Ben 10: Justice Incarnate

Independence Day Part 3

Washington DC

When the Justice League and their new companions prevented the would-be apocalypse, they wanted a short break. Unfortunately for them, dinner had to wait. At the moment, they were all following John Stewart and the other members he carried. The other Green Lantern offered the Flash a lift, but the speedster decided to run there. The recently transformed Astrodactly carried Ice while flying alongside Fire, Captain Marvel, and Wonder Woman, who was carrying Zatara.

"Come on. Please?" begged Captain Marvel.

Ben huffed. "Like I said the past five times, you'll just have to wait until we eat."

The caped man frowned. "Fire said that you met the Loch Ness Monster."

Ben looked back at the flying woman, who averted her gaze. "And I told her it was a different Lake Monster in the States."

Wonder Woman chuckled with a smile. "I must admit that is a very tempting story to hear."

The Alien Hero shook his head and looked at the elder mage. "How are you holding up?"

He breathed easy in Diana's hold. "I'll live. My little girl just won't be happy about me being late for our neighborhood block party."

Marvel raised a brow. "Wait, you live in a regular neighborhood. How do your neighbors not recognize you from the news and stuff?"

Zatara gave him a humorous look. "Magic." Then, he raised a brow in return. "Isn't that what you do as well?"

"Oh, uh, yeah. Me too." The man of many gods nodded back.

Wonder Woman smiled. "Don't worry. I'll get you checked out as soon as we finish this Cadmus incident. If all goes well, you can spend the rest of the night without interruptions."

Beatriz started flying on her back, resting her head on her arms. "So, what do you think happened with the sidekicks?"

Tora quirked a brow. "And what exactly is Cadmus?"

"I was wondering the same thing," added Astrodactyl.

"Cadmus is a genetics research laboratory," the Amazon answered.

Ice blinked. "That doesn't sound so bad."

The Alien narrowed his eyes. "Wait for it..."

Diana sighed. "Lex Luthor founded it."

Ice nodded along. "Ah, I see your concern."

"I keep telling you guys, Luthor has changed," retorted Marvel. "I hear he's working with international relations now."

Diana smiled softly at him. "I'm aware of that, Marvel, and while I'm happy you are giving him the benefit of the doubt, some of our members still have reservations if his motives are true."

"I know," relented Marvel.

"I guess we'll see what drew Kid Flash and the others to Cadmus," argued Astrodactyl.

"From there, we'll see if Luthor did anything," concluded Fire.

Looking ahead, Astrodacty pointed at a large pile of rubble in the middle of the city. "I take it that's supposed to be Cadmus."

Descending, Ben could recognize the protégés from the news except for one. Robin, Kid Flash, Aqualad, and another teen stood in front of the remains of the research facility, each having their fair share of injuries. He whistled at the sight. "Wow. When Batman said that they blew up the place, he wasn't exaggerating." His eyes drifted to the strange being still covered in rubble. "Who the hell is that?"