Summary: AU! Labelled defective and discarded, Superboy along with his overprotective brother Match, tries to find his path as a hero outside of Superman's shadow.

Of Splendid Glory

"Each day we are becoming a creature of splendid glory or one of unthinkable horror."

― C.S. Lewis

Chapter One: Project Match and Superboy

The restaurant Superboy found himself in as dawn broke was a simple Pa and Ma establishment, in between two no name towns that had little to no importance besides being a footnote in his Cadmus education. The few people within it kept glancing at his table from the corner of their eyes when they thought he was looking away.

He instinctively adjusted his clothing as he noticed their gaze. Ill-fitting as the stolen garments were, it was at least better than his solar suit that he had abandoned hours earlier.

He cradled his head in his arms, trying his best to piece the past few hours together as best as he could wondering how this all possibly could have all gone so wrong.

A malfunction had occurred and his pod was opened a few days prematurely. Aware of this, he had gone off to see a superior like he was taught to do in this scenario. His head started to ache as he remembered the next set of events. He managed to find Desmond who promptly exploded when he noticed the super-clone.

"What is it doing out free?! We don't need the thing anymore! Put it back in its pod and prepare for disposal, already. He's obsolete."

The dull ache in his head instantly turned into a sharp stabbing sensation as the words rang in his ears.

Obsolete. He was obsolete? How was that possible?

He had been created for the sole purpose of replacing Superman. He been groomed for that since his brain had formed. He was supposed to be good enough to do that task. What did they mean obsolete? Did they manage to clone something better than Superman in their facility? Did he not live up to the task?

He was so lost in thought that he did not notice the restaurant's only waitress ask if he wanted an order.

"Two coffees and two plates of scrambled eggs," his voice said.

It takes him a moment to realize he wasn't the one who spoke.

Superboy looked across his table to see his doppelganger, talking to and paying the waitress a tip. The money in his hand was stolen from some inattentive person on the way. He had only learned of the boy's existence the previous night. Cadmus had offered absolutely no information on the boy.

The first Super-clone.

Project Match.

His savior.

Fuzzy as his memory was from the shock of the experience. He could still clearly remember Match pulling him free from the G-Goblins who had cornered him and whisking him away from the building while he stunned as he was, was still in the midst of trying to get his bearings.

Match was an older clone; he had explained when they were far enough away from the Cadmus building. The older clone had been named obsolete just like him because of a mutation in his eyes that turned the sclera into an inhuman black which were currently hidden behind a pair of stolen glasses. It was a very shallow reason, Superboy thought to lock someone away and keep on ice. Cadmus could have just given him a pair of contacts that he could remove when he needed to use Heat vision or sunglasses like he was wearing now. It wasn't that big of a problem he thought.

But Cadmus apparently couldn't even bother with that.

According to Match and the date of his creation, he had been put on ice before Superboy had even become a thought. The strange malfunction that opened his pod had apparently spread through the whole building and had defrosted the older clone's pod as well. A power surge or whatever it possibly was had saved both of their lives.

"Eat something," Match said impassively as the waitress placed a plate of eggs in front of both of them. His face completely was unreadable to the younger clone due to his dark tinted glasses. "You'll need your strength."

As soon as they were done with the restaurant and out of eye sight to the nosy customers, Match super sped Superboy into a seedy motel a few miles away from the diner. They pay the owner with the last of their stolen money for a room for the night. The owner who doesn't give them second look hands them a key with a big bold six on the end of it.

"End of the hall," The owner barked, pointing to the hallway on his left.

"Why didn't we just fly?" asked Superboy curiously as soon as the owner was out of earshot. Flight had been the power he was most excited to try in the real world but Match had demanded they stay close to the ground.

"We can't blend in up there," Match explained as though it was obvious, pointing upwards to the sky while they enter the room. "The last thing we need is Superman or Green Lantern to see us in the air. Too many questions."

Superman.

Superboy hadn't thought of his genetic donor even once since his escape. A feeling of warmth started to instantly spread throughout his body. They didn't have Cadmus or its resources anymore. But Superman was still out in the world. They could go to him. They could go-

"That's stupid," Match said interrupting his train of thought as he took a seat on the motel's questionable excuse for a ed. The boy gave him a look that he was aware of what the other boy was thinking and obviously thought he was a idiot for thinking it. "We should be lying low. We should stay as far as we can from that man."

"Why?"

Match gave him a look of incredulity. His opinion of Superboy's intelligence was dropping by the second.

"Would you trust a clone of yourself that appeared out of nowhere?" Match asked plainly.

Superboy paused for a minute before shaking his head. To be honest even though the other boy had saved him, he still wasn't quite sure he trusted Match.

"But he's Superman," Superboy pressed as he sat on the bed beside Match's, turning himself to face the other boy. His education had been very thorough on Superman's kindness and acts of forgiveness. He had managed to befriend many of his former enemies who had terrorized Metropolis at one point or another. Obviously Superman would see that they meant no harm to him…

Match started to rub his temple in frustration. "Do you not get it?! We exist because he's been violated!" Match growled. "We're weapons designed to kill him. We can't hope he'll ever see as anything else."

Match's words hit him a bucket of ice water. The warm sensation he had felt moments earlier disappearing as quickly as it came.

Superman might not trust him.

Superman might hate him.

That possibility stung a lot more than he thought it would.

"We have to assume the worst," Match added before he could make a counterargument. "We got our lucky break already. Can't assume lightning will strike twice. We have to stay away from him, for our own safety. We need to protect ourselves."

Superboy had to admit the other boy had a point. If Superman didn't approve of them, he might just throw them in the phantom zone like his other Kryptonian enemies or one of the many metahuman prisons in the country. Looking firmly at the ground, Superboy reluctantly said, "Okay."

"Good."

With the subject of Superman being put down, a awkward silence fell between the two Cadmus projects. Match took off his sunglasses and placed on the top of the dresser separating the beds, before kicking off his shoes and lying on the bed.

Superboy was about to do the same but there was one nagging thing in the back of his head. He knew there would be no way he could get a second of sleep without it.

"I have one question I have to ask," Superboy said, looking down to lock eyes with the other Kryptonian boy. This had been bothering him since they escaped Cadmus.

Match raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "What is it?"

"Why'd you save me?" he asked. "You could have easily just escaped Cadmus by yourself. You didn't need to drag me along."

The other boy blinked several times with his eerie black eyes, obviously stunned by the question.

"I have to ask are you slow or something?"

He really didn't expect that response.

"Because I thought the answer was obvious."

Superboy shook his head. The other boy had remained silent so far on his objectives so far. He had absolutely no idea what he could possibly be thinking.

"Dumbass, it's because you're my little brother," Match said simply. "Of course I would save you."

The answer had surprised him. The other boy had come as a complete shock to him and Match had accepted him the moment he saw him. The warm feeling he had earlier reappeared with a burning vengeance as he felt a rush of affection for the other boy.

Match's coughed loudly and turned away, his cheeks now slightly pinker than they were moments before his declaration. "Whatever, just go to bed," he said before he turned off the lights.

And Superboy fell asleep as soon as he hit the pillow.

End Chapter

Not enough fics use Match. So I decided to give it a try.

This is a Cassie/Conner story. I wanted to try a romance and she will appear in the next chapter or two. Young Justice has such a large cast so I'm going to play around with my favorites. Next chapter, the boys go to Gateway City and the divergences will be clearer.

Will update My Father's son pretty soon.