The leaguers followed Batman's as he skill fully navigated them through the labyrinth of a metals.
They fought Manhunters at every turn, the androids number ever increasing. With each passing seconds they were chocked by the sheer amount that was being thrown at them. The tights tunnels filled with the crawling bots.
Superman used his strength sparingly to not collapse the whole place on them, punching the androids to create space for them to moved. While Superman punched a path forwards, others worked together to take care of the still moving androids. Martian and Green Lantern fought to keep the androids from their backs.
They moved at a snails pace as they battled, leaving trails of destroyed androids. Which were absorbed and regenerated by other Manhunters.
"Which way?" Superman asked as he ripped an androids from his back.
Throwing the androids away to destroy few more, he noticed two more path from which the manhunters were pouring in. It was like an ant hill and they had just poked it.
Wonder Woman slashed, kicked, punched to keep the androids away. While Flash moved at in comprehensible speed, mostly staying intangible to not get caught by the strays, using the plasma blade from his hands to cut the machines to dices.
Batman threw a few more electric Batarangs at the androids, stunning them before stabbing an androids that was crawling towards him. Heat blazed, melting it from the inside. He turned to the other stunned and removed their heads.
The Blade retracted into his wrist plate, cooling in an instant.
"Forwards." Batman answered as he checked on the map he extracted from a manhunter.
The map showed how complicated yet simple the design of the maze was. Most of all, they were not in an actual maze, but a vent. This massive vent was need for the core of the facilities to function.
"Hey, move faster," Green Lantern shouted as he pushed the Manhunter will a massive drill bit. "We are going to be cornered at this rate."
"They keep coming back up like roaches," Diana muttered as she slice two androids at once.
"We need to moved faster, I already burned through most of my energy," Flash complained, but felt the suit respond with a prick and his glucose levels filled up. "Okay, we can take this slow."
"Cut forwards," Batman instructed.
Superman nodded and blasted with his heat-vision, one that was used for just melting. The androids melted under the heat, quickly fusing together and blocking the other path. He then concentrated it forwards, cutting a path through the metal blocks. With a following punch, a path was made for them to move.
The other quickly followed and Martian and Green Lantern shut path shut by welding the metal block. They did tight efficient work, moving in synchrony.
They moved though another showered of Manhunters, and many turns later Batman halted.
"Wonder Woman, cut here," He pointed as he removed a device from the belt.
Diana moved as she sliced a few more Manhunters, and with a simple swing she sliced the metal plating. Batman then used his enhanced strength to lift the plate. Under it was a red tube blowing with head. It looked to be carrying something hot.
He quickly attacked the device onto the tube and shouted, "Superman, freeze breath."
Superman quickly used his freeze breath to freeze all the manhunters around them. Batman press a button, blowing a hole on the floor. The hot liquid from the tube started to flood down, but it quickly died down, filling the space with heat.
"Down," Batman didn't wait.
Other followed, instantly feeling the heat. However, they were not that kind of people who could sweat. The only Humans were wearing hyper armour while the demi-god and aliens were heat resistant. Superman quickly closed the opened by welding it back, while the sound of Androids breaking though the iced echoed.
"We split here," Batman instructed. "Wonder Woman, Martian and GL will moved that way while the rest dive deeper."
"Why should it be us?" GL questioned.
"The Androids track heat and vitality," Batman answered, "Use three can camo whole rest of you can't. You will attack the swarm away while we take down the facility."
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
"We act as bait," Manhunter pointed.
Batman nodded and threw a device to them. "These will make you three seem like six. Move before the heat sinks.
Lets go."
Batman nodded towards Martian and Wonder Woman, before sprinting towards the other side. Flash kept looking back and forth while Superman just wished them good luck and followed. Flash also said an awkward bye and blitzed away.
Manhunter gave the device to Green Lantern, since he normally don't up close it was better for him to keep it.
"Can't believe I am being a Bait for an a-hole," GL grumbled.
"Let's go, we need to lead them as far away as we can," Diana spoke before walking in the opposite direction.
Martian just floated behind her.
"Then let me start the party," Green Lantern grinned and raised his fist. "In the darkest day, in the darkest night, no evil shall escape might sight, let those who worship evil's might, Green lantern's light"
Green Lantern ring began to glow as it recharged without the need for a Lantern. The light only gre brighter and brighter. Its charge pinged on the Manhunter's detector, gaining the whole armies attention.
*BOOOM*
What followed was an explosion that shook the whole mega structure. The tremor traveling deep into the core.
"Will they be okay?" Flash questioned, running beside batman and superman.
"They are more than capable of taking care of themselves. Our mission is to take control of the central tower." Batman answered.
He just hoped that the enemy would not have figured out their plan. He need the others to buy as much of time as they could.
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"Have these balls," Green Lantern shouted as he dropped two huge ball on the androids, turning them to past as he rolled them around.
"Ha," Diana shouted as she swung her new swords, sending arc of energy that cleaved through multiple enemies.
Manhunter followed up by turning into a giant salamander with crimson skin and breathing fire onto his enemies, melting them together. He no longer felt fear towards fire, but he stall had a bit of PTSD, a prick on his nerves when he saw flames. But he was now able to use flames in his attacks for some weird reason he didn't want to question.
This form was also attached with the memories Zion had given, he couldn't turn into a Hydra due to limited space.
He then used his TK to scoop up the molten metal and threw them at other Manhunters. He also used his smooth and flexible body to dive through Manhunters, slaughtering them with his sharp claws. The Androids jumped on him, but their got no hold on him.
However, the amount of androids pilling up near them increased with each second. Between Gl smashing, Diana dividing them in two and Manhunter ripping them off, it was becoming a trash field. But as they piled, the small undamaged chunks of metal moved, connecting with others as they regenerated.
A spark ignited, a static filled the air a electric arcs flew around the field. Instantly the whole field was turned into an electric death trap. The electrons flowed without care for not who it was.
"Arrrgggggghhhhh," Martian screamed as his form reverted to normal, an excruciating pain coursing through his veins. Martian gritted his teeth, forcing his TK to explode, leveling everything around him. The androids that were nothing but parts connected instantly disengaged, halting the excruciating pains.
"J'onn, Are you okay?" Wonder Woman rushed to his side, unharmed in anyway.
The daughter of Zeus had shock resistance, couldn't have expected that. While Green Lantern created a shield around them. His suit tanked the attack, leaving him unharmed.
"Yeah," J'onn answered through gritted teeth, his body still feeling jumpy.
"They are adapting," Green Lantern remarked, "No more jumping us or shooting with lazers."
Diana turned to the shaking shield, all the androids around them were exploding as they stuck to the shield cracking it. The concentrated explosion were about to crumble, slowly but surely, the safe space would be gone.
"Open the shield when I say," Wonder Woman commanded she sheathed her swords and crossed her arms. Her braces started to spark with power as the blessing from the olympians took effect.
"Now," Diana shouted as she smashed the braces against each other.
*BOoM*
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"Here," Batman raised a hand stopping
He then crouched down next to the wall, and used his finger cutter to cut the wall. The hole was big enough for then to see what was on the other side.
On the other side was a room with many highly advanced mechanical parts moving together as one body to create new Manhunters by the second. Many tubes filled with hold liquids flowed into the machines while a massive central power core sat at the center. The room looked like it was pulled out from Terminator: Dawn of Stars, {Just made it up.}
It had the whole this is the genesis chamber all the killer robots.
And at the center was a Manhunter, bigger than any other. A yellow glow radiated of his shell as he sat monitoring the birth of the Manhunters.
"Its the Highmaster," Batman stated.
"What are we gonna do?" Flash questioned.
"We need to take him down," Superman answered straight.
"No, we need his core to take control of the Manhunters," Batman stopped, "Just break his limbs."
Superman didn't wait and punched the wall destroying it in and instant. The Highmaster turned to the sound, only to meet a fist that threw him off the thrown. The Highmaster collided with the wall behind denting it in his figure, yet again, before he could react, Superman pulled his out of the wall and threw him down.
The Highmaster didn't have time to react as Superman began to pummel him a new one. Superman punch held back no power as it dented the promethium plating. The highmaster quickly opted for his back up as he flooded the deck with Manhunters.
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"ha...ha..YOu think we bought them enough time," Hal breath raggedly as he wiped the blood of his face.
Surrounding them was piles on plies of destroyed Manhunters, smashed beyond recognition. And the rest of the team was not better in condition. They both were ragged from all the attacks the Manhunters threw at them. From concentrated lazer to suicide bombing. They kept adapting to target their weakness, while throwing all their man power to drain them.
"I hope we did," Diana answered.
"But the fight is no over," Manhunter spoke as he looked up at the sky filled with manhunters.
Hundred of thousands swarming around them, their cannons pointed at them. The eyes of the Manhunter felt intense as they stared them down.
"Should I help?" A voice asked without a care.
But before they could answer, the androids stopped their charge before instantly flying away.