Chapter 1 - Fireworks

July 4

The alarms where blaring loudly throughout the base, Red X, who had finally been recaptured and was being semi-contained, was in the middle of her favorite hobby, staring at Superboy. The female scientist in charge of Project Kr, who was too afraid of the girl to do anything about her presence, continued typing away at the consul, believing it to be safe and that the intruders would not make it this far in. After a couple more minutes the scientist left, hearing the sound of approaching high-speed footsteps, Red X hid in the shadows. Kid Flash burst into the room seconds after, followed closely by Aqualad and Robin…

Studying them closely she memorized Kid Flash's physical form, noting some other details, as Red X turned towards Robin, something clicked. She knew Robin's identity, Dick Grayson, her twin brother. Suppressing her gasp, she watched as he conversed with his companions, he was standing in front of the consul. Robin typed something in and Superboy's pod opened, he snapped his eyes open everything went black.

The moment Superboy opened his eyes he charged. Robin and Kid Flash tried to hold him back while Aqualad attacked. SB shook them of and Kid Flash went careening of and crashed into the wall. As he got up a figure tackled him. It was a girl dressed in a black tight fitting suit that left little to the imagination. A black cape with gray lining hung around her, a grinning skull looked back at KF, white and black bracers could be seen on her arms. That was all he could see from her position on top of him, blood red x's were spread across the skull and on her chest, there was also a grey utility belt clung to her waist.

"Who are you?" Kid Flash yelled at her.

"Red X," she responded, KF was so surprised at receiving an answer his mouth actually hung open.

Red X, taking advantage of that, dropped a pellet of knockout gas in his mouth. Holding it shut as it went off, KF was forced to breathe it in, instant KO. Turning to the others, she watched as Superboy fought Aqualad, leaving Robin free.

"X marks the spot," she declared tapping the emblem on her chest a couple times.

They engaged in combat their moves where similar in skill and style, they were evenly matched.

"Come on little bird afraid this robin's better?" X taunted.

Robin froze "Lala?" he whispered right before she used the opening to knock him out. Standing straighter Red X walked over to stand next to Superboy who 'opened' the door.

"You know I could have just hacked it," she said glancing at her comrade, she just received a grunt as a response.

July 5

Red X stood I front of Robin's pod studying him, He had changed but then again so had she and it had been fiveish years. She hadn't bothered disarming him; she wanted him to live after all. They started to stir, Kid Flash, groaning, saw Superboy and immediately got creep out.

"Stop staring!" he yelled.

"Umm… KF I wouldn't tick off the guy who can fry us with one look," Robin piped up unhelpfully.

"I wanted to fry you but I got out voted," another unhelpful comment this time brought to you by Red X.

"And who are you!?" Kid Flash said attempting to turn towards her.

"I thought we went over this, Kid Idiot, I'm Red X and this is Superboy," she responded slowly, as if she was talking to a three year old.

"Well excuse me for not getting someone's name while said person is trying to KILL me!" he shot back.

Before X could respond Aqualad cut in, "Please, Kid Flash, I believe are new… friends were not in control of their actions."

"What if… what if we weren't?" Superboy asked hesitantly

"He can speak?" another dumb comment from Kid Idiot.

Unknown to the rest of the world Red X and Robin simultaneously rolled their eyes.

"Yes he can!" Superboy roared.

"Keep it quiet there Supes, no need to send all the lab coats running, longer their away, longer we get to walk free." Red X soothed the clone.

"They taught you telepathically," Aqualad asked kindly, trying to keep the conversation on safe ground.

"They taught me much. I can read, wright, I know the names of things," Superboy admitted.

"But have you actually seen them? Have you seen the sun?" Aqualad asked.

"This is his first time out of his pod," Red X said quietly, there was an echo in her voice, altering it so that it sounded mechanical.

"We can show you the sun, we can show you Superman," Robin offered.

"Pretty sure it's after midnight, but we can show you the moon," Kid Flash added.

"What would you have me do? Cadmus is my home! They created me!" Superboy argued back.

"Dude, your home is a test tube," Robin said.

"Supes what exactly did they tell you?" X asked.

"I am the Superboy clone of the Superman. I was created to replace him should he perish and destroy him should he turn from the light," he recited.

Red X nodded, "a worthy aspiration, but you deserve to create your own path. Just because they said it was your purpose doesn't mean it's what you have to do. Nothing is written in stone, at least nothing important directly involving you that is."

"Speaking from experience?" Robin asked.

"You know it Boy Wonder," shooting him a wink only he could see.

Thinking about it, Superboy asked "what will happen to them?" gesturing at the Heroes in the pods.

"Don't know they probably won't be leaving here alive, if at all," Red X said bluntly.

Superboy frowned, but before he could say anything, several scientists walked in. As a scientist with long brown hair shot through with grey walked past, G-Gnomes hopped onto Red X's and Superboy's shoulders.

"You get back to your pod and you get back to the lab. You have tests to undergo," he snapped. "Make sure they get done. It took three weeks to repair the damage she did last time, and five the time before that! Don't even get me started on when we brought her in, then weeks' worth of damage and almost revealing us! If this continues then we might as well scrap the project!" he finished ranting.

During all of this Superboy and Red X had walked of, only annoying the scientists further, "Begin the cloning process!"

Red X was walking away, aware of Robin's and the others' cries of pain. She was fighting the telepathy more than usual, what with more than her own life on the line, but with the G-Gnome right THERE it was sort of hard to pull off. What would she give for it to just leave!? The nanobots in her blood stream were going crazy trying to break free. Nanobots… If she could get them to send out a high enough frequency it might startle it and she could teleport away. With this in mind she concentrated on sending out the signals necessary and… tada! The G-Gnome looked surprised and the last thing it saw before it fell to the floor was a grinning skull...

Red X popped in just as Superboy ripped open the door.

"Am I too late to join the party?" she called from her perch on Robin's pod.

She flipped over and onto the console, opening the pods as she landed. Why do they always use big red buttons? Turning back Red X said "please remember to collect all your belongings and that you have all your limbs. We will not be held responsible for anything you lose."

Robin dropped out of his pod seconds after it opened, "Batman will kill me for taking so long."

"You're worried about Batman? The whole League will have our heads after tonight!" Kid Flash yelled from where he hung.

"I'd worry about Batman he knows and is capable of taking down everyone in the league," Red X told him.

"It would be very helpful if you could release us," Aqualad intervened before they could get into another argument.

"Right…" X looked at the locks, "you two can do that I have some screwing with to do."

Before anyone could protest she had flipped of the console and had started typing. She was opening a doorway into the system she had left behind form a previous attempt at escape. Allowing herself access to all the data on the interface, she downloaded everything onto a thumb drive. Once she was done she joined the others at what was once the door.

"I'll have you all in pods by morning!" could be heard followed by muffled swears as Red X shot a sticky X at his mouth.

"I've always wanted to do that," she cackled.

"He is so not whelmed," Robin added after throwing some bird-a-range at the spheres of DNA.

"Whelmed, as in not overwhelmed and not underwhelmed, but somewhere in between?" X asked.

"Yeah…" Robin said as stuff exploded behind them, curtsy of all the little bombs the resident ninjas had left behind.

They navigated to an elevator where the doors were pried open. Robin and Red X shot their grappling hooks as far as they could go, Kid Flash was sandwiched in-between the two ninjas as they had grabbed him simultaneously. Superboy grabbed Aqualad and flew after them, or rather he tried, part way up they started to fall. Red X noticing this dropped KF and shot out a giant elastic red 'x' to halt their fall. Letting go of her line, she landed gracefully on the trampoline like substance.

"What happened?" Robin asked concerned.

"Superman can fly, why can't I?" was the answer he received from the Boy of Steel.

"Don't know but it looks like you can leap tall buildings in a single bound, still cool," Kid Flash attempted to cheer him up.

"Hey it's more than what normal humans like Robin can do," X added in.

"Hey! I am not normal!" Robin said feigning hurt, "this will have to be our exit." He added spotting the elevator currently hurling at them.

Aqualad opened the door for them and they got out of there like a bat out of Hell. Escaping into a hallway they started running. Several genomorphs started appearing from adjoining corridors. Superboy started shouting directions and seeing as Red X isn't object they followed, they soon arrived at a dead end.

"Are you trying to get us repoded?" KF yelled.

"No this is perfect!" Robin and Red X said at the same time.

Red X attached an X to a vent on the wall, stepping back it exploded opening a way in. She allowed Robin to use her as a spring board to get in, once inside he helped her in.

"You guys coming or what?" Robin called, spurring the others into action.

After they were all inside Robin started leading them to what was hopefully a way out. They spent the crawl in an awkward silence until…

"KF stop staring at my ass," Red X spoke all of a student.

"What!? I can't help it, it's right in front of my face!" he said blushing, not that anyone could see.

"I know, just trying to break the ice," X smirked from behind her mask. "Oh, and you admit you were staring?" she added as an afterthought.

"That was the best you could come up with? Or are you just trying to embrace him?" Robin asked.

"Hey! First of all, it's been awhile since I've had to have a somewhat friendly conversation. Second of all it's so easy to mess with him!" she said in her defense.

Robin laughed, "True." Stopping all of a sudden he kicked open a vent and stepped out, turning he immediately started hacking. The others made their way out as well and about half a minute later Robin declared "I hacked the motion sensors!"

"Great and I finally have room to run." Kid Flash exclaimed, immediately running up the stairs closely followed by everyone else with Superboy taking the rear.

"Hey Supes behind us," X celled from above.

Superboy turned and stomped the stairs, the force of the blow causing them to fall through the level below and onto the next. Some genomorphs had been on the stairs when they fell, but the rest where cut off from the teens. Reaching the top of the stair case, they stepped into the hallway where Kid Flash stood rubbing his head.

"They cut us of," Red X said.

"Gee my head and I hadn't noticed," KF said voice dripping with sarcasm.

Superboy and Aqualad tried to pry open the doors while Robin tried to hack through them. None of them could open the door.

"It'll take too long to teleport each of you over, and by the time were all there they could have us surrounded," Red X sighed hand resting on the door.

"Right, let's go," Robin lead them through the maze of corridors, at their heels they could hear the sounds of fast approaching ever increasing feet.

Reaching an intersection, they were surrounded. A sudden pain shot through all of their heads. Superboy and Red X where immobilized, while the rest fell down in a forced state of sleep.

No! This can't be happening, we were so close! Red X thought to herself.

"Calm yourself sister, I wish to help," a voice, Dublex, echoed in her head.

"Help!? How is this helping? You…" Red X was cut off by none other than Superboy.

"You where the one that guided me!"

"And set the fire that led your new friends here, woke them when in danger, and made it possible for you to escape all those years ago." The last statement was directed towards Red X.

"So that was you! Thank you; I owe you my freedom, but why?" X didn't want to look the gift horse in the mouth but she had to know.

"You were a child I could not see you made into a weapon, and Superboy you are the genomorphs messiah. You will lead us to freedom." Dublex declared. "You chose freedom, now it is time for Superboy to choose."

"I choose freedom," Superboy answered without hesitating.

Dublex nodded and the teen Heroes got up. Guardian, who was responsible for cornering them, shook his head and muttered to himself.

"Go! I'll take care of Desmond," he shouted, just as he finished saying that Desmond stepped out of the shadows.

"Speak of the devil and he shall appear," Red X muttered so that only her companions heard.

Desmond held up a neon blue serum and declared, "Project Blockbuster will help me restore order to Cadmus," and then he downed the stuff.

He started to mutate and grow, he screamed in pain as his DNA was rewritten and his body was ripped apart. His body swelled and his cloths and skin where shredded. Thankfully his pants where whole, thank you indestructible pant god. Blockbuster straightened himself as his transformation was complete. Guardian charged him and was smacked aside in a second.

Turning, he and Superboy seemed to come to a silent agreement. They both charged, grappling for a few seconds and then they shot through the roof.

"Well that's one way up," Robin deadpanned.

"Do you think he planned that?" Kid Flash asked.

"I doubt they are planning anything now," Aqualad answered him.

The remaining teens made their way up through the hole; Aqualad and Kid Flash attacked Blockbuster, Red X disappeared. Robin noticing this went after her.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asked when he caught up.

"Nowhere and everywhere, I'm not a hero not like you. I don't belong with you," Red X replied.

"It's been five years! Lala I thought you were dead… Please stay if only for a little while, hey you might even enjoy being a hero." Robin, no Dick, pleaded.

"Dick… I don't know… I'll, I'll think about it, okay?" 'Lala' said after seeing the look her brother was giving her.

"That's all I could ask for," Dick smiled.

"So now that the mushy stuff is over, how about we go kick some butt?" Red X grinned.

"So I was thinking…" Robin explained his idea to her, "You tell Aqualad and Superboy; I'll get KF."

Red X teleported over to them, popping up right next to Aqualad, and told him the plan knowing Superboy could hear. They both nodded and went off to do their tasks, X went to the predetermined location and stock a big sticky X right over Robin's chalk one.

Aqualad sprayed water over it and Kid Flash, followed by Blockbuster, slid over it. Red X grabbed KF and yanked him out of the way just in time. Aqualad zapped the water, the 'x' helping conduct the electricity. Robin's timed explosives went off just then, causing the roof to collapse. Superboy and Aqualad protected their more squash able companions, lifting the debris off of them, the teens got up slightly worse for ware, but still alive.

"See the moon," Robin said looking up, Superboy gazed in awe at the moon.

"Sometimes people forget how beautiful the world truly is," Red X said quietly.

A sudden silhouette appeared, "and there's Superman, do we keep our promises or what?" Kid Flash exclaimed.

Superman landed followed by just about the entire League, those who couldn't fly where on a platform generated by Green Lantern, Hal Jordan. Superboy stepped forward fixing the solar suit to show of the familiar 'S' symbol. A look of horror flashed on Superman face; unnoticed except by a few, a frown creased Red X's face and a glare fixed on the Man of Steel. Focusing her gaze on Batman she gave him a mock solute from where she sat on a pile of rubble. Perched as she was, she had a clear view of the teens and their mentors as they gave their speech:

"I am sorry, but we will. We did good work here today, the work you trained us to do. Together on our own, we forged something powerful, important." (Aqualad)

"The four of us and it's not." (Kid Flash)

"Batman we're ready to use what you taught us, or why teach us at all." (Robin)

"Why let them tell us what to do? It's simple get on board or get out of the way." (Superboy)

She grinned at Superboy's line in the speech, it was a nice way to say 'we're doing this whether you want us to or not', Red X agreeing whole heartedly with it. Batman turned his glare on her. What is that, his default expression? "What's your say in this?" he demanded.

"Me? I'm all for it… Oh yeah, here's a gift," Red X replied, tossing him the thumb drive she had been using to download Cadmus' information since mastering the art of thievery.

Kid Flash frowned and turned to face her, "who exactly are you?"

"You have terrible memory, the names Red X. I got nabbed by Cadmus about five years ago, escaped, and been a thorn in their side ever since. Heard a rumor that something was going down in this lab, checked it out, and got captured again. Lab I was in burned down a while ago, wonder what happened…" that was a lie, she knew exactly what happened, she was there, she was the cause.

"So… you where an experiment?" Kid Flash asked.

"No duh, I have bio-tech stuff integrated with my body's system, still working out the kinks though," X responded which was true enough.

Batman narrowed his eyes, he looked at Robin, and they had a conversation in 'bat-speak.' If possible Batman's glare grew even more intense, "Your coming with me, come on Robin." The two teen ninjas dutifully followed the Dark Knight home.

Hi people! I'm going to try to post something every two weeks. But No promises! Tell me what you think and as always I don't own anything! Literally I'm a hobo "borrowing" a computer... Not! This would be a stupid thing to use a computer for if I was.

Please Review~