The Bio-Ship made a swift landing in an open field in Hatton Corners, just outside Happy Harbor. The Team exited the ship but before they had a moment to assess the situation before a powerful gust of wind sent them tumbling.
A deep, mechanized voice boomed over the roaring winds.
"Disappointing. I was expecting real heroes. Instead, I get children."
The figure before them was clad in bulky, crimson armor, his body wreathed in swirling air currents. His tattered brown scarf whipped violently in the storm.
Robin recovered first, flipping nimbly back to his feet. "Who the heck are you?" he demanded.
"I am Mister Twister," the armored man replied smugly. "And you are not worth my time."
Twister's design bore a passing resemblance to Red Tornado—primarily the humanoid faceplate and deep red chassis—but the similarities ended there. He was larger, more imposing. The turbines embedded in his forearms connected to a massive central device on his torso, which seemed to power his whirlwind manipulation.
The Team sprang into action, attacking.
Twister countered each of them effortlessly. A blast of wind sent Superboy, Kaldur, and Wally flying. Robin barely avoided a direct hit. M'gann yelped as she was flung backward.
Kori gritted her teeth, pushing against the gale. She was strong, fast, but acceleration took time. The intense headwinds made it difficult to gain momentum mid-flight.
Planting her feet on the ground, she fired a barrage of starbolts at Twister. He dodged with unnerving ease, sidestepping each emerald blast.
She shifted tactics, keeping low to the ground and flyinging in a wide arc, avoiding his wind currents before launching herself forward, starbolts charged in her palms.
Then the lightning struck.
She had assumed his powers were limited to wind. She was wrong.
A bolt of raw electricity crashed into her, sending her tumbling through the air. For a brief moment, everything went white.
Then—arms caught her.
"Whoa, I gotcha!" Wally skidded to a stop, gently lowering her. "Man, I knew you were electrifying, but I didn't mean literally!"
Kori groaned, blinking away the residual sparks dancing in her vision. "Ugh... I did not expect that."
Meanwhile, Kaldur took a step forward, voice firm. "What do you want?"
Mister Twister's visor glowed ominously. "Where is Red Tornado?"
Kaldur exchanged a glance with M'gann. "Read his mind," he instructed. "This could be a test from the League."
M'gann hesitated. "Are you sure? I don't want to invade—"
"It's acceptable against an enemy," Kaldur reassured her.
Reluctantly, M'gann reached out with her telepathy. A moment later, she gasped. "His name is Brom Stikk. He's T.O. Morrow's assistant!"
The Team absorbed this new information as she continued.
"Brom helped create the Mister Twister armor, but he wanted to use it himself to flush out and reprogram Red Tornado. Morrow told him to wait for an android replica, but Brom was impatient. He came to Happy Harbor, knowing Red Tornado operated here, and assumed our Bio-Ship was his."
Robin frowned. "So he's just some impatient lab guy with a power complex?"
"Seems like it," M'gann confirmed.
Superboy snarled and lunged, but Twister was faster. Another bolt of lightning sent him crashing to the ground.
Twister raised both arms, turbines whirring ominously. "Enough games. Time to exterminate you."
Before he could unleash his attack, the Bio-Ship shimmered into view—right between the Team and Twister.
Confused, Twister hesitated, scanning the area. "What? Where—?"
Hidden behind the cloaked Bio-Ship, Wally gaped. "Whoa. What just happened?"
M'gann grinned. "I moved the Bio-Ship in front of us and activated its camouflage."
Kori shook off the lingering sting of electricity and straightened. She glanced at the others, then took charge.
"Robin, contact the League and report the situation. Then provide distractions."
He smirked. "On it."
"Miss Martian, what else can you do?"
M'gann hesitated. "I have telekinesis, but not at that range. And I don't know how to use telepathy offensively yet."
"That is fine. Connect to his mind and speak loudly—distract him. Kid Flash, counter his tornadoes with your speed. Superboy, Kaldur, you are with me. We will take him head-on. M'gann, move the Bio-Ship when I give the signal."
The team nodded, though Wally looked a little reluctant. Maybe he wanted to take the lead. Robin, on the other hand, seemed to be happy following her orders.
"Alright, now!" Kori ordered.
The Bio-Ship uncloaked, and chaos erupted.
M'gann's voice echoed in Twister's mind like a megaphone, throwing him off balance.
Wally blurred into motion, running in tight circles to disrupt the cyclones.
Robin's smoke bombs went off in rapid succession, obscuring Twister's vision.
Kori, Kaldur, and Superboy closed in.
Superboy struck first, his fists tearing into the armor with relentless fury. Twister staggered back.
Kaldur followed up, summoning water from his gauntlets and shaping it into hardened constructs, slamming them into Twister's frame.
Then Kori finished it.
She rocketed forward, grabbed Twister by the chest plate, and hurled him toward the nearby lake.
As he hit the water, Kaldur unleashed a powerful surge of bio-electricity.
Robin capitalized on the moment, hurling explosive discs into the air, which detonated around Twister in a concussive blast.
With a final groan of protesting metal, Twister collapsed.
The armor hissed, steam escaping from ruptured joints. Slowly, the metal plates began peeling away, revealing the man inside—a thin, disheveled Caucasian man with longish brown hair and thick sideburns.
He hit the ground, groaning. "This is… unacceptable…"
Robin crouched beside him, twirling a set of handcuffs. "Yeah, yeah. Cry about it later." He cuffed Brom effortlessly.
Kori dusted off her hands. "Good work, team."
Robin grinned. "That was definitely a whelming first mission, huh?"
"I have always wanted to be part of a team," M'gann said, smiling.
"Yeah, yeah, heartwarming stuff," Wally interjected. "But can we head back now? All that running made me hungry, and Nova should've bought the pizza by now."
Kori chuckled. "Let's go home."
The Team alerted the authorities before piling into the Bio-Ship with the remains of Mister Twister's armor.