time for you to start carving your own path, past failures be damned. It is time for you to become the man you were meant to be, and the hero the world needs you to be."

Kaldur'ahm was not sure if his king was correct, but he had his orders. He pushed aside any trepidation he felt and prepared himself for battle. He would not fail his king. He would not fail Atlantis.

[Natty]

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_{Location: New York City, New York -- American Museum of Natural History}

---

“Cassie? What on Earth are you doing here?”

Cassandra Sandsmark tore her eyes away from the exhibit to watch as her mother marched across the foyer towards her, the sound of her heels slapping against the marbled floor echoing around them. She’d been conversing with a small group of fellow researchers and curators, who at the sign of commotion, seemed to shift awkwardly to get a good view of what was happening. Cassie found herself in the same boat. Her face flushed with red as she racked her brain to come up with a decent excuse, but when she opened her mouth to reply, nothing but silence emerged. Dr Helena Sandsmark’s eyes peered expectantly over the rim of her glasses, her tongue clicking in her mouth.

All Cassie had wanted was a break from School; morning lessons had been tough given her gaps in knowledge as a result of her homeschooling, and in order to escape the mockery she’d fled into the streets of Manhattan during her free period. Her mother would hear nothing about that of course. In her eyes, ever since Greece, it was always Cassie that was in the wrong.

A lot had changed since then. You could tell just by looking at her mother, who had now ditched the tanned shirts and cargo pants she’d been known for sporting during their expeditions, to now filling her wardrobe with the sleek whites and blacks of the business world. Despite how glamorous she now looked, Cassie would always miss the mess of dirty blonde hair her mother would tie up atop her head that just added to her natural beauty. Having the person you grew up with make such a sudden change was a struggle to get used to, but then, so was everything about moving to New York. So was everything that had happened with Ares.

“You can’t just keep running here everyday Cassie.” Dr Sandsmark went on to say, her tone filled with the same annoyance that she’d had last time Cassie had done this. “You need to be around people your own age. People like you.”

Oh, if only she knew the irony. Cassie let out a laugh, resulting in a glare flashed in her direction.

“I don’t like people my own age Mom.” Despite how childish she knew she must sound, Cassie continued on moaning. “People there just don’t get me. It’s been weeks and I still haven’t made any friends. Everyone just thinks I'm a freak who won’t shut up about history.”

The glare sunk from Dr Sandsmark’s face as Cassie spoke, turning into somewhat of a look of sympathy. She was listening. Which in truth just made this even more painful. Cassie wanted to go on. To keep talking and to tell her all about the stuff she’d been hiding since arriving in the city. About her chats with the Greek God of War. About the gifts he had given her. The bracers hidden under her leather jacket at this very moment. The shining lariat tucked away in her school bag. About the mugging she had stopped on her way home from school the day prior.

But instead, as her mother lay her hand reassuringly on her shoulder, she merely stayed quiet.

“Darling… I…” Her mother found herself at a loss for words for a moment. “Come here."

Moving forward she embraced her daughter in a warm hug, resting her chin atop her head. They stood there for several moments in silence, with Cassie feeling as if this one moment made up for all the missed out mother-daughter moments since the move. She edged closer into telling her and spilling it all in this moment. But then another shout from the lobby stopped her.

“Um, Doctor Sandsmark?” The two broke apart to see one of the curator’s whom her mother had been walking with stepping towards them. “I don’t mean to interrupt but -”

She silenced him with a nod.

“That’s fine, you all go ahead. Tell Ms Cale I’ll be along shortly.” Waving him away she turned back to her daughter and managed a smile. “I have to go, but we’ll discuss this properly tonight, Ok?”

“Promise?” Cassie asked feebly.

“Promise.”

She watched as her mother hurried away after her colleagues into a side room, a slight wave of relief washing over her. Things were going to be ok. Taking one last look at the ancient antiquities before her, she drummed happily onto the metal barrier before making her own way out of the room.

All hope she had though seemed to crumble as she stepped into the cold breeze, as the cityscape around her shook abruptly. Cries of panic rang out around her, as her eyes sought out the source of the commotion, finally landing on a thick line of smoke that was beginning to rise between some of the lower roof rooftops ahead of her.

Something was happening. Something bad.

Doubt flooded over her. Sure she’d been given abilities and power by Ares, but he never taught her how to use them. Stopping muggings was one thing, but this? She wasn’t ready for this. Her heart ached for her to turn and run. For her to head back to school and pretend she’d never left. The Justice League could handle this. One of them had to be around, right?

She turned her body away, wrapping her jacket around her. As she did so though, her hand ran across the golden embroidery she’d added to her jacket's sleeves. The insignia of her idol. She stopped in her tracks.

Wonder Woman wouldn’t run.

Turning on her heel, Cassie propelled herself into the air, launching herself towards whatever chaos awaited her.

[mickilennial]

---

_{Location: New York City, New York -- City Streets}

---

Starfire spun underneath one of the electromagnetic blasts that exited the Gordanian weapons. Her brows narrowed, recalling how the beams felt when they touched her skin. Her people were strong against gamma beams and anything revolving around ultraviolet radiation. The Gordanians had developed weapons to counteract this somehow, weapons that revolved around electromagnetic energy. It was worse than being cold. It burned like fire, but with a bone chill that attacked her nerves. Energies that could slow and disorient. She still wasn't sure how the Gordanians got their hands on it.

The loud hum of the Gordanian energy weapons became apparent once more as a flurry of more energy beams screamed past her head, hitting the buildings behind her. Kori immediately cursed in Tamaranean, ducking and weaving the best she could while she tried to count how many of her pursuers had followed her from Staphis. This was no small task between the fire that had begun to spread and the innocent people caught in the crossfire. It was hard to keep focus, but as far as she could tell there were at least eight or more alien pursuers.

She shot out another blast of neon energy as she flew down and kicked one of the Gordanians in their chin, sending him flying back into a few of his friends.

How much longer could she fight them off?

[Supermaxx]

---

_{Location: New York City, New York -- City Streets}

---

A tiny black dot appeared in the smoke-choked sky, beginning its rapid approach toward the embattled street. A high pitched whistling followed behind the missile as it began to grow and morph the closer it drew. What was once a dot became a basketball, then a beach ball, and continued to balloon until limbs were furling off of it and the whistle had become a deafening roar.

Not a moment later it slammed into the asphalt with an ear-splitting crack, sending debris spraying in all directions. Bits of concrete and dirt fell from the air like drops of rain. A figure rose out of the newly formed crater, steam obscuring much of his form. All that was really visible was the object fluttering behind him in the wind and the bright red S on his chest.

Kon-El tripped as he tried to climb out of his self-made hole, the tattered remains of his jacket clinging to his shoulders and back. 'Wind resistant, huh? Yeah right.' He let out an annoyed huff, tearing the material off of him and letting it fall into the dust as he clambered back to his feet. He took a moment to shake off the failed landing and surveyed the chaos before him, doing his best to ignore the overwhelming stimuli assaulting his senses.

A building was on fire, lit up by a dozen chemical accelerants, all of 'em with their own unique, terrible scent that he couldn't place. Cars, trucks and a passenger bus were scattered across the roadway, likely tossed by whatever explosion had destroyed that building and set its ruins ablaze. There were people, too. Some hurt, some dead, the rest in various stages of panic.

Then there were the aliens.

Reptilians of some kind. Giant, lipless lizards with bodies like gorillas and eyes burning with otherworldly hate. They towered over Kon and were covered in armored scales that could stop bullets like a brick wall stops a breeze. Those spears they carried- or staves, maybe- were firing beams of energy of some kind. Nasty things, whatever they were, and they looked like they were doing a number on the girl. The...orange-skinned girl.

"I'm gonna guess ya'll aren't from around here!" The Kryptonian boy boomed as he started toward the fight at a walk. "So consider this your one and only chance to get outta here before I-"

Something hit his chest. Hard.

He felt his feet leave the ground, then his back hit it once, twice, and again before he finally came to a skidding halt against an overturned semi-truck.

"Ouch." Kon-El muttered, rubbing the back of his head where it had dented the truck's undercarriage behind him. He noticed the reptile standing over him just long enough to flinch before it wrapped its gargantuan claws around his neck and lifted him into the air.

His feet were dangling underneath him. In the distance, just behind the monster's head, he could see the alien girl continuing her desperate fight against the mass of reptiles. There had to be eight of 'em, at least. A tiny sliver of blood traced its way down from Conner's nose, and, despite himself, he grinned. "Have it your way."

[Hillan]

---

_{Location: Rockerfeller Plaza, New York City, New York}

---

Jason was standing next to the important people, rubbing elbows with the finest prospective donators for the Wayne Foundation. He was gonna be brought up during the speech to demonstrate how the foundation can make a difference for young boys in Gotham, he'd tell the sobstory about his criminal backstory and how he with dignity and thanks to compassion could become an upstanding young man, soon to be an adult and a fully functioning member of society. Even becoming the ward of the esteemed billionaire Bruce Wayne.

The interview went relatively painless, Mr.Rosswell, the guy who was gonna run the new youth center introduced Mr.Todd as the speaker sent by Bruce Wayne himself, his latest ward. Jason walked onto the stage and laughed nervously. He cleared his throat, about to speak when he saw something outside the window, an explosion, the windows shook and he felt his Bat-senses kick in.

"What the fu-" The Bat-Brat let out before an explosion rocked the building, a gastank of some kind blew just under the building, demolishing the windows and knocking out the power. Jason was thrown to the floor, along with everyone else.

He crawled to his feet before everyone else, his jacket ripped on the right shoulder. He looked out the broken window and saw a handful of green monsters flying outside, following something as they paid no attention to the civilians inside.

Today of all days. Jason thought, looking around for anyone seriously wounded. He saw the the Security guards were tending to anyone who had been injured, so he could slip away from the crowd in the confusion. He'd run towards the garage. To the car.

But before he could make it out of the lobby, a stray green monster had found it's way into the building, perhaps separated from it's pack. It swung it's spear at Jason, the boy dodged under the blade, sliding across the tiled floor, the monster swept with it's tail, he sprung up onto his feet and did a flip over the tail, dashing behind a table as the green laser came flying after him, stopped by the table it collided with.

Jason ran into the stairway as the elevators were all offline. The staircase door was ripped off by the hulking beast who didn't enjoy the fact that his prey got away, chasing him down the stairs. Jason jumped over the ledge, grabbing the ledge three meters down, hopping from ledge to ledge as quickly as he could, descending the building into the parking garage below. The beast couldn't fly properly in the stairway that was too narrow for his wings, ripping down the railing as he was in pursuit of the boy. Jason turned the corner, untying his sash around his waist and turning it into a make-shift rope. When the monster came around, Jason jumped onto his back, using the sash as a blindfold to blind the monster, dodging his blind strikes at his back while he yanked at it.

He was not strong enough to do anything here. Finally, the monster tore the sash in two with it's claws, prompting Jason to leap off him, onto the railing above, onto the second floor of the parking garage.

"Thanks for the lift!" He shouted, rolling away from the incoming beam. Sprinting towards the car that was now in view.

"I hate alien tech." He cursed under his breath, turning on his smartwatch and putting in the code to unlock the secret trunk of the car. "Nightwing's a Dick" his fingers typed as he ran. The trunk clicked open and Jason saw the beast come after him, he pulled the trunk open in panic and liften the reinforced suitcase as the beam was fired, turning around and using the case as a shield.

The beam was deflected and Jason was knocked on his back, rolling backwards and back onto his feet. The case was reinforced with material Bruce had gotten from S.T.A.R and as far as the Robin knew, it was indestructible. He opened a hatch on the side, pulling out one Batarang, as he didn't have time to grab the entire suit, this would have to do.

Jason circled the car as the alien followed him, sliding under it to appear on the other side, feinting the creature, slapping him with the case with one hand, spinning around and hitting him again with the case now held in both hands. The monster slid backwards, more annoyed than hurt by the hit. Jason hurled the case at him, hitting him in the face again. Jumping and kicking off the falling case for extra momentum, the Boy Wonder flipped in the air as he jammed the batarang into the monster's eye. Purple blood spurted as the beast cried in pain. Jason ducked under the beast, behind his back as he triggered the electronics in the weapon shocking the enemy. He eyed the foes weapon but it wasn't losing it's grip just yet.

"Eat this." And with a press of a button, the stuck batarang exploded, forcing the beast to fall backwards onto Jason whom pressured it's legs with his body weight, felling the monster, and in doing so he could grab the weapon from it. In one swift motion he turned the spear around and jabbed it into the chest. He aimed for the right shoulder, but he had no clue about the monster's anatomy, but that usually did the trick. He had watched Bruce fight aliens before, and in general he wasn't as concerned about preserving alien life as he was human.

Which seemed like a morale issue in general, but, perhaps that's an argument for another time. Jason had a city to save. His alerts informed him that there were hundreds, if not thousands of these things flying around New York. And considering he had almost died fighting one of them...

This can only end well.

[HenryJonesJr]

Kaldur'ahm stood on the roof of a building and overlooked the scene that was unfolding in New York City. It seemed to be some sort of alien invasion. How they had gotten to the planet, he did not know. There were no signs of spacecraft landings or any hovering in the skies above. Boom tubes were a possibility, but they did not resemble any of Apokalips's soldiers that he was familiar with. But it was no matter, in all reality. They had invaded Earth, which meant they needed to be dealt with.

Surveying the damage done so far, he found where the epicenter was, and made his way that way. He cursed having to traverse the land. Things were so much easier in the water. He truly did not understand how the surface dwellers dealt with this day in and day out. The fact that they could not go any direction they chose must have been maddening.

As he ran across the city streets, it was clear how much damage the interlopers had done to the streets of New York. Pavement was obliterated, automobiles were crushed like soda cans, and the windows at street level looked as if they had been hit with a concussive blast. Whoever these invaders were, they had no qualms about putting innocent people in danger.

One such person called to Kaldur from inside their flipped car. He could see the fear in their eyes, and could smell the gas leaking from the car. But a large column of concrete that once helped hold up the elevated highway had pinned them inside. He wasn't going to be able to get the person out with that there.

Beside the car, a fire hydrant had busted open and was spilling its contents into the street. Kaldur focused on the water, using the teachings Queen Mera had bestowed upon him in Atlantis. He felt the water call back, and he began shaping it around him. It swirled by him before diving underneath the massive concrete cylinder. With a flick of his wrist, the column was lifted into the air, freeing the person from the car. Once they were clear, he allowed the water to let the column back down to the ground with a thud. But he kept the precious liquid close to him. He was going to need it.

"Thanks, Aqualad!" the thankful civilain waved at him. "Those lizard things went that way! Chasing some pink girl!"

"Hm," he muttered to himself. So these creatures were not merely on Earth to cause destruction. They were hunting someone. That made things slightly more interesting, at the very least. Not only could he repel some invaders, but he could also save someone who needed it. He had to admit he liked the sound of that.

As he continued to follow the trail of the destruction, Kaldur began to hear the explosions from the ongoing battle. As they grew louder, he pushed his way through the escaping throngs of people to finally find his targets. The large, grotesque creatures were covered in green scales. Their squat, ugly heads with greedy, yellow eyes searched for their prey, whom Kaldur could barely make out. The glowing pink for looked like she was doing her best to keep the aliens' attention away from the fleeing bystanders, and for that Aqualad was thankful. It was clear she was losing steam, however. She wouldn't last much longer.

He charged, turning the water from the fire hydrant into two solid battle hammers in each hand. He managed to come up on one of the alien's blind side and smashed both against the side of its head. The creature tumbled backwards as Kaldur cried, "For Atlantis!"

Another turned on him, and while he managed to get a solid strike in on its shoulder, it backhanded him. The blow sent the Atlantean flying, and he smashed into a parked car. The offending alien then lept off the sidewalk, looking to pound Kaldur into the pavement. Instead, the Aqualad used the water to snag it in mid air, and toss it back at the group of aliens that had turned to face him. The creatue slammed into its comrades, knocking a few over.

"Who ever you are," he called out to them, "you are not welcome here! Surrender, or face the wrath of the Aqualad!"

[mickilennial]

---

_{Location: New York City, New York -- City Streets}

---

As she blasted one of the aliens back into the ruined laboratory she shouted out to the three natives she could see despite knowing they wouldn't be able to understand her, “They seek only destruction! Help your people!”

It was a futile effort, but maybe these natives could also decipher tone. However, just as she ended her sentence a loud snarl left one of the Gordanians as they realized that their intervention into New York was drawing too much attention on top of wasting their time.

But they were not afraid of a boy with the strength of a flamop, nor did they have reason to be. The Gordanians had feuded for centuries with beings of great strength and they had adapted to it. Tamaraneans, Thanagarians, and many others had been their sworn rivals. The ferocity of Gordanians was known to all of the races surrounding the Tamaranean Empire. As she fired several starbolts at her enemies, causing one of the Gordanian staves to explode in a burst of ion. As a group of Gordanians began to access the threat of her accidental rescuer one of the veteran hunters of the pack let out a loud snarl-like command, and it send a chill down Kori's spine.

Destroy them! The princess is mine.

It was then, in a instant, that all of the Gordanians minus the leader aimed their staff weapons and fired them at once while the one who had singled her out leaped through the air, his staff nearly hitting her square in the head. Her worries had been going to the people around her and her ally of convenience and it was beginning to effect her battle awareness. The warlord who trained her would be screaming at her if he could see her now. The Gordanian twirled his staff, his finger slipping across a trigger and a blast of energy hit her in the face at point blank range. A blinding, bone chilling pain was the only thing she felt for a few seconds before she felt the Gordanian clutching her hair.

Before she knew it she had been spun around and tossed like a ragdoll, her body colliding with full force on one of the lightposts below.

However, before she could get her bearings, she could feel the feeling of the staff slamming into her stomach. The blunt strike while she was dazed caused her to regain her faculties immediately, though not in the most ideal circumstances. She began to channel the energy she had left, drawing from the deepest of her reserves and in a few seconds her enemy was flying across the street from the expulsion of energy she had unleashed from her body. For a few moments she had time to compose herself, but she probably didn't have much more energy left. She coughed in pain before breathing long and deep.

It wasn't over yet.

[HenryJonesJr]

Kaldur had fought many battles in his time with Aquaman, but never had he been present at the beginning of an alien invasion. It was a childish, selfish thought to have in a situation like this, but even he was known to be a kid now and again. He was here at ground zero of a new incursion, and he was going to be the one to stop it, whether these big, green monsters knew it or not. They were up against a son of Atlantis, and he was formidable indeed.

Unfortunately for the formidable son of Atlantis, the entire squad of extraterrestrials turned their weapons on him and fired. Kaldur'ahm was forced to dive behind a collapsed wall of concrete in order to survive. The laser blasts took chunks out of the wall, and he felt the pebbles bouncing off his arms and forehead as the wall was whittled down. He wouldn't be able to stay here for long, and needed a plan about as much as a whale needed a breath after being submerged for too long.

He had the water he had picked up in the street further back, but without getting close to the creatures that wouldn't do much. He scanned the area for any possible advantage against his enemies. He saw it in the form of a street light that stood right above their position, but within his reach.

Summoning the water from inside the containers he wore on his back, Kaldur lashed out with the magically-hardened water. The liquid was thin as a razor by the time it reached the light pole, but that's all he needed. The magical skills he had learned from Queen Mera were enough, and the water sliced through the metal of the pole almost effortlessly. With a groan, the heavy metal column came crashing down towards the aliens, sending them scattering.

He took the opportunity to vault to his feet and rush the invaders, recollecting his water and forming it into two short swords in his hands. When he reached the aliens, the one closest was regaining his feet. Kaldur sliced through its weapon like butter before it could raise it up to fire. He followed that up with a kick to its gut, which sent it tumbling into two of its comrades.

The problem was the other two that had already swung their weapons around to face him. He turned the water in his hands to a shield, which deflected one of the shots, but that bolt itself weakened his spell. The second bolt shattered through the shield and struck him in the shoulder sending a lightning bolt of pain through his body. He dropped to his knees and could hear the creatures talking to one another.

Whatever they were saying could not be a good thing.

[Supermaxx]

---

_{Location: New York City, New York -- City Streets}

---

Superboy had never been in a fight before.

He'd seen them before, of course, when Kara and Kal-El would spare in the Fortress of Solitude, or when Kelex would let Kon watch old news footage of Superman throwing down with his many enemies. He knew what a punch looked like, and he'd figured out how to make his hand into a fist. But he'd never thrown one before. Never been hit by one before, either. The concept of pain was itself alien to him until this lizard-breathed giant decided to introduce it to him.

'Gotta say, I don't much like it.' Kon grumbled to himself as he peeled his body out of the concrete wall he'd just been thrown into, the Kryptonian-shaped hole crumbling behind him as his boots hit the ground. Slicks of dried blood ran down his lip, and a thin layer of rock dust had infested his mess of black hair.

Conner Kent, as he'd been come to be known on the Kent farm, cut an impressive figure for his age. He stood just a hair short of six feet tall and was built like an ox, arms thick as tree trunks and shoulders that could carry a full-sized tractor on a bad day. Big as the boy was, he looked like an ant standing face-to-face with the invader. It was absolutely enormous, and the hail of punches it'd just thrown at Kon evidenced the fact that all that muscle wasn't just for show.

"That all ya got, pal?!" Kon shouted, a cocky grin dominating his face even as he launched himself at the creature for the second time. The ground shook with the force of his leap, and he flew with such speed that he was right on top of the monster before it had a chance to use that laser again. Kon narrowed his eyes and clenched his fist, picturing in his head every newsreel fight he'd ever watched just as he fired off a punch into the alien's jaw. Armored scales gave a sickening crunch, bending and snapping under the force of the blow. Sickly-colored blood stuck to Kon's knuckles like glue. There was a moment's elation as he thought he saw the alien fall.

It caught itself on its back foot, however, and turned toward the little humanoid with hate-engorged eyes. Clutching its warspear in hands the size of basketballs, it gave a mighty swing toward Kon's skull. The weapon sang as it cut through the air, moving with inhuman speed. Quick, anxious flew in front of his face to adsorb the blow, the blade just narrowly failing to pierce Kon's flesh.

Pulling back, the alien launched another two strikes at Kon, one aimed to pour his guts all over the concrete and the second to knock him to the floor. Kon managed to jump back and avoid the former, but the former caught the back of his leg and he found himself on his back before he realized what had happened.

The creature roared triumphantly in its mother tongue, lifting the spear high into the air, preparing to finish off its opponent so it could return to capturing the girl.

Superboy didn't give it the chance. With clumsy, violent speed he flung himself from his back at the alien, his head colliding with its armored chest with the force of a rolling freight train. The two of them entered the air, briefly, flying across the street until they'd landed in the parking lot on the opposite side. Kon skidded for a couple of yards on the asphalt while his much heavier enemy just sort of sunk into it, like a boulder falling into a pond. People in the nearby shopping center screamed bloody murder at the sight of them, apparently having hoped that the conflict wouldn't come toward them and that they'd be able to hide it out there. They scattered in every direction as the two super-powered beings dragged themselves to their feet.

"Damn...Now I know why nobody else does that." Conner groaned, a hand clutching his thumping skull. Hurt as he was, though, Superboy could tell he'd hurt the other guy more than himself. It was struggling to get back to its feet, even going so far as to use the end of its spear to help push its great mass off of the broken ground.

Seeing an opportunity to end this, Conner charged. "How 'bout you just stay down this time?!" He roared, punching the alien's cheek hard enough to send its head crashing through the roof of a car parked just beside it. Conner grabbed it by the arm and tore it from the vehicle's interior, tossing the lizard brain into the body of another, larger vehicle. Metal bent, tires popped and glass shattered under the impact. It didn't have the strength left to get back up.

There wasn't any time to waste celebrating his first won fight, much as he'd like to do so. That girl was still in trouble, n' all those innocent people could be caught in the crossfire- he shouldn't have let himself be carried away from the main fight by just one of these things. Conner dug his heels in and bent at the knees, jumping into the air with the force of a small explosion. Dust, debris and rock were scattered in all directions as he took to the sky. He wasn't up there for long, maybe a couple'a seconds in total, but it was long enough for him to spot out the rest of the lizardmen. The biggest one was in the process of getting itself blasted across the road by the alien girl, who looked much worse for wear than when Conner last saw her- he felt a pang of guilt for leavin' her alone out there, outnumbered n' surrounded.

Yet he could see she wasn't all that alone after all.

He landed, caught his breath for a second and then sent himself up again. This time he focused on the newest fighter, trying to get a read on him. He was more slender and agile than Kon, by the looks of him, but obviously still built, and he was a shade less pale than Conner and covered in strange, glowing tattoos. Whoever he was, he was clearly on the right side of things, seein' as how he much lizard ass he was managing to kick on his own. He wa skilled, obviously, n' he had some kinda power to control water. But he was also horribly outnumbered by a bunch'a the giants, and even just one of them had given Kon trouble. They had him pinned behind some concrete for a second, but he used his powers to knock a light pole down on top of 'em to send the pack scattering long enough to get into their midst.

Kon lost sight of them again, but he was just a single street over now. This last leap would take him soaring over a line of apartment buildings and into the midst of the fight. Taking to the air, Superboy could see now that their mysterious ally had managed to take down two of squad on his own, but the other half had caught him out with a laser blast. He'd been brought to his knees and they were just about to put an end to him.

'Not on my watch.'

He flew in like a missile, crashing directly into the back of one alien and sending his buddy reeling in surprise. Kon clumsily stumbled off the first, plucking a chunk of rebar and broken concrete off the street as he got to his feet. He reeled it back behind his head and chucked it like it a baseball, sending the object rocketing toward the second alien with the speed of a bullet. It exploded across the creature's face, knocking it onto its rear out of sheer dizziness.

Conner turned around and offered a hand to the other, intervening hero, conscious of the fact that some'a the guys they just knocked down were starting to get back up. "Thought you could use a hand." There were a lot of aliens, and they packed a hellofa punch, but maybe together the good guys stood a chance at winning this thing.

[Bounce]

---

_{Location: New York City, New York -- Brooklyn Visions Academy}

---

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

The over-the-ear headphones hugged the sides of his head. A messy, mop of dark hair framing the boy’s face. A few freckles dotted his cheeks, which were starting to take on more adult-like features. He was clearly starting to grow out of childhood. A gangly form in a junior high school uniform. The blazer hung open, enveloping his small frame. The collar of the white shirt was loose, the top button undone as the tie dangled loosely around his neck.

(Let’s dance.) Put on your red shoes and dance the blues.

A pair of Vans schlepped through the hallways. Through the Beats headphones, the musical stylings of Britain’s David Bowie radiated from inside the boy’s head.

He should have been an ordinary kid at an ordinary school.

Unfortunately, ordinary was a word that described what other people were and Garfield was not.

(Let’s dance.) To the song they’re playing on the radio.

Eyes tracked him through the halls. People stared. Some openly, others tried to hide behind their text books or side-eye him from whispered conversations that echoed in the halls.

Lots of super heroes had secret lives. Lots of sidekicks never got the spotlight. And Garfield? Garfield was green. Literally. And, if that wasn’t enough, his bright yellow eyes and pointed ears added a distinctiveness that ensured no one would ever mistake him for anything else than something out of the ordinary.

(Let’s sway.) While color lights up your face.

He tried to lean into it. He was @BeastBoy across social media, so of course people would recognize him in real life. The nonchalant attitude seemed to play it off. Garfield would pretend to be oblivious to the attention, hiding behind a pair of noise cancelling headphones and trying to shut out the look of shock on their faces, the slack-jawed glances and conspiratorial whispers that transformed any sidewalk, hallway, or classroom from an open space to a prison in which he was the center of attention.

(Let’s sway.) Sway through the crowd to an empty space!

Some wanted him to perform. Some thought he was the proof that demons must exist. Some wanted to fight him and others wanted his autograph. So it was with a big sigh of relief that Garfield arrived at his desk for the next class.

Dropping his back by the desk, the boy pulled back the chair and prepared to take his seat. As he did, a loud CLAP rolled like thunder. The windows rattled. Garfield felt something that was like the bass at a rock concert, but only for a moment.

A plethora of panicked squeals and screams sprang forth, as the other students all tried to process what had just happened.

Oh, if you say run, I’ll run to...

Reaching up a hand, the green haired boy pulled the headphones from off his head. “Uh, Miss Thatcher?” Garfield uttered, raising his hand as he called to the teacher at the front of the class. Amber eyes darted for the windows. Smoke was rising into view.

That was an explosion.

“Can I , uh, use the bathroom?”

Okay, so it wasn’t the smoothest of excuses. Feet sliding across the floor, Garfield shot out into the hallway, before sprinting for his locker. His old Doom Patrol uniform was stuffed into his gym bag just in case he accidentally shapeshifted himself into a clothing malfunction.

It was a couple of minutes more before the mop-head hero was bursting from out of the front doors of the private school. Clad in the distinctive red and white uniform, the boy’s form seemed to launch upward as his form blurred. He took one step, humanoid shape imploding as the form of a falcon emerged in its place.

The green raptor spread its wings, beating several times as the falcon rose rapidly up into the air. Planing out, the bird spread its wings as an updraft seemed to take hold. Circling slowly, the school grounds fell away, as the boy was given a bird’s eye view of New York City below.

There were some ugly dudes. A lot of ugly dudes as a matter of fact. A girl with flaming hair. A Superman fan. And… a black dude?

Hypothesis: Assume the humans are the good guys.

Folding his wings in, the falcon plunged down toward the Earth. Swooping over the street, the bird’s form blurred as its seemed to explode outward -- becoming a rhinoceros that thundered down the street. A pair of brutes were launched into the air, as the rhino came barreling through.

Several laser-like shots rained his direction. The rhinoceros shrank into a rusty spotted cat, then a kangaroo as he launched himself at one of the assailants. As the brutish figure went flying back through the air, the kangaroo became a mosquito.

Zipping over and around where the black hero was looking like a total bro, the mosquito expanded out into a hybrid simian form. A prehensile tail flicked behind him, as the distinctive monkey boy form of the Doom Patrol’s Beast Boy appeared.

“Sup, brah?” the kid quipped, tossing a smile over toward Aqualad.

[mickilennial]

---

_{Location: New York City, New York -- City Streets}

---

By X’Hal, I must be lucky.

Kori could feel her knees buckle as she tried to assess what was going on throughout the streets of the urban battlefield she was fighting upon.

As far as she could tell, the arrival of a green-skinned warrior appeared to catch the able-bodied Gordanians off-guard. The Tamaranean was grateful for such a development, but even as more warriors began to set a perimeter or engage with the Gordanians she could see the resolve upon her pursuers strengthen. Gordanians were stubborn; like a hungry glurk upon a herd, they refused to let up even when the odds were stacked against them. Had they not been hunting her down, Kori might have found their passion admirable. How many Gordanians were there exactly left? Four? Five?

Kori looked back to the direction she had sent the leader flying. He was probably still getting his bearings. The green-skinned warrior had thrown several into the air, and kicked another one into another building. Two of the others had dealt with an individual Gordanian at the very least—though the one wearing a mask was not as close as the three others. It was a small battlefield, though between her blurring vision and the chaos of the situation she found it hard to keep track of everything. She forced a smile, knowing that there were not many Gordanians left to be worried about. There was a chance she would not be taken back yet.

She could see the Gordanians spread out, some climbing out from the buildings they had been thrown in several moments prior. She was sure they were being screamed at by their leader over their private communicators as he picked himself out of the building she had so kindly thrown him into only a few moments ago.

Kori took another deep breath. The last push was coming soon.

[Hillan]

---

_{Location: New York City, New York - Streets}

---

The aliens poured into the streets, as Jason was sneaking about, avoiding their gaze and their attention for as long as he could. Every moment was a gift in situations like this - in a sense, this was no different than when Bane juiced up half of Gotham on venom and Bruce was taken out of commission. Leaving Jason alone to rescue the hostages and save the day. Being an underdog against forces far greater than those he could overpower wasn't news to the Boy Wonder.

That didn't make it any less scary.

He grappled onto a rooftop, scanning the area, from his belt he detached a small electrical spy-drone that would fly across the streets, surveying the scene and gathering intel for him. He needed to know where the civilians in need were. As he did, he caught a glimpse of a massive boy in a black shirt and with black hair, beating one of the aliens up with his bare hands.

"Either Superman took a dip in the Lazarus pit, or that's a new player." He commented, seeing the building he had been fighting next to, and how it's left side wall was about to collapse. Right onto of a young girl and her grandmother, who had gotten pelted in the side of the head with debris, knocked to the ground and bleeding. The.. Amazing-Kid or whatever wasn't paying attention, too focused on the fight ahead, and perhaps a more valuable use of his powers, left the scene to go fight the aliens.

Robin flipped off the roof, swinging his hook to the next one, vaulting over a lamppost as he did. Landing next to the pair. He produced the bo-staff from his belt and extended it, holding back the wall as he handed the still attached grapple to the girl, while he still held onto it with one hand. Scooping up the elderly lady with his other hand, he said, calmly.

"Hold onto me." Assuring the women that they would be fine. He pulled the grapple and yanked all three of them away, just as the staff gave way to the wall. The staff snapped in half, leaving the two about evenly shaped sticks behind. As he went to join the others in their fight, he heard the loud thuds, slowly coming towards him. It was one of the Aliens. Gravely injured, his face was burnt and beat up, probably from the flying girl's energy blasts.

But he was pissed. Real fucking angry.

Jason wasn't a stranger to fighting with simple rebar, so, the pieces of the Titanium alloyed staff Batman had given him were certainly a step-up from his rebar days.

He rolled to the side, whistling at the alien, dragging it's attention away from the girls. His red batarang popped out of his glove, throwing it with the one hand as he dashed to the weapons next to the crumbled wall, the projectile soaring in the air like a discus, before coming back, the alien hardly even saw it coming as it pierced his neck.

However, the four inch blade didn't seem to bother him too much. That's never a particularly good sign. If anything, it just pissed him off. He rushed at Jason, his wings seemingly limp from whatever massive hit he took. The Robin thanked his lucky stars for any advantage he could get on his side here. It charged at him from his left side, Jason got his hands on the sticks and leapt under the alien, rolling behind him and stabbing the pointy, broken piece of one of the sticks into the aliens heel. It was like stabbing a brick wall.

The blade pierced and the beast got pissed. Turning around and Jason dodged to the left, he should've bobbed to the right as he now got caught with the backhand of the behemoth, knocking him to the ground like he was a rat.

His head spun from the tumble. The monster limped towards him until the spear in his heel broke, than he didn't care about his bleeding foot, only interested in tearing the Boy Wonder's head off. Jason threw a handful of explosive marbles at him, packed with C-4, exploding in his face and disorienting him, stumbling backwards. Robin stalked him from the side, swinging the stick with both hands as hard as he could, he came with a downward diagonal strike towards the alien's head, striking the Batarang as hard as he could on the outer side, making it rip through the behemoth's body as it careened blood from it's throat.

He collected himself, grabbing the other shard of his staff before heading to find his would-be allies. He ran a scan on the alien he had just downed as he ran through the streets. It was still alive, somehow. Just unconscious. He couldn't quite figure out just how freaking tough these things were. But, it certainly gave him a whole new respect for Bruce and his willingness to face down with the intergalactic heavy-hitters the Justice League danced with on the regular.

He came swinging into the fray, as the remaining stragglers of the alien forces would charge the small group of heroes, raining explosives down onto them, drawing a line in the concrete.

"You guys come here often?" The Robin tried to joke, reading the sticks in his hands. The knuckles on his gloves sparked with excitement as the tasers were activated, transferring the electric current into the broken staff.

[HenryJonesJr]

Aquaman had always told him that having allies on the battlefield was the greatest of assets. To have someone at your side in the hour of greatest need was a power greater than the Trident of Poseidon, according to King Orin. Kaldur always saw that as a metaphor than a legitimate lesson, but he had to admit his King's words were ringing true now that other young heroes had joined him here on the battlefield of New York in order to repel these horrific invaders.

Beside him was Beast Boy, a hero he had fought beside before. The young man was impulsive and tended to talk too much for Kaldur's liking, but he was as useful as any on the battlefield. One of Batman's sidekicks was here as well, but it was not the Robin that Kaldur had once known. This one was smaller, yet seemed to have a chip on his shoulder. Still, the Bat tended to make sure his charges were skilled. The one with the S on his chest unnerved the Atlantean. Aquaman had never mentioned another Kryptonian to go alongside Superman and Supergirl. But this newcomer was strong and seemed to be willing to help. That was enough at this point.

The strange alien they had rushed to help was a whole other matter. Kal heard her muttering to herself in no language he had ever heard. However she ended up here, she was clearly completely unprepared. The young man from the seas knew what it meant to be a stranger in a strange land, as he himself was every time he stepped onto dry land. But acclimating their new friend would have to come later. First that had to survive this encounter.

Kaldur turned to his allies, "Our enemies are strong, but it's clear they rely on nothing but their strength. An enemy like that is easy to confuse and break if the tide can turn. It's clear they never expected us, and figured they would be able to take the girl easily."

He turned to look at the orange skinned girl, who clearly had no idea what he was going on about.

"Robin, if you're anything like the Batman, you can provide a distraction while Super...boy and I splint their ranks up the middle," Kaldur nodded to the two of them before turning to Beast Boy. "I need you to take care of the girl. If any get by the three of us, I want you to take them down. If there are too many of them, transform into something that can get you and here out of here. Take her to someone in the League or something. But whoever she is, she's clearly important and needs our help."

He realized he was dolling out orders, even though he barely knew most of the heroes he was now gathered with. The thought brought a slight blush to his cheek, "We can do this. I know we can. Are you all with me?"

[Bounce]

Aqualad seemed to have a plan.

It was probably good that someone had a plan. Garfield really wasn't much of one for plans. Not that he never had plans, they just tended to backfire spectacularly when he did. He was more of the spontaneous type of hero. Go with the flow. Do what feels natural. Drive it in deep and hope that something sticks... that sort of thing.

Which was probably not at all related to Garfield's poor relationship with Mento.

In any case, the hybrid similian's tail gave a flick, as the monkey-boy turned toward the dark skinned Atlantean. Giving the older teen a jaunty salute, the smiling youth switched to Portugese as he offered a bravado. "Falou, meu capitão!"

With that, the monkey-boy jumped up into the air. As he did, his body seemed to compress in on itself. In less than a second, the boy's gangly, arboreal form was replaced by that of a mere hummingbird. Zipping through the air, the miniature avian flew across the makeshift battlefield to where the orange-hued amazon seemed to be getting her bearings.

The green hummingbird exploded outward, its green mass expanding rapidly as the green teen in the red and white uniform re-appeared. As the soles of his shoes skidded over the black top, the boy slid close to where the young woman stood. He'd reverted back to his normal human form -- or, at least, as close to human as he could manage -- so not to startle the stranger with his usual monkey-boy heroics.

"Bonjour, ma chérie," the boy supplied in greeting, in French this time. As his momentum came to a halt, the youth gave a bow, then did a pirouette that ended in a flourish. Gesturing toward the ugly alien-things, the youth added, "Besoin d'un sauvetage, mais non? T'inquiète!"

Straightening back up, the Beast Boy planted his hands on his hips as he stood next to the fiery amazon and looked around.

Aqualad and Robin? These guys were totes pros! He didn't really know who the kid in the Superman shirt was, but one thing he did know was... they totally got this.

[Supermaxx]

---

_{Location: New York City, New York -- City Streets}

---

Just as soon as Conner had arrived at waterboy's side, two others were quick to join them. The four- five, if one counted the semi-unconscious alien- of them were a bizarre sight for anyone still lingering at the edge of the scene, but for all their strangeness there was conviction to match. Waterboy seemed a natural leader with how quickly he took command of that misfit rabble, giving decisive and succinct orders to each of them: the monkey would watch over the alien, the birdboy he called 'Robin' would confuse and scatter the enemy while Conner and waterboy would run up the center and 'break their ranks.' Conner wasn't sure what that meant, but he knew how to break things well enough.

"Hmph." He grunted at being called Superboy, of all things, but he didn't offer up any alternatives. In fact, he didn't appear to have heard it, his eyes locked instead on the enemy he was so eager to grind into dirt. "I'm done talkin'."

He was fast, faster than anyone of his size had any right to be, and he wasn't exactly waiting for Robin or waterboy to catch up. The lizards' energy beams raced out to meet Conner. They struck with that same, intense cold that froze his sinew and made his bones feel brittle, but he didn't let it stop him. Superboy kept barreling along like a runaway freight train. One of reptilian giants dropped their spear as he grew closer and stepped into his path, feet planted in the asphalt and arms held out wide to meet him.

When they made contact it was the ground that gave out before either of them. Asphalt churned underneath their feet, shuddering and cracking when the two began to exchange blows. He had a score to settle with these things for knocking him around earlier, and he wasn't about to be the first one to back down.

"Come on!" He roared until his throat was raw, chasing down his foe even as they stumbled backward under the weight of his wild, untrained blows. Conner ended up knocking one of them into another of their allies, whose attention was focused on one of the other superpowered kids that had since joined the fray.

The newly pissed off alien came charging at the Superboy, knocking their own comrade out of the way to get to Conner. They had their staff held out in front of them, electromagnetic energy bursting from its 'barrel' and into Conner's chest. He let out a pained snarl but marched through it regardless, reaching through the beam to grasp staff and tear it from its owner's hands- instead, the owner refused to let go, and ended up dragged along with it. Superboy spun around, lifting the enormous weight of the alien giant at the end of the staff over his head and slamming them into the dirt.

He tore the weapon from the now dazed alien's hands, and used every ounce of his strength to impale it into the giant's torso. Conner wheeled back and brought a closed fist down on the end of the staff and struck it, like a hammer driving down a stubborn nail.

Bits of blood trailed down his arm as he stumbled away from his beaten and battered foe, a furiously giddy grin on Superboy's face as he searched for his next opponent.