VECTOR IN DC

Slade shot me a look that said, stop wasting time, and I sighed. "Alright, old man, let's get moving. I'm starving, and I don't have all day to babysit."

He shook his head at my usual smart-mouth attitude but didn't comment. That was typical for Slade—he wasn't here for the banter, just the job. Without another word, we both slid into the sedan, Miguel hurrying to get behind the wheel.

As the car pulled away from the airport and merged into the chaotic streets of Morocco, I glanced out the window, taking in the sights. The air was thick with the smell of spices and petrol fumes, and the streets bustled with vendors, tourists, and locals all jostling for space. Morocco was a place that thrived on the chaotic beauty of disorder, but even amidst all the noise and life, I couldn't shake the feeling that this mission was about to take a dark turn.

I leaned back in my seat, tapping my fingers on my thigh as I glanced over at Slade. The silence between us was as heavy as ever. His one eye was locked on the road ahead, focused, calculating, always thinking a few steps ahead. He didn't need to speak to let me know he was already piecing together the next move. That's how Slade operated—always ahead of the game, always in control.

Miguel's voice broke the silence as he cheerfully announced, "We'll be at your Motel soon. You'll most likely meet with the boss tomorrow."

I didn't reply. I wasn't interested in small talk. If this was just a routine job, I would have been bored out of my mind, but something about this felt bigger. The Feds were getting involved, someone inside was snitching, and if there's one thing I hate, it's rats.

"Hope this job's as fun as I think it'll be," I muttered under my breath. If I was lucky, we'd run into a few foreign gangsters who thought they were tough. Nothing cleared up the monotony of travel like cracking a few skulls.

Slade remained silent, his eyes never leaving the road, but I knew he was thinking the same thing. This was about to get messy, and that's exactly how we liked it.

….

"This is even better than I thought." Lex Luthor's maniacal grin stretched wide as he watched the chaotic battle unfold on the large screen before him. The flickering image showed A.M.A.Z.O, his latest creation, taking on the entire Justice League and holding his own. 

His eyes gleamed with pride, fingers steepled in front of him as he leaned forward in his high-backed leather chair. Every strike, every defensive maneuver by the android seemed to feed into Lex's deep-seated desire for victory.

Beside him stood his loyal assistant, Mercy Graves, her expression a mixture of skepticism and mild surprise. She raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms as she shifted her weight slightly. 

"He's holding his own for now," she commented, her voice cool and laced with sarcasm. "But you know as well as I do, it's only a matter of time before they figure out how to take him down. And once again, the League will ruin your plans like they always do." She cast a glance his way, her words biting with years of watching Lex's brilliant schemes crumble in the face of superhero resistance.

Lex's grin faltered for a moment, but his confidence was unshaken. "This time is different, Mercy. This time I've gotten my hands on something that can adapt to them—something that can mimic the metahuman DNA of the League and use their own strengths against them." He gestured at the screen with a sharp flick of his hand. "A.M.A.Z.O is unlike anything they've faced before."

Mercy let out a soft sigh, her arms tightening around her body as she leaned back. "We'll see," she muttered under her breath, clearly unconvinced. Lex had been certain before, and yet, time and time again, the Justice League found a way to dismantle every grand scheme he put into motion. She had grown used to the cycle of buildup and disappointment, so much so that she no longer allowed herself to hope for anything different.

On the screen, A.M.A.Z.O effortlessly tossed Green Arrow across the street, sending him crashing into a parked car. Lex's smile returned as the android displayed its incredible power. The League was struggling—he could see that much. They hadn't yet figured out how to counter his creation's ability to copy their abilities, and that gave Lex the upper hand, at least for now.

Lex's fingers hovered over a button on his control panel. He watched as the League regrouped, preparing for another assault. It was time to move to the next phase of his plan. He pressed the button and spoke into the microphone with cold precision. "A.M.A.Z.O, your primary target is Superman. Kill him." His voice was calm, almost chilling, as if ordering the death of the world's greatest hero was nothing more than a routine command.

As the order was transmitted, A.M.A.Z.O's eyes flashed red, and the android's focus shifted instantly. It hurled Wonder Woman aside, sending her crashing into Batman just as he was charging forward. The two tumbled to the ground in a heap, momentarily disoriented.

Superman, now the android's target, steeled himself for the inevitable clash. He shot into the air, fists clenched, ready to meet A.M.A.Z.O head-on. As they closed the distance between each other at superspeed, the android's chest morphed, mirroring the iconic Kryptonian "S" symbol. Superman's fist connected with A.M.A.Z.O's face, but the android didn't flinch. It countered with a devastating punch of its own, followed immediately by a powerful blast of heat vision that sent Superman spiraling backward through the air.

The Flash zipped around A.M.A.Z.O in a blur of motion, generating a whirlwind of electricity. And once again hurled a bolt of lightning toward the android, but A.M.A.Z.O caught the bolt effortlessly, its speed matching that of the Scarlet Speedster. 

Without hesitation, it redirected the lightning at Cyborg, who had been desperately trying to hack into its systems from a distance. The bolt struck Cyborg squarely, short-circuiting his systems and sending him crashing to the ground in a lifeless heap.

"Cyborg!" Flash yelled, panic creeping into his voice as he watched his teammate go down. His distraction was all A.M.A.Z.O needed. The android moved with blinding speed, landing a series of brutal punches on Flash, each strike faster than the last.

But just as A.M.A.Z.O prepared to deliver a finishing blow, Superman and Wonder Woman appeared, grabbing hold of its arms in a coordinated effort to restrain the unstoppable machine. The android began to vibrate, attempting to phase through their grasp, but Flash recovered quickly, wrapping his arms around its neck in a chokehold and vibrating his molecules in sync to counteract A.M.A.Z.O's phasing.

"Now, Manhunter!" Batman barked through the comms.

From below, Martian Manhunter who just arrived at the scene,  phased through the ground and into the android's body, his form melding with its internal structure. A.M.A.Z.O's eyes flickered, and sparks began to shoot from its joints as its systems struggled to cope with the Martian's invasion. Red lights blinked erratically from its eyes, and its limbs convulsed violently as it tried to shake off its attackers.

With a final sputter of sparks, the android collapsed to the ground, its once formidable frame now lifeless. The Justice League stood over the defeated machine, the battle finally over.

"Phew," Flash sighed, wiping the sweat from his brow. "That was too close for comfort." He zipped over to Cyborg's side, worry etched on his face.

"How is he?" Wonder Woman asked, her eyes full of concern as she looked to Batman, who was already running a diagnostic on their fallen teammate.

"He'll be fine," Batman replied, his voice gruff but steady. Superman picked up Cyborg's unconscious body, while Wonder Woman hoisted A.M.A.Z.O's remains for further investigation.

As the League regrouped and took stock of their victory, the scene in Lex Luthor's control room was starkly different. Lex watched in horror as the live footage fizzled out, the signal lost. His fist slammed down onto the console. "No!!!" he roared, his face twisting in frustration.

Mercy, unimpressed, casually turned away, her heels clicking against the polished floor as she headed for the door. "It always ends the same, Lex. You'll have another chance to be disappointed." She didn't wait for his response, leaving him to fume alone.

Lex clenched his fists, his mind already racing to formulate his next plan. He wasn't done yet—not by a long shot. 

The Justice League thinks they've won, but they've only just begun their own undoing."