Welcome back, my fans!

Continuing from where we left off last time, Michael, Robin, Kid Flash and Aqualad have infiltrated Cadmus to find out the secrets behind the lab. So far, they've discovered a veritable army being bred, a superhero being mind controlled, A SHIT TON OF SUBTERRANEAN FLOORS, and three superheroes being experimented on that were not previously in the realm of Young Justice. And to top things off, the others are in trouble.

How will things play out?...you already have a pretty good idea, but just humor me.

Also, as you may have noticed, I'm basing the appearances of Starfire and Cyborg (as well as their voice actors) from the versions of themselves from Injustice 2, and Raven's appearance from her New Earth comics appearance, and her voice actress from DC Universe Online. BioshockerN7 had a hand in helping me decide to go with this, so I'm giving credit to him.

One last thing, before continuing onward: I will be paying homage to RebukeX7 in this chapter. If you can spot it, you get a virtual cookie.

Anyway, here's the disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN YOUNG JUSTICE, OR ANY CHARACTERS FROM DC COMICS, IN ANY WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM. THOSE CHARACTERS BELONG TO THEIR RIGHTFUL OWNERS.

Now then, enjoy the show...


Voice Cast (including how I envision certain characters being voiced):

MAIN:

Michael Verser = Yuri Lowenthal (A/N: Think the voice of Peter Parker/Spider-Man from the 2018 "Spider-Man" video game.)

Rachel Roth/Raven = Taissa Farmiga (A/N: Think how she sounds in the DC Animated Movie Universe)

Koriand'r/Starfire = Kari Wahlgren (A/N: Think how she sounds in the DC Animated Movie Universe)

Victor Stone/Cyborg = Shemar Moore (A/N: Think how he sounds in the DC Animated Movie Universe)

Kaldur'ahm/Aqualad = Khary Payton

Richard "Dick" Grayson/Robin = Jesse McCartney

Wally West/Kid Flash = Jason Spisaks

Conner Kent/Superboy = Nolan North

M'gann M'orzz/Megan Morse/Miss Martian = Danica McKellar

Donna Troy/Wonder Girl = Emma Stone

RECURRING:

Akima/Lambda = Lindsay Jones (A/N: Think her actual voice)

"Timeshifter" = Christopher Daniel Barnes (A/N: Think the voice of Spider-Man Noir from "Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions")

Duncan Verser = Josh Keaton (A/N: Think the voice of Peter Parker/Spider-Man from "The Spectacular Spider-Man")

Bruce Wayne/Batman = Bruce Greenwood

"Man in Black" = Sam Witwer (A/N: Think the voice of Lord Starkiller from the bad ending of "Star Wars: The Force Unleashed")

GUEST:

Dubbilex = Phil LaMarr

Jim Harper/Guardian = Crispin Freeman

Desmond Miles/Blockbuster = Mark Rolston


BGMs:

Before My Body is Dry - Kill la Kill (Cover by Sapphire ft. NoneLikeJoshua & Y. Chang) (YouTube it)

The Avengers - Alan Silverstri

Snake Eater - Metal Gear Solid 3 Guitar Cover (Feat. Adriana Figueroa) | FamilyJules


Michael's POV:


Out of all the things I could've discovered down here in Cadmus' basement...this was the very last. Starfire, Raven, and Cyborg. I didn't know what Cadmus wanted with them, but I sure as Hell didn't want to find out. But another major thought on my mind was...

'...WHY THE HELL DO THEY LOOK JUST LIKE THEIR VERSIONS FROM THE UNIVERSE DEX AND I INHABIT?!'

/I honestly have NO IDEA,/ Akima intoned in my head. /And that is an excellent question to ask for another day. But we honestly have WAY more important things to worry about right now./

Snapping out of my trance, I said "Right! Akima, I want these pods open yesterday!"

My pink-colored A.I./girlfriend's hologram appeared, nodding solemnly as she said "/Say no more. Just be ready. Their vitals show no signs of alteration, but I have no idea what they'll do once they get out./"

I nodded, preparing myself for whatever happened. The pods let out hisses of air, then slowly opened up.

The first one to awaken was Starfire. Her eyes fluttered open, showing her eyes- emerald green sclera with glowing, light green irises- which were practically filled with innocence and light. Said eyes then focused on me as I held my hands up in a non-threatening manner (all while slyly readying Equinox for combat). Taking my gesture as a sign of peace- as well as correctly guessing I wasn't with Project Cadmus- she relaxed a bit, and seemed to study me a bit. I don't know what it was, but there was some kind of look in her eyes as she saw me. "Uh...I come in peace?" I said with a chuckle.

She then went on to say...something to me.

Whatever it was, I could tell it was in the form of a question. "Uh, sorry. I can't understand what you're saying." Which, in itself, was rather weird, as Multiversers are supposed to be capable to understand any and all languages. ESPECIALLY considering I already knew Tamaranean.

Though I later found out that that was Duncan's doing.

Asshole.

She then smiled a bit beckoned me over, which I obliged. "What is i- MMPH?!"

Those last words were instantly cut off as she took hold of my head, removed my mask and leaned down. Her lips collided with mine, making my eyes widen and body tense in shock while her eyes closed and relaxed. Her lips were soft, but her kiss seemed much more...well, it was rather strong. And a bit passionate. However, I kinda accidentally let myself get lost in the kiss, and was left confused when it broke apart.

'...I will never get over how that feels.'

"Thank you," she said with a smile. "Tell me, are you a friend?"

After my brain caught up with my body- and silently cursing myself for forgetting about how her species picks up languages- I pulled up my hood in order to hide my atomic blush as I answered "Uh, a friend. Definitely a friend." Straightening myself out, I bowed as I introduced myself. "Michael Verser, at your service. Though when I'm in uniform, I'm known as Atlas."

Smiling brightly, she said "Again, I thank you for freeing me. I am Koriand'r, of Tamaran. My people are able to learn other languages through the act of kissing," she explained.

"...Useful," I noted in a bit of a daze, before snapping out of it a bit. "A-Anyway, uh, pleasure to meet you, Kori." As she smiled a bit at the familiarity I showed her, I continued "Come on, let's get the others out of here."

The two of us then opened the other pods, as I got Raven while Kori got Cyborg. Dazed, Raven stumbled out of her pod as I caught her, which caused her to focus her indigo eyes on me. "Who are you?" she asked, her voice containing a bit of ice in it as she focused her sight on me.

"Michael Verser, a.k.a. Atlas," I replied, taking off my hood to show my face. "And you are?"

Merely nodding a bit and giving a slight (VERY slight) smile, she said "I'm Raven. Though my civilian identity/pseudonym is Rachel Roth."

Rubbing his head after finally coming to, Cyborg was helped out of the pod by Kory as he asked "How did I even get here? One minute I was heading back in S.T.A.R. Labs to talk with dad about an upgrade; the next, I'm in a lab straight out of a science fiction movie."

"Wherever we are, there better be a damn good reason as to why we're here," Raven said as she turned to face me. Which caused the others to face me, looking for answers.

Well, that's one way to take the floor to speak. "Right. First things first. I'm Michael Verser, also known as Atlas. The tall orange beauty is Koriand'r, or Kori; and the cutely mysterious girl in dark is Raven. You are?" I asked, somewhat noticing the smile and blush on Kori's and Raven's faces (respectively). And inwardly cursing myself, being too used to saying stuff like that with their counterparts.

Extending his hand, I shook it as he replied "Victor Stone. Though people at S.T.A.R. Labs have started to call me 'Cyborg'...three guesses why," he finished dryly.

Nodding with a chuckle, I said "Alright then, Kori, Vic, Raven. Here's the deal: you three were kidnapped by a science group named Project Cadmus. They were apparently planning on augmenting all of you with alien tech in order to turn you into obedient slaves. Fortunately, I managed to find you and break you out before the guy in charge could try anything."

Kori's eyes were glowing green as I finished. "How dare..." she growled. "When I get my hands on whoever's responsible..."

"Get in line," Raven said, dark energy swirling around her.

Victor took a slight step back. "I want some payback too, but are you sure they're gonna be okay?" he asked me.

"I don't see why not," I replied. "Besides, you need to find an outlet to vent your frustrations on. Otherwise, those feelings bottle up, and you could snap at the worst possible time." He simply stared at me. "Trust me, better to have pissed off women with you than against you," I said.

"...Fair enough."

Suddenly, alarms started to blare as the room was flashing with red light. "Oh, that cannot be good," I said to myself. Suddenly, the emergency beacons I gave the others went off, causing me to groan in annoyance. "Yep. Definitely not good."


Chapter 2: Today's the Day (Part 2)


Third Person's POV:


Washington DC, A few minutes ago...


As Michael made his way down one hallway, Robin, Kaldur and Wally went down the other. After managing to get past Dubbilex, they ran like bats out of Hell toward the room holding Project Kr. They eventually came to the entrance to the project just as the door was beginning to close, crashing into the scientist walking out on the way.

Placing a container in the way of the closing door, Wally managed to hold it open long enough for the three of them to get through before Kaldur kicked the container out. Hearing the G-Elves on the other side growling and scratching at the door, Robin hacked into the door's systems and activated the lock. "There," he said. "I've disabled the door. We're safe."

"We're trapped," Kaldur clarified.

"Uh, guys?" Wally called out. "You'll wanna see this." He then activated the system's lights, revealing what Project Kr was: a person who greatly resembled a younger Superman, wearing a white skin-tight suit with the symbol of the House of El plastered on the chest. Above him were three G-Gnomes, who were feeding information into his head while he slept, trying to turn him into a soldier- a weapon- for The Light to use for their agenda.

"...Ah, crap baskets," Robin muttered.

"Big K, little R," Wally said as he got a closer look at the subject in the pod. "The atomic symbol for Krypton. Clone?"

Looking at Robin, Kaldur said "Robin, hack."

The Boy Wonder immediately got to work, hacking into the terminal to find out what he could about the person in the pod. "Weapon designation: Superboy. A clone force grown in...sixteen weeks?! From DNA acquired by Superman!"

"Stolen from Superman," Kaldur corrected.

"No way the big guy knows about this," Wally added.

"Solar suit allows him to absorb yellow sun radiation 24/7."

"And these...things?" Kaldur asked, pointing at the G-Gnomes.

"Genomorpic Gnomes," Robin answered. "Telepathic. Force feeding him an education."

"Along with who knows what else," Wally said. "They're making a slave out of, well, Superman's son."

Kaldur looked at Superboy, saying "We have to tell the League about this."

"Well we can't leave him like this," Robin said, unaware of the G-Gnome's glowing horns.

Taking a moment to think, Kaldur said "Set him free." Getting to work immediately, Robin had the pod opened in less than a minute. Immediately afterwards, Superboy's eyes opened, then he charged forward and tackled Kaldur to the ground. He started punching him left and right before Robin and Wally tried to hold his arms back.

"Whoa!" Wally exclaimed. "Hold on, Supey!"

"We're on your side!" Robin's attempt to reason fell on deaf ears, as Superboy flung Wally into the glass tube behind him. "I don't want to do this," Robin said as he hit Superboy with a gas pellet, "but you're not leaving me much of a choice." Kaldur then used both legs to kick Superboy away, allowing Robin to hit him with a taser. It proved ineffective, however, as he pulled the Boy Wonder over to him and flung him to the ground, placing his foot over his chest.

Kaldur ran forward, Water-Bearer in hand, shaping it into a giant hammer as he screamed "ENOUGH!" He hit Superboy hard, slamming him into the gurney that held him. Robin fell unconscious immediately afterwards, just as Superboy got back up and went over to them. "We are trying to help you!" Kaldur attempted to reason. The influence of the G-Gnomes were too strong, however, and the fight resumed. After a brief scuffle, Superboy slammed Kaldur into the ceiling a few times, bringing the Atlantean hero into unconsciousness. Before allowing the darkness to overtake his consciousness, Kaldur managed to activate his distress beacon, hoping I would be able to get there in time.

Superboy raised his fists, ready to deliver the final blow when suddenly, the world around him seemed to slow down.

Then a yellow beam of light flew past him into the G-Gnomes in his pod, killing them. His eyes then gained clarity, as if a light bulb had just turned on in his mind. "/Okay, now that you can think.../" he heard a distorted voice say as he turned around. Behind him was a man in a silver futuristic armor, wearing a black and red coat with a hood covering his face, leaving only two glowing yellow eyes staring at him.

"Who are you?" Superboy asked, unsure of who...or what...this being was.

"/A friend of a friend,/" the man replied, his voice holding a sort of New York accent even through the vocal distortion. "/And a friend of you. I'm known by many names, but you can call me...the Timeshifter. You don't know me, but I know you. You are Superboy, a clone of Superman made by Cadmus to replace the Man of Steel, should he perish or turn from the light. But that's what they want you to think. What you were really made for is to kill Superman, but those guys,/" he said as he pointed to the heroes Superboy had beaten, "/weren't going to let you suffer that fate. And you attacked them for it. You have images of stuff in your head, right? But have you seen them?/" Shadow asked. Superboy was silent. He never saw the images in real life.

"No, I haven't," he said.

"/These guys can help you see them. Meet Superman even. Though he'll probably try to stay away from you. If he does, I recommend you deck him. Hard. But either way, I'm offering you a choice,/" Timeshifter said as he held out his hands, which were closed.

"What choice?" the clone asked.

"/Take the blue pill, I disappear. You can believe this conversation never happened, and you carry on your orders," he said, opening his left hand to show a blue pill. He then opened his other hand to show a red pill. "Take the red pill, and Cadmus' control is wiped. You'll be immune to the G-Gnomes influence, and will be able to think for yourself. You'll be able to become a hero like them, and I'll show you how fucked up Cadmus really is,/" he continued.

Superboy stared at the pills, thinking. His existence was a lie. He was only created to be a weapon. That thought made him angry, furious even. Learning the truth, he now only wanted one thing: to be free like everyone else. However, he didn't know if the world accept him.

'Only one way to find out,' he thought. He reached his hand out and took the red pill, put it in his mouth and swallowed it.

Timeshifter nodded in approval. "/Alright. When those doors open, do not attack the ones outside. They're with the guys you wiped the floor with. We'll meet again soon. Also, do me a favor,/" he said as orange sparks started to surround him.

"What is it?" Superboy asked.

"/Tell Atlas that Adam said 'hi'./" A bright light flashed, and when it cleared, the Timeshifter was gone.

Suddenly, Superboy heard grunts and blasts of energy hitting multiple people. After a few moments, it stopped. A ghostly figure then walked through the solid metal doors. That figure being Michael Verser.


Michael's POV:


"Huh," I said as I surveyed the damage. Turning my attention to the young clone, I asked "So, do we have to fight now?"

Shaking his head, Superboy said "No. I'm done taking orders from Cadmus. All I want now is what you and these people have: freedom."

Relief surged through me like a tidal wave. I wasn't sure then how Superboy got free of Cadmus' control, but I wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. "You have no idea how glad I am to hear that," I said as I opened the door on this end. Kori, Raven, and Victor came running in, surprised to see a younger Superman before them. At the same time, I woke the others up, bringing them up to speed (as well as slapping Wally upside the head- hard- for ogling/trying to hit on Kory and Rachel).

Sensing everyone's confusion, Superboy said "I'm the Superboy, a Genomorph, a clone of the Superman. I was created to replace him should he die in battle. Destroy him if he should ever turn from the light...or at least, that's what I was lead to believe."

"So you're like us," Raven said with understanding. "A person these people wanted to use as a weapon."

Superboy looked down at that, still reeling from the depression of his true purpose. "To aspire to be like Superman is a worthy goal," Kaldur said, placing a hand on Superboy's shoulder. "But like Superman, you deserve a life of your own."

"Cadmus won't give you that chance if you stay here," I continued. "But once we get you out of here, we'll give you that chance. A chance to see the sky, the sun..."

"Pretty sure it's past midnight," Wally interrupted. "So, we could show you the Moon."

"You'll be able to live your own life, far away from these ass-clowns. You can still be a real hero...and if you give us the chance, we can even be friends. What do you say?" I asked, holding my hand out. He hesitated for a moment, but then gave a small, genuine smile as he clasped my hand. "Okay then. Let's blow this Popsicle stand, boys and girls."

As we left, Robin muttered "Seriously, how is he not whelmed by this situation?"

"'Whelmed'?" Victor asked in confusion.

I sighed. "Don't ask,please."

"Seriously, what is it with you and this whelmed thing?" Wally asked.

By that time, however, Desmond decided to be a total dick and activate every Genomorph in Cadmus. "Son of a...Starfire, Aqualad, Raven, Superboy, you five are with me. Take out any Genomorph that gets too close to us. Robin, Cyborg, hack the terminal. See if you can slow down any Genomorphs heading this way. Kid Flash, scout ahead. Try to find the elevator shaft. We're getting out of this place, and no one's stopping us!"

With that, I started hitting G-Trolls with Equinox as Wally zoomed forward, knocking out G-Elves along the way. The gauntlets were set to concuss, so it only took about three hits per Troll before they fell. Kory was throwing bright pink star bolts left and right, hitting G-Elves as they climbed the walls. Raven bound the ones Kory missed to the wall, while Superboy and Kaldur were hitting the G-Trolls coming from behind.

Before more could join, the doors shut themselves, sealing the rest away from us. Victor and Robin high-fived each other, then followed us as we ran forward.

Eventually, we came to the elevator shaft and forced it open. Robin used his grappling hook and zoomed upwards, while Raven carried Wally up with her, Victor flew up with his rockets, Kory carried me with her, and Superboy grabbed Kaldur as he leaped up the shaft. Unfortunately, he eventually came to a stop in midair before beginning to descend.

Confusion and shock evident on his face, Superboy uttered "I'm falling?"

Thankfully, Raven managed to grab the two, bringing them up with us as we reached our destination. "You okay?" she asked.

"Superman can fly," Superboy said with sadness in his voice. "Why can't I fly?"

"Don't know," Wally answered, "but you can still leap tall buildings in a single bound. That's pretty cool."

"Does he ever shut up?" the half-human, half-machine hero asked.

"Nope/Not really," I answered alongside Robin.

"I hate to interrupt," Kori said as she looked up, the elevator coming down towards us, "but this will have to be where we get out." After prying open the doors, we got out just in time as the elevator passed us by. Our reprieve was short-lived, however, as we had to start running again from the G-Elves.

Superboy's head went up as Dubbilex sent him telepathic directions. "Go left! Left!" After running down the hallway to our left, he yelled "Right!" That led us to a dead end. At least, it would've been if I hadn't pointed out the vent.

"Two problems, though," Victor said as he gestured to himself. "I'm too big to fit through, and it'll take too long for everyone to crawl!"

"Not for long," I said. Confused, everyone suddenly shrunk down to fit in the palm of my hand. Smirking, I said "Now you guys can fit."

Glaring at me, Vic growled out (in a slightly squeaky voice that made me struggle not to laugh) "Not one word." Nodding, I placed them in my pocket and started crawling through the ducts. After evading the G-Elves (thanks to Robin hacking the motion sensors, to which everyone gave him props for), I grew everyone back to normal size and gestured to keep moving. We ran up the stairwell, destroying the stairs behind us to prevent anyone from following us up.

Our luck ran out as we reached Sub-Level 1, as the doors closed tight. Wally slammed into said doors before he could slow down, causing him to tumble back into our direction. Heading down a hallway to our right, the nine of us ran into a whole mess of Genomorphs, with Guardian at the lead. With Genomorphs behind us, we were trapped.

"The demonic Fu Manchu!" I exclaimed. "Oh, thank God! I thought I was going crazy!" (A/N: Props to DCAbridgedUniverse for the joke)

"The fact that there even is one really isn't a good thing," Robin muttered.

Before we could do anything, Dubbilex came forth and spoke to us telepathically. 'You allowed our brother the chance of freedom,' he "said" to us. 'For that, I thank you.'

"Ooookay, is anyone else hearing the voice in their heads?" Wally asked nervously.

'It was you,' Superboy thought in shock.

'Yes, brother. I set the fire and lured your new friends here down into Cadmus. I was also the one who attached the links to Cyborg, Starfire and Raven to the file for Project Kr,' he thought as he looked at me.

'And guided me,' Superboy thought. 'Why?'

'Because you are our only hope,' Dubbilex answered. 'The Genomorph human. You can blaze the trail for all our brothers, showing us the way to freedom.'

"Bridge between both worlds," I summed up. "Makes sense, I guess."

'What is your choice, brother?'

With determination, Superboy stated "I. Choose. Freedom."

With a nod, the Genomorphs stood down, and Guardian was released from his control. Understanding what happened, Guardian said "Go. I'll deal with Desmond."

"I think not," said the mad doctor from behind the Genomorphs. Holding up a vial holding a glowing blue liquid, he continued "Project Blockbuster will give me the power to restore order to Cadmus."

"Yeah, whatever," I waved off in a non-caring way. "I'll let you drink that if you want, and then we can start kicking your ass. But before you go all Mr. Hyde, I just want to say something first."

"Oh?" Desmond asked with amusement. "And what would that be?"

I gave a trolling smirk that Duncan would've been proud of. "The Game."

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

(Play "Before My Body is Dry - Kill la Kill (Cover by Sapphire ft. NoneLikeJoshua & Y. Chang)")

Everyone stood there, processing what I just said (those who understood smiled widely, and those not knowing The Game being unable to comprehend what I had just said). With a furious scowl and clenched teeth, Desmond growled "I'm going to enjoy killing you far more than I should." He then drank every last drop of the liquid, then began his transformation.

"You just had to piss off the scientist with the weird liquid, didn't you?" Wally asked sarcastically.

"Eh, I always wanted to say that," I waved off. "Joking aside, we should all start running now. Preferably while screaming at the top of our lungs."

"Agreed," Robin nodded.

Superboy, however, had other plans. He leaped toward Desmond- or Blockbuster, as he'd be remembered as from now on- and started punching with all his might. After delivering some punches of his own, Blockbuster rammed into Superboy, crashing through the ceiling and towards the ground floor.

*CRASH!*

"Damn!" Wally cried as we all avoided the rubble. Looking up at the hole in the ceiling, the young speedster asked "You guys think labcoat planned that?"

"Something tells me that he isn't planning anything anymore," Kori replied.

"Doesn't matter if it was planned or not, we have an ass to kick!" I cried out. We all leaped up through the hole (some flew up with assistance from others), just as Blockbuster threw Superboy right at us. Victor managed to catch him, skidding backwards a bit from the impact. Soon, we were staring each other down, readying ourselves for the final stretch. "Kid Flash, rush him! Supes, Starfire, Aqualad, knock him down!"

Wally zoomed right underneath Blockbuster, kneeling right behind his legs as Superboy, Kori and Kaldur delivered a triple punch to his face as I fired an assisting concussive shot. The impact cause Blockbuster to trip backwards over Wally, crashing to the ground. "Learned that one in Kindergarten," Wally said with some pride.

Superboy started attacking Blockbuster again, but was soon being pummeled into a pillar. Fortunately, Kaldur and Raven restrained his arm from another punch, pulling themselves in as they delivered a double kick to his face. With a roar, Blockbuster grabbed both of them and flung them to the ground, before throwing Superboy into another pillar. "Any ideas?" Superboy groaned.

"Just one: BUM RUSH THE BITCH!" I cried out. And everyone promptly did.

Wally sped towards the monster to try an attack, but was swatted away like a bug. This, however, was a distraction for me to hit him up close with Brave Equinox. He grabbed both my hands with the intent to crush them, but I simply flicked my wrists, causing him to release me in pain. I then revealed the cause of his pain: jutting from the front of each gauntlet was a single blade about 7 inches long, stainless steel in color. "Those things have blades?!" Robin exclaimed.

"Hidden blades," I specified. "For close quarter combat that's too close for comfort." Unfortunately, my talking distracted me long enough for Blockbuster to slam me into Cyborg, causing us to destroy one of the pillars. Which led to a lot of pain on my end.

Oh, so much pain.

Noticing the pillars, Robin started planning. If we could destroy the pillars, the whole place would come down on Blockbuster. After explaining the plan to Wally, the young speedster rushed toward Blockbuster and ripped the remaining skin off his face. "Ha! Got your nose!" he taunted. This enraged the beast long enough for Victor, Kory and I to start working on the other pillars, while the others tricked Blockbuster into breaking the rest.

We then lead Blockbuster into the middle of the room, where Robin drew a large "X" with chalk. Drenching the area with water, Kaldur stepped back as Superboy and Victor knocked the brute into location. Before the former doctor could move out of the way, the Atlantean electrocuted Blockbuster, stunning him long enough for us to huddle together as Robin's explosive batarangs blew up the rest of the pillars and the joints at the ceiling.

*BOOM!*

*BOOM!*

*B-B-BOOM!*

With the whole building about to crumble, Raven yelled out "Stay close, everyone! Azarath, Metrion, ZINTHOS!" With those words, she created a shield made of pure energy, protecting us from the rubble.

(End "Before My Body is Dry - Kill la Kill (Cover by Sapphire ft. NoneLikeJoshua & Y. Chang)")


After making certain that we were safe enough, Raven gathered the energy in one direction and pushed it forward, clearing a path outside. We exited the rubble, breathing heavily as we did so. "X'Hal," Kory exclaimed. "We...we won."

"Was there ever...any doubt?" Robin asked, giving a high five to Wally. And leaving the two cringing in pain.

"Okay, I'm only gonna say this once," Victor stated. Smirking, he said "Booyah."

I couldn't help but laugh at that. "Please don't let that be a one-time thing."

"No promises," he shrugged.

Superboy simply looked up, presented with a view of a clear, starry sky. Hanging overhead was a beautiful full moon. "See? The moon," I pointed out to Superboy. All he could do was smile, happy to finally be outside.

To finally be free.

And then a figure flew into focus, a billowing red cape behind him as he stopped in front of us. The large red "S" on his chest was a dead giveaway to who it was. "Oh, and Superman," Wally exclaimed. "Do we keep our promises or what?"

Immediately afterwards, the rest of the Justice League arrived, surrounding us as they landed. "Hey, Atlas!" Duncan called out as he landed. "You do all of this?"

Shrugging, I gestured to my new friends and said "I had some help." This earned me a thumbs up from Duncan. This, in turn, caused many of the League to face-palm at their teammate, wondering how he managed to get into the League with his attitude.

Superboy walked up to the front of us, showing his symbol to the League. "Everyone," I began, taking note of the League's intrigued expressions, "meet Superboy. The clone of Superman."

And cue surprised looks.

Walking up to us, Batman simply said "Start talking."


A bit later...


While the League discussed tonight's events as Blockbuster was hauled away, I was talking with Vic, Kori, and Rachel. "Well, it was great meeting you guys," I said truthfully. "Not every day I get to rescue fellow heroes from imprisonment. Especially ones like you four."

"The feeling's mutual, Michael," Kori said with a warm, infectious smile. "Though I hope it's not the last time we work together."

"I'm with her on this," Victor agreed, nodding in approval. "Besides, there's still the fact that you saved us from a fate way worse than death. That's something I feel pretty much obligated to repay."

"So if you don't mind," Raven continued, though was slightly nervous about what she said next, "we were...wondering if we could join up with you?"

That, in all honesty, was not something I was expecting. "You sure about that?" I asked.

With a peck on the cheek (which honestly surprised me, and made me blush a bit) Kori answered "Absolutely."

"You bet," Victor replied.

Raven simply shrugged, saying "I don't really have anything better to do. Besides, some small part of me kind of wants to see what kind of trouble you'll get into next."

Chuckling, I smiled and said "Well then, once we're done here, we can talk to the others and see if they want to join up."

"I think that's what they're planning on," my bionic companion said, pointing at Superboy and Superman. "First, though, we ought to see how they're doing."

Heading over to the others, we arrived as Superman said "We'll uh...we'll figure something out for you. I promise." This earned a small smile from Superboy, along with an approving nod and smile from me. I guess all those talks we had over the years really got through to him. Superman then flew off, saying he needed to take care of something, though promised he'd try to come see Superboy later on.

"Oh, I almost forgot," Superboy said in realization. "Someone named Timeshifter wanted me to give you a message. He told me to tell you that 'Adam said hi.'"

My eyes widened, suddenly understanding how Superboy broke free of the G-Gnomes so easily. Chuckling, I asked "Is that so? Well, if you ever see him again, tell him I said 'thanks for the help. You and Duncan still owe me for Guatemala, though.'" That last part was growled out.

"Okay, seriously," Wally began. "What the Hell happened in Guatemala?!"

I shook my head. "The less you know, the better."

"Agreed," Batman said as he, Flash, Duncan and Orin walked over to us. "That aside, Cadmus will be investigated. All fifty-two levels. But let's make one thing clear-"

"You should have called!" Flash interrupted.

"You kidding?!" I exclaimed. "I was trying to get a signal ever since we got underground! That place was jamming our comms from the outside world!"

"Be that as it may," Batman continued, "end results aside, we are not happy. You hacked Justice League systems, disobeyed direct orders, and endangered lives. You will not be doing this again."

"I would like to see you try," Kory stated, eyes glowing with anger at being spoken to like a child.

"I'm sorry," Kaldur said, "but I agree with Starfire. We will be doing this again."

"Aqualad, stand down," Orin ordered.

Kaldur, however, wasn't having it. "Apologies, my king. But no. We did good work here tonight, the work you trained us to do. Together, on our own, we forged something powerful. Important."

"If this is about your treatment at the Hall," Flash began, "the four of you-"

"The eight of us," I corrected.

"And it's not," Wally said, standing by our sides.

"Batman, we're ready to use what you taught us," Robin said. "Otherwise, why teach us at all?"

"Whatever happens, I'm with them," Vic added.

"As am I," Kori stated, standing next to her half-machine friend.

"Same here," Raven said as she stood up with the rest of us.

"Why let them tell us what to do?" Superboy asked with conviction. "It's simple: get on board, or get out of the way."

'And that's why Superboy is one of my Top 5 favorite characters from the show.'

Just like that, the eight of us stood together, united as a team. On that day, the team that would come to be known to its enemies as Young Justice was born.

"So," Duncan said, looking at a contemplative Batman. "What's it gonna be, Bats?"


An Hour Later...


In the end, the League told us to meet them at Happy Harbor in three days time. Until then, we all went our separate ways with our respective mentors. Well, except for Kori, Victor and Raven. Luckily for them, Duncan and I offered to let them room with us until then, as we had plenty of room to spare.

So an hour later, they were fully settled into a penthouse that Duncan and I rented for the week. Whistling, Victor said "Swanky place."

"You live here?"

"Not really," Duncan replied to the Tamaranean. "Mikey and I just rented the place while visiting DC. We're keeping our real home away from prying eyes until we get some personal business straightened out." I thanked every deity I could think of that he didn't notice me nervously twitch as he said that. If he found out I brought Tula to our place last night, and had a romp in one of his personal rooms...

I didn't even want to think about it.

"So what are we going to do in the meantime?" Raven inquired once Duncan left us to our own devices.

"Relax, for starters," I said, stretching my arms out to loosen up. "I've heard that being held prisoner by a morally questionable person can be stressful for a person." The others either chuckled or rolled their eyes at the quip. "Other than that: train, have fun, whatever floats your boat."

"But...we don't have any boats," Kori pointed out in confusion.

...Right. Alien princess on a different planet. "It's a figure of speech," I explained. "Guess I know one thing I'll be doing during this down time..."

'One day down...a few more to go before it really begins...'


Unknown Location, July 8th, 2010, 07:51 EDT


Days later, and now it was time for everyone to meet at the assigned location the Justice League set up for us. During those few days, Duncan and I saved the life of Selena Gonzales, moving her to a place that neither the Light nor the League of Shadows could ever hope to find. She'd be safe until we could absolutely guarantee they'd stop hunting her.

'Now then, to get this party started,' I thought as I stretched.

While the rest of us got ready, Duncan headed out, saying he'd meet us there. Not long after, we were all standing in a nearby alleyway, right in front of a telephone booth serving as a secret door to a Zeta Tube. All of us were set to go as we were dressed in our civilian gear. "Alright then, ready to head out?" I asked the others.

Kory was wearing a pink T-shirt that clung to her generous upper curves. She also wore a pair of hip-hugging blue overalls and a pair of stylish sneakers. Unfortunately for me, her attire did nothing but accentuate her IMPRESSIVE FIGURE...and made it rather difficult to concentrate on anything other than her, whether her body or her overall person.

Raven wore a dark blue shirt, with a pair of dark jeans that clung to her luscious legs and large hips perfectly, and a black jacket cut off at the midriff. Though not as showy as Kory, Raven's attire definitely showed off her equally impressive figure and complemented her pale skin. It didn't really help that it showed off her hips and thighs (and the rest of her legs) as it did.

Victor had on a rather large, plain gray hoodie and a pair of large black sweatpants, no shoes included (not that he needed them). I chose the outfit for him mainly to help hide his machine parts, as per his request...at least until I could make it so that he could take off the machine parts at will, and regenerate his organic side. Something I'm sure he'd greatly appreciate in the future.

As a bit of a side note, I, myself, was decked out in a simple red hoodie with a white T-shirt and blue jeans, some of the only pieces of my old life I took with me.

"Ready as we'll ever be," Raven nodded with the others.

Typing in a set of numbers into the telephone booth, the door opened to reveal a glowing portal. "So, who wants to go first?


Mount Justice, July 8th, 2010, 08:04 EDT


(Play "The Avengers - Alan Silverstri")

After arriving through the Zeta Tube, the eight of us stood together in our civilian clothes in Mount Justice, the first headquarters of the Justice League. Along with us was Duncan, Batman, and many other Justice League members who were busy cleaning up the place.

"This cave was the original secret sanctuary of the Justice League," Batman explained. "We're putting it into commission once again, seeing as you lot are determined to stick together and fight the good fight. But you'll do it on League terms."

"Which reminds me," Duncan threw in. "There will be some rules for being a part of this team. First: all of you are required to spend four hours every day playing Call of Duty: Black Ops."

"Sweet!" Victor, Wally, Robin and I exclaimed while a few of the League members groaned a bit.

"Second," Batman continued, ignoring his team mates' antics, "Red Tornado will be living here as your supervisor. Black Canary will be in charge of training, which Oberon be helping in." I couldn't help but shiver at that. Suddenly, I felt sorry for the others.

"And I will also be serving as your Commander," Duncan threw in happily.

"Do we really have to call you that?" Robin asked.

"Well, that all depends, bird boy," Duncan shot back without missing a beat. "Would you prefer to have your rib cage unbroken, or not?"

"Sir, yes sir, Commander!" the Boy Wonder hastily saluted. Wally and I did the same thing.

"And finally," the King of the Multiverers finished, "I will be deploying you on missions that Batman and I choose."

"Real missions?" Robin inquired.

"Yes," Batman answered. "But covert."

"The League will still handle the obvious stuff, like alien invasions and the like," Flash continued. "There's a reason we wear these big targets on our chests."

"But Cadmus proves that the bad guys are getting smarter," added Orin. "Batman and Oberon need a team that can operate on the sly."

"The ten of you will be that team," Duncan finished.

"Sweetness!" I exclaimed. "We're a superhero Black Ops team!"

Robin and I high-fived each other before he realized one important bit of info. "Wait a minute," Robin said. "Did you say ten?"

Gesturing behind us, we turned to see Martian Manhunter and Wonder Woman walking up to us, each with a girl by their side. The one next to Martian Manhunter was a Martian as well, evident by her green skin, though was more human in appearance. She had red hair that went behind her shoulders, with alluring pink lips and beautiful brown eyes. She wore a white shirt with a red "X" across her chest, along with a blue cape, a blue skirt, blue boots and blue gloves.

The one next to appear was the one who threw me for a loop: next to Wonder Woman was almost an exact copy of her, except in teenage form. She had black hair that, like her companion, went past her shoulders, as well as two silver star earrings. Her attire consisted of a sleeveless black jumpsuit (which accentuated her ample chest) with matching shoulder pads. Two silver stars were above her chest, leading to a line of them going down either side of her. She also wore a silver belt, with matching boots and silver bracelets nearly identical to Wonder Woman's. Completing the look was a Greek xiphos sword, as well as a circular shield, both of which were strapped to her back. (A/N: For an idea of her appearance, look up how she currently appears in the DC Universe comics.)

'ARE YOU KIDDING ME WITH THIS?!' I though in well-hidden exasperation. 'WHO'S NEXT, CONSTANTINE?!'

"This is my niece," Martian Manhunter explained. "Miss Martian." Also known as M'gann M'orzz, or Megan Morse.

"And this is my protege," Wonder Woman added. "Wonder Girl." Also known as Donna Troy.

"Hi," Megan nervously greeted.

"Greetings," Donna respectfully nodded.

"Liking this gig more every minute," Wally said to Robin. "Welcome aboard! I'm Kid Flash. That's Robin, Aqualad, Cyborg. It's cool if you forget their names."

I walked up to her and bowed a little. "Atlas," I greeted, giving a slight, respectful bow. "Pleasure to meet you both."

Donna smiled a bit, bowing back a bit. Megan blushed a little, with her top clothes turning into a red jacket with a black shirt underneath. "I like your jacket," she said, a bit bashfully. I couldn't help but chuckle a bit (and wonder what this could mean in the future). Duncan, however, grinned widely at the display.

The ten of us gathered around each other, with Kaldur smiling at the sight. "Today is the day," he stated.

"It most certainly is," I agreed. Now the fun could really start.

(End "The Avengers - Alan Silverstri")


Third Person's POV:


Unknown Location, Unknown Time:


In a different location, there stood a man.

This man, surrounded in darkness, was staring at a number of screens. On one, Jim Harper/Guardian was talking with Dubbilex and Dr. Spence about turning Cadmus around into a more legitimate business. An admirable goal, in the man's opinion, but moot as long as the Light existed.

Moving the screen out of the way, he brought up a recording of the events that played out in Cadmus. Mainly, footage with Timeshifter, Starfire, Raven, and Cyborg. He had expected that other Multiversers would show up eventually, but it was rather annoying to have Duncan Verser's "Shadow" running around.

What he was not expecting, however, was finding the four other heroes that Cadmus had stashed away. It made him wonder what else was different for this world.

"Anything new?" Turning around, he looked into the darkness and saw the silhouette of another person.

"Yes, actually," the man responded. "For starters, Timeshifter is here." The individual in the shadows tensed at that. The man then pulled up a screen showing the cave and its inhabitants. "Plus, we have some new players on the field: Starfire, Raven, Cyborg, and Donna Troy."

"...That's...unexpected," he replied in honest shock.

Sighing in annoyance, the figure said "Tell me about it. Now I'll need to see if there's anything else that's different in this world. As well as find out what caused this aberration to even happen."

"Will it interfere with our plans?"

"Not in the slightest. Still, it wouldn't hurt to make sure the plot doesn't change too much. Which reminds me: you have an appointment with Morrow and Stikk in a few days. Prep the Negatium for their little project, and pick the time you'll attack."

The figure in the shadows nodded. "And...Michael Verser?"

"...If you get the chance...terminate him. Terminate...with extreme prejudice."

He nodded, disappearing into the shadows, his footprints the only sign he was once there. Bringing himself around, the images on the screens reflected off of his featureless metal mask as he went over the images. With a tired sigh, he knew that if he was going to have a chance at destroying the Multiversers present here...then he was going to have to do something he didn't like:

Bring himself...to the Light's attention.


(Play "Snake Eater - Metal Gear Solid 3 Guitar Cover (Feat. Adriana Figueroa) | FamilyJules")

...

YOUNG MULTIVERSER

...

...

...

...

...

Written by:

Hero of the Multiverse

...

Co-Written by:

VindictiveDunc

BioshockerN7

...

Starring:

Michael Verser/Atlas

...

Conner Kent/Superboy

...

Dick Grayson/Robin

...

Wally West/Kid Flash

...

Kaldur'ahm/Aqualad

...

Rachel Roth/Raven

...

Koriand'r/Starfire

...

Victor Stone/Cyborg

...

Megan Morse/Miss Martian

...

Donna Troy/Wonder Girl

...

Co-Starring:

Akima/Lambda

Duncan Verser/Oberon

...

Bruce Wayne/Batman

John Smith/Red Tornado

J'onn J'onzz/Martian Manhunter

Oliver Queen/Green Arrow

Barry Allen/The Flash

Orin/Aquaman

Clark Kent/Superman

...

Jim Harper/Guardian

Dubbilex

Mark Desmond/Blockbuster

...

The "Man in Black"

...

Special Guest Appearances:

"Timeshifter"

Tula/Aquagirl

...

(End "Snake Eater - Metal Gear Solid 3 Guitar Cover (Feat. Adriana Figueroa) | FamilyJules")


And now, the Team has been formed. Not only that, but there's a new enemy in play, planning their next move against both the Team and the Multiversers.

So, as you've noticed, I decided to add Cyborg, Starfire, and Raven to the Team. I gained inspiration for this from BioshockerN7 (who was the Shadow in this chapter), who gave me permission to do this. I hope I did a good job with them.

In addition, to those who noticed, Michael pointed out that Starfire, Raven, Cyborg and Wonder Girl look like their counterparts from the DC Animated Movie Universe. There is a good reason for that, one that will be explained later down the line.

And to those who didn't figure it out, the reference I made to RebukeX7 was...The Game. If you want to know more about it, ask him.

Anyway, what will happen how that the Team is together? Find out next time, on Young Multiverser!

This is Hero of the Multiverse, signing out!