Powerman shouted this battle cry as he unexpectedly attacked the other members of the Super-Unit Police.

They had just finished quelling a riot in Chinatown when Powerman had torn off the yellow hood he usually wore. He revealed the gleaming blue-steel visage of the Manhunters, who had been partly responsible for the chaos in New York City. Before the Super-Unit Police could react, Powerman sprang into action.

With one blast of heat vision was nearly enough to take down Guardian, who threw up his shield at the last minute. The other Super-Unit Police were almost too surprised to react to Powerman's attack. They knew, however, if they did not react fast, their most powerful member would surely defeat them.

Guardian, for all his battle experience, was the most taken aback by the sudden betrayal. He had personally selected and trained each member, so to have one turn on him was the worst thing he could imagine. But he had to quickly put all regrets from his mind because he had to get the other members to respond to this new threat.

"Trapster! Call Photon back! We'll need her help!"

Trapster reached for his radio, but was knocked into a storefront by a super-fast punch from Powerman. Doc Samson leapt into the fray.

"I can handle him!"

Doc Samson threw himself at Powerman fast enough to knock his opponent down before he could get away. Powerman pushed himself up from the ground. The ground beneath the two titans cracked as they wrestled. Doc Samson was at least as strong as Powerman, with gamma-powered endurance to boot.

"Black Condor! See if you can get Photon to come here!"

One of the riot cops who were left asked Guardian if he could help.

"We'll handle this, thanks!" Guardian tersely responded. But Guardian, being a true leader, thought of a way the policeman could help. "Try to keep the bystanders away . . . and the news crews, too! I don't know if I want any of New York's young ones seeing the Super-Unit Police fight on TV."

The policeman got his fellow squad members together to carry out Guardian's instructions.

Guardian turned his attention back to the battle.

"Don't let up, Samson!" Guardian said. He rushed over to Trapster's unconscious form and felt for a pulse. Trapster was still alive, and he was very lucky to be, given Powerman's awesome strength.

If Powerman was in a killing mood, they would be lucky if any of them escaped this battle alive.

Batman could not remember ever having seen rioting on this scale in his time as a crimefighter. Even though he was basically working outside of the law all the time as a costumed vigilante, during this time of crisis he had to help the police quell disorder.

Batman turned to his copilot. "I appreciate you joining me on such short notice," Batman said. "I couldn't reach Robin somehow, and I have a feeling I'm going to need help taming these riots."

"Anytime, Batman. I have my own reasons for making sure that the cops get this riot under control. Look, it seems like one down there is dispersing right now."

"Yes, but there's still something going on down there. Wait, I know those people!"

Batman turned the Batcopter in the direction of Chinatown's Canal Street.

It was then that Powerman decided to fight dirty once more. He ignited his heat vision, which was one superpower that Doc Samson did not have.

"You . . . blasted . . . robot . . . " Samson groaned.

Powerman's heat vision could not penetrate Samson's thick skin, but Powerman was not aiming for Samson's skin. He grabbed Samson's head in his powerful hands, and blasted him directly in the eyes with his heat vision.

Blinded, Doc Samson released his chokehold. The impact of Guardian's shield against his arm was the only thing that kept Powerman from snapping his foe's powerful neck.

"We're not done with you yet!" Guardian shouted.

Black Condor tried to figure out something to use against Powerman. He decided to use his bird-communicating powers to talk to a group of pigeons that were roosting in the eaves of Chinatown's rooftops. He asked his bird brethren to help him by crowding around their foe.

A flock of birds descended from the rooftops, swarming around Powerman and pecking at him. Their beaks did the invulnerable Manhunter no harm, however. He murderously fried some of them with his heat vision.

"You heartless jerk!" Black Condor cried as he opened useless fire upon Powerman with stun bolts from the standard issue Super-Unit Police stun pistol. Powerman turned his own heat vision on Black Condor and knocked him to the ground with one blast.

Guardian had heard from Photon that she had her hands full containing a small riot that had broken out in the Bronx, so they couldn't count on her help. It was just him against Powerman.

Well, it was worth a try fighting the rogue Super-Unit Policeman, anyway, even though Guardian knew he would probably lose.

Some of the people on the street who were gathered to watch the intra-Super-Unit Police battle cleared away at the sight of Batman. They had encountered the Dark Knight Detective before, and didn't want to be recognized. Some of the policemen who were around were fascinated at finally seeing Batman in person, after hearing about them from their friends on the force.

"What's going on here?" Batman asked as he and Batwoman rushed to Guardian's side.

"Get away from here, Batman! We don't need any help from vigilantes like you," Guardian sneered. "You're lucky I'm too busy to arrest you right now. Get out of here!"

"I think you do," said Batwoman.

"More heroes arrive to oppose me," Powerman sneered. "In a matter of moments my comrades will have overrun the city . . . and the reign of the Manhunters will have begun!" He stiffened a bit and chocked his head. "No, no I will not obey. I know the will of the Manhunters, but I will have my fun with these humans first. I will not obey . . . yet!"

The heroes gathered around Powerman, gauging his next move.

He had long idolized the members of the Super-Unit Police. Now, they seemed to be in trouble, and their rogue member would keep them from protecting the city. He had to intervene now, or never.

Batman used the few moments before Powerman pressed his attack to size up their chances against Powerman. If their foe was a Manhunter, he was definitely a robot, albeit a super-powerful one. Robots were just complex machines, after all, and machines could be shut down in a number of ways . . .

Batman pulled his Bat-Taser from his utility belt. He looked over at Batwoman, and threw her the taser. A moment later, he somersaulted toward Powerman.

Powerman slammed his fist into Batman's chest with incredible speed. Batman fell to the ground just as Batwoman ran up from behind and hit the Manhunter with the Bat-Taser.

The arc of electricity stunned Powerman for a moment, but he shook it off. With greater stiffness of movement than before, Powerman shoved Batwoman aside. She impacted into a bus shelter and was knocked unconscious.

Guardian drew confidence from Batwoman and Batman's sacrifice. Powerman wasn't moving as quickly as before. He had to find a way to attack the Manhunter with electricity, enough to disable the robot entirely. If only Photon would arrive!

Guardian threw his shield at Powerman's head as a last-ditch effort, but it did the Manhunter no harm. Powerman flexed his muscles, and then readied himself to beat his former supervisor into a pulp.

Just then, a bolt of electricity rode down the power lines overhead, arcing out and blasting Powerman. The Manhunter shook, and looked around for his attacker.

"I knew you wouldn't like electricity too much," a mocking voice called out from down the street. Black Lightning, a man in a black and yellow

Powerman turned. "Yet another hero to oppose me. You're going to delay me from my rendezvous with the other Manhunters . . . this does not please me."

Powerman readied his heat vision.

Black Lightning knew it was going to take something big to take the big guy down. Black Lightning grabbed a power line that had been knocked over during the rioting. It was a reckless act that would have fried someone . . . someone without total control of electricity.

Black Lightning pulled the electrical energy from the line into himself, and added it to that energy in his body. He sent it toward Powerman in one giant electrical surge.

Powerman was basically a walking battery, so the wave of electricity hit him with unbelievable force. He suddenly began shaking and sputtering. Smoke began to come out of the eyeholes on his mask.

In a flash, Photon arrived, and blasted the smoking robot once more. He sputtered his last, keeled over, and fell to the pavement. Photon soared around his falling body in lightspeed circles, containing the force of Powerman's exploding body.

The Super-Unit Police had won, but only just barely, and they had lost one of their most powerful members.

"Sorry I was tied up for so long," Photon said as she turned back into human form and alit to the pavement.

Batman and Batwoman dusted themselves off. Batman was glad he had a little bit of light body armor in his costume. Even with it, he would be lucky if Powerman's punch hadn't cracked a few ribs.

"Even though he took us both out," Batman said to Batwoman, "that was good teamwork back there."

"Thanks," Batwoman responded, dusting her cape off with her hands. "That means a lot coming from you."

Guardian stepped up to Black Lightning.

"Are you too tired from the fight to help us out for a while? Your powers could help us reactivate some of the sections of the city that are still blacked out."

"No, I'll help. As long as we can swing by so I can see if my nephew is doing okay."

"It's a deal."

Somewhere in a hidden underground section of the city, the eyes of a group of steely-eyed robots came to life.

"Agent 100 has been deactivated."

"He was too obvious to be effective. He let his hatred for the Super-Unit Police interfere with his mission."

"We will plant another agent within that group. It will take time, but then we have as much time as we need. We are the Manhunters. We are forever."

"I hate to ask this," Batman said to Trapster, who was dusting himself off and trying to walk off his injuries. "but I'd like to take a piece of your former comrade back to my lab and run some tests. If there are more Manhunters loose in New York City, it would help to know what makes them tick."

"I heard we got really lucky when Black Lightning showed up," Trapster commented. "But if there are a hundred or a dozen other Manhunters around somewhere, waiting to come out and fight us, one Black Lightning is not going to be enough to stop them."

Trapster handed Powerman's left hand to Batman when no one was looking. "I'll just say I couldn't find it . . . keep it between you and me. Between you and me, Batman, I respect what you're trying to do." Trapster winked at the Dark Knight. "Just don't ever tell Guardian I said that, okay?"

"Thanks," Batman replied. He swiftly hid Powerman's hand under his cape.

"Super-Unit Police! Time to move out!" Guardian shouted.

Photon, Trapster, Doc Samson, Black Condor, Guardian and Black Lightning jumped into the SUP-Wagon and soared away down the streets of Chinatown.

Tonight was going to be his debut as a hero, but Black Lightning had stolen the show. He would have to wait, but he didn't think he would have to wait very long. His family had always known when to wait, and when to take action; these instincts had kept his bloodline flowing for seven centuries.

It would be his moment soon. Soon, maybe even during the current crisis in New York City, he would prove himself as a hero, and prove himself worthy of the name of Azrael.

He wished that there were someone he could trust to send into these kinds of situations. He only knew Batwoman a little bit, and Robin was often busy with his studies at Empire State University. Batman would have to find someone else to train to be his agent.

Batwoman looked up from her terminal. "There's another riot breaking out, on the border of Queens and Brooklyn. If we don't respond soon, there's going to be a lot of trouble!"

"Let's go, then!" Batman replied.

The Batcopter wheeled off into the sky and headed off to help calm the troubled city once more.