Chapter 1 - The Super Clone

Robin

After everything that had happened, Dick still couldn't believe that a simple reconnaissance mission had gone so wrong. Setting off to investigate with Wally and Kaldur had seemed like such an innocuous outing, but then again, even with all that had happened he didn't really feel all that scared. By this point a patrol in Gotham with Batman would have lead to much more running screaming and bleeding.

Batman. The sidekick's mouth dried up immediately. Once his mentor found out what they'd done here, there would be a lot more on the line than just their lives.

Aqualad gazed at the doors with something approaching despair, but calmly set his mouth into a resolute line before turning to Robin.

Nodding, he brought up his holographic computer and wired it into a nearby port and set to locking the doors. There was a loud click and the lock turned red.

"We're safe," he confirmed.

"We're trapped" corrected the older boy tensely.

Glancing over, he noticed Kid Flash was standing at the control panel in the centre of the room facing a darkened pod.

He beckoned for them to come closer "Uh guys, you'll really want to see this."

Robin stepped up curiously, noticing that Aqualad followed suit as Wally fiddled with the controls and made the lights flicker on. None of them was prepared for what happened next.

In the back of his mind, Robin vaguely registered that Wally had lurched forward onto the panel for support, whereas Kaldur had broken his stoic manner for a second as his mouth hung open. Honestly, he had been more focussed on his own reaction at the time. Even with all the mental training Batman had given Robin, he still couldn't control the giddy smile which crossed his face or the whimper which escaped unbidden from his lips once setting eyes on the person before them.

The boy in the pod was the most breathtaking thing he'd ever seen.

His face was absolutely flawless, every feature perfectly aligned, cheeks and jawline impeccably formed and skin so smooth and unblemished that it reminded Dick of the marble from which Greek statues were carved. Soft lashes framed his impossibly stunning features along with short yet almost fluffy hair as black as the night sky. The body beneath this gorgeous face didn't help things at all. A broad, muscular chest and abs were clearly defined beneath the body suit he wore, which clung to him like a second skin, legs perfectly proportioned in a way which balanced out his tremendous height which Dick judged with an expert eye to be six foot three.

It wasn't simply that the guy was handsome though, he was inhumanly captivating. Dick had never felt even the slightest attraction to a male in his life. For that matter, to his knowledge, neither did Wally or Kaldur. Muscles were something he would train for hours to achieve (and never succeed) but never something he would consider gawking at. And yet, trying to look away from this creature's chiselled body was like trying to tear wax off his own face. It was confusing to say the least.

They stood there frozen for at least a few minutes. Naturally, Aqualad regained use of his voice first and managed, to Robin's envy, a perfectly calm and steady voice. "Who is he? Can you find out what is going on?"

Realising who Kaldur was addressing, he fumbled for his computer for the first time since he was nine and managed to croak out affirmation in a voice which would NOT have worked with his usual playful cackle.

"Uh y-yeah jus gimme a sec," fingers flying across the keys. "But just looking at him we should already be able to guess huh?"

All of them avoided looking at the boy in the pod, but he knew they understood. The bright red "S" emblazoned on the front of the suit could hardly indicate anything else.

Kid looked doubtful. "Ok, so Kr is the atomic symbol for Krypton so we've covered that. Is he a clone though? He doesn't even look like Big Blue."

Feigning disinterest to mask the blush which pretty much covered his face now, the Boy Wonder preoccupied himself by re-reading the files he had finished downloading seconds ago.

"Uh-huh? Sure about that KF?" He made sure the scepticism was dripping from every word.

"C'mon Rob, fine there's a passing resemblance but there's no way the big guy looked like THAT," gesturing vaguely in the direction of the pod, a red tinge touching his face.

"He's right" Kaldur interjected. "There must be something we do not yet understand Robin."

Robin stopped pretending to read the files and faced his teammates. "Weapon designation-Superboy. Created with DNA acquired from Superman-"

"Stolen from Superman" Kaldur interjected. Robin nodded, acknowledging the correction.

"He's force grown for a period of… 16 weeks! So if each year adds up to a year-"

"He's only 16" Wally finished. The envy on Wally's face was somewhat comical and were it not for the peril of their situation, he would have mocked him relentlessly for it. As it was, he filed it away in a special part of his memory to bring up if they ever made it out of there.

"They've genetically modified him. Tweaked the genes, worked with the DNA and well…it doesn't explain why." Scouring the database brought up little more than a single line of text.

His teammates looked frustrated, but Aqualad gestured for him to continue. "They're aiming for the ideal human body, but their motives are classified. Known only to the Cadmus board of directors apparently."

Kid Flash scratched his head thoughtfully. "So there's some hidden sect somewhere that wants a physically perfect kryptonian for their own purposes. What else does it say?"

"Nothing much. Just basic information about his conditions. The solar suit he's wearing stores solar energy 24/7, it helps gives him kryptonian powers underground."

Aqualad stood, face grim. "This has gone far enough, we must alert the League."

Kaldur pressed his belt buckle radio a few times which lit up, but only static came through.

Bringing up some more information, Robin clarified. "Radio signals are jammed Aqualad, we can't contact the League until we exit Cadmus."

"We're in too deep" Wally remarked wryly. "Literally."

Aqualad had already given up trying and looked more closely at the screen which showed three gnome like creatures lined up in capsules above the clone. "And these? What are they?"

Robin examined the screen again. "Genomorph gnomes: telepathic. They're force-feeding him an education."

"And we can guess what else," Kid muttered. "They're making a slave out of, well, Superman's son."

Robin looked at the pod again, forcing himself to remain calm, even as his heart did a tap-dance. The clone was sleeping, looking almost peaceful. However, the view, as incredible as it was only made him feel more uneasy. Superboy was being created as a weapon and its targets were clear. If they left him here, the clone would not thank them for it.

Kid Flash was evidently engaged in similar thoughts, but avoided glancing at the clone. "This is wrong. They're sculpting a replacement for Superman."

"We can't just leave him here Aqualad" he heard himself say. "It's sick."

Their de-facto leader rubbed his chin, contemplating their next course of action. Looking up, his voice shook ever so slightly when catching sight of the clone. "Set him free. But be careful not to alert those outside."

Robin found there was a smug sense of satisfaction in hacking the security of an evil organisation and something deeply enjoyable about duping them a step further. "I've set off an alarm on floor 45, they'll be wondering who broke into their biochemical labs and blew their sprinklers."

Aqualad nodded. "Good, then once he regains consciousness we can use that as an opportunity to break through their defences."

He noticed that Wally and Kaldur smiled, but turned enraptured as the pod disengaged and the clone was released in a plume of frosty air.

The breath caught in Robin's throat as he looked at the magnificent figure. Superboy straightened, muscles rippling as he shifted and lids rising to reveal startlingly blue eyes that drew a slight sigh from all of them (yes, even Aqualad). For a fraction of a second Robin relaxed, content to stare at him. That was a mistake.

As Batman had always preached, constant vigilance was paramount, and Robin had just breached that all-important rule. Perhaps if they had been able to ignore the temptation of his body, they would have noticed the way those long fingers curled into a fist, or the fact that after being released, the genomorphs began to pulse with red energy.

Then again, he doubted any of them could have actually dodged in time when the kryptonian lunged at Kaldur. In a blur of motion, he knocked their teammate into the ceiling with a single punch, creating a sizeable crater, making the cave quake unsteadily. Aqualad had fallen to the ground unconscious before any of them had moved, and Superboy had already stretched out to backhand Robin. At that distance, Robin could see every contour of the gorgeous deadpan face, and stood there transfixed like a bird trapped by the gaze of a snake (no, that was NOT a pun!).

Kid Flash scooped him out of the way of the super clone in the nick of time just as the hand whistled past where his face had been. Executing a perfect somersault out of Kid Flash's arms, he flew over Superboy's head as he leapt for them again. Super powered fingers passed less than an inch before his face, so using the clone's back as a springboard, Robin catapulted away in one smooth motion, distancing himself from the aggressive clone.

Deciding it had to be vertigo or disorientation, Robin signalled for Kid to stand on opposite sides of the impassive figure who looked at them with cold disinterest. The duo began to yell, arms held up in a sign of surrender. "We're trying to help you; you don't need to fight us!"

"Yeah, Supey, we're on your si-ahh!" The last part came from Kid swerving to avoid the lightning fast punch the clone threw at him, right before speeding around him in a whirlwind and pummelling him with punches.

Of course, the clone didn't feel a thing and simply stared as the speedster slowed down to stand beside Robin. The way that his best friend was panting did not reassure him. It didn't help that Aqualad was passed out and that he could barely think in front of the ridiculously alluring clone who was now surveying them with an eerily focussed expression.

Cradling his fists, the red headed hero kept his eyes on the clone. "You got a plan?"

"Your hands broken?"

"Not yet."

"Sweet."

He slipped a gas bomb into the speedster's hand wordlessly and they sprang into action as they had done so often before. Robin extracted smelling salts from the medical kit in his utility belt and when the clone shot after him yet again, Kid detonated the bomb and kept the gas swirling around the clone who began to cough and gasp in the funnel.

Aqualad began to stir, inhaling hugely, grasping his ribs uncertainly, but regaining his composure as he brought out the water bearers. Robin grinned, bringing out a taser, hopes rising somewhat. Unfortunately, that's where their luck ended. Superboy swiped at Wally as the gas dissipated and caught him with a blow on the arm that sent him smashing into the nearest wall.

His mouth went dry again as his friend slumped to the floor. "KF!" The cry was torn from his throat.

To his relief, he saw the speedster's chest steadily rise and ebb just as Superboy turned to face them. There was a growl beside him as Aqualad's water bearers hardened into two enormous hammers. Lunging forward, Kaldur brought the hammers over his head.

"ENOUGH!" he bellowed, slamming them into the clone who buckled at the impact, keeping his arms up as Aqualad continued battering away. Robin sent two birdarangs at the clone's face, which distracted him long enough for a huge swipe of both hammers to send him flying into the doors of the vault, body leaving a clear indentation in the metal.

The order he issued was curt and no nonsense. There was no time for them to mince words. "Double electrical impulse Robin. We need to disable him before we can help Kid."

The two heroes moved in perfect simpatico, Aqualad wrapping the super clone in water tendrils just as he ploughed the hooks of the taser into Superboy's chest. Electricity both magical and technological arced over the clone, extracting angered screams as they sent the powerful body into spasms. It was only when his hands moved to grasp the weapons that Robin realised what was going on.

The clone stopped feinting and without warning, pulled on both their weapons, sending the two flying into him. Within seconds, his hands were wrapped around their throats and both electrical currents surged over them in an instant.

The pain was agonising, and had a majority of the charge not been absorbed by Aqualad's water bearers, he probably would have passed out on the spot. As it was, spots danced before his eyes and his body went limp, completely drained of energy. Dangling in the air with Aqualad who was trying to prise one finger off his neck at a time, Robin glared at the clone with narrowed eyes.

Superboy paid him no heed, focussing on Aqualad's impotent flailing, fingers whitening against the Atlantean's frenzied efforts. Lifting him slightly higher, Robin's eyes widened as he realised what the clone was planning to do. In one swift thrust, Superboy slammed Aqualad brutally into the floor, drawing a strangled gasp. He tried to reach out to his now unconscious friend, but the hand which held him tightened, blocking off the last of the oxygen. Superboy leaned back now and with casual ease, ripped open the enormous door, revealing a group of people who gasped at the sudden appearance of this ebony haired god.

Staring into those luminous eyes as he lapsed in and out of consciousness, Robin lost any semblance of coherent thought and felt himself fly into the depths of a clear blue sky. One approving voice pierced the stupor.

"Atta boy."