A/N: Just wanted to let everyone know that this is my first official story, so comments and constructive criticism is greatly appreciated. I'll be doing my best in uploading weekly but if I feel that a chapter is not yet ready or vice versa, upload time may change. A major thanks to Shepardnick for helping me edit this, I couldn't have done it without you. If you have any questions or perhaps suggestions, feel free to PM me and I'll be happy to respond. But, I've taken up your time long enough, kick back, relax, and enjoy the story!

Central City, Missouri

July 4, 2008

21:00 CDT

Fireworks and cheers filled the night sky all throughout Central City. Today was a day of celebration, to honor our country's declaration of independence years ago. BBQs, family gatherings, and parades were just some of the activities happening all over the US. One teenager however, was spending their holiday quite differently than most. In the Westminster area, the location of the Science and Technology Advanced Research Laboratories, otherwise known as S.T.A.R. Labs, was Aidan Johnson. Sitting alone in his father's office, Aidan had been waiting to celebrate Independence Day with his only family. Since it was a holiday, work was put off by most in order to spend time with friends and family. Unfortunately, the same couldn't be said for his father, the renowned Dr. Henry Johnson.

Aidan had arrived hours earlier, taking a bus from their home in Englewood, to ask his dad about seeing the fireworks and parade that night. That was at 6:00PM, it was 9:00PM now.

"I'll be done work soon." He says. "Just wait in my office, I won't be long."

Who was he kidding! It's been three frickin' hours already and the parade has already started.

The truth was, he wasn't mad about the parade, but rather his father lying to him. Not once throughout the three hours he spent waiting did anyone come up to check on him, his father included. At one point, Aidan considered leaving the facility and going to see the parade himself, but thought better of it.

What would be the point if he's not there with me?

Sighing, Aidan leaned back in the leather office chair and propped his feet up on his father's desk, trying his best to relax. The loud ticking of the clock was the only sound in the otherwise silent room. This wasn't the first time Aidan's father put his work before his only son, far from it in fact, the only difference this time was that he said he would be done. Never before had his father lied to him like now, sure, he's told him "I'm busy." or "I can't right now, son," but when he actually says that they were going to do something, he kept his word.

Now that I think about it, he seemed very nervous when I arrived without saying anything first. Was there someone here important for a meeting or something, maybe one of the Justice League members?

This train of thought made Aidan curious, so he silently made his way toward the door and peeked out. Looking around, he saw no guards in sight and slowly stepped outside the office, silently closing the door behind him. Checking his surrounds, he cautiously made his way further down the hallway, deeper into the facility. The lights from overhead reflected off the pristine tiled floors, his shadow trailing right behind him. He passed door after door, hall after hall, walking through the seemingly endless complex unnoticed. After some time, he came upon an elevator, the words, "AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY." painted across the steel doors.

This looks interesting, I wonder-

Cutting off his train of thought, he heard footsteps coupled with voices coming from the hall behind him. Thinking quickly, he searched for the nearest unlocked door, and hide inside the room. The voices grew louder as they approached, stopping so close to Aidan that he could hear them clearly from the other side of the door.

"I'm just saying Dr. Johnson is overreacting…" A male voice said.

Overreacting? Overreacting about what?

"We've been running the numbers and calculations over and over again. One false reading out of over a hundred others doesn't mean anything." The voice continued.

"He's just being cautious, this is easily one of the most important projects S.T.A.R. Labs has ever developed. There is a lot of pressure on him right now." A female voice explained.

"Yes… Yes I suppose. Um… do you remember the passcode?" The man asked sheepishly.

"Honestly Joshua, how can you forget four simple numbers." The woman scolded.

For a brief moment there was only silence, Aidan assumed the woman was glaring at Joshua and he had just shrugged in response. Or was being fearfully silent, probably the latter.

"Now listen carefully, the code is 3-4-9-4. Don't forget it."

A small beeping noise could be heard just before the metal doors slid open, the two scientists entered and left. At this point, Aidan came out of hiding and stood in front of the elevator. Gazing at the touch screen passcode lock, he recalled the code in his mind and punched the numbers in.

3-4-9-4… Huh, that's… that's the same date when…

Shaking his head, he refocused his thoughts and entered the metal box. It was spacious and completely steel inside, with the exception of the floor and ceiling. Directly to his right, the panel held only one button and another touch screen interface. Pressing the button, the elevator began its descent downward with Aidan waiting patiently inside. It was only moments later that the elevator finally came to a stop, the doors opening to reveal a long hallway, with multiple automatic metal doors. The walls, floor, and ceiling were all metallic as well, completely grey in color. Aidan walked slowly out, making sure to listen for any sign of approaching scientists. After some time, he heard the sound of his father's voice, just a couple rooms ahead of him. Moving quietly toward the corner of the door frame, he peeked around and saw his father with multiple scientists standing in a large room.

"Are all the preparations set for testing?" His father, Dr. Johnson asked.

"Yes, doctor." One of the scientist replied.

"Good… Do one last preliminary diagnostic before we commence the procedure."

Just as he finished speaking, he and the scientists made their way toward the door. Aidan quickly moved to the side and hide around the corner, waiting for them to pass. After they were out of earshot, he entered the room and could now fully see what the scientists had been talking about. Inside of the room stood a large circular object, connected to the floor and ceiling of the room. A winding transparent tube encircled the central cylinder that traveled up into the ceiling, with multiple steel supports attaching it to the object, ceiling, and floor. Various cables descended from the ceiling and joined with the central cylinder and tube.

Wow… I wonder what it does?

While Aidan was distracted the door behind him shut closed just as the metal shutter adjacent to it began to lift up. Moving out of it's line of sight, he could see his father and the rest of the scientists operating at various terminals and such. He couldn't hear what they were saying, the glass seemed to be sound proof, but when he caught sight of the object glowing behind him, he didn't have to think too hard about it.

"Status?" Henry questioned.

The tall, skinny man, clothed in a bleached white lab coat, stood in the center of the control room, overseeing the test. Sweat trickled down his forehead from his combed, grey and black hair. His glasses occasionally sliding off the bridge of his nose, before he pushed them back up over his cerulean eyes.

"All systems green doctor. We are ready to begin the test." One of the scientist answered.

"Excellent, commence the procedure."

All at once the scientists began typing away at their terminals, listing off various readings and relaying information toward each other as they went. From an outsider's point of view, Dr. Johnson was the embodiment of calm, silently watching the men and women in the room work. In reality however, he was a nervous wreck inside. This could easily be one of the greatest scientific achievements ever, the first human nuclear fusion reactor in the world. A lot was riding on his success tonight, he couldn't fail now, not after all the effort put into this project.

I promised you Sarah, your dream will become a reality.

"I'm coming up with alerts on my terminal, doctor." One of the scientist said anxiously.

"Let me see."

"Temperature just spiked, and is steadily rising."

The head scientist just closed his eyes and sighed. Even after everything it was still incomplete, the fusion reactor still needed to be worked on, that meant he would have to wait longer before his wife's lifework would be complete.

Soon… soon.

"Shut it down… Shut it down! I will not lose years of work all in one night, we'll just have to try again."

Just after instructing the scientists to shutdown the reactor there was a loud banging on the glass. Turning toward the sound, Henry's heart stopped as he saw his son… His only son, Aidan… In the same room as the reactor.

No...

"Open the door to the reactor room, open it now!" He demanded.

"We can't, we have to shut the reactor down first-"

"Then shut it down!" The Doctor yelled, cutting the man off.

The scientist pressed a series of keys and buttons at his terminal before complete panic struck his face.

"We can't! The controls aren't responding!" He screamed.

Realization dawned on Dr. Johnson, if the reactor couldn't be shut down, then the energy would keep building, and at this rate the cooling system wouldn't be enough to keep the temperature from rising before...

"Move aside!" He barked while pulling the man out of the chair.

Sliding into the seat, Henry saw it for himself. The core was overheating, the cooling system wasn't enough to handle the amount of energy build up. It was going to explode, and take his son with it.

"Doctor, we have to evacuate. If the reactor explodes it will destroy this whole level and-"

"I'm not leaving my son."

"But Doctor-"

"Did you not hear me?! I am not leaving my son here! Take the rest of the scientists and evacuate to the surface. I will… I will try and shut it down."

The scientist just stared at the man in response before nodding his head. They all gathered up and left the control room in a hurry, activating the alarm to alert everyone else on the underground level to evacuate as well. Once the door slammed shut, Henry gazed intensely into the sky blue eyes of his only son, soaking in his boyish facial features and unkempt sable hair obscuring them; standing there like a young reflection of himself, full of life and energy. His entire form was enveloped by a pulsing red light, the deafening pitch of the alarm muted in the background of the moment. Behind him, the reactor emitted blinding sparks and puffs of wispy smoke, gorging on itself like a starving animal. The doctor was distracted by movement: his son reaching for something, then his pocket began beeping continuously, shaking him from his stupor. The head scientist absentmindedly tapped the green confirmation button on the phone's surface, and slowly rose it to his ear.

"Hey Dad." His voice, no more than a whisper but nearly shattering the man's resolve.

No… I have to be strong… For him...

Swallowing, Henry composed himself before he spoke.

"Hello son."

"We- we missed the fireworks… And the parade…" Aidan continued.

At hearing this, Dr. Johnson could barely hold himself together. He had put off spending Independence Day with his only son for work. What kind of father was he?

"I… I know son… I know… And I'm so, so sorry." He managed to get out.

His son simply smiled and shook his head.

"It's alright… You were busy…" Was his reply.

Despite himself, Doctor Johnson smiled back, trying… Failing to fight back his tears.

"A-Aidan… I promise you… We'll see every fireworks show and parade every chance we get… From here on out." He knew he was lying, but he didn't want to face the truth, he didn't want Aidan to face it.

"Dad…" Aidan said, in a pleading tone.

"And… Every time you're off from school… We'll spend it together…" He continued, unable to look at his son, sobbing between his hollow words.

"Dad…" Aidan tried once again. "Dad… Dad listen to me… I know what's going to happen… And it's okay… I'm going to get to finally see mom again and we'll be waiting for you-"

"Don't say that!" Henry yelled, finally looking at his son. "You'll be fine, we're going to make it. Everything will be alright and-"

"I know you can't shut it down…" Aidan cut him off, now looking at the ground. "If you could… You would have done it by now…"

Dr. Johnson couldn't speak, he just stared at his son. Aidan knew, knew what was going to happen, and it was all his fault.

I did this… Why couldn't I just wait… Why didn't I-

As if reading his thoughts, Aidan spoke.

"It's alright, dad… It's not your fault… But you can still make it out of here…"

He couldn't believe it, his son was trying to get him to leave him here… Alone...

"No… No I'm not leaving you here… Not like this…" Henry had ceased all attempts at being strong, his only son was going to die… and it was all his fault.

"Warning radiation leak detected, please evacuate. Warning radiation leak detected please-"

He paid no attention to the computer, his only focus was his son, that was it. Aidan slumped against the glass, his chest heaving in and out in exhaustedly, his eyes drooping, the phone barely clung in his weakening grasp.

"Just go…" His son whispered, collapsing to the floor, motionless.

"Aidan!" The doctor's hoarse voice shrilled in horror.

Limbs brimming with adrenaline, Henry hoisted up the nearby chair, lifting it over his head and slamming it against the glass repeatedly, grunting in exertion with each strike. He continued this process, increasing the acceleration until his muscles felt as if they were doused in flame, uttering a primal scream every time the blow connected. Eventually, the chair literally split in two, crashing against the glass and toppling onto the desk, bringing with it pens, coffee mugs, piled pieces of paper, and other objects that scattered across the polished floor.

This didn't impede the doctor, as he instantly clutched a computer monitor, ripping it from its wiring and smashing it against the barrier between him and his son. Chunks of it flew across the control room, exposing the circuitry inside it, and he continued until he was holding onto a fragment of blunt machinery. The scientist discarded it swiftly, and instead began punching the glass with every facet of his strength, blow after blow, even after audible cracks resonated from his knuckles. Blood dripped from his flailing limbs as he persisted, barely chipping away the surface of the glass.

He's… right there…

"Warning core meltdown imminent please evacuate. Warning core meltdown imminent please evacuate. Warning core meltdown imminent ple-"

Suddenly, a loud explosion rang out with a flash of white, swallowing the entire underground level. Everything caught at the center of the blast, was completely destroyed, vanishing in the surge of energy.

Flying over Central City, a man, completely encased in silver with glowing yellow eyes was headed directly for S.T.A.R. Labs. He wore a red atomic symbol on his chest with matching gloves and blue boots. This man was known as Captain Atom, one of the newest members of the Justice League and hero of Earth. Tonight, he was on a mission.

"Captain Atom to Watchtower, do you read?" He radioed over his communicator.

"This is Batman, go ahead."

"I'm approaching S.T.A.R. Labs, the building seems intact and I don't detect any radiation yet. I'm going in for a closer look."

"Acknowledged, radio in if you have anything further to report. Batman out."

Earlier, one of the League members reported an alert from the S.T.A.R. Labs facility in Central City, a possible radiation leak was the reason he was called in. But so far, it didn't seem like anything was out of the ordinary, the building wasn't destroyed and there were no signs of radiation. Still, he needed confirmation, so he flew down to investigate. Upon reaching the entrance, he was stopped by security.

"Halt, this facility is under lockdown, state your business or vacate the premises immediately." One of them ordered.

Just as the words left his mouth, an extremely flustered scientist pushed past them before speaking.

" Oh thank goodness you're here, let him through you idiots! He's the one we called for."

All at once the security guards lowered their weapons before the guard spoke.

"Apologies doctor, we should have known. Step aside men, make way." The man ordered.

All of the armed men stood at attention and made a path for Captain Atom and the scientist. While following the doctor, the hero proceeded to ask questions.

"What's the situation doctor?"

"For the last several years, S.T.A.R. Labs in Central City has been working on plans for the creation of a nuclear fusion reactor in secret."

The doctor showed his I.D. to the door before the pair moved inside, then continued to speak.

"Just recently however, those plans had come to fruition. Beneath the facility was a single underground level, only accessible to a select few. It housed the prototype model of the reactor that had been built over the course of a few months. Tonight was going to be the first official test run of the prototype but we ran into… technical difficulties." The doctor explained, putting emphasis on the last two words.

"What kind of technical difficulties are we talking about here?"

"The reactor exploded… most if not all of the underground level was destroyed in the blast but we're not certain. We couldn't risk sending anyone to check because of the possibility of radiation lingering in the area."

"Were there any casualties?"

"Two… Dr. Henry Johnson, the head scientist of the project and his son, Aidan Johnson. The poor boy was only fifteen."

"What do you need me to do?"

At this point they were standing near the elevator that assessed the lower level.

"We need you to see the state in which the underground level is in and remove the radiation from the area. That is all."

"Scout out the area and clear the radiation, roger."

"Good luck Captain and be careful down there."

Stepping into the elevator Captain Atom pressed the button and slowly descended to the bottom. If what the scientist said was true, he wasn't going to find anything but rubble and radiation down there. When the elevator doors opened, he was proven right. Through his unique vision, Atom perceived heavy, buoyant clouds of amber gas, filling every corner of the room, increasingly luminous as radiation levels rose. As he stepped further into the heavily irradiated zone, he realized that the explosion seemed to have taken out some of the supports for underground level. If he was going to clear all of the radiation out, he would have to dig his way through without burying himself in the process.

"This might take awhile."

After spending what felt like hours digging and absorbing radioactive energy into the quantum field, Captain Atom had successfully explored the entirety of the underground floor.

"That seems like all of it, better head back to the elevator… Hold on a minute."

Looking down a hallway he had previously passed, he noticed a glimmering shimmer, albeit faint, of thermal energy and radiation exuding behind a wall.

"I thought I just cleared this area."

Moving toward the energy signature, he carefully cleared away the rocks and rubble with some focused energy blasts. When his path was clear, what he found stopped him dead in his tracks. A boy no older than sixteen was laying limp on the ground, his body smoldering faintly, covered in dark residue. This completely surprised the Captain, no one could have survived that explosion intact, especially right beside the source. Remembering that the boy required medical attention, Captain Atom rushed to his side before gently picking him up.

"Hang on there soldier, I'm getting you out of here."

A/N: And the first chapter ends... There you have it folks and whether you hate it, love it, or something in between please feel free to leave a comment on what you thought. Remember... This is only the beginning. Hope you stick around and have a goodnight. (or morning, it was night when I finished this.)