Four-Way Start

Star Labs, Reception Room

July 10, 05:45 CDT

As a speedster, patience was an extreme virtue, and Flash was currently pressed for more. He pinched the bridge of his nose in front of three nervous teens. "I'm sorry. Can you please explain this?" He gestured to the TV.

A woman with green eyes and long red hair took on a serious expression. "This is Iris West-Allen with GBS giving you breaking news. Central City had a rude awakening with the destruction of the Farano Enterprise Complex. While we haven't received reports from officials, eyewitnesses say they saw numerous masked men fleeing the complex before the blast. Some are suggesting the cause to be terrorists, but this is still just speculation. We'll keep you updated as more information comes."

Wally shrugged his arms. "Technically, they aren't wrong."

"Yeah. Depending on your definition, The League of Shadows can be called a terrorist organization," added Robin.

"That's not the point I was getting at," Flash replied dryly. "Why were you guys there?" The teens looked away from him in silence. Flash sighed and turned to the other adult in the room. "Care to add anything?"

Ark shrugged. "They wanted the mission, so they'll handle everything that comes with it. This includes the fallout. I just made sure none of us died."

"That's good, but not what I'm looking for." Flash took a breath and turned back to the teens. "Well?"

Kid Flash cracked. "Please don't tell the rest of the League. They'll never trust us again."

"We just got our chance to prove ourselves, and we might have jumped the gun a bit," admitted Robin.

Flash replied dryly. "A bit?"

"Unfortunately, the threat was more than we initially anticipated. Nevertheless, we completed the mission," concluded Kaldur.

Barry groaned and caved. "Fine. I'm not going to rat you guys out."

Wally's eyes widened with hope. "Really?"

Flash narrowed his eyes. "I can't do anything about Robin and Aqualad, but you bet your butt that your parents will be hearing about this."

Much to Kid Flash's chagrin, a wave of relief washed over Robin. "Oh, thank god."

Flash crossed his arms. "Yeah. I stuck my neck out for you guys at the meeting, and I'll be damned before I get another. I told you so."

Ark chuckled. "Ah, pettiness. The best motivator."

The Scarlet speedster shook his head in annoyance. "Just start from the beginning."

Central City

July 9, 21:54 CDT

About a hundred meters north of the Mondera Industries, a certain Boy Wonder monitored his wrist computer, surveying his surroundings. "Motion sensors still haven't picked up anything out of the ordinary."

To the South, a disguised redhead lay on a piece of cardboard in an alleyway. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but can the bad guys please show up now. It reeks here."

To the West, the Kaldur sat on a park bench reading a newspaper. "Patience, Kid Flash. We all have a part to play."

To the East, Ark tapped away on his laptop, doing his own surveillance. "Yeah, Kid. It was your idea to draw straws, and you lost."

The speedster rolled his eyes. "I am aware of that… Couldn't I have gotten a better disguise or location? Why must I play the homeless guy in a dingy alleyway?"

Robin frowned. "Considering your area, you couldn't hide out on a civilian's balcony or the sidewalks without drawing unnecessary attention. Remember what happened last time?"

The redhead groaned. "Don't remind me. That old lady accused me of being a peeping tom."

Robin managed to patch into the facility's external cameras, but anything deeper was on a closed network, needing a direct connection. He could see Selena Gonzalez in her office on the second floor from the top using binoculars.

Kid Flash sighed. "Why is she still here? Everyone else went home hours ago."

Looking at the corner of the office, Ark took note of the leftover TV dinners and stray energy drink cans. "She's one of the lead researchers in the company. Unsurprisingly, she binges on her work for days at a time."

Robin thought about Batman sitting in the cave, living off Alfred's coffee for the same amount. "I'm familiar with the concept. This is a cakewalk compared to other stakeouts I've done. Hell, Batman posed as someone in the mob for weeks."

Wally raised a brow at that. "Really? How'd it turn out?"

"We were able to stop four meth labs, two human trafficking rings, three military-grade weapons deals, and one cult."

The speedster cringed. "I grow more concerned about Gotham by the day."

Robin sighed. "You and everyone else. Now, quit complaining, KF. We're on the job."

"Well, sorry. I'm pretty sure pretending to be in the mob is better than being homeless." He batted away some flies. "I'm cold. I'm hungry, and I'm pretty sure I saw a rat glaring at me."

The Boy Wonder frowned and took a stern tone. "Take the time to understand the experience, man." A memory from his training became prominent in his mind. "Batman said people like us have so much to lose. Not many understand the ugly side of life. I can confidently say that you've never tasted desperate, KF."

Everyone paused what they were doing for a moment.

Robin closed his eyes momentarily, images of people going to extreme lengths just to live. "It is a world that some people never understand. And people always fear what they don't understand."

"He's right, you know," Ark interjected. "For some of the people I've come across over the years, I can't even imagine what they have gone through, what they go through every night. I haven't experienced squalor. I've never felt the fear that they feel."

Hearing these words, Kaldur agreed with them wholeheartedly. "How can heroes ever hope to stop the fear if we can't understand it, if we can't at least try to empathize with it?" Thoughts drifted to his former schoolmates Blubber and Topo and how some of the more purist students would harass them from time to time.

Wally said nothing and sighed. He never truly tried to understand the poor and the anguished around him. Volunteering at the soup kitchen and orphanage with his uncle was good, but he didn't experience the life they lived. Perhaps this would be the first step.

3 Hour Later

Ark narrowed his eyes behind his mask. "Something just tripped sensor number four by the south entrance. Do we have a visual?" One of his screens went dark. "We just lost camera three."

Aqualad nodded. "Thank you, Ark. Kid, stay sharp on your end. Robin and I will start closing in."

"Finally, some action." Wally stood up and checked for any lingering civilians. Knowing the coast was clear, he ditched his getup and dusted himself off. The speedster sighed in relief, feeling warm again in his insulated uniform. 'Note to self: Don't complain to Mom and Dad about living in their house.'

Kid Flash sped towards the complex just outside the security gate. His back was pressed against the adjacent wall, and he did a quick check of the face of the building. Immediately, he spotted a dark figure climbing the fourth-story window. "I found our killer. I'm going in."

"Wait, Kid Flash. Don't-" Kaldur's words were left on deaf ears.

Unfortunately for Wally, he didn't thoroughly check the path ahead of him. After a few yards in the lot and past a shed, he felt slight pressure against his ankle, followed by an ominous click. Survival instinct kicked in as his world slowed down. Eyes drifted to the source before widening at the familiar shape of a grenade. In a sudden burst, the hero jerked right, narrowly avoiding getting ripped by the blast. "I've been had." With that trap going off, their cover had been blown.

Not too far away, a man cackled with glee.

When the dust of the explosive finally settled, Kid Flash activated his goggles and deadpanned at the area around him. "You have got to be kidding me." He was standing in a literal minefield with tripwires surrounding him.

"Hello, Flashy Boy!"

KF turned around to see a blonde-headed man wearing a watch and helmet with green lenses. His outfit seemed to be a modified flak jacket with metal plating. "Okay, who the hell are you supposed to be?"

The man's smile seemed to deflate. "How disappointing. I figured the other rogues would have mentioned me."

Kid Flash kept analyzing the area for a safe way out. "Humor me."

The seemingly deranged man took a bow. "You may refer to me as Ziggy."

KF paused his search and looked at him with a raised brow. "... Really?"

Ziggy's face turned indignant. "Yes, really! I'm the greatest explosive expert on the East Coast." He turned to the sky, placing one hand over the other. "For years, I have supplied all the black powder, TNT, nitroglycerin, and C4 to the criminal underworld, but now it is my time to shine!"

"Good for you…" Finished calculating his path to victory, he got into a sprinting stance. "But not for long." Wally ran between the visible mines at superhuman speed and tried to twist his way through the wires. One caught onto his elbow, and a chain reaction began.

One by one, explosions chased after the teen speedster. 'F*ck! F*ck! F*ck! F*ck! F*ck!' Nearing the edge of the field, three consecutive blasts singed against the back of his uniform, launching him out but in the direction of Ziggy. Arms outstretched, he prepared to take him down. "Gotcha!"

Unfazed by the outcome, Ziggy simply pressed a button on his wristwatch. In an instant, the Flak Jacket on his chest burst, launching a massive glob of brown goop at the mid-air teen unable to dodge.

Kid Flash landed flat on his chest. He attempted to get up, only to get forced back to the ground. His fingers tested the consistency of the material, only for him to go slack at the results. "Is this a goddamn human glue trap?!"

"Yup!" The man began dancing with glee around the now-trapped teen.

Wally pulled against the adhesive without success. "You've been talking to James, haven't you?"

Ziggy beamed. "We go to the same improv class."

Wally tried to vibrate out, but he just got a splitting headache. "Just great…"

Earlier

West

Kaldur took off his disguise and prepared for battle.

Before he could reach the western wall, a metal object from a blind spot struck him, crashing into a nearby dumpster.

The object revealed itself to be a hook being pulled back by a chain, leading to the attacker's forearm.

A muscular man in combat gear with white hair smirked. The large metallic hook for a right hand scraped against the wall. He noticed the gills around the boy's neck before flexing his metal appendage. "Would you look at that? An Atlantean. Hook, line, and sinker."

Igniting his water bearers, Kaldur groaned at the poor attempt at humor. He leaped at the large man with aquatic maces in hand.

Anticipating the attack, a raised metallic arm holds back against the strike while the other counters against the teen's chest.

Kaldur analyzed his situation. "This is troublesome." He quickly parried a metallic hook with an aqua shield before riposting with a water saber. The enemy's sheer size and power would make this fight take longer than he would like.

Earlier

North

Hearing the detonation across the property, Robin quickly swung toward the main building with his grapple. Just as he was about to land, he spotted something in the corner of his eyes. They widened as he veered right to dodge an incoming red projectile narrowly. Gloved fingers latch onto a window ledge. "Dammit." After pulling himself up and crashing through the window, Robin finally got a good look at his attacker, who followed. "Seriously? You're here?"

The man wore purple and black spandex in different shades. His red-eye lenses contrasted with the spider emblem on his forehead.

"I should be saying that to you, you brat. What the hell are you doing out of Gotham? Don't tell me Bats is around." He paused before looking behind him and back to the boy.

"Don't flatter yourself, Black Spider. He's got more important things than you to take care of."

A smile grew under the man's mask. "So, you're telling me that the big guy isn't here to save your ass."

A bead of sweat formed on the younger hero's brow. "That implies you're gonna beat me in the first place. You're going down." He took a fighting stance with Birdarangs in his left hand.

Black Spider "Such disrespect from kids these days. A man's just trying to do a hard day's work."

Robin made a disturbed face. "Dude, you kill people."

"Yeah, for money. I miss the part where that's my problem." He scoffed in indignation before shrugging. "You're not my target, and I'd rather not have Bats on my ass for killing his sidekick." He aimed and cocked a wrist gun. "So, I'll just shoot out your kneecaps."

Thinking fast, Robin threw two birdarangs before dashing right with his bow staff. He weaved through bullets as one of his Birdarangs grazed Black Spider's left forearm and right leg.

"That's all you got?" Wincing, Black Spider jumped back a few feet to prepare for close combat. He ducked under a staff swing before throwing a right hook.

Robin managed to deflect it, but he caught a surprise kick to his side, stumbling him.

Keeping up the flow, the assassin went to sweep the leg, only for the boy to catch it and flip him on his back with the new leverage. He rolled left, letting the bow staff slam into the floor where his chest would have been.

Seeing a gun barrel aiming, Robin jumped over the man, using his staff as a pole vault. Using the opening, he stomped at the back of the Spider's Knees, bringing the man down.

As soon as Black Spider's knees fell, he crossed both arms, bracing against another strike. Before it could retreat, he grabbed the staff and chucked it down the hall.

A pair of Eskrima sticks extended out from his thigh compartments as if expecting the loss.

Black Spider got back into his combat stance. "That's a cute toy. Did your daddy give it to you?"

Robin huffed in annoyance. "You know what they say. Beware of choking hazards."

The two charged at each other in a flurry of strikes, counters, and dodges. While Robin had the advantage in speed and being a smaller target, Black Spider had the edge with experience and training. A well-timed kick to Robin's calf sent a sharp pain through the boy, causing him to retreat to a safe distance.

The calf kick targets a much more vulnerable body part than the traditional low kick. Instead of going to the meatier thigh, the calf kick lands near the top of the shin, where the comparatively small tibialis muscle provides scant protection to a bundle of nerves.

"Stings, doesn't it? Compared to the Bat, you're trash." Black Spider checked his watch and grumbled. "You're lucky, Kid. I've got places to be and contracts to complete." He pulled an object from his belt. "Now dig into this." He slammed it against the floor, engulfing the entire hallways in smoke.

Blinded, Robin coughed as he tried to find fresh air. Unfortunately, Black Spider was nowhere to be seen. He knew his destination. Robin took off, hoping to cut him off within the 7-floor trip, albeit slower due to the calf strike.

East

Earlier

Back in the east, Ark transformed in a green flash. In his place was a blue-furred monkey-like creature with four arms and three pairs of eyes. The Omnitrix was on a green sash worn across his chest. Ready, the extraterrestrial simian leaped into action. He punched through the high-rise window and into their target's office with enhanced strength.

Upon seeing the unnatural blue beast crashing in, the doctor reasonably screamed in shock, throwing several desk ornaments at the apparent intruder.

Spidermonkey easily caught them with his extra appendages. "Dammit. Calm down, lady."

Selena pressed herself behind a filing cabinet. "Who are you?!"

"Sheesh. I'm with the Justice League. You've got a target on your head, and bounty hunters are outside."

Processing the creature's words, she visibly paled. "I should have known those guys on the Dark Web were shady, but no, the board just had to get those discount stem cells."

Ark blinked at her words. "Wait. What are you talking about?"

Selena Gonzales blinked back. "...What are you talking about?"

"Your company's business with Cadmus."

The woman visibly paled. "Ah… Forget I said anything."

"Uhuh…" Spidermonkey shook his head. "Whatever. We gotta get you outta here." His back hair tingled as he reached for the woman, so he quickly tackled the doctor to the floor. Selena narrowly missed throwing knives, now striking the wall behind her.

"We didn't expect much resistance with tonight's job, but four heroes? Isn't this a bit overkill? I was hoping to get this over while the others were preoccupied." A woman in a dark green kimono and black knee-high boots stood at the doorway. Adorned on her face was a white mask resembling a cat's head with red stripes and a wide grin.

Spidermonkey helped Selena get back to her feet while keeping vigilant about the new arrival. "Considering what I'm hearing on my comms, four hunters to get one doctor is overkill, too."

"Touche." She shrugged. "But that's what the client paid for."

Ark slowly backed up, guiding Selena behind him. "Four versus four. Balanced, as all things should be, huh." He raised a brow at the apparent assassin. "The Shadows, I presume?"

She shrugged nonchalantly, juggling a knife in each hand. "Who knows?"

Spidermonkey rolled his eyes. "Sure..."

"Now, why don't you be a good little monkey and hand over the doctor? I'd hate to get on the wrong side of PETA."

Spidermonkey scratched his chin playfully with two arms before smirking. "Nah!" His tail quickly extended, shooting his web directly onto the woman's mask. At the same time, his other two arms grabbed onto the professor and backflipped out the window.

Cheshire took a few seconds to rip off the webbing, leaving her confused and pissed. "This night can't get any worse, right?"

Omnitrix DNA Entry

Name: Spidermonkey

Species: Arachnichimp

Home World: Aranhascimmia

Powers and Abilities:

Arachnichimps can expel webbing from their tail, which was once stated to be as strong as steel. Their webbing is very sticky, meaning they can trap opponents or blind them by shooting webbing in their faces. Arachnichimps can also shape their webs into slings or swing across vast distances. An Arachnichimp's paws can stick to and be used to scale vertical surfaces. Arachnichimps are highly skilled in hand-to-hand with enhanced strength, agility, and acrobatic skills.

#

A/N: Special thanks to Jebest4781, Charles, vividlearner744, and Seana!

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