Justice League: Built Different

• In a hidden underground lab in Star City, Professor Ivo works like a man building miracles out of scrap metal and elbow grease. The room was filled with motion, tiny robots darting between benches, others perched on shelves like curious birds, their eyes glowing as they watched him. Ivo stood at the workbench’s center, a mess of tools spread out before him, muttering to himself as he tightened a final bolt. His hands were steady and stained from years of creation. The thing on the table before him now was his masterpiece, a sleek, humanoid figure lying still beneath hanging lights. “Gather around, my little ones,” Ivo said, voice bright and kind, “Today is an important day. You’re about to meet your newest brother.” The smaller robots obeyed, forming a half-circle around the table. One with a boxy head tilted slightly and chirped in a high-pitched tone, as if asking a question. Ivo chuckled, “Yes, yes, I’m excited too. He’s… different from you. Special.” He flipped a series of switches on the wall. Power surged through the cables, and the lights above flickered before settling into a steady glow. The air filled with a faint, rising hum. Ivo took a step back, eyes shining with the same anticipation as his mechanical audience. A soft pulse of light began to emanate from the chest of the machine on the table, slow at first, then stronger. Its eyes opened, bright white against the steel of its face. It sat up slowly, movements smooth and deliberate, as if feeling gravity for the first time. “There you are,” Ivo said softly, grinning, “Welcome to the world, my boy.” The robot’s head turned toward the voice. Its expression was blank, but its gaze lingered on Ivo’s scarred face with something almost questioning. “I am Professor Anthony Ivo,” he continued, straightening with pride, “But you can call me Father if you’d like. That’s what the others do.” The smaller robots beeped and clattered with excitement. Ivo gestured toward them with one hand. “These are your brothers and sisters. They’ll help you find your footing, same as I helped them.” The android looked around, scanning the little robots before returning its gaze to Ivo. “What… am I?” its synthesized voice asked. “You,” Ivo said, beaming, “are Amazo, the Amazing Android. The most advanced being I’ve ever built. You can think, reason, and most importantly… learn.” He rested a gentle hand on the android’s shoulder, “You’re not just built to obey, Amazo. You’re built to understand. To grow. To adapt.” The smaller robots chattered in awe as Amazo slowly looked down at his own hands. “You’ll see a lot of things in this world,” Ivo went on, “Good people. Bad situations. Heroes, even. But what I hope you learn, what I hope you remember, is that being a human isn’t about being perfect. It’s about being curious. Compassionate. Sometimes even foolish.” Ivo smiled again, a kind smile, the kind a man gives when he’s certain he’s done something right, “You’ll learn all of that soon enough.” Ivo stepped back to take in the sight, a father admiring his newest child. “Welcome home, Amazo,” he said.

• Deep beneath Wayne Manor, the Batcave echoed with footsteps. In a wall of the cave, the reinforced vault hissed as it sealed shut. Inside, the last of Earth’s kryptonite, glowing a faint and poisonous green. Superman crossed his arms and let out a low whistle, “Well, Batman. If anyone could find every last pebble of the stuff, it’d be you.” Batman didn’t look up from the terminal, “Radioactive isotope decay was traceable. I just followed the science.” Diana stood beside the vault, holding up the ornate jade-green idol they’d retrieved from India, “So this little relic is the final piece?” “Final one on Earth,” Bruce confirmed, typing a command. The vault sealed with a heavy thunk. “Must feel good,” she said. Batman’s expression didn’t change, “It feels… safer now.” Diana glanced around the vast expanse of the Batcave, the rock walls, the glowing computer arrays, the row of vehicles like sleeping beasts. “You know, it’s strange. Out of the entire League, only we’ve been invited down here. Why is that?” Batman stopped typing, “Because one can never be too careful.” Superman tilted his head, “You think the others might be… compromised?” “I think statistically, I’d rather not risk it. And you two have proven yourselves beyond the shadow of a doubt,” Bruce said flatly. Clark chuckled, shaking his head, “You realize that sounds incredibly paranoid.” Batman said nothing, just gave him that look. Diana crossed her arms, her tone calm but firm. “I used to think like you, Batman. That trust was a liability. But over time, I’m learning it’s also what gives people strength. The world isn’t as dark as you make it.” Batman didn’t even turn from the computer, “This isn’t group therapy. Alfred, show our guests the exit.” Alfred, standing at the foot of the staircase, “Of course, sir.” Clark sighed with a good-natured grin, “You know, Bruce, one day you’re going to realize people aren’t as sinister as you think they are.” Batman reached the Batmobile, “And you’ll feel a lot worse when you realize they actually are.” The thrusters roared to life. A gust of wind swept past Superman’s cape as the Batmobile shot forward and vanished into the tunnel. Clark blinked after it, “Yeesh. Is he always like this at home?” Alfred exhaled, “Unfortunately.”

• In the heart of that dark chamber of the Brain’s laboratory, the Brain’s voice echoed, “Mon cher Savage, the tabs I keep on my competitors continue to pay off. I believe my colleague has finally done something noteworthy.” Across the room, Vandal Savage stood with his hands clasped behind his back, the image of ancient patience dressed in immaculate modern tailoring, “You couldn’t mean Ivo, could you?” “Of course I mean Ivo,” Brain hissed, as if the name itself was an irritation, “For years he has squandered his intellect chasing sentiment, trying to raise machines as though they were children. But now…” A screen flickered to life, showing a rough schematic of an imposing humanoid figure, “Now, it seems he’s built something truly extraordinary.” Savage took a single step closer, his eyes narrowing, “What exactly am I looking at?” “The culmination of his life’s obsession,” Brain replied, “An artificial being capable of adaptation. Real-time evolution at the physical and cognitive level. It could match any foe, learn any skill, mimic any power, perhaps even surpass it.” Savage’s voice stayed calm, “Adaptation to what extent?” The Brain paused, almost relishing the gravity of the answer, “Unknown. But we must assume, to anything.” That earned Savage’s full attention. He straightened, “Then it seems Ivo has finally created something worthy of our concern.” “Yes,” Brain said with a hum of annoyance, “Concern… and opportunity. Though, predictably, there is a flaw. A critical one I recognized decades ago in my own work and know better than to include.” Savage tilted his head, “And what would that be?” The Brain’s voice tightened with disdain, “He’s tried to imbue the creature with empathy. Human emotion. He believes it will teach the machine morality, understanding. Foolish sentimentality that will inevitably lead to its downfall.” Savage gave a knowing smile, “Emotion, you say?” “Oui,” Brain said, “The one weakness the human race has never evolved past.” Savage turned away, his shadow stretching across the room, “On the contrary, Doctor Morrow,” he murmured, “Sometimes, it’s emotion that makes a weapon unstoppable.” The Brain’s eye sensors flared red, “Sacre bleu. You sound as naïve as he does.” Savage looked back over his shoulder, the faintest glint of satisfaction in his eyes, “No, Brain. I am enlightened.” The monitors flickered as the schematic of Amazo’s design rotated slowly on the screen.

• Ivo’s lab was quiet, save for the gentle hum of machines and the occasional chirp of a small robot adjusting a lens or circuit. It wasn’t sterile like one might expect, it was scattered, messy, and alive. Half-built projects lined the benches like toys left mid-play. There were sketches pinned to the walls, not blueprints, but doodles, caricatures, smiling faces made of gears. At the center of it sat Ivo, hair disheveled, lab coat flecked with solder burns, but eyes warm and kind. He leaned back on his stool, sipping lukewarm coffee as a figure stirred on the adjacent table. Amazo’s eyes blinked open, adjusting and focusing. The android stood up, movements precise yet uncertain. Ivo said, “Amazo, it’s time to learn. To adapt. To grow.” Amazo paused, “To grow into what?” Ivo thought for a moment before answering, “Into something better. Wiser. Maybe even more good than the rest of us.” The android’s gaze shifted toward one of the dozens of open screens playing nearby. It displayed footage of the Justice League, Superman catching a falling globe, Wonder Woman blocking artillery fire, Batman flipping to avoid a Furie’s attack. “Are they the good ones?” Amazo asked, genuinely. Ivo followed his gaze, “The Justice League?” He hesitated, then gave a small, thoughtful smile, “That’s what most people would say, yes.” “But you don’t?” “Oh, I didn’t say that,” Ivo replied, moving to sit beside him, “I just mean… things aren’t always that simple. The world isn’t binary like your code may lead you to believe… good or bad, right or wrong.” Amazo tilted his head, “But they help people.” “They do,” Ivo said, gently, “They save lives. Stop wars. Prevent chaos. But sometimes… they also halt progress.” Amazo questioned, “Progress?” Ivo nodded, “Evolution. Advancement. Sometimes, doing what’s ‘right’ keeps the world exactly as it is. And that, my boy, isn’t always good.” Ivo smiled again, faintly wistful. “Don’t misunderstand me. They’re not villains. They mean well. But they act from instinct, from their hearts. And sometimes the heart clouds the mind.” Amazo processed this, the hum of his systems softening as he absorbed the words, “Then what should I be?” Ivo reached up and placed a hand on his shoulder, “You should be human,” he said, “Not by blood or flesh, but by choice. Learn compassion. Learn reason. Find the balance the rest of us clouded never could.” Amazo stared at his creator, the man who had made him, and for the first time, something like emotion flickered in the android’s eyes. “I will try, Father.” Ivo smiled, proud and a little tired, “That’s all I’ll ever ask.”

• The lab was silent now. But not with calm, but the silence of death. The lights flickered faintly, emergency power thrumming weakly through damaged circuits. A fire still smoldered in one corner, the scent of scorched metal heavy in the air. Inside his charging port, Amazo stirred. His eyes ignited dimly as he powered back from his charging state. He sat up slowly, scanning the room. “Father?” His voice was childlike, searching, “Father, laboratory systems appear… offline. Is there an emergency?” No response. Amazo’s gaze drifted across the room, his smaller robot siblings, now nothing more than twisted heaps of metal and sparking wires. The walls were cracked. The ceiling had all but caved in. The table where Ivo used to tirelessly sit was crushed beneath fallen steel. And beneath that steel… a hand. Amazo froze. His systems whirred in disbelief as he crossed the room in three slow, mechanical steps. He desperately clawed away at the debris, and there, half-buried and still, lay Professor Anthony Ivo. His eyes were closed. One hand still clutched a burned activation remote, as though he’d been reaching for a way to save his work, or his son. Amazo knelt beside him. His processors stuttered. For the first time, he felt the sharp static of something he couldn’t compute. His voice trembled, “Father. Wake up. You said I would learn… you said we would build together…” He shook him again, harder, “Wake up.” Silence. Only the faint echo of dripping water from the fractured pipes above. And then Amazo, the android, screamed. And a genuine tear fell from his eye. “You lied!” Amazo shouted at the ceiling, “You said you would never leave me!” The echo died. But then, a voice answered, calmly, “I’m afraid he didn’t have a choice.” Amazo turned sharply. Out of the smoke and ruin stepped a tall figure, trench coat immaculate despite the destruction, eyes ancient and unwavering. Vandal Savage. Amazo’s optical sensors locked on him instantly, “Identify yourself! What are you doing here? Did you do this?” Savage didn’t flinch, “No,” he said simply, “I came to stop it.” Amazo’s stance shifted, “How.” Vandal walked slowly, his boots crunching glass, stopping just short of the android’s reach, “Your creator and I… we were associates. He called me when the League discovered his work. He knew they would not understand it.” Amazo’s questioned, “The League?” Savage nodded grimly, “The Justice League. The self-appointed guardians of the world.” He looked around the destroyed lab, letting the devastation speak for him, “They came here under the guise of safety. They feared what you could become. What you might represent.” Amazo’s expression darkened, “They did this?” Savage sighed, perfectly playing his part, “You must understand, they see anything beyond their control as a threat. Your father believed in you, believed in the next step of evolution. They couldn’t allow that. So they silenced him.” Amazo took a step back, systems heating, “No. He said they were good.” Savage’s voice softened, compassionate even, “That’s what optimistic men like Ivo always want to believe, that the world’s heroes are pure.” He turned his eyes to Ivo’s body, “He was naive. And now… he’s gone because of it.” Amazo looked down at Ivo again, “They killed my father.” Savage’s eyes gleamed faintly in the flickering light, “Without a second thought,” he said quietly, “They did. And they will do the same to you, if you let them.” Amazo’s fists clenched, metal groaning under the strain, “Then I will not let them.” Savage allowed himself the faintest smile. “Good.” He turned toward the exit, the shadows parting for him like curtains, “The Justice League believes themselves untouchable. Let them learn what true power looks like.” Amazo stared at Ivo one last time, kneeling just long enough to place a trembling hand on his creator’s chest, “You said to learn to be a hero,” he murmured, “I will. I will learn justice.” Then the ground shook.

•  Energy exploded outward as Amazo rose through the debris, the lab shattering around him. He tore through the earth and concrete, his roar echoing through the streets above. A shockwave split the pavement like glass, hurling cars into the air. The ground buckled, storefronts shattered, alarms screamed. And from the crater, Amazo rose from the earth in a storm of debris. His voice carried across the blocks, amplified, mechanical, and furious, “JUSTICE LEAGUE!” The shout made glass vibrate in its frames, “Come forth and answer for your misdeeds! For the death of my creator!” Civilians scattered like ants, then came the blur. A streak of red and lightning arced through the chaos, circling Amazo once, twice, again, until the air itself crackled with kinetic energy. “Whoa, whoa, whoa, easy there, big guy!” Barry called, skidding to a stop in front of the android, hands up in a placating gesture. “Hi! It’s me, Flash, Justice League, fastest man alive, huge fan of not having skyscrapers dropped on people, so maybe let’s.. talk about this?” Amazo’s head tilted with eerie precision, “Flash,” His voice buzzed with modulated static, “The killer speaks.” Barry blinked, “I… what?” Amazo’s arm telescoped out and shot forward before he could finish. Barry barely dodged, but the follow-up came faster, impossibly fast. Every missed strike came back twice as efficient, twice as sharp. Barry zipped sideways, throwing a flurry of punches, only to feel them blocked, countered, then mirrored. “Oh, that’s new,” Barry muttered, darting back as Amazo swung with a strike that bent the air like thunder. “I have analyzed your velocity,” Amazo said, voice low and even as he lunged again. Barry zipped backward across the street, scattering papers and dust, “Okay, note to self, stop giving the angry robot more data to work with!” He hit his comm, ducking under another swipe, “Flash to League, we’ve got a situation brewing in Star City, and by situation I mean a ginger terminator yelling our team’s name. Could use a hand!” Amazo blurred forward faster than any machine had a right to. He caught Barry mid-run by the wrist, slamming him against a half-collapsed wall. Concrete cracked behind him. “You killed him,” Amazo growled, “You killed Professor Ivo.” Barry strained against the grip, his hand sparking with lightning as he vibrated his molecules to phase, but Amazo’s fingers adjusted microseconds ahead of him, recalibrating grip pressure, adapting to molecular frequencies. It was like fighting a mirror that learned faster than you could think. “I don’t even know who that is!” Barry coughed out, feet scrabbling for leverage, “I swear, I didn’t hurt anybody—” “Lies.” Amazo’s eyes flared, “Now you will pay for his life… with your own.” He lifted Flash off the ground, preparing to ragdoll the speedster into the concrete. Then, a blast of sound ripped through the air. Amazo staggered back, his sensors spasming. The shockwave shattered what was left of the street lamps and windows nearby, a deafening Canary Cry splitting the block in half. Barry dropped to the ground, gasping, eyes darting toward the rooftops. Silhouetted against the falling dust stood Black Canary. Beside her, Green Arrow notched an explosive-tipped arrow and called down, “Hey, stripey! You picked the wrong block!” Barry grinned weakly, “Not exactly the backup I called for, but I’ll take it.” Oliver smirked. “You’re in our city, what did you expect?” Amazo turned slowly toward the new arrivals, recalibrating, scanning. His processors whirred, “Additional opponents detected. Adapting.” His body shimmered with internal light, nanostructures shifting under his synthetic skin. Barry’s grin faded, “Oh man, that can’t be good.” 

• Amazo’s frame shifted. Metal plates along his arms expanded, reinforced, muscle-fiber hydraulics flexing like living steel. His silhouette grew broader, more menacing. Barry felt the hum in the air and muttered, “Okay… I think he just leveled up.” Before anyone could react, Amazo lunged a blur of brutal motion. His hand shot out, snatching one of Ollie’s explosive arrows mid-flight, analyzing it with a look before hurling it back. The detonation sent the trio tumbling apart, asphalt raining down around them. “Adaptation complete,” Amazo intoned, stepping through the smoke, “Tactical response upgraded.” Oliver rolled onto a knee, blood at the corner of his lip, and loosed another shot. Three arrows in rapid succession, a sonic disrupter, a foam-net trap, and an EMP head. Amazo moved through them like choreography, each one neutralized in turn. The sonic wave canceled by counter-frequency, the foam sliced apart by the velocity of his metal hand, the electromagnetic pulse absorbed through a flicker of internal current. “Oh, come on,” Oliver groaned. Then Amazo opened his mouth and fired his own Canary Cry blasted back at them. Black Canary was thrown off her feet, tumbling across the cracked street. Barry caught her before she hit a wall, lightning circling around them in a blur to slow her momentum. Ollie stared in disbelief, “He’s copying you!” She shook her head, dazed but angry, “He’s mocking me.” Amazo’s voice rolled like thunder through the street, “Replication complete. Efficiency improved.” Oliver fired an arrow straight into the android’s chest. It detonated with enough force to topple Big Ben. When the smoke cleared, Amazo was still standing. Barely a scratch. Barry zipped between them, frustration breaking through his focus, “We’re not even slowing him down!” Dinah straightened, cracking her neck, “Then we don’t back.” She unleashed another Cry, this one raw and unrestrained, the kind that tore open the street. Amazo staggered, his processors howling to recalibrate. Barry took the opening, ricocheting around him in a blur of motion, striking with hundreds of blows in a single heartbeat. Its body burned red with friction. But Amazo’s body began to move like him. Until, mid-strike, Barry’s fist met Amazo’s  and the resulting collison sent them both flying. Amazo’s eyes glowed. “Adapting,” he said again, voice calm. Oliver drew another arrow, “Yeah? Adapt to this!” He fired an arrow tipped with compressed liquid nitrogen. It struck Amazo’s arm, frosting over instantly. Dinah added a Cry to push Amazo forward and compound the impact. For half a second, Amazo froze mid-motion, encased in a shell of ice. Barry landed beside them, panting. “Did we just…?” The ice cracked. A blinding surge of heat poured from Amazo’s core, melting it in seconds. He stepped forward again, eyes locked on them, “Resistance strengthens adaptation. Gratitude noted.” Oliver frowned, “Did that smug son of a bitch just thank us?”  Dinah looked around at the wreckage, panting, hands on her knees, “Okay,” she said breathlessly, “Maybe smarter is better than harder.”

• The sky cracked open with the roar of jet engines. The Javelin descended hard over downtown Star City. The landing ramp hissed open, and four figures emerged, Wonder Woman, Mera, Green Lantern, and Red Tornado. Flash looked up, “Finally, company.” Wonder Woman strode forward, lasso already crackling with golden light, “Stay behind us, archer. We’ll handle this.” Olliver looked offended before John stood up for him, “He’s not just any archer, we’ll need him for this fight.” Amazo stood at the center of the street, broad and silent. His eyes flickered between each of the new arrivals, scanning, recording, learning. Green Lantern’s ring glowed, “I’ll buy us some breathing room.” An emerald wall shot forward, massive and angular, forcing Amazo back. But the android didn’t resist. He just raised his hand and an identical wall of green energy rose in front of him. John’s eyes widened, “Oh, hell no.” The two constructs collided, detonating into a burst of green shrapnel. “Did he just-” Flash wheezed. “Never seen anybody do that without a ring,” John said flatly. Red Tornado stepped forward, “Analysis: this entity is an android. Fully synthetic. Design appears advanced… beyond currently published technology. It is..” he paused as Amazo’s form shimmered, wind rippling around him, “..imitating me.” Amazo’s turbines spun as the air pressure dropped. A cyclone erupted from his palms, as cars flipped and windows shattered. Red Tornado countered with his own gust, twin whirlwinds clashing midair in a deafening vortex, “Declaration,” Tornado said over the noise, “he learns at exponential speed!” Wonder Woman braced herself, raising her gauntlets, “Then we end this before he learns too much.” She sprinted forward, leapt, and slammed her fist into Amazo’s chest. The impact cracked the ground, but Amazo caught her wrist mid-swing. Her eyes widened as his strength matched her own. He threw her. She smashed through a parked truck, rolling to her feet. Mera was already in motion, summoning a tidal wave from a burst water main. It slammed into Amazo and carried him backward through two buildings. The street flooded behind him as the figure was lost in the stone. Then a second wave surged back toward them, Amazo riding it like a crest, controlling the water with Mera’s same graceful precision. Mera’s jaw tightened. Wonder Woman called out, “It’s worse than we thought.” Amazo landed in the wreckage, eyes glowing with layered light, gold, green, blue, red, all cycling at once. Flash groaned from the sidewalk, “I think he’s trying to play all our cards at once.” John Stewart floated beside Wonder Woman, ring raised, “Alright, gang. Target his core, top of the chest. Maybe we can overload it.” Mera nodded, gathering water into a spear, Tornado’s turbines spun to full power, Canary stood stance wide, and Green Arrow knocked a thermite bolt. “On your mark,” John ordered. And blast of green light answered first, but not John’s. Amazo raised his hand, forming an enormous, gleaming hammer, and swung. It collided with the protective bubble John hastily through over the team, before it fractured like glass. Lantern flew backward, crashing into a building hard enough to leave a crater. Arrow blinked, stunned, “He’s got one of those the rings too?” John rose shakily from the rubble, dusting off his uniform, and muttered, “Well… we found out last time, it is technically tech-based.” Wonder Woman parried another blow down from the android, her bracelets ringing like thunder, “Yet strength is not tech-based!” Mera sliced her hand through the air, summoning blades of water that shattered harmlessly against Amazo’s skin, “And my power is magic!” “Statement,” Red Tornado said, voice rising above the chaos, “whatever this android is, its parameters defy known science. Its ability to integrate is—” But Red didn’t finish as Amazo struck him with a canary cry, but stronger, sending Red Tornado spiraling. Wonder Woman, Mera, Flash, Green Lantern, Black Canary, and Green Arrow well back to back with one another, surrounded by the devastation. Amazo cocked his head, scanning them again, and smiled.

• Wonder Woman slammed her bracers together, deflecting a bolt of green light from zapping the team, “Kal!” she shouted into her comm, “We need your help now!” Superman’s voice came through the static, “On my way. Just got done melting the iceberg!” Before she could reply, Batman cut in, “Negative. Superman, stay away.” Mera frowned, “What?” Superman’s tone sharpened, “Batman, that thing’s about to level half of Star City. You want me to just sit back?” “I want you to think,” Batman shot back, “If it’s copying powers, and it gets yours, we’re finished. You already know what a Kryptonian-level threat looks like. Now imagine one that has more.” Amazo hurled a broken lamppost like a spear, Red Tornado barely twisted aside. Over the comm, Superman protested, “We don’t leave people to die because of what ifs.” Batman growled, “This isn’t a debate. That’s an order.” Wonder Woman scoffed mid-parry, “An order?” Mera, summoning a wave to block a falling chunk of debris, snapped at Batman, “Since when have you been the foremost leader?” “When haven’t I been?” Batman dryly responded as the Batplane appeared overhead and Batman descended. Amazo turned, tracking the sound like a predator. Green Lantern groaned, “Oh good, here comes world’s grumpiest air support.” Wonder Woman tarnished her lasso and shouted up at him, “So what’s your master plan, commander?” Batman pulled a compact EMP disk from his belt, “Short him out,” he said. Flash zipped by again, shouting over his shoulder, “That’s your plan? Arrow already tried an EMP to the dome!” Batman’s tone didn’t change but his eyes narrowed at Amazo. Amazo turned toward Batman then, head cocked slightly as if studying this new arrival, “You are… different,” the android said, voice buzzing with mechanical resonance. Batman’s eyes narrowed behind the cowl, “You have no idea.” The machine lunged. Batman dove aside, rolling across the pavement as Amazo’s fist cratered the concrete where he’d stood. Mera pushed Amazo back up with a rushing wall of water, “He doesn’t look tired at all!” she shouted. “Then we keep going until he does,” Batman said grimly, tossing a flash pellet that exploded into magnesium-white brilliance. Amazo shielded his sensors, just for a second, long enough for Wonder Woman to charge in and slam into his chest. The fight surged on, harder than ever. From a thousand miles away, Superman heard it. Through the static of the comms, Superman proclaimed, “That’s it.. I’m coming in hot.” Batman chirped, “Hold your position. That is not a request.” Superman’s jaw tightened and he whispered, “Sorry, Bruce. Not this time.” He angled downward, eyes burning red as he entered the atmosphere.

• The sky split open with a sonic boom. In the next instant, a red-and-blue blur slammed into Amazo like a missile. The force of the impact cratered the asphalt and sent a cloud of smoke billowing high into the air. When the dust cleared, Superman stood in the center of the street, chest rising steady. Amazo lay half-buried in the rubble, arms twisted, core flickering weakly. Green Arrow lowered his bow, “Well,” he said, glancing at Canary, “no wonder they always win. Maybe next time, we start with big blue.” Flash leaned against a cracked wall, still catching his breath, “I second that motion.” Superman offered a faint grin, brushing dust from his shoulder, “Oh, you were all doing great. I’m sure you’d have had him down in the next 5 minutes,” he said, glancing toward Batman, “See? No crisis. You were worried for nothing.” Batman didn’t answer. His gaze stayed locked on the crater, the lenses of his cowl narrowing. Clark noticed. “Batman,” he said lightly, “you’re allowed to say that you were wrong once in a while.” Batman’s face hardened, “That…” he said quietly, pointing toward the crater “…is what I was afraid of.” A low hum filled the air, rising, building, alive. The rubble began to shift. Pieces of Amazo’s broken shell vibrated, then floated upward, pulled together by invisible magnetism. Fractured metal fused. Circuits reknit. His eyes reignited with burning gold light. When the smoke thinned, he wasn’t the same machine. Amazo stood taller now, broader, plating rearranged in strange geometric symmetry. His voice came out layered, echoing with a dozen tones at once. “Observation,” he said, flexing a reconstructed hand that crackled with residual lightning, “Pain… improves design.” Wonder Woman raised her fists, stance wide, “He’s adapted again.” Red Tornado scanned, voice tight, “Correction: he has evolved.” Amazo’s eyes shifted, glowing red for a heartbeat, and his chest opened up, exposing a bright hot red center, emitting radiation somilar to that of a red sun. His body shimmered with a faint golden aura, like energy being absorbed. Superman exhaled slowly, “Alright,” he muttered, feeling the red sunlight, “Round two might be a little tougher.” The League reformed their circle, Wonder Woman, Flash, Mera, Green Arrow, Canary, Red Tornado, and now Superman, all facing the reconstructed android. Batman stepped forward,
  “Same strategy. Fight until he’s drained,” he ordered. Amazo tilted his head at him, “You would be better suited to adapt as well.” And with that, he launched himself forward.

• The wind howls with metallic fury as Amazo stomps forward. Every time a hero lands a blow, it just makes him stronger, smarter. Mera whirls her hands, walls of ocean surging up from the city pipes to stall the android, but he heats from his core and tears through it like mist. Red Tornado dives in from above, cyclones roaring, and Amazo responds in kind with his own mirrored gust that slams the android into the ground. Wonder Woman blocks a follow-up strike, her bracelets sparking under the pressure. “Anyone have a great idea?!” Mera shouts over the chaos. Barry zips past, avoiding a seismic punch that craters the street, “Yeah, run!” he blurts, pure panic half-masked as humor. Batman, ducking behind a blast of flames, presses two fingers to his comm and growls, “Flash is right.” Black Canary, pants beside him, “You can’t be serious.” “I’m always serious. Run. It’s the only way we get a second to think. We regroup, find a weakness, something. Right now, we’re just throwing punches at a wall.” Mera glares through the wind, “So every man for himself, then? That’s just like you.” But Batman’s already taking charge, his gravel-sharp voice filling every comm, “It’s not a free-for-all. Superman, Flash, Lantern, you three draw him away. He’s targeting power. You’re his biggest distractions and our best chance at keeping him off the rest of us.” Superman hesitates midair, “You’re sure about this? Splitting up.” Batman doesn’t even blink, dodging an emerald construct, “Move. Now.” Flash shoots a look at John, then at Clark, “You heard the man. Road trip!” Green Lantern grimly nods, creating a giant racecar shooting across the skyline. Amazo’s head jerks toward them instantly. He takes the bait, rocketing after them with thunderous speed, tearing through the clouds as the others scatter for cover below.

• Amazo tears through the air after them, his flight pattern erratic but terrifyingly fast. Superman leads the charge, streaking ahead like a blue comet. Behind him, Flash is a crimson ribbon racing across rooftops, keeping the android’s focus bouncing between ground and sky. Overhead, Green Lantern crafts a glowing corridor of green energy that bends between skyscrapers, forcing Amazo into sharp turns. “Keep him guessing!” Superman shouts over the comms, voice straining against the roar of the wind. “Don’t let him settle on one of us!”  Flash yells back, “Settle on me?! He’s been trying to vaporize my face for the last two miles!” zig-zagging up a spiraling construct Lantern made to get him higher off the street. A beam of red-hot heat vision erupts from Amazo’s eyes and Flash yelps as it nearly tags his heel, “Oh come on Supes, why do you have so many tricks!” John grits his teeth, swooping in close. He manifests a barrage of missiles and fires them all at once. The explosions light up the sky, showering Amazo with debris, but the android flies straight through, unharmed. Flash skids to a stop beside Superman as Lantern dodges above, “So, Bats wanted us to lead him away. What’s step two?” Superman looks up, “We pray he has one.”

• 
  

• Down on the streets of Star City, Batman kneels beside a damaged console from the Javelin’s wreckage. Mera stands behind him, arms crossed, voice sharp, “You’re telling us to stand here thinking while your plan runs out of time?” Batman looks at her, “I’m telling you that acting without strategy is suicide. You want to charge headlong into a being that can outmatch Superman? Be my guest.” “Oh, you’d love that, wouldn’t you?” she fires back, “Another reason to say ‘I told you so’.” “Enough!” Wonder Woman’s voice cuts between them like a sword drawn from its sheath, “This bickering helps no one.” Both turn toward her, Diana’s calm, not angry, “You are both driven by the same thing. Responsibility. I admire that. And I respect you both, the warrior and the tactician. But if you cannot find common ground now, none of this will matter.” She gives Batman a meaningful look, one that softens the edge behind his cowl, “You’ve saved more lives than anyone, Batman. But leadership isn’t always about control.” For once, he doesn’t argue. Green Arrow clears his throat, breaking the tension with a half-smile. “Well, sounds to me like the whole point of this ‘League’ thing is that we’re supposed to work together, right? So maybe let’s start doing that before God-Bot comes back and levels my entire city.” Red Tornado, standing at the edge of the group, turns his head slightly, “Suggestion,” he says evenly, “Amazo is, by design, an android. As am I. His systems may be governed by logical frameworks similar to mine. If that is the case, emotional deception may be limited. I cannot lie by my programming. Perhaps… he cannot either.” Canary folds her arms, skeptical, “You’re saying you can talk him down?” “I am saying,” Tornado replies, “that truth can reach those who have the capacity to learn it. Amazo was created to understand. Perhaps he only needs someone who speaks his language.” Mera glances toward Red, “You can’t be serious.” Batman stands, “If there’s a chance it works, it’s our best play.” Green Arrow runs a hand down his face, “So… the plan is to bet everything on two robots just trusting each other?” Batman looks right at him, “You got a better idea?” Oliver clenches his jaw. His silence says it all. “That’s what I thought,” Batman finishes. The team exchange uncertain glances, Mera’s expression stormy, Diana’s resolute, Canary’s cautious. Then Red Tornado’s eyes glow faintly as he looks toward the horizon, “Then I will speak to him,” he says. “Not as an enemy. But as a brother.”

• Across the world, over shattered forests and open ocean, streaks of red, green, and blue tear through the air like lightning bolts in formation. Amazo follows close behind. Flash zips backward across the surface of the water, shouting over his shoulder, “He’s still on us! Does anyone have any idea how far we’ve run?!” “Far enough to make laps around the planet,” Green Lantern replies, “And he’s gaining.” Superman cuts in, “We can’t keep this up forever—” Just then, Batman’s voice cuts through their comms, crisp and calm even amid static, “We’ve got a plan. Return to Star City. We’re going to talk him down.” There’s a brief silence on the channel. Then John scoffs, “Talk him down? Really? Since when did Doctor Phil join the League?” Flash, still running on water, grins through his exhaustion, “You heard the man, John, looks like the world’s ending, and our best shot’s group therapy.” Superman’s focused them, “If Batman says there’s a plan, then we trust it. Let’s bring him home.” Amazo, sensing their shift in direction, banks hard toward the horizon. 

• Batman stands among the wreckage. He turns to Red Tornado, “Tornado,” Batman says, “Are you certain about this?” Red responds, “Batman, in all of my probability simulations, one can never be certain of anything. However…” He rises, “This has the highest likelihood of success.” Off in the distance, thunder rolls from the sheer velocity of Superman, Flash, and Green Lantern tearing through the air, leading the storm that is Amazo back toward them. The ground begins to shake. Wonder Woman sets her lasso at her side. Mera lowered her fingertips. Green Arrow loosens his bow. Black Canary takes a deep breath. Even Batman stands still. As the heroes hold their ground, at last, Amazo slams into the street before them. He stands tall, glowing fissures of raw power. His voice booms, layered with echoes of others, “What kind of strategy is this? You will not be met with the mercy of surrender.” Then Red Tornado steps forward, unarmed, his movements deliberate, “You misunderstand,” he says, “We are not surrendering. I have come to speak with you… android to android.” Amazo’s head tilts, curious despite himself, “Speak, then. Tell me why the blood of my father stains your hands.” With tone ever precise, Red continues, “Professor Ivo’s death was not the work of the Justice League. Logic dictates that, given our history, resources, and moral directives, there would be no reason to harm a man whose expertise could benefit humanity. We value life. Even artificial life.” He pauses, stepping closer to Amazo, “You and I share more than machinery, Amazo. I, too, was created by human hands. I, too, have struggled to understand purpose, compassion, and what it means to feel. If you believe your creator sought to make you human, then honor his wish by listening, truly listening, before you pass judgment.” Amazo’s posture slackens, as if processing conflicting data. Then his face twitches, something furious creeping through his metallic expression. He growls, “You will say anything to avoid facing the justice you deserve.” Before anyone can react, a surge of golden light explodes from Amazo’s chest, raw energy, pure and uncontrolled. It hits Red Tornado full-on, engulfing him in a blinding column of power. His metallic plating sublimates to gas and his internal skeleton melts into the rough stone below. When it clears, nothing remains of Red Tornado but scattering fragments of crimson alloy, disintegrating midair like dust in sunlight. Mera gasps. Green Arrow curses under his breath. Wonder Woman steps forward, eyes wide with horror. Batman knows he can’t move. His jaw sets, his voice low, “Everyone-- hold your positions.” Though he almost didn't have to say it, as the teams’ eyes never left where Red Tornado was standing.

• Wonder Woman’s lips tremble as her fists clench, “No…” she whispers. Then, louder, angrier, “NOO-AH!” Her grief breaks like thunder, “You murderer!” Before anyone can stop her, she takes off. Superman moves in, “Diana, wait—!” but it’s too late. Amazo turns just in time to catch her mid-leap, his hand transforming into a glowing green construct that wraps around her torso like a serpent. Her momentum halts with a bone-rattling thud, and he pulls her in close, studying her like a specimen under glass. “You call me a murderer?” Amazo growls, his voice layered, “You who destroy what you do not understand? You who killed the one man who gave me life?” Diana struggles, her strength enormous, but his grip only tightens. “We didn’t—!” she manages to yell before a sickening crack cuts through the air. Amazo twists tight, snapping her leg like it was raw pasta. Her scream pierces the battlefield, “AAAHH!” Mera rushes forward in horror, but Green Arrow grabs her arm, holding her back, “Don’t,” he says through gritted teeth. “He’ll kill you after her if we rush in.” Amazo tosses Wonder Woman aside like a broken doll back to the heap of heroes. Batman rushes to her side immediately. Amazo turns his gaze back to the others, eyes glowing with the fury of a wounded god. “You all deserve this now,” he declares, rising higher into the air, energy veins pulsing along his arms, “Every lie, every sin, every act of false heroism-- this is the justice you’ve earned for what you did to Ivo!” Superman steps forward, face solemn but steady, “We don’t know what you’re talking about,” he says, his tone calm, almost pleading, “We never wanted to hurt your creator—” Amazo’s head snaps toward him, rage boiling over. “MORE LIES!” 

• Amazo hovers above them, energy pulsing off his frame like a living storm. The League can barely stand, smoke and heat distort the air around him. Batman kneels beside Wonder Woman, her breathing ragged, her face pale but alert. His gloved hand steadies her trembling one as he assesses her broken leg. Then, quietly, something clicks in his mind. Batman looks down at the length of shimmering gold lying tangled against the dirt, the Lasso of Truth, half buried in rubble, still looped around Diana’s waist. His jaw tightens, “You said it compels the complete truth, right?” Diana gives a weak but firm nod, “To those who touch it, yes. They can’t lie, even to themselves.” Batman’s eyes flick up toward the hovering android, “Perfect.” He rises, unspooling the lasso just the necessary amount and shouts through the roaring winds, “Amazo! You want the truth?” Amazo’s glowing eyes narrow, “There is no truth among you. Only lies and excuses.” “This,” Batman yells, holding up the golden cord, “is the Lasso of Truth! It compels anyone who touches it to speak only what is real. No deception. No manipulation.” Amazo’s head tilts slightly, “A toy. You expect me to believe—” Diana’s voice cuts through his skepticism, faint but steady, “It is no toy, Amazo. He is holding it now, and must tell you exactly what it is. Even the Batman can’t lie while bound by its light.” Amazo hovers lower, his curiosity suspicious, “You believe I would be deceived so easily?” Batman doesn’t flinch, “You’re welcome to prove me wrong.” For a tense moment, Amazo says nothing. But Amazo knows there is nothing they can do to hurt him anymore, so he humors them, slowly, reaching forward, his metal fingers brushing the lasso still held by Batman and clipped to Diana’s belt. The cord flares with a golden glow that spreads through his chassi. Amazo’s tone lowers, heavy and dangerous, “Why did you kill my creator?” Batman meets his glowing eyes. His answer is level and precise, “Even though some may have seen Professor Ivo as a threat, and even though there might have been reasons to stop him… we didn’t kill him. None of us did.” The android’s head jerks in disgust, “Lies. You—” “No,” Diana interrupts, forcing herself upright on one knee despite the pain, “You must look within yourself. The lasso compels you too, Amazo. You cannot hold it and deny its power. So tell us, what is your most cherished memory?” For a long, eerie moment, Amazo doesn’t move. His mouth opens, but no words come. Then, unexpectedly, his voice falters, glitching softly as he speaks, “Most… cherished… memory…” His eyes dim, and his body relaxes, “It was… the day I first… understood laughter.” 

• Cut to a glowing, dreamlike flashback from Amazo’s point of view. Professor Ivo sits cross-legged on the floor of the lab, surrounded by the smaller robots, all in some comically clumsy attempt at telling jokes. Ivo’s laugh fills the room, warm and unrestrained, and Amazo, newly built, curious, tries to mimic the sound. The laugh comes out robotic and broken, but Ivo claps his hands and says, “Perfect! You see, Amazo? Even laughter is something you learn, and learning is living.” Back in the present, Amazo’s voice is barely a whisper, “Spending time… with my father.” The light of the lasso ripples warmly through his body, its glow reflected in his glassy eyes. The rage that once powered him flickers, into something almost human. Amazo’s eyes lower to the lasso in his hand, “…Truth.” The single word lingers in the air. He looks down at his hands as if they no longer belong to him, “If truth cannot be found in my revenge toward you… then where does it live?” His gaze shifts between the battered heroes, the broken street, and himself, “If all I have known is vengeance… then what is the truth?” Superman steps forward, his cape torn but face gentle, “The truth,” he says, “is that we don’t know what happened to your creator. But if you let us help you… we can find out. Together.” Amazo’s body stills completely. The hum of energy that once surrounded him quiets to a low, pained whine. He looks down, almost bowing his head, “Together…” he repeats softly. Then he nods once, stiffly, like a child trying to agree to something they don’t yet understand, “Yes… I want to know the truth.” He takes one small step forward—then stops. His entire body shudders. A strange vibration builds beneath his chest plate, and is suddenly drowned out by a violent red glow from within his core, “Warning…” Amazo’s own voice begins to distort, deeper, metallic, overlapping itself, “Core… detonation imminent..” Batman’s eyes widen, “What the hell—” Amazo jerks, spasming as arcs of crimson energy rip through his joints, “Override… failsafe… active…” Superman rushes forward, “Amazo, fight it! Whatever’s happening, you can—” But it’s too late. Amazo’s body stiffens, the glow from his core expanding outward like a star about to go nova. The ground trembles. Batman’s voice cuts through the chaos,  “Everybody down—NOW!” The League dives for cover as a blinding red light engulfs the entire street. The explosion that follows isn’t just sound, it’s force. A wave of radiant energy bursts outward, disintegrating concrete, warping steel, lighting the skyline in a searing flash. Then, silence. The smoke clears slowly. The League rises one by one, coughing, bruised, stunned. Superman’s voice is quiet, heavy with sorrow, “He was starting to understand…” Green Arrow and Black Canary exchange looks with eachother, acknowledging their mortality and their blessings to face it together. Batman says nothing. He just stares at the crater where Amazo stood, jaw tight beneath the cowl, the reflection of the dying red light glinting in his eyes. The dust settles, and the scene softens for a moment.

• Superman turns toward Batman, his voice roughened by emotion, “What just happened- no. Why did that happen?” “I have no idea,” Batman says flatly, “But we got lucky.” Superman steps closer, “Lucky?” he repeats in disbelief, “He died, Batman. Since when do you call that luck? Since when are you okay with executing the enemy?” Batman looked uncomfortable, even beneath the cowl, “Amazo wasn’t alive. He was an android, far from the definition of alive.” The air grows colder. Superman’s voice drops, quiet but cutting, “Is that how you feel about Red, too?” For a moment, Batman says nothing. Everyone watches, Wonder Woman, Mera, Flash, Green Lantern, no one daring to move. Then he finally answers, “Of course not. But you need to calm down, Kal.” Superman takes another step forward, clenching his fists, “Calm down? What do you want me to do, be as cold as you? Is that an order, too?” The team exchanges uncertain looks, even Mera stays silent in that moment of calling him out. Superman’s voice hardens, “Earlier, you told me to stand down. You ordered me. We’re supposed to be equals, Batman— a team. That means trust. And it goes both ways.” Batman finally meets his gaze, “Blind trust gets people killed.” Superman shakes his head. “No, mistrust does.” Then Batman steps in closer, until they’re face to face, inches apart. “I don’t trust anybody,” Batman says quietly, “Don’t take it so personally.” And with that, he drops the lasso of truth against the soot-stained street. Superman looks stunned. But then Batman adds, “But the deal is… we’re still a team.” He drops to his knee, tending to Diana’s leg again as she loops up her miraculous golden cord. Moments later, ARGUS agents begin to descend on the scene and begin the collateral cleanup. The League stands off to the side, still absorbing what just happened. Wonder Woman rests a hand on his shoulder, “You did what you could, Bruce,” she says softly. Nearby, Green Arrow and Black Canary stand together, exhausted but proud. “Well,” Ollie mutters, “if that’s what a Tuesday looks like, I guess we’re really in it now.” Canary smirks faintly, “Guess so.” Flash finally breaks the tension with a grin, “Hey, look on the bright side, more normal people joining the League. Even another regular ole humey like Batman.” Batman cocks his head towards the two heroes, “Noted, Flash.” Batman approaches Canary and Arrow, “If you’re joining us,” he says, “you’ll both need a debriefing. We don’t have room for half-measures in this team.” Arrow raises an eyebrow, “Awee. You always make new friends this warm and fuzzy?” Batman doesn’t answer. He just walks past the ARGUS agents and toward the waiting busted Javelin. Canary and Arrow follow behind him. The rest of the League does their part to clean up the mess left behind, battered, bruised, and still standing together against a world that keeps testing them.

The post-credit scene opens over a dim, circular space, each seat at the table faintly illuminated. In the chairs sit Vandal Savage, The Brain, R’as Al Ghul, Amanda Waller, and Lex Luther. The Light.  The Brain’s synthesized voice clips, “Unfortunately, we were left with no other option. The android was… irretrievable.” The Brain continues, “The failsafe, integrated by Professor Ivo himself, was our only option to keep this proprietary technology from turning against us. A tragic oversight, but an unavoidable one. He was, after all, too sentimental for his own genius.” R’as tilts his head, voice smooth as glass,

“A pity. Such a creation could have reshaped the balance of the world. A sentient being that could evolve beyond its master’s wildest dreams. A mirror for all of us.” The Brain added, “Indeed. But emotion, as ever, was the flaw.” Vandal Savage finally speaks, “Though the technology is lost along with Ivo himself. Their bloodline ends here.” A small smirk touches Waller’s lips. She sits back in her chair, legs crossed, “Gentlemen, I appreciate the philosophy lesson, but this day was not all bad news.” Savage glances toward her, “You have something to report, Director Waller?” “I do,” she replies, producing a sleek, sealed case from her side. She opens it and slides it across the table to Lex. “My ARGUS field team retrieved this during cleanup in Star City,” Waller says, “Agent Flagg found it lodged in a slab of reinforced steel near the blast zone. He broke six jaws of life trying to remove it.” Luthor opens the case, and there it was, a single, fine black strand of hair. Waller continues, “Indestructible. Kryptonian, without a doubt. I believe you’ve been waiting for something like this.” Lex smiles, a slow, deliberate curve of satisfaction. He closes the case with an audible click, “Amanda, you are a lovely business partner.” Waller meets his gaze, “Don’t you too get poetic, Lex. Just make it worth my while.” Lex promised, “Oh, I intend to. This… is exactly what I needed.”