Franklin POV
"So, what are you guys gonna do with the robot?" I asked, looking down at the busted Amazo unit.
"The League will secure it and study it," Batman replied flatly.
"Wouldn't it be easier to just destroy the thing?"
"We could," Superman chimed in, "but we need to understand how it copied our powers in the first place."
"Alright then, good luck. I've got another situation to deal with."
"Yeah, good luck," Green Arrow added. "And remember, always guard your kidneys."
"Thanks for the advice. I'll keep that in mind."
I took a few steps away from the team before a glowing portal opened in front of me. I walked through it and appeared back at the base. Ted and Hector were sitting there, thankfully not looking nearly as angry as they were before.
"So… I'm guessing we're good now?" I asked.
They both looked up at me.
"We are," Hector said. "I still don't like the fact you're dating my daughter and her best friend at the same damn time, but… they explained it to us."
"Oh, good. I'm glad we all settled this peacefully. 'Cause if it came down to a fight, I would've gotten beat up… you know, because I'd have to hold back."
"Hold back? You really think you can take both of us at the same time?" Ted asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes. Even picking my least strongest alien, I'm pretty sure I could still take you both."
"Highly doubt that," Ted said. "Sure, your watch has heavy hitters, but your weakest one? Nah."
"You really wanna test that theory?"
"Bring it, kid."
I activated the Omnitrix and slammed the dial down.
"Stitch."
I transformed into a lighter-blue version of Stitch—small, sharp-toothed, and still rocking the chaos.
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"Aww, that form is adorable," Soledad said, watching from the corner.
"Adorable... but deadly," I replied, cracking my knuckles.
"We'll see about that," Ted said, charging at me.
I just grinned like a maniac. "Hahahaha!"
Amanda Waller POV
"That was a failure," General Eiling growled. "I thought Amazo was supposed to take down the Justice League."
"That wasn't the objective," Dr. Ivo said in a chillingly calm tone. "This was just a field test, and that was the first model."
"The doctor is right," I added. "It wasn't meant to eliminate them. It was to gather data."
"But we had them!" Eiling snapped. "They were getting overwhelmed! If that Omni hero hadn't shown up—"
"I would have ordered the doctor to retreat the robot. You keep forgetting, General: our initiative only activates if superheroes go rogue. We're not here to eliminate them. Yet."
He scowled at me. I didn't care.
"I know you hate supers. I'm not a fan either. But we need them. The recent invasion proved it. More threats are coming to Earth every month. That's why we need to fast-track our own plans."
I turned to Ivo. "Perfect Amazo. Find out why it couldn't copy Omni's powers. Fix that bug. That android is supposed to be able to take down every hero, if necessary."
"Yes, ma'am," Ivo nodded. "I'll get right on it."
I looked over at Dr. Emil Hamilton.
"Is she ready yet?"
"Almost," he said. "I aged her up per your request, but I'd like her to undergo some training first. Maybe absorb more solar radiation before deployment."
"Fine. But I want that weapon ready soon."
He didn't like that I called her a weapon. I could see it in his eyes. He was getting too attached.
General Eiling scoffed. "You still going through with this PR nonsense? Trying to convince heroes to work with us? What makes you think your plan will work? I tried they didn't listen."
"Well, first of all, your version of convincing people involves threats or barking orders. Mine doesn't," I said, leaning forward slightly. "Second, this plan is smarter. We create our own heroes, one the public can trust, one the other heroes can get behind. We give them benefits, they give us loyalty. It's simple."
I leaned back in my chair, letting the weight of my words settle in.
"And let's not forget… America will finally have its own hero team."
My eyes narrowed slightly.
"Speaking of which, I want the Ultimen ready by the end of the week."
"That's not a good idea," Emil said quickly. "They're not fully stable. If you take them out of the tanks now, they won't last long. I need more time to stabilize their genetic code."
"You've had two years."
"I know. But cloning is delicate. I've made major progress. I just need a bit more time. We don't want to keep making replacements every few weeks—we want a stable Ultimen. Functional, long-term assets. It would just be a waste of money if we don't."
"Now you care about wasting money?" Eiling sneered. "You've already burned millions—"
"Billions, actually," Emil cut in, calmly. "And none of it wasted. Unlike your joke of a super soldier program."
Even I raised a brow. Guess the doc had some backbone after all.
"Watch yourself, Emil," Eiling warned. "You're only here because you're useful."
"Exactly. So let me be useful. Give me the time I need to finish the job right. I won't disappoint you."
I studied him for a second… then nodded.
"Fine."
"Thank you."
"Don't thank me. Just finish the project," I said coldly. "Meeting's over. Everyone, leave. Now."
They all filed out without a word. I remained seated, alone in the silence, deep in thought.
The world's spiraling into chaos more and more each day. New heroes. New villains. And some of them... some of them are beyond anything we've seen before.
Take Omni.
I don't know if his power is tech-based, magical, mutant, or something else entirely, but whatever it is, it's powerful. Dangerously powerful. And I intend to find out exactly how his power works.
We've already witnessed some of those transformations. Just imagine… a custom form engineered to neutralize every single Justice League member. We wouldn't just need one Amazo, we could create multiple specialized units. Or better yet, clone his transformations into separate operatives. Autonomous. Loyal. Controlled.
Either way, I want that hero on our side.
By any means necessary.
And I already know S.H.I.E.L.D.'s trying to track him down. My people are as well. But let's be clear—
Cadmus can make far better use of Omni than S.H.I.E.L.D. ever could.
Franklin POV
I was still at the base, currently in my Gray Matter form, piloting my mech suit in the lab. The girls were training with Hector, and Ted was recovering in the medical bay. I may or may not have kicked his ass earlier. (Okay, I totally did.)
Then out of nowhere, something clicked in my brain. Something I probably should've asked a long time ago.
I spun around and called out.
"Hey Ted, random question, did you ever train Batman?"
Ted blinked, caught off guard, but he nodded. "Yeah… a long time ago."
"Okay, cool-cool-cool. Follow-up question, and this one's kind of important… does he know your identity?"
He didn't even flinch. "Yeah, he knows. And not just him, Black Canary too. I trained her as well."
I just froze. Completely silent.
How the hell did I forget that? It was literally in the comics and shows!
"So you're telling me... the world's greatest detective knows who you are… and he's seen us work together?" I asked, dread crawling up my spine.
Everyone in the base stopped what they were doing and turned to look at Ted.
"…Oh fuck me. I gotta go," Ted muttered.
"Go where?" Hector asked.
"To tell a certain rich boy to mind his own damn business," Ted said, already grabbing his stuff.
"Cool, cool, you do that," I said. "Meanwhile, I'm gonna try hacking into the Justice League systems. Maybe Batman's too."
I walked over to the computer, determination kicking in. There is no way I'm letting Batman figure out who I am, or if he already did, then fine, I'm gonna flip the script and surprise him instead. This is totally on me… I gave away too much. If he connected the dots, Ted's goddaughter dating me, and her best friend too, then yeah, my secret identity is basically lying on his Bat-Desk right now.
"No, don't do that yet," Ted said quickly. "I get it, you're worried. But let me talk to him first. He's… reasonable."
"Batman. Reasonable?" I repeated, turning to him like he just told me Joker's a licensed therapist. "You mean the same guy who's known for hospitalizing henchmen for stealing lunch money? I heard he beat up some guy named Lenny so bad he can walk now."
"…How's that a bad thing?" Ava asked, blinking.
"He couldn't walk before," I said flatly.
"Damn," Cindy muttered.
"Look, that was years ago," Ted sighed. "He's calmed down since then. And he's a lot more rational with old friends. Trust me, I'll talk to him and keep you updated."
Ted rushed out of the base like a man on a mission.
We all just stood there for a second.
"He does realize we have a teleporter now, right?" Courtney asked, raising an eyebrow.
I let out a sigh. "Yes. But let's give him his dramatic exit moment."
A Couple Hours Later
Superman POV
I flew down and landed at Avengers Tower, walking through the front doors like I'd done it a hundred times.
"Sorry I'm late. League business," I said, brushing some wind from my cape.
"Yeah, yeah, we don't care. Come in, sit down," Tony said, waving me over.
"Tony, manners," Pepper scolded.
"What? This is my building," Tony shot back.
"But it doesn't hurt to have manners," Steve added, giving Tony the patented Captain America disapproval glare.
I chuckled a bit as I took a seat at the long dinner table with them. It was just Pepper, Tony, and Steve here, which meant this was more serious than flashy.
"So, what's this about?" I asked. "It's rare for you to call me in like this, especially you, Tony, considering your ego and all."
"Hey, Boy Scout, my ego's just fine," Tony said with a grin. "And we called you because we need help with something big. Like, 'entire-species-depends-on-it' big."
That got my full attention. I sat up straighter. "I'm listening. Tell me everything."
They explained it all, the Inhumans, how they were running low on resources on the Moon, and how they wanted to relocate to Earth. They'd already done building a city near New York. The catch? The U.S. government wasn't thrilled about superpowered aliens setting up shop on their front lawn, especially under a monarchy.
Tony and Steve wanted me to go public with them, to speak directly to the people of New York, and hopefully the world. The idea was to calm everyone's nerves, help ease tensions, and show that the Inhumans just wanted to live in peace. Not just for them, either. They were hoping this might also help change public perception of mutants.
I won't lie, that last part hit me.
I've been trying to convince people not to fear or attack mutants for years. A lot of them just don't listen. But... I can't turn my back on an entire race that just wants to live.
I looked at both of them. "Alright. I'll help you."
Tony smirked like he already knew what I'd say. "Knew it. Honestly, would've been shocked if you said no."
"Pepper will take it from here," Steve added. "She's better at the whole public relations thing."
"Of course. Who else would do it?" Pepper said. "I still remember Tony going on national television completely drunk."
"That was one time!" Tony snapped. "And way before I was Iron Man!"
I laughed again, watching them bicker. Then I paused. I heard something. A soft, subtle heartbeat, one that didn't belong to Pepper. My eyes widened slightly as I looked between the two of them.
Only married a year… and already starting a family.
I smiled warmly. Tony may still be a sarcastic pain, but he's come a long way. And something told me he was going to make a pretty great father.
Next Day
Franklin POV
Okay. Today's the day.I'm going on a date with both Ava and Yolanda. Not a hangout. Not training. A date.
And to be completely honest?I'm freaking the hell out.
After school, I was at home with Peter, Ned, and MJ, pacing back and forth in the living room like I was preparing to defuse a bomb.
"I don't know why you're freaking out," MJ said, lounging on the couch like this was Tuesday. "It's not like you three don't hang out all the time."
"Yeah," Ned chimed in. "You guys are like the Three Amigos… if the Three Amigos were in a complicated love triangle."
"See? That's exactly why I'm freaking out!" I said, spinning around. "We've already done practically everything as a couple, just without actually being a couple! So what am I supposed to do to surprise them now?"
"Franklin, chill out. Take a deep breath," Peter said calmly.
I inhaled.
"Now exhale," he added.
I did.
"Look," Peter continued, "I get why you're nervous. But the thing is, none of us have been in your exact situation before."
"Or in any relationship," Ned muttered.
"Exactly. But that means Ava and Yolanda are probably nervous too. So here's my advice, do the one thing you're actually amazing at."
"Wing it and hope everything works out?" I asked, hopeful.
"No, you idiot. Be yourself," MJ said flatly.
"Yeah," Peter nodded. "They didn't fall for some made-up version of you. They fell for you. The reckless, funny, annoying, chaotic ball of energy that you are."
I took another deep breath and nodded.
"Alright. Just be myself. That's… that's easy."
"…You said that like you're trying to convince yourself," MJ said with a smirk.
"Because I am," I muttered.