Project KR Part I: Independence Day
Visions flashed through his mind. It wasn't random thoughts or memories but pure knowledge. The myriad of topics was astonishing and seemed to come at an increasing rate of speed. It was nearly overwhelming at times. Then suddenly it stopped. In that moment he became cognizant of a floating sensation. His eyes opened to peer out at the world.
He was floating inside a tank. Being submerged should have been alarming but he was uncannily calm for some reason. Curiously, he spread his fingers wide then balled his hands into fists as he looked around. There were half a dozen people in white lab coats scurrying about. Each one was accompanied by a small grey skinned primate like creature with horns, pointed ears and two long flaps of skin descending from the hinge of their jaws. Their red eyes attentively watched the technicians at work.
A spectacled brown haired man stood in front of him with an air of superiority. Unlike, the others his lab coat was open. A name tag with a photo labeled him as Desmond. The man circled his tube scrutinizing him. Once his back was to him he could see the man had his brown hair pulled back in a pony-tail. The intense examination of his exposed and vulnerable condition was uncomfortable. There was an odd creeping sensation in his gut that made his skin tingle. To alleviate the awkward feeling he returned his gaze to the room ignoring the man.
His attention was drawn to the unusual. His gaze lingered on a masked man dressed in a blue and gold uniform. He carried a gold shield upon his arm. Although the expression upon his face was open and friendly, his stance was poised for immediate action. The thin grey skinned being next to the blue and gold stranger was even more bizarre.
It – No he. He mentally corrected himself. - appeared to be a more human like version of the little horned creatures. Instead of small horns budding from the top of his skull, he had two long horns growing from the front of his elongated forehead that turned up sharply. His narrow facial features combined with the long pointed ears gave him an elf like appearance. Dressed completely in white he wore a short sleeved shirt with a tall round collar that had a three quarter zip. Loose white pants and boots completed an outfit that was reminiscent of the Orient. The flaps of skin hanging from his sideburns were long enough to brush his chest. He stood at ease with his hands grasped behind his back. When their eyes met the sense of calmness he felt increased.
Welcome brother. A comforting voice echoed in his mind.
"That's enough. Put it back under." Desmond commanded.
His keen hearing picked up on the conversations and noise outside of his tank. It? He thought about the term, how the word had been emphasized, the implications and how it applied to him. His shoulders slumped and his heart felt hollow. The hollowness was replaced by a fierce heat was building in his chest. He placed an open palm on the glass his other hand had once again balled into a fist tight enough to make his knuckles white. His arm rose to pull his fist back to smash the glass. I AM not an IT.
No, you most certainly are not an it. Now calm yourself. You are not ready to immerge.
A deep chuckle erupted from Desmond. "Good, very good."
His hands drifted back to his sides as one of the small creatures – They are G-gnomes and our brethren. The voice informed him. – riding upon Desmond's shoulder turned to him. After a moment its horns and eyes glowed then everything went dark.
The next time he awoke it was to the sensation of his tank being drained. Shortly after his feet touched the floor his head surfaced. Water continued to stream out of his nose and mouth. He had to put a hand on the glass to steady himself. To actually stand on his feet felt odd.
There was a crisp pop when the seal of the glass containment center broke startling him. His palm squeaked against the glass as it was lifted up. The cold air prickled his bare wet skin giving him goose bumps. A loud buzzing alarm echoed in the room accompanied by flashing lights and shouting people. All of the commotion and new sensations made it difficult for him to think. His lungs began to burn and he tried to breathe. There was still fluid in his system and he coughed it up between gasps for air as he sank to his knees.
"I thought you turned that off," Tommy Tompkins accused.
"I did," Gabby protested.
"Does it sound like you did?" Scrapper asked sarcastically.
Someone started to pound him on the back between the deep bronchial coughs and gags, helping him to purge the rest of the fluid from his lungs.
"Don't panic. Just try to relax and take controlled breaths." Flip advised trying to calm him down as he continued to thump his back.
"The fluid is oxygenated and conducive to the development of a clone. It is in your lungs and allowed you to breathe without the use of a breathing apparatus. It also provides exceptional nourishment, a rather ingenious creation. " Big Words lectured.
"Man o' man. We're so busted." Gabby said nervously before yacking about something else.
"Hurry up. Let's get out of here." Tommy Tompkins commanded.
"Come on Superboy. We've got to skedaddle before the genomorphs get here." Flip said helping him to his feet.
His head snapped around in surprise. Images of Metropolis, the Daily Planet, heroes and villains flickered through his thoughts. The name weighed heavily on his mind. It invoked a sense purpose (of pride). He stood straight and squared his shoulders. The unused vocal cords produced a rasp when he answered, "I'm Superman."
Gabby laughed, "Maybe in a few more years."
"I thought we beat the programming?" Scrapper said in surprise.
"The agenda specifically stated tomorrow." Big words confidently stated.
"Here, put this on," Gabby said shoving some clothes into his hands.
Now that he was no longer single mindedly hacking up what felt like the entire ocean, he was more aware of his surroundings. He curiously rubbed the smooth red, blue and gold fabric between his fingers, fascinated by the sensation. Slowly he realized what was in his hands and what he wasn't wearing. A feeling of heat crept up the back of his neck and his cheeks felt flushed. He wasn't quite sure why he was relieved to see that his liberators were all boys. Something tugged at his memory about being naked in the presence of others was taboo. He held the clothing closer and turned it about looking for the opening.
Spandex? Kind of looks weird but that's what heroes wear. Where's the cape? I guess it's better than nothing, definitely better than nothing.
He hesitated a moment when he saw there was a bold red S in a field of gold on the chest. The symbol spurred a memory. Superman, he thought as his mind began to subconsciously play out numerous fights against various opponents accompanied by a detached monologue detailing the strengths and weaknesses of the combatants.
A set of snapping fingers in front of his face drew him out of his thoughts.
"You're supposed to wear that. You're not the Flash, y'know." Gabby said impatiently.
After the comment his cheeks and neck got even hotter. He nodded his head with some embarrassment and hurried to get dressed.
"For cryin' out loud, he's not stupid Gabby. The G-gnomes programmed all that stuff in his head. Give him a minute to sort it out." Flip scolded.
"We're going to have to leave through the vents. This place will be crawling with genomorphs." Tommy said as he pushed a table over to the wall under one of the vents. He had the cover off and was struggling to pull himself up into the air duct when the lab door opened.
Six genomorph warriors prowled into the room sniffing out their prey. Their tails flicked in anticipation of the battle. The one in the lead paused to clicking his talons as he surveyed the room.
"Crap, G-elves we're screwed." Gabby shouted.
"We can take them," Scrapper growled picking up a stool and advancing on his foes.
The warrior genomorph in the lead screeched in response to the threatening move. Then they charged across the room in bounding leaps over an around the lab furniture. One of them pounced from a table at Scrapper.
Instinct kicked in and suddenly Superboy was in motion moving so fast he was just a blur of red and blue. He grabbed the attacking G-elf's out stretched arm in mid leap, yanking him away from Scrapper and swung it into one of the other attackers knocking them away from the skirmish. They rolled across the floor in a tangle of limbs overturning all the lab furniture in their path.
Identifying the real threat, a nearby warrior leapt at Superboy. A solid uppercut sent the grey skinned creature straight up through the ceiling. The G-elf's body swung limply from the rafters as the lights flickered and ceiling tiles rained down around them.
The three remaining G-elves paused and turned to face Superboy abandoning their prey. This time they rallied their forces and synchronized an attack. One charged directly at Superboy while the other two semi-circled around to attack from opposite sides and slightly to the rear. In a burst of speed Superboy zipped forward. His left foot stepped forward putting his narrow profile neatly between the outstretched arms of the frontal attacker. There was quite a bit of shoulder behind his fist when he drilled the G-elf in the face, knocking it out cold. The incapacitated foe crashed to Superboy's feet.
A warrior leapt upon Superboy's back and raked him with its rear claws. The other swiped a claw across Superboy's midsection which should have disemboweled him. Superboy's lip curled back in a fierce snarl, losing his temper. His left fist hammered down smashing the G-elf in front of him to the ground. The remaining foe clung to Superboy's back with one foot planted on his thigh and the other on his waist. Its tail whipped about violently as it rode the boy of steel. The creature pulled on Superboy's head to the left and pushed down on his right shoulder. It opened its fanged mouth wide and chomped down on the exposed neck. Superboy reached over his head grabbing the last G-elf and flipped it over his back slamming it down through the subfloor. The Genomorph's tail continued to thrash about. Superboy brought his fist back and hit it again.
Standing up he surveyed the carnage with a sense of wonder and pride. He checked his stomach and patted his neck feeling around for any wounds. Then he held his arms out in front of him quickly looking himself over. There wasn't a single scratch on him. Even more amazingly, his costume was fully intact. There wasn't even a snag. What's this made of?
Soon they were all stealthily crawling through the air ducts in the direction of the elevator shaft. "You're going to rock Metropolis Superboy."
"Shut up Gabby." The other boys hissed before Superboy could correct him.
"I'm Superman," Superboy grumbled.
"Well he is."
"Shhhhhhh."
Up ahead a faint blue glow filled the air duct. He could hear a low pitched hum as well. They crawled forward and he stopped to look into the room. There were rows and rows of small containers attached to circuits. Within the glass jars were large insect looking creatures that produced the blue light.
"Those are G-sprites. They power the underground lair of Cadmus." Big Words whispered. His glasses shined in the dark reflecting the faint blue light.
I was the bug in the glass less than an hour ago. "Do they think or feel?" He asked with a sympathetic shiver.
"No, they are very basic organisms serving one purpose."
"What about the ones I fought? They were able to coordinate attacks."
"The G-elves are a more complex Genomorph. As the warriors they were created to fight and die at the direction of Cadmus. All of the Genomorphs are here to serve a purpose. Some to create energy, some to work and some are nothing more than a weapon."
"Is that what I am, a weapon?"
You are what you choose to be.
Superboy shook his head thinking, there's that voice again.
Big Words watched him in silence for a minute then crawled on down the tunnel without answering.
"Get your butt out of my face!" Gabby exclaimed.
"We're stuck. The vent cover won't budge." Tommy Tompkins called back.
"Let SB through." Scrapper said.
"I'm Superman," he muttered as he crawled by the other boys to the vent cover.
"Try not to drop it," Tommy Tompkins advised.
Superboy nodded his head and gave it a push gradually applying more pressure. It popped open and he managed to grab it before it dropped. He looked over the edge but couldn't see the bottom. He felt a wind around his face then looked up. His head jerked back as the express elevator shot by.
"That was close." Tommy Tompkins said.
"No kidding," he answered rubbing the top of his head with a wry grin.
He looked checked the shaft before sitting down with his legs dangling over the edge. His fingers drummed nervously on the edge as he prepared himself to push off. "Well, here I…"
"Ahem, hem hem." Big Words cleared his throat stopping Superboy from making the leap.
After cleaning his spectacles he began. "That may be a grievous error Superboy. You have not been field tested. The skirmish in the lab with the G-elves revealed super-speed, strength and invulnerability. Although you are the geno-clone of Superman, we do not know the extent of your powers. Furthermore, there is no record of when Superman's powers manifested. Superman was a fully mature Kryptonian when he first appeared in Metropolis. You, however, are merely an adolescent. Noted as post puberty but still maturing approximately sixteen years of age."
Superboy flushed again and rolled his head back onto his shoulders in silent appeal. It seemed like everyone was alarmingly aware of the status of his physical development. Suddenly, jumping seemed to be a much better alternative to this discussion. He pulled his legs up under him into a squatting position.
"As to the nature of your powers, they are derived from a yellow sun. In order to maximize the photosynthetic process your bare body was exposed-"
Superboy groaned and rolled his head forward miserably. I can't take this.
"-to the equivalent solar energy. However, you were conceived in the lab two weeks ago and your cells may not be fully charged."
Unsure of where the lecture was headed, embarrassed and out of patience Superboy leaped into the air.
"True flight may not even be a possibility at this juncture." Big Words finished.
"Big Words sometimes you make me feel like that too. Wanting to find a cliff or something to jump off," Scrapper commented watching Superboy fly up the elevator shaft.
With his hands extended to the sky Superboy flew up the elevator shaft. The sheer exhilaration had his blood pumping and heart racing. His lips pulled back in a brilliant smile. He happily hooted out loud. "I could get used to this!"
"Holy crap he did it!" Gabby shouted excitedly as the Newsboy legion crowded around to watch. "Watcha think of that Big Words?"
There was a sinking feeling in the pit of Superboy's stomach as his ascension began to slow. His smile faltered when he felt gravity wrap around him and pull. "I'm falling. Superman can fly. Why can't I fly?"
"I would say that he has reached the apex of his leap," Big Words commented acerbically.
Superboy began to flail his arms as he began his descent. The wind was soon whistling in his ears as he plummeted past the shocked faces of the Newsboy Legion. They hung over the edge watching Superboy fall.
"Did he hit the bottom?" Flip asked.
"I didn't hear a splat," Gabby replied.
"This isn't a roadrunner cartoon Gabby. He's invulnerable. He could survive that right?" Scrapper asked turning to Big Words.
"I don't know." Big Words answered, the brief reply revealed his concern, as they all turned back to stare down the shaft.
He watched the numbers on the wall fly by as he fell. Superboy's mind barely registered the numbers until he saw forty four next to the startled faces of the Newsboy Legion. After the panic subsided he noticed the elevator cable next to him. He reached out to grab it when he collided with the rapidly rising elevator crashing right through the ceiling to land heavily. There was a deep dent from his impact but the floor held.
"Good thing the ceiling broke my fall," he quipped to himself rubbing his shoulder.
Shaking off the fall Superboy noticed four large hands resting on knuckles next to him. His eyes traveled up the arm noting that his head barely reached their elbows. The sheer size of genomorph was intimidating but he forced himself to continue looking up to meet the red eyes that were peering back down at him. Fangs jutted up from the lower jaw and tusks grew from the monstrous faces. One of them roared a challenge flecking him with spittle.
"I know I'm going to have nightmares about all of this."
The Newsboy Legion heard the crash when Superboy hit. They listened to the elevator as it violently rocked back and forth in the shaft on its way back up. Sparks flew whenever it scraped along the wall. To their surprise the elevator came to a stop just below them. When Superboy jumped up through the whole in the top of the elevator they cheered.
"Come on I caught us a ride." Superboy called motioning them to come down.
They used the ladder to join him. Scrapper looked down into the elevator. His voice was thick with admiration when he said, "G-trolls, SB took down two G-trolls."
Superboy smiled at the praise, pleased that someone was impressed. He was also very thankful that nobody mentioned his spectacular failure to fly.
Once they were in the elevator it felt like they were home free. Superboy and the Newsboy Legion loosened up enough to chatter excitedly. With forty two sub floors to pass before even getting to the regular basement levels they started to talk about Cadmus.
Big Words started to explain as he ticked off on his fingers, "We are all Genomorphs." Seeing Superboy's confusion he clarified, "or more accurately geno-clones. We are geno-clones of the original Newsboy Legion whom now work for Cadmus. You are a geno-clone of Superman. You were created two weeks ago. Your purpose was to replace Superman in the event anything ever happened to him. The G-elves are Genomorphs as are the G-trolls." He said gesturing to the huge beasts Superboy he had battled it out with. "There are two other types you probably haven't seen yet not to mention Dubbilex even the Guardian.
"So what happened?" Superboy asked motioning awkwardly at his body. He had stopped paying attention to Big Words when the topic in the ventilation ducts became uncomfortable. The last thing he remembered was something about being sixteen. It made sense looking around at the others and how young they looked. He knew that he couldn't be much older. Tommy and Flip were just a little shorter while Big Words was actually taller. Their voices weren't changing but they hadn't settled into a deeper adult range either. Gabby's actually cracked occasionally when he got really excited.
Tommy answered. "The worst thing happened Superman died. Without Superman the villains are on a rampage. There is no one strong enough to oppose them. You were still maturing and Desmond hadn't started to program you beyond basic combat. The earliest projection for your release was a week from now and that was just to get you out of the tube. Metropolis needs you now. "
"Now we have a Superboy instead of a Superman," Gabby chimed in.
Superboy glared at Gabby. He was like an annoying kid brother that knew which buttons to push.
When the elevator opened they entered the basement levels. It was quite a contrast to the subterranean levels they had been in. They rushed down the halls looking for the exit. Turning a corner they were met by a small force of G-elves.
"Run!"
Superboy fell to the back to head off their pursuers in the event they got to close. In hectic race to escape they turned down another hall only to find it too was filled with the more Genomorphs. They back tracked to the t-intersection to find that they had been surrounded. The long horned Genomorph in white was at the front.
In desperation Superboy ripped a hole in a wall revealing a storage room. "Get in!"
The Newsboys quickly filed in and immediately worked to find a way out. Gabby, the last one through waited for Superboy to follow. When Superboy didn't come he stuck his head back out with a worried expression.
"I'll hold them off. Get out of here," Superboy said turning to face the enemy.
Gabby felt ill when he looked at the dozens of Genomorphs. "Good luck Superman."
Is this your choice? You cannot win. We will overwhelm you.
Superboy raised his fists and hunkered down for a fight. He had a grave look on his face when he growled, "I will never let you get past me."
The blue and gold garbed man joined Dubbilex nodding proudly at Superboy, "That's exactly what we hoped to hear. Metropolis needs Superman. Metropolis needs you."
Mark Desmond suddenly broke through the ranks of the Genomorphs. There was a hint of hysteria in his voice when he raved, "It isn't going anywhere. My project will be deployed at my direction and nobody else's."
Guardian turned to face Desmond. "Metropolis is in dire need of a protector not a foot soldier. Someone who will follow his heart, to do what is right."
"That is not your choice to make and fortunately I have the means to return Cadmus to order."
Desmond swiftly uncorked a bottle and eagerly drained it. Immediately he curled over in pain clutching his stomach. Bones popped and his flesh began to peel back as he visibly grew. He screamed when his skull thickened snapping his glasses in two. A ripping noise filled the room as he coat split up the back. The growth continued shredding his clothes until little very little remained. Skin clung in various places from shedding his humanity. Blockbuster rose to his full terrible height roaring his challenge.
"The Blockbuster program!" Guardian swore. He started to charge when a red and blue blur shot past him.
Superboy charged in with his shoulder ramming Blockbuster in the chest. The behemoth crashed back into the wall. As the giant pried himself from the crater in the wall Superboy leaped in punching him with a solid right hook swiftly followed by a left hook while still in the air. A counter punch from a fist as big as Superboy's torso sent him spinning out of the air and crashing to the floor.
In a fit of anger Superboy bounced back to his feet and leaped at Blockbuster with both of his fists held high ready to smash his foe. Blockbuster tackled Superboy in midair smashing them both through the concrete ceiling.
On the next level up Blockbuster was the first to recover and dropped a two handed sledge hammer on Superboy. Blockbuster picked up the rattled Superboy by the shoulders and roared in his face. Superboy was startled out of his stupor. He smacked Blockerbuster's hands away only to be grabbed by the leg and hurled across the room.
The two raced across the room to violently collide. Blockbuster's greater size won out. Superboy was knocked back a few steps. Leaving him too far away to get a hit but well within Blockbuster's reach. A solid punch sent him reeling. The monster never let up. Superboy was grabbed by his chest and slammed into a concrete column knocking the wind out of him. Blockbuster held Superboy to the wall and followed up with a punch that put him through it. Superboy rolled with the hit and was struggling to get to his feet when Blockbuster kicked him into the far wall.
Dubbilex levitated himself through the hole in the floor in time to watch Superboy go flying by. For the first time doubt entered his mind. Time was of the essence. We had little choice. If we waited any longer Desmond would have begun to program him as a weapon. To remove him from the influence of Cadmus we freed him. The intent was for him to replace Superman as a symbol of the city. Cadmus would not dare to pursue him. But I fear an adolescent Kryptonian, may not have the power we had hoped for.
The Newsboy Legion soon found the stairs to the next level and ran into the lobby of Cadmus. From behind the pillars they watched Superboy get trounced by Blockbuster.
"Look out," Scrapper hollered right before Blockbuster kicked Superboy across the room.
Hearing the shout Blockbuster turned to the Newsboy Legion. He started towards the boys and was hit in the side of the head with a piece of concrete. He whipped around to face the attacker.
"I'm not done with you yet," Superboy said as he charged forward again.
"Kick his butt Superman!" Gabby shouted as loud as he could making his voice crack.
He had me. The idiot kicked me out of his reach giving me a second chance. He's bigger and stronger. I'm faster.
The two foes gained moment bent on a collision course of titanic proportions. Superboy increased his speed and cocked his fist back telegraphing his intent. Blockbuster matched him move for move. They closed into close combat reach and Blockbuster swung taking advantage of his reach. Superboy took a low flying tackle clipping Blockbuster at the knee sending the giant crashing head first into the floor. Superboy smiled grimly when Blockbuster howled in pain.
Superboy rolled to his feet and darted in with a right hook as Blockbuster was getting up. One good hit led to two. With the injured leg Blockbuster couldn't get his footing. Blow after blow kept Blockbuster off balance. A lucky hit with a glancing blow to Superboy put some distance between them and the tide had turned. Blockbuster pummeled Superboy relentlessly forcing Superboy to disengage. Superboy threw up his arms defensively and rolled with the hit.
Once Superboy was on his feet he started circling Blockbuster forcing him to work the knee injury. He bided his time waiting for an opening.
Just as Blockbuster was preparing to charge Guardian leaped from the third floor. He slammed his gold shield into the back of Blockbuster's head. Serious damage was not inflicted but it was the distraction Superboy needed. Superboy charged in at the injured knee forcing Blockbuster to swiftly lower his guard. Superboy bounded over Blockbuster's arm with a flying upper cut that snapped his head back. The monster staggered back and Superboy dropped to the ground. Blockbuster hobbled back on the injured leg then took one more step before planting his feet solidly. Superboy took advantage of the second awkward back step to deliver a powerful right sidekick to the inside of Blockbuster's leg. There was a loud crack when the leg broke.
In a blind rage Blockbuster lashed out as he toppled to the ground. Superboy was knocked off his feet and sent flying back into a marble column but it was too late for Blockbuster the damage was done. Blockbuster's leg was broken. He was a sitting duck. The monster roared in frustration and pain as he tried to stand.
Superboy wiped blood from his mouth taking his time to get up. He circled Blockbuster once again keeping his distance choosing his targets. Striking viscous blows and getting out before Blockbuster could retaliate. Blow by blow he beat the monster unconscious.
Standing over his fallen foe Superboy looked out the glass front of the lobby. Cadmus was on the outskirts of town over-looking the city. There was a full moon shining down on Metropolis. He could see the earth on top of the Daily Planet amidst the skyline.