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To the attention of the readers who enjoy reading an intelligent main character like Miles will definitely like my original story, Arrival : Ruptures. Comments, likes and reviews are appreciated. Here are the links for : AO3, Spacebattles, Royal Road and Webnovel.
—
Metropolis
Discovering Ivo's location was easy. LexCorp was kind enough to keep the address on their servers. The scientist had taken a leave for one week due to medical reasons, and Lex was too occupied with the mystery of the missing weapon shipment.
By this time, Lex would have been ousted as the CEO of LexCorp, leaving Mercy to take his place. She would then fire Ivo to save money, but seeing as neither of the previous events happened, it left one option available.
Ivo was most likely dead, with only his creation inside.
"Be ready for anything," Miles said to Claire, and knocked on the door.
"Professor Ivo? I was hoping to speak to you," he called out, even though Ivo was most likely dead by now.
There was no answer, and he knocked again. Waiting for a couple of minutes, he tilted his head, and Claire moved to cover him.
He picked the lock open and walked in. Checking the house for any sign of Amazo, he moved to find Ivo, or rather, his corpse.
Pulling the sheet off, he gazed at the pale, dead face and covered it back.
"Miles," Claire said quickly, and he turned around. Standing before him was Amazo, the ten-foot-tall silver-gray creation of Professor Anthony Ivo.
"Hello," Miles greeted. He smiled at the android, holding a hand to stop Claire.
"I was looking for Professor Ivo, but it appears he has passed away," he said.
Amazo regarded him, his red optics turning to yellow. His metallic, nondescript face morphed to match his for a couple seconds before it returned to normal.
"Fascinating," he said, as Amazo walked next to the bed, fixing the sheet.
"May I assume you are his latest creation?" he asked the silent android.
Right now, Amazo had a childlike innocence and naivete, which Lex had used to sic the android on the Justice League.
The android could be guided on a more righteous path.
"Do you know when the professor will be back?" Amazo finally spoke, watching the still sight of his creator.
Ivo most likely didn't have the time to educate his creation on anything.
"I am afraid never." Miles shook his head. "He left for the next great adventure," he quoted.
"What adventure?" Amazo asked. Neither his tone nor appearance gave anything away, but he understood that the android was confused.
"Death," he clarified. The android turned to face the body, still as his creator.
"Did he give you a name?" Miles asked,
"Amazo."
"Would you like me to assist you in funeral preparations?"
"Funeral?"
"Yes, to give your creator a proper sendoff. I am sure you would not want his body to decompose in the open like this," he said, waving his hand towards the corpse.
"I kept his body in perfect condition. Is there no way to bring him back?" Amazo asked, still unable to grasp the concept of death.
"Without death, life would have no value. The best you can do for him is to honor his memory," he suggested.
Amazo was connected deeply to Ivo, and Luthor had used that angle to install himself as a second father figure over the android. Which had spectacularly backfired on him later on.
"Did you know the professor?" he asked, finally seeming to have given up.
"By reputation. However, as a good father would want the best for his child, I am sure he too would want the best for you," Miles said.
Any attempts to deceive Amazo into following a certain path would not work. Once he evolved to a certain point, the deception would become evident.
"And what is the best for me?" The android asked the most vital question.
"He gave you free will; that is for you to decide. I can only help if you want me to," he offered.
Deception, lies, treachery, and psychological manipulation. They were all overrated.
The best method to get someone on your side was to be their friend.
Amazo looked down on him. "Yes, I would prefer that."
"Miles Beckett, a pleasure to meet you." He held out his hand. Amazo, gentle as to not crush his bones, took the offered hand.
"Claire," she introduced herself with a poker face.
—
One advantage of having a private hospital was that people did not ask too many unnecessary questions. Large enough to have a morgue of its own, Ivo's body has been transported there.
The cause of death was a heart attack, as Ivo was known to be a heavy smoker. The process was expedited, and he was on his way to a funeral home by the next morning.
Amazo had a lot of questions, especially about the nature of death and the need for a funeral.
The sight of a ten-foot robot would disturb anyone, so the funeral was extremely private, with only him, Claire, Amazo, and several of the mercs.
The robot stood motionless as the casket was covered, and a marble gravestone was placed at the head.
Anthony Ivo.
Professor.
A creator.
"What will happen to me now?" he asked. The sole figure in his life was dead, and he did not know where to begin to look for a purpose.
"Why don't you come with me until you make up your mind?" Miles wanted Amazo to interact with positive figures in his life, rather than the likes of Luthor.
"To where?"
"My home."
—
"Miles, welcome, and I see you brought a guest," Raven greeted them as he opened the door. It was late at night because trying to get Amazo inside in daylight would be akin to lighting a neon sign for Luthor.
"This is Amazo," he introduced.
"Hi," Raven drawled, returning to her book.
"Hello."
The atmosphere was awkward. His charges, except Raven, were weirded out by the ten-foot silver robot, while Amazo had no idea how to interact with people.
Miles sat on his chair, gesturing for the android to sit as well.
"What is your purpose? What drives you to help me?" Amazo asked. He still had many questions regarding life itself.
"My purpose is to help people in need, human or not. Because we all live on this planet, and the only way forward is together," he answered. The android did not react, and he decided to give an example.
"Are you aware of what happened at Jump City?" he asked. Amazo was technically a newborn and wouldn't be out of place if he was unaware.
"Yes," the android said after a couple of seconds. Miles assumed he had connected to the internet to find it.
"That was just the prelude. The creature responsible for the destruction could have done far worse things. So I helped the relevant people stop it, as much as we could anyway," he explained. The whole mess with Trigon was a success, considering the alternative.
"I see."
"But I believe you are asking, what is my purpose?" he echoed the true thoughts of the android.
"Every person on earth has a purpose of their own. Some wish to find true love; others desire to amass great wealth. An infinite number of paths exist in life; you just have to find yours."
His speech had one purpose: to make Amazo understand that he had free will and the right to make his own decisions.
"Where do I begin?" the android queried.
"What abilities did Professor Ivo give you?" he asked, even though the answer was known to him. With his nanotech giving him the ability to copy the superpowers of the Justice League, Amazo was a one-person wrecking crew.
He would only get better.
"I can replicate the traits and characteristics of people and objects."
Miles nodded sagely. "As expected of a genius like Ivo."
"Most people with superpowers either use them for good or for evil. But being a superhero or a villain is not your only option. With your abilities, you can be anything you want."
He meant it. Amazo could acquire thousands of metahuman abilities, one for every occasion, turning himself into a one-android army.
"Why don't we start you with the easiest path first? Even if you don't like the idea of becoming a superhero, I believe the experience itself can teach you a lot," he suggested.
If Amazo was exposed to heroics enough times, he might just desire to continue.
"For now, you can watch the news and get an idea of what is happening out in the world."
He allowed the android to stay in his home, answering his questions and completing his education on basically everything. Convincing him to take a path in heroics, at least for one mission, was vital, but it could not be rushed.
He did not insist that the android take the path of a hero, leaving the choice to him, but nothing stopped some light conversation from affecting the android's decision.
Baraka and Zalika mentioned how Miles and Claire had saved them from the hands of a gang, along with some of his plans to make the world a better place.
They spoke of the transformation the Crime Alley was undergoing and the myriad of projects EnviroCorps was working on.
Projects that would make a difference.
Raven told the dark history of Trigon and how the city was lucky to be standing. She revealed glimpses of her life and her desire to protect Earth from her father.
Claire told her own story, starting with the way her parents abandoned her to the institute and how lucky Amazo was to have a creator who cared enough that the android had chosen to stand vigil after his death.
Slowly, Amazo began to formulate an understanding through the stories of how dangerous life could be for an individual with his power set.
And that even through the danger, some people had the power to fight.
—
Watchtower
Miles stood in the hangar of the station as Batman played him the recording of Darkseid arriving aboard.
He just hoped Amazo had been convinced to at least give a try to the whole superhero business.
"The God of Evil asking for help? I believe he is just trying to bring Superman to Brainiac and create an opening for a plan," he said. There was no conceivable way for him to know Brainiac's assault on Apokolips or Darkseid's plan.
But he could make an educated guess.
"What could it be?" Flash asked. The League was stuck between two evils and had to decide which one was the lesser.
"I have no idea, but most likely to stab Brainiac in the back."
"But if we don't go and Apokolips falls…" John didn't finish his sentence, but everyone understood the implications.
While they would celebrate the destruction of that hellhole any other day, Brainiac would become an even greater threat.
"That would be disastrous as well," he agreed. If that piece of malfunctioning AI absorbed Darkseid or, worse, somehow accessed the Omega Force, Brainiac would become a mass extinction-level threat.
"Is there nothing you can offer?" Flash queried. They were going into hell almost blind.
"While I cannot offer any information, perhaps I can do something just as good. Tell Darkseid you need a couple of hours to prepare."
—
Metropolis
"You have returned," Amazo greeted him at the door. The android had taken to doing that, mostly when he had questions.
He picked up enough on human behavior to realize something was wrong. "Is there a reason you are distressed?"
"Darkseid, one of the worst beings in the universe, just came to ask the Justice League for help against another individual just as bad," he explained.
Now, it was time for Amazo to make a decision.
"What will you do?" the android asked.
"There is nothing else I can do to help this time. And if Darkseid's planet falls, it will only make things worse for Earth."
The severity of the situation was now revealed, and now, he would see whether their conversations had an impact on the android or not.
"You said I could try to be a superhero," Amazo said.
There it was.
"Yes, but this will be dangerous. Darkseid is terrifying, and so is Brainiac, the one assaulting his planet," he warned. Not that Amazo had evolved enough to feel fear, it still was prudent to warn him.
"What will happen if the League fails?"
"Either Darkseid enslaves and transforms everyone to creatures under his command, or Brainiac destroys Earth after taking a sample."
Perhaps for the first time since his creation, Amazo reacted outwardly, "Oh."
"Do you believe this would honor the professor's memory?"
"His creation helping the League in saving Earth from a potential disaster? Nothing would make the people speak higher of Anthony Ivo," Miles assured the android.
—
Watchtower
"Hello," Amazo greeted the League members.
"This is Amazo, the latest creation of Professor Anthony Ivo before he died of a heart attack."
"Ivo worked for Luthor," Batman said, his gaze asking a million questions.
"Yes, but Amazo has not. He is a heavy hitter, and you can't have too many of those," he replied. The android would be a force multiplier.
Even though he knew that the League would return victorious, there was no harm in sending extra help.
"Miles is right. Thank you for helping us, Amazo," Wonder Woman said, shaking the android's hand.
"You are welcome," he replied.
"Amazo can replicate the powers of other individuals. He seeks to understand if the path of a hero would honor the memory of his creator," Miles informed the team.
"If Miles vouches for him, it's fine for me," Superman said.
The team left with Amazo to stop Brainiac and foil Darkseid's plan. He had done everything he could think of, from informing them of Darkseid's full capabilities to his deceptive nature, and now, an android that could take down the League by itself as support.
Superman already knew about Brainiac, and the androids would keep away from the super AI just to be on the safe side.
He couldn't entirely prevent this event, but at least the League would be prepared.
—
EnviroCorps Robotics Research Lab
With nothing better to do, he decided to visit the lab and inform Thomas of Ivo's fate.
"What do you think about Anthony Ivo?" Miles asked Thomas after assuring the android he did not come for more devices.
Thomas stopped what he was doing and removed the goggles. "We hate each other with a deep passion."
"He is dead," Miles informed the android. It appeared the original Thomas had left his rivalry with Ivo to his creation.
"Good riddance," he scoffed, about to go back to his work.
"But he left one final creation behind. An android that can replicate superpowers with just a simple scan," he said. Amazo was an android that surpassed Thomas' creations, not that he would tell him that to his face.
"That!" Thomas, even as an android, could not stop his mouth from gaping like a fish.
Miles shook his head and pulled out a disk from his coat. "Here is Ivo's research database."
"Hah," Thomas laughed, "Suck it, Ivo." He quickly took the disk to see what he could discover.
He decided to leave the android be.
—
In the next chapter:
Cheshire had to be locked up because, as young as she was, she was still an assassin. She wouldn't be isolated, however, and he wanted to talk to her.
He opened the door to her room but did not step inside.
"Jade, why don't you get down and we talk like two civilized people?" he asked. The girl was nowhere inside the room, and seeing as she had not left, there was only one place she could be.
A beat of silence, and the teen dropped down where she had been waiting at the top of the wall. "Do civilized people keep one another locked up like this?"
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