"Dude!" Kid Flash exclaimed as the group rose from the ground in front of Cadmus. He shivered uncomfortably as he felt the cool relief of air against his face. Inside the portal everything was black and cold. Nothing but emptiness. "That was way creepy."
He turned to Glitch and shuddered, "Never do that again."
The corner of Glitch's lips turned up as Kid Flash shook himself out, attempting to get rid of the feeling of nothingness. She looked to the other two and found that they were also unsettled. She shrugged it off, figuring they didn't understand. The voids she created always protected her. She never felt unnerved by their wintry recesses.
"Help!" A panicked voice interrupted them, turning their attention towards the still burning fire. Two men were trapped at the top floor, yelling down as the firefighters did their best to assist them.
"I hope you're willing to stick around," Aqualad yelled back at her, already running off with the others. Glitch rolled her eyes at him; of course, she had to stay now. The ground melted beneath her, oozing black as her body became enshrouded with the dark energy. She sunk through the floor quickly as the portal closed over her. She appeared a second later in the window of the building. The scientists turned in surprise at her arrival. Glitch had no time to speak with them as an explosion boomed behind them, rocking the building. Her eyes widened as she turned quickly, throwing up a portal to absorb the blast of the explosion.
The men screamed behind her, being blown back and off their feet by the force of the explosion, despite the protection from the portal. They fell through the window and began to fall when a flash of red and yellow swept them up and threw them up to the roof of the building before losing momentum and falling down, revealing itself to be Kid Flash. Kid squeaked as he scrambled for a hold on the bare wall. A gloved hand shot out suddenly as he slipped further down. Kid Flash quickly grabbed on and pulled himself up with the help of his savior. Once he was safely back inside the building, he looked up to see Robin grinning down at him, hand still entwined with his.
"Thanks, dude. I owe you," Kid said as he panted against the ground. As he recovered himself, Aqualad could be seen outside of the window, rising into the air on a vortex of water.
"Get on!" He called to the men as he brought the vortex beside them. The scientists hopped on timidly, jumping against their rational thought. They squawked in surprise as the water held them up safely, going against it's nature. Aqualad ignored their surprise and led them back down while the flames grew behind them.
"Look out!" A female voice yelled as another explosion rocked the building, blowing devastating debris into the hero's path. Before Aqualad could respond to the danger, a barricade of green energy materialized in front of them, protecting him and the helping bystanders.
Aqualad instinctively protected the nearest bodies with his own, but upon the absence of danger, he relaxed and looked up curiously. Floating above him, was a Green Lantern. This one was a woman, a young girl by the looks of it with long brunette hair and the standard jumpsuit except with white accents instead of black ones.
She held out her fist and retracted the shield as Kid, Robin, and Glitch crammed themselves in the window to get a look at the new hero. The Lantern raised a brow at them and flew to the side where the building melded into a burning inferno. "I know I'm pretty hot, but if you'd turn your attention over here, you'll find something way hotter."
Blushing in embarrassment, Kid Flash and Robin moved to help but Glitch beat them to it. She materialized next to the willful hero and conjured up a portal beneath her, allowing her to displace the gravity pulling her down. She floated beside the other and held her hands out, capturing the burning floor in one of her portals. She crossed her hands and the portal collapsed, taking with it every flame within the building.
Lantern nodded, impressed, and turned away from her, floating down beside Aqualad. He recalled his weapons and tucked them back in place as his teammates gathered around him. "Thank you for your help. May I ask your name?"
"Green Lantern," the girl replied, then tilted her head and smiled devilishly. "But that's not really helpful, is it? Call me Emma. Emma Jordan."
"Emma Jordan," Aqualad repeated, crossing his arms. While he remained faithful in the goodness of the Green Lanterns, he found himself wondering her reasons for being there. Only two Lanterns were ever present on Earth and he was fairly certain that both of them were currently deployed, so what was a third doing here?
"What business do you have here?" he asked skeptically, intending to find out.
"Just heading home when I stumbled upon this mess," she answered, only half-lying. In fact, she had very clearly been told to stay and train with her Uncle Kilowog in Bolovax Vik by her Uncle Jordan, but that got tiring fast. Kilowog was a loveable oaf, but he worked her to the bone! It didn't matter how close to family they were, Kilowog made sure she finished every day with supper and an overly depleted energy reserve. So she left. What better way to train, than experience first hand, right?
"I wasn't aware Earth had another Lantern to protect it. Surely, the Earth is very fortunate to have so many guardians," Aqualad complimented back-handedly, still suspicious.
Emma grimaced, knowing he had caught her in her lie. She tried to cover herself up, though something told her he wasn't going to buy it. "I'm more like the reserve of the reserve."
He raised a brow and Emma sighed, "Fine. I'm not supposed to be here. I came so I could do some real training and not repeat the same daily monkey tricks they have me doing back in boot camp."
She crossed her arms and huffed, expecting them to chastise her or rat her out. However, she was surprised when the younger of the group smiled back at her. Robin stepped forward, grinning mischievously as Kid Flash leaned against him cooly, "Looks like you came to the right place."
Aqualad sighed, setting off his suspicions as he bought into her story. "It would seem we have similar origins."
"Wait, you guys too?" Emma asked in shock. She felt a bit relieved that she wasn't the only one wanting to break the order of things around here.
The others nodded and Kid Flash walked up to her, smiling charmingly and extending a hand. "So, wanna join the team?"
"You bet," Emma replied, swatting his hand away and walking past the speedster, joining the group. She smiled as she stood in their ranks before turning to Aqualad and shoving him a moment later. "You had the gall to berate me for disobeying orders when you were doing the same thing?"
Aqualad sighed again and rubbed his shoulder, slightly surprised by the strength of her punch. "I apologize."
Emma hmphed and crossed her arms as Aqualad recovered and informed her of their mission, "We're investigating a suspicious organization in place of the Justice League to prove that we are capable heroes. Not sidekicks."
"Wholly breaking the rules," Robin threw in, snatching a look back at Glitch who looked mortified by the comment. He laughed, eager to go on. He slapped Flash on the back and started running back towards the building, "Come on! Let's get this done before they realize we're gone."
He shot his grappling hook through the window and catapulted himself to the top floor. He was quickly joined by Kid and in the next second and they both disappeared behind the window in search of clues. Emma followed right behind them, forming a platform of energy and carrying herself inside.
Aqualad frowned as he stared after them with Glitch, "This team needs work."
Glitch remained silent as she extended a hand out and placed it on his shoulder, engulfing them in black energy and transporting them alongside their teammates. Robin was already going through the computer's databases while Kid and Lantern looked around. Glitch and Aqualad shared a look and decided to investigate another room while the other three took care of that one. They walked into the hallway and inspected either side.
"There," Aqualad said, spying a horned figure standing in the elevator before the doors closed it off from view. Glitch turned around and looked towards the metal door as they were joined by their teammates.
"Elevators should be locked down," Kid reported as he sped into the room. Robin narrowed his eyes and retrieved one of his many devices. A screen extended from the device and scanned the elevator.
He grimaced, "This is wrong. This is a high-speed express elevator; it doesn't belong in a two-story building."
"Neither does what I saw," Aqualad replied, stepping up to the elevator and prying it open, revealing a dark railway extending far below the ground.
"That explains the elevator," Robin commented off-handedly as he stepped in front of Aqualad and shot a grappling rope into the annex of the elevator shaft. He checked to see if it was secure before jumping down into the abyss fearlessly. Kid, Aqualad, and Glitch followed after him, hitching a ride on the rope as Emma flew down beside them.
Further down the line, Robin came to an abrupt stop as the rope came to an end. He frowned and swung towards the ledge of the shaft, "We're on foot from here, guys."
Aqualad and Kid swung over and hopped onto the ledge with Robin while Glitch teleported herself beside them. Robin moved to the side and typed onto his holographic keypad, the elevator doors opening in front of them a second later.
The group stepped out and surveyed the room in awe. Long tunnels extended deep within the ground, lined by blinking lights and metal pipes. "Welcome to Project Cadmus."
Kid set his goggles over his eyes, deciding for himself to scout ahead. Aqualad called after him, but it was too late. Kid had already ran straight into a marching line of horrible beasts. Glitch held her hand out and summoned a portal below him, sinking him through the floor and returning him back to their side as one of the beast's massive foot stomped over his previous location.
Glitch helped him up as everyone approached the beasts from down the hall in stunned wonder. The giant life forms growled and snarled at them, but continued on as tiny little creatures perched on their heads turned to them and glowed red.
"Nothing odd going on here," Aqualad said sarcastically, staring after the beasts as they disappeared down another hall.
"Come on," Robin called, already disappearing down another hallway.
"Robin, wait!" Aqualad hissed, running after him with the others. He was really starting to feel like a parent in a grocery store. Once they had caught up, Robin was already bypassing another locked door. The door opened before Aqualad could reprimand him and the sight before them left them all speechless. Countless rows of blue tubes containing frozen creatures lined the room as electric currents radiated off their glass cases. The team walked in star-struck as they slowly came to terms with what they were going up against.
"This is how they remained unnoticed. They're generating their own electricity; they're completely off the map!" Kid reported, staring around in wonder. Aqualad grimaced while Robin located a computer and began hijacking it.
"The creatures are called genomorphs Woah! Look at the stats on these things! Super strength, telepathy, razor claws these are living weapons!" Robin exclaimed as he reviewed the data.
"They're building their own army," Kid Flash realized as he gathered around the computer with the rest.
"But for who?" Green Lantern questioned, crossing her arms and frowning in disapproval. This was really bad. They already had a squadron of giant trolls, what else did they have to unleash on the world?
"Wait! There's something else!" Robin interrupted, typing fervidly on the little screen. "Project Kr Ugh! The file's triple encrypted. I can't Agh!"
Robin flew back as a bullet hit him in the back. The group widened their eyes as they whipped around to meet their assaulter. A dark looking fellow in all black stood at the entrance carrying two guns in either hand and looking extremely unapologetic for shooting their friend in the back.
Realizing what happened, Kid Flash ran towards his friend in a panic, "Robin!"
He checked him over for wounds worriedly, but the younger seemed to be fine. Robin grunted and got up with the help of his friend, "Agh good thing Batman invented bulletproof capes."
Robin's teammates sighed in relief and turned on their assailant angrily, only to find him missing. The group immediately formed in a circle, back to back as they searched the room from all sides. Green Lantern immediately threw up a barrier to protect them as they waited for their enemy to reveal himself. From the door, a man in a blue and gold costume along with an army of mutants ran inside, spotting the team instantly.
"Don't move!" he ordered as he sent the creatures to surround them. The group turned all their attention to him, readying their defenses and glaring.
"Guardian," Aqualad said in surprise, relaxing and wondering what a hero was doing with weaponized monsters. One of the creatures perched on his shoulder and narrowed it's eyes at them. It began to glow as Guardian's glare intensified.
"Take them down," he ordered, sending out his small army of genomorphs. Robin immediately jumped in and threw down a smoke pellet, enshrouding the room in a thick mist.
"I can't see!" Glitch exclaimed, looking around wildly as her hands glowed with energy. One of the genomorphs tackled her from behind, taking her down easily while the others also struggled to fend themselves in limited visibility.
Green Lantern flew up high, beating the fog and spying Robin ducking out of the room without them before she was piled on by the nimble creatures. She grunted against them, forming a giant hand with her ring to pry them off of her. She picked the creatures off her and threw them down as movement in her peripheral vision caught her attention. She turned, spotting Yosemite Sam peeking out behind a pillar and firing into the smoke.
Her eyes widened angrily as she formed a giant fist with her ring and moved to stop him. Her target looked up just as the fist slammed over him. He ducked out from beneath it and rolled back behind the pillar. He appeared on the other side and began firing mercilessly, forcing Green Lantern back down into the cover of the mist. He frowned and went back to firing blindly, figuring he'd hit one of them or at least draw them out.
"Get down!" Aqualad yelled, hearing the rain of bullets. He threw one of the genomorphs off his back and crouched down low, surveying the room and hoping to see one of his teammates and confirm their condition, but he couldn't see past the smoke.
Fortunately for him, Guardian had also registered the hail fire and yelled for his partner to halt, "Stop! You'll hit the genomorphs!"
He was met with silence as the other seemed to cooperate and stopped. Aqualad sighed in relief and picked himself up, intent on assembling his scattered team as quickly as possible. He had no problem finding Kid Flash who was struggling to fend off the genomorphs that swarmed him. Aqualad withdrew his water-bearers and used the water to knock the beasts away, electrifying them in the process.
"Find the others," Aqualad ordered, staying back to fight the genomorphs that returned for more. Kid Flash nodded and ran off, coming back with a disoriented Glitch on his back a second later.
"Found one," he said, setting her down carefully as the three regrouped. One of the experiments growled behind them, running out from the mist to attack when a green jack in the box with a boxing glove knocked it out of the way.
"Robin already bailed. Let's go," Lantern reported, flying down beside them. Aqualad nodded and told them to run, leading the way as they went. They burst through the fog and were immediately met with another enemy. The teen from before made a punch at Aqualad, pulling out a long dagger with the other. Aqualad groaned and reeled back as Kid Flash took over and got a few punches of his own in before the other got the upper hand and blocked his fist, kneeing him in the gut and flipping them around, throwing the red head to the side. Kid Flash shouted in alarm as the boy turned towards the girls. Glitch's eyes widened as she put her hand out and sucked him into a portal, disposing of him back in the fog.
"Come on!" She urged, steadying Aqualad as Green Lantern formed a Lamborghini around KF and hustled him out of there.
"Honestly speaking," KF said, holding his head and sitting up. He opened the car door and dashed out, running alongside Green Lantern. "Kind of insulting."
With that, he ran ahead of everyone else, down the hallway Robin had gone. He quickly spied the boy wonder wrestling with more codes at the end of the hall. He ran beside him, stopping recklessly as he turned on the younger angrily, "Way to leave us in the dust, Rob!"
"Weren't you right behind me?" Robin asked innocently as he worked on hacking through the door. The others appeared down the hall then and started running towards them, mutants, hero, and villain in tow. Glitch stayed back as she let the other two run ahead. She turned and opened a portal across the entirety of the hall, cutting off their attackers.
The creatures and Guardian fumbled, skidding themselves to a stop in any way they could, but the other, tall, dark, and handsome, continued forward. He pulled out his guns and shot into the abyss, crossing his arms and jumping through a moment later. He stumbled out, looking around, quickly recognizing he was in the same room from before. He turned back around, spying a second portal floating in the center. He approached it studiously, tracing a finger along the edge as he pondered it's mechanics. He poked his head through the dark and was met with a different scene. He smirked at the creatures and Guardian who stood on the other side as he figured out the logistics of the portal. He retracted his head back into the other room and smirked smugly. He sauntered to the backside of the same portal and ran through.
Glitch yelped as the boy appeared before her, smiling victoriously as his plan had worked. She held up her hands instinctively as he slashed at her with his dagger. Immediately, a portal flew up in front of her, protecting her from harm, but at the same time, breaking her concentration and causing the other portal behind them to fall, revealing the army of genetically altered creatures. The others turned in alarm, registering the danger as they came to Glitch's aid.
"Duck!" Lantern yelled, facing her ring to them and forming a massive net and throwing it down the hall. Glitch's eyes widened as she wrapped her energy around her and melted through the floor. Taking note of the trap, her opponent followed after, sliding through the portal just before it dispersed into thin air.
Another portal materialized on the wall and Glitch stepped out calmly, thinking she was safe.
"Move!" Aqualad shouted, running towards her as her pursuer once again found his way to safety. Aqualad came to her rescue just in time, pulling her out of the way and punching the villain in the face as he stepped out of the portal.
"Time to go," KF announced, appearing beside them. Beside him, their enemy grunted in irritation, now bound and gagged from when Kid Flash restrained him just a second earlier.
"Go," Aqualad agreed, helping Glitch to the elevator as Robin finally managed to override the doors and let themselves in.
"Let's go, beautiful!" KF said, appearing beside Green Lantern as she took care of the mutants that escaped her web. She turned to him strangely before she was taken up in his arms and carried to the elevator. Once they were all safely inside, Robin programmed the elevator to carry them away. Aqualad sighed in relief at being free of the danger before noticing that the floor levels were decreasing. He turned to Robin unsurely, "We're going down?"
"Dude! Out is up!" KF pointed upwards, wondering what his friend was thinking.
"Excuse me? Project Kr is down. On sublevel fifty-two," Robin defended, apparently having made the decision to pursue Kr by himself.
Aqualad grimaced, rubbing his neck as he thought about the beating they had gotten up there. "This is out of control. Perhaps we should contact the League."
"I second that idea," Glitch replied, folding her cloak over her and fixing her hair as they descended lower into the lair.
"No!" Lantern and Flash replied simultaneously. They looked at each other and then turned back to Aqualad.
"We can do this," Kid Flash protested determinedly as the elevator came to a stop at floor fifty-two.
"Besides, we're already here," Green Lantern countered, stepping out of the elevator with Robin before the Atlantian could protest. Kid smiled sheepishly and followed after them as Aqualad groaned, having no choice but to follow.
"Don't worry. If anything goes wrong, I can teleport us out faster than Kid Flash can run his mouth," Glitch comforted, running beside him. Aqualad sighed in relief and smiled at the joke, feeling reassured.
"Let's hope it doesn't come to that," he said, catching up with the others as they waited between two passage ways.
"Which way?" Aqualad asked, peering down both directions and looking for a lead.
"Yeah, bizarre looking hallway one or bizarre looking hallway two?" Robin replied, gesturing to each.
"Let's go with two," Lantern answered, flying up and heading down the second path when the more advanced genomorph appeared in front of her.
"Halt!"
She squeaked in surprise and turned back, "Not two!"
She led them down the other path as the genomorph threw whatever he could after them. Kid Flash ran ahead of them as usual, following the path until it led him to a big, impenetrable door that, fortunately, was in the process of closing. He sped through, tumbling in on the other side of the frame as the other four rounded the corner. Seeing that the door was closing, Green Lantern quickly manufactured a stopper to hold the door open long enough for everyone to dive through.
Once they had all made it safely on the other side, she removed the stopper and the door slammed closed. Robin swiftly went to the computer and disengaged the door so no one could follow them inside.
"Woah, guys," Kid Flash called as he looked around the room and walked up to another computer system located in the middle. The others gathered around him as he brightened the lights, revealing a boy dressed all in white encased in a glass tube. Their eyes widened as they recognized the symbol on his chest.
"No way," Robin breathed, speechless over their discovery.
"Big K, little r the atomic symbol for Krypton," Kid Flash exclaimed, approaching the encasing.
"Robin, hack," Aqualad ordered, receiving no complaint from the younger.
"No problem," Robin said, plugging in his own system and breaking down the firewalls as the rest went about studying their new discovery.
"Weapon designation Superboy," Robin read aloud, searching through the files. "A clone force grown in sixteen weeks?! From DNA acquired from Superman."
"Stolen from Superman," Aqualad amended as the group gathered round again.
"The solar suit allows him to absorb yellow sun radiation 24/7," Robin continued, bringing up a picture on the screen.
"What about those?" Lantern pointed to the gremlins overseeing the clone.
"Genomorph gnomes," Robin answered, bringing up a file on the creatures. "Telepathic. Force feeding him an education."
"And we can guess what that means," KF said ominously.
"We need to get him out of there. If he still has any brain of his own, we have to help him," Lantern spoke up, tense that the other wouldn't agree.
"I agree," Aqualad said, easing her nerves, "But first let's contact the League."
He pressed a button on his belt, but failed to receive a signal. The others tried with their own transmission, but were met with the same response. Robin frowned, "No signal."
"We're in too deep," Kid Flash added, meaning it both literally and figuratively. Aqualad turned to Glitch, receiving an understanding nod in response.
"Go," he said, "Call the League and get help. Stay above ground until they come."
Glitch looked at him oddly, scanning his eyes for a reason for the unpredicted request. She was met with a steady gaze, making her relent. She said nothing as her energy grabbed her from below and transported her to safety, leaving her teammates behind.
Aqualad turned back to the rest of the team, "Now to save our new friend."
Robin nodded and keyed in the release code. Meanwhile, the genomorphs from within the pod opened their eyes and started to glow, unnoticed by the young heroes. The frame covering Superboy opened, giving way to a soft mist. Superboy opened his eyes weakly, surveying the room before resting them on the heroes.
His countenance quickly changed as he threw himself at Aqualad, tackling him into the ground yards away. He slammed the Atlantian down and beat his fists into the other's face until he was restrained by the other three.
"Stop!" Green Lantern cried, holding on to him with the energy from her ring while Robin and Kid Flash restrained him physically.
"Hang on, Suppy," Kid Flash cautioned, struggling to hold the other back. Superboy wrinkled his nose in anger and slipped his arm free of KF's grasp, swatting him aside. Kid Flash groaned at having the air knocked out of him as he tumbled through some glass and against the wall, falling to the ground unconscious.
"Ugh! I don't want to do this!" Robin grunted, throwing another smoke pellet in Superboy's face to stun him before the other could throw him off too . Superboy retracted and held his throat, coughing through the smoke as Aqualad recovered himself and sent a kick into Superboy's chest, sending him flying back. Green Lantern flew out of range and threw up a cage, separating Superboy from the rest of them.
Superboy got up angrily and pounded against the barrier of energy. Lantern grimaced as she struggled to hold her structure against his blows. Superboy roared testily and punched the barrier with all his might, breaking free and slamming Green Lantern into the wall from the force alone. She felt the air leave her body as her vision faded and she slumped against the ground.
"Don't make me do this," Robin warned, pulling out a taser and aiming it at Superboy. Two bolts of electricity embedded themselves into the super clone, serving only to fuel his anger. Robin's eyes widened as Superboy withstood the shock and grabbed the conducting cords, reigning the smaller boy in and throwing him into the ground. Superboy stomped his foot down on the younger's chest and pressed down hard, suffocating the boy.
Robin grimaced and struggled to throw the stronger off of him. Fortunately, Aqualad came to his aid and hit Superboy to the side with a powerful blow from a water-constructed hammer. He bent down and attempted to help Robin to his feet, but the boy was out of commission.
He stood up as he heard Superboy approaching him again. He held out a hand and spoke firmly, hoping to get his words across, "We are trying to help you."
Superboy narrowed his eyes and lunged for the Atlantian again. He missed and his punch fell to the ground as Aqualad dodged nimbly and took Superboy's slip up to his advantage, tackling him into a nearby wall and returning the punches he had received earlier.
Superboy growled and held out a hand, catching the other's fist and kicking him in the gut, sending him back aways. Aqualad grunted, but recovered himself in time to dodge another punch to the chest. He quickly retaliated before defending against another punch. Seeing his opening, Aqualad pressed his knuckles into the side of Superboy's ribs and quickly restrained the boy in a headlock as he became stunned. He held him tightly and sent waves of electricity into the other's body. Superboy screamed and bore through the pain, hunching over and picking Aqualad up onto is back before jumping into the ceiling and slamming his opponent against it. Aqualad grunted again, feeling his head spin from the impact. He kept his hold on the boy, but by the second time he crashed into the top, he lost consciousness and fell off, falling against the floor roughly.
Superboy heaved angrily before going to the door and ripping it off his hinges. He calmed down as he approached Doctor Desmond. The head scientist smiled evilly and walked past his experiment and into the room, inspecting the unconscious bodies with questionable glee. He turned back to Superboy and smirked coyly, "Adda boy."
Superboy ignored the compliment and stared straight ahead, determined to meet his new orders when they came. He was nothing but the slave they had engineered.
Time is running short. You must awaken. You must awaken now!
The four heroes gasped aloud as they were roused from unconsciousness. They looked around disoriented and moved to look around, quickly figuring out that they had been bound and trapped in experimenting pods. They struggled against their bonds, gaining nothing. They slumped, giving up as they stared out towards the super clone guarding them with piercing eyes.
"What do you want?" Green Lantern narrowed her eyes, extremely bitter over trying to save him, only to have him kick their asses in return. She scowled and glared at him as Kid Flash picked up where she left off.
"Quit staring. It's creeping me out!" He glowered, feeling the same sense of betrayal as Green Lantern.
"Uh, guys," Robin intervened. "Maybe its better not to tick off the guy who can fry us with a glance."
"Tick him off? We saved him and he turned on us! We're the ones who should be angry!" Lantern pouted, glaring back at him childishly.
"Green Lantern, Kid, please. I do not believe our friend is in full control of his actions," Aqualad silenced, earning two unsatisfied frowns, but gaining his requested silence.
"What," Superboy began, testing out his ability to talk for the first time. "What if I wasn't?"
"He can talk?" KF blurted, earning a glare from their captor.
"Yes, he can."
Robin and Aqualad glared at the red head, silently telling him to shut up so they could get themselves out of this mess. "What?" the speedster asked innocently, "It's not like I called him an it."
Aqualad turned away from him and focused back on Superboy. "The genomorphs. They taught you."
"They taught me much," Superboy nodded, "I can read, write, I know the names of things…"
"But have you seen them?" Robin asked, sensing his discomfort with being force fed everything he knew and deciding to act on it. A part of him felt bad for the guy.
"A sunset, a parade, a smile?" Green Lantern added, looking at him sympathetically as she lost all her enmity towards the clone, feeling only pity.
"Images are implanted in my mind, but," He looked down, frowning, "No, I've never seen them."
"Do you know what you are?" Aqualad asked as he took in this new revelation. If he made it out of here alive, the information would be valuable for evaluating Superboy's character.
"I am the Superboy," he said confidently, standing tall. It seemed the genomorphs made sure he knew fully well what he was created for. "A genomorph. A clone made from the DNA of the Superman, created to replace him should he perish, to destroy him should he turn from the light."
The other's eyes widened as Aqualad continued, remaining calm despite the statement. "To be like Superman is a worthy aspiration, but like Superman, you deserve a life of your own. Beyond that solar suit, beyond your pod, beyond Cadmus."
While Superboy was beginning to falter, Aqualad messed up. Upon hearing his organization, Superboy immediately became defensive. Apparently, the genomorphs also made sure that he was loyal to his creators. "I live because of Cadmus! It is my home!"
"You're home is a test tube," Robin said, bursting his bubble unapologetically. "We can show you the world, sunsets, parades "
"Pretty sure its after dark, but we can get that smile covered now," Kid Flash interrupted, flashing him a charming grin.
Aqualad continued as Green Lantern joined her partner and smiled at Superboy encouragingly. "We can introduce you to Superman."
Superboy perked up at that. He tore his gaze away from the smiles he received and looked to Aqualad curiously, taking it into deep consideration. He wanted to meet Superman, more than anything.
"No, they can't," Doctor Desmond said disdainfully as he came in with another scientist, Guardian, and their newly acquainted enemy. He crossed his arms and glared at the heroes. "They'll be otherwise occupied. Activate the cloning process."
"Pass! Batcave's crowded enough," Robin glowered, fishing a piece of metal from his glove to pick the lock.
Desmond sneered and looked away, turning on Guardian angrily. "Get the weapon back in its cage!"
"Hey, how come he gets to call Suppy an it," Kid Flash pouted, noticing how Desmond didn't receive any glares from the statement. However, realizing what Kid had said, Superboy glared icily at Desmond and Guardian, and brushed off the hero's hand from his shoulder when he moved to escort him.
"Oh, don't start thinking now," Desmond said in disgust as his genomorph hopped from his shoulder onto Superboy's. It glowed and deterred Superboy's line of thought. His eyes widened obediently as he stood up straight and left the room.
Desmond glowered after him and turned to his assistant. She nodded, indicating that the cloning process was ready. He nodded for her to start and soon, two intimidating needles appeared on either side of the heroes. Green Lantern squeaked in alarm before the needles even touched her. The heroes struggled against their bonds again, trying to break free before the needles injected them, but it was no use. They screamed painfully as the needles mercilessly extracted their DNA, doing a lot more damage than was probably necessary.
"I'll be leaving," the gun slinger announced, turning away from the sadistic scene. Desmond waved him off, not really caring now that the threat was over. The other nodded and departed, leaving the heroes to what he was sure was a certain death.
Aqualad grimaced and bit back his moans of pain, speaking quietly, but knowing he would be heard by those with super hearing. "Superboy, you live. That gives you the right to follow your own path: a weapon or a person? The choice is yours, but ask yourself: what would Superman do?"
He tried to continue, but the pain became too much. He let out a pained snarl as he struggled to keep himself together, joining the others in their cries. They lasted a few seconds longer before the door to the lab was torn off and Superboy walked in seriously.
The needles stopped and retracted back into the pods as the two scientists became distracted by their creation's entrance. Desmond growled and turned on him, thinking he still had control over the situation. "I told you to get back in your "
His command was cut short as Superboy threw him to the side along with anyone else who tried to stop him. "Don't give me orders."
He turned back to the captured heroes and glared, approaching them stiffly.
"You here to help us or fry us?" KF asked, unable to read the clone's intentions on account that it seemed he had a permanent scowl on his face. As he waited for an answer, Robin finally managed to free himself and fell to the floor with a grunt, rubbing his wrists sorely.
"Ugh! Finally! Lucky thing Batman isn't here; he'd have my head for taking so long."
"Seriously?" KF asked, sneering at him. "The whole League will have our heads after tonight!"
Green Lantern groaned, "Not looking forward to that."
Robin frowned and turned to Superboy, "You get Aqualad. I'll get Kid Mouth and Green Sass."
Superboy glared, "Don't you give me orders either."
He turned away from Robin and jumped beside Aqualad, breaking him free while Robin went to the computer and deactivated the other two's pods.
"Thank you," Aqualad said as they recovered themselves and ran out. Desmond called after them, threatening that they would never make it out alive.
"Do you really expect us to just stop?" Green Lantern asked as she flew by, never understanding the points of those threats. Was she just supposed to believe him and give up?
"So not happening," Robin added, turning around and throwing four birdarangs back at their pods, blowing them up and destroying any of their DNA left behind.
Desmond got up angrily, glaring after them as his genomorph hopped back on his shoulder. "Activate every genomorph in Cadmus."
"We are still forty-two levels below ground," Aqualad reported as he caught sight of the number on the side of a wall. They were running straight towards the elevator, hoping for a quick escape when giant trolls and other mutants blocked their path, surrounding them.
The heroes readied themselves and made their way through the trolls nimbly, dodging to the sides and avoiding contact. Meanwhile, Superboy didn't get the memo and stayed behind and fought his way out, taking down the giants with ease.
"Superboy!" Aqualad called as he and the rest waited safely out of range. "The goal is escape."
"You want escape?!" He roared angrily, picking up one of the trolls and throwing it onto two others, clearing a path. He ran towards them as Aqualad turned around and ripped open the elevator doors. Robin stepped forward and pulled out his grappling hook, carrying himself up as Green Lantern made a platform for her and KF. Superboy ran in with them, grabbing Aqualad and jumping through as more genomorphs swarmed behind them.
The two made it a few dozen floors up before their velocity reached zero and they began to fall. Superboy's eyes widened, stunned by his descent. He met Aqualad's eyes, reflecting the same nervous concern as his own. Robin noticed as the two began to fall and shot a make-shift handle just below for one of them to catch. Aqualad grasped it and swung roughly, hanging on to Superboy as they dangled above nothingness.
"I can't fly," the other said in disbelief as Aqualad swung them to a ledge and the others regrouped.
"Guys!" Lantern shouted, pointing up as she noticed the elevator coming down fast. "We have to get out of here!"
Superboy nodded and slammed the elevator doors open, grunting with the exertion. The heroes quickly dashed into the safety of the hall as the elevator flew past them. Green Lantern peered back down as the elevator stopped further down. "That's probably Desmond. They're coming up."
"Let's go," Robin interrupted her realization, pulling on her as more genomorphs chased after them from down the hall. Her eyes widened and she quickly got to her feet. She held Robin close, picking him up and carrying him with her as she caught up with the others.
"Go left!" Superboy yelled, turning suddenly. The team followed him unquestioningly, figuring he must know the route since he lived there his whole life.
"Turn right!" He guided, leading them down a dead end. He stopped, surprised by the outcome, his expression clearly showing he had expected something different.
"Great direction, Suppy. You trying to get us re-podded?" Kid Flash asked grouchily as they came to a stop.
"What's the point of this hallway anyway? There's no doors!" Green Lantern complained, looking back and scowling.
"Keep quiet, you two. This is perfect!" Robin interrupted, pointing to the vent.
"You're kidding, right?" KF asked, receiving his answer when Robin shot a hook through the vent and pulled it open. KF turned to Green Lantern to see if she was buying this. She shrugged and formed a platform again, taking everyone up as one by one they crawled through the tiny shaft.
"At this rate, we'll never get out," Kid Flash complained, bumping into the wall for the sixth time already. He scowled at it and shrunk himself as much as he possibly could, finally glad to not be as muscled as Superboy or Aqualad, who seemed to be having a much more difficult time than he.
"Shh," Superboy whispered, wedged between the walls uncomfortably. "Listen."
They stopped, hearing the growls of the leaner genomorphs tracking them down through the vent. KF whined in despair, "This is going to be just like one of those horror movies."
"Working on it," Robin said, taking the comment as a hint for him to hurry. He dialed on his keypad again as Kid Flash imagined something pulling Superboy away and picking them off one by one. They quieted down and waited before the growls traveled down another passage way..
"I hacked the motion sensors," Robin smirked victoriously, leading them further down the vent and finding a suitable exit as a surprised shout echoed down the vent. Robin laughed, imagining what was the cause of that shameful cry and sincerely hoping he was the cause of it.
"Finally!" Kid Flash exclaimed as he hopped back down into the hallway. "Room to move."
"Still plenty of them between us and out," Robin grinned, raining on his parade as the rest came down from the vent.
"No problem," KF grinned, snapping his goggles over his eyes and heading for the door, As soon as he opened it, there was a loud bang. Kid Flash groaned and held his shoulder as unconcealed pain ripped through him.
He grunted, biting down hard as he staggered back to his stunned teammates, revealing a smoking gun in the doorway. The owner stepped out from behind the door and stared at them emotionlessly.
"You!" Aqualad growled angrily, recognizing him and shaking, absolutely livid over what he had done. The boy responded by raising another gun at them and began firing ruthlessly. Green Lantern immediately raised a wall to protect them as Robin knelt beside Kid Flash and tended his wound, wrapping it with a tourniquet.
"Lantern, protect Robin and Kid Flash," Aqualad ordered as he and Superboy prepared to take down their opponent. Green Lantern nodded and lowered her wall. The two boys protected themselves, Aqualad forming his own shield and Superboy charging ahead as Green Lantern strengthened her barrier around herself and the others.
Superboy roared angrily, bullets bouncing off his impenetrable body as he ran at the mercenary. Seeing that his guns were no longer working, the boy switched tactics and replaced one of them with his dagger. He avoided Superboy's attack and dodged to the side, making him give chase. Superboy threw a punch and the other ducked under it, slamming his fist into the clone's gut. Superboy stumbled back as Aqualad let down his defenses and rushed towards him.
The boy switched tactics again and began firing down the line at Aqualad. The hero dodged through the hail nimbly, but each time, receiving some sort of graze from the bullets. He struggled and put his shield up again, worried that his ability to dodge did not meet the required skill needed for this opponent.
Seeing the other go down, the mercenary walked closer, bombarding Aqualad's shield with bullets when, suddenly, he flipped back as Superboy recovered himself and sprang to punch him in the face. He turned on the clone and began firing. Superboy snarled and charged him again. The boy flipped, kicking Superboy in the face and falling to the ground guns a blazing.
Aqualad, who had just retracted his shield, shouted in alarm as the bullets ripped past him, one of them cutting across the cheek. He grimaced as he was forced behind his shield again. "Superboy! I need help!"
Superboy bellowed and punched at the other madly, only to be blocked each time. The ebony dressed teen dodged another punch, pushing it to the side by using Superboy's momentum and creating an opening to knee him in the back. He caught his footing as Superboy stumbled forward and turned again, this time elbowing the other square in the chest. Superboy grimaced and clutched his chest as the merc opened the door of the stairwell again, using it to block another attack from Aqualad. Aqualad punched, creating a brutal dent in the metal door. He let it swing shut as Aqualad retracted his arm and attacked him again. The boy swooped below the attack and pulled out his gun, setting it below Aqualad's chin.
"No!" Green Lantern shouted, tearing down her wall and forming a whip, snapping it across the villain's hand and pulling it back as he shot into the air. Their opponent whipped around, turning his gun towards her, but Superboy intervened. He got behind the teen and restrained him as the other struggled against him to no avail.
"Hold him down," Aqualad said darkly, recollecting himself from his near-death experience and reaching around the larger, electrocuting his would-be-killer to the point of paralyzation.
Superboy let go of him before the electricity could travel into his body and let the other fall to the floor in distress. They glared down at him and turned to their teammates, "Are you ready to go?"
"It was just a graze," Robin reported, nodding as he helped KF up, the latter grunting and grimacing with the effort. "But it cut deep."
"I'm good," Kid Flash defended, holding his arm and approaching the door.
"Not a chance, kid," Green Lantern stated, purposely misusing his nickname. She wrapped her energy around him and picked him up as she molded it into a platform. Kid pouted as he sat down stubbornly, crossing his arms and looking to the side as everyone else stepped aboard.
"Get us as far as you can," Aqualad requested as she carried them into the stairwell and started flying up. Growls echoed above them as more genomorphs came down from the upper levels.
"Get ready," Aqualad cautioned as he prepared to fight them off. The others readied themselves as well as Green Lantern willed herself to fly faster. They beat off the mutants easily, knocking them to the side as they launched themselves at them. It wasn't long before they reached the top and boarded off the platform. They turned into the hall as Superboy bent the door out of shape behind them, making sure none of the creatures would be able to follow them. Robin and Aqualad ran ahead as Lantern and Superboy helped Kid at a slower pace.
"Ugh, I hate going slow," KF complained, trying to move faster without moving his arm too much.
"Superboy!" Aqualad called from down the hall, drawing their attention. Green Lantern and him shared a worried look as he made sure she was okay with Kid Flash before leaving and running ahead.
"Come on," she encouraged as she followed the boys down a corner. It was then that she saw why Superboy had been called on. A large, indestructible door had rose between them and freedom. Both Aqualad and Superboy were beating at the door and attempting to pry it open as Robin stood to the side, typing away with a disgruntled look.
"We're locked out," Kid Flash frowned, feeling much more down now that he couldn't help.
"Not for long," Green Lantern denied, observing the door for weak spots. Before any of them could do anything though, more growls came from down the hall and Kid and GL turned back to see a number of trolls pursuing them.
"Gotta go," Lantern said, ushering Kid along guiltily as he struggled to keep up.
"Come on," she yelled to the others as she found another door and used her ring to open it. They turned inside immediately as the trolls tried to grab them from behind. They ran down the hallway only to meet Guardian and even more trolls along with every other genomorph in Cadmus. The team looked for another exit, but found themselves surrounded. They gathered tightly and prepared to fight for their lives.
The smallest of the genomorphs glowed an ominous red and suddenly, four-fifths of the team fell to the ground unconscious.
When they came to a few moments later, the advanced genomorph stood before them, staring at Superboy somberly.
"I choose freedom," Superboy said, staring back at him determinedly. The others moaned in confusion, still too dazed to understand what was going on. They got up dizzily and held their heads, wondering what just happened.
"Feels like fog lifting," Guardian said weakly, putting a hand to his own temple like the rest.
"Guardian?" Aqualad asked, wary of the superhero's intentions. Now that he knew what the genomorphs could do, he was very certain that Guardian had no control over himself when he attacked them, but he needed to be sure.
Guardian nodded, remembering his time lost to the genomorphs. "Go. I'll deal with Desmond."
"I think not," said scientist replied, appearing behind the genomorph trolls as they moved out of his way. He stood there angrily, glowering at them as he gripped a glowing blue vile intimidatingly. "Project Blockbuster will give me the power to restore order to Cadmus."
"Oh, he's got that crazy look in his eye," Lantern said nervously, pulling her lips back uncomfortably and cringing as Desmond tossed the vile back and drank its contents.
"Tell me when its over," she whined, covering her eyes as the scientists clenched his fists and shook violently. His muscles tensed as he heaved his chest upwards, sounding strangled as his muscles grew, tearing through his skin. The flesh beneath turned blue as veins popped through and his skin tore to shreds. He stood as the horrible process was over, shrieking fiercely in his new form, now an unfortunate brute more terrifying than the worst of any genomorph.
"Everyone, back," Guardian called, putting his hands out to protect them. Making sure they were a safe distance away he ran at Desmond determinedly. Desmond snarled and swatted him to the side, percolating with unrestrained power. Guardian fell to the side, down for the count.
Superboy grit his teeth and jumped forward, landing a hit on the brute and raising his fist for another, but Desmond beat him to it, punching the younger across the face. Superboy fought against the momentum of the attack, forcing himself to remain standing and probably hurting himself in the process. But he didn't care. He jumped back in and punched Desmond in the face repeatedly before Desmond leaned back and threw his fist against Superboy, pounding him into the ground. Superboy skidded across the floor painfully before he managed to pick himself up. He ignored his injuries and jumped up high, throwing his fists together in attack. Desmond growled and launched himself into the air, tackling Superboy mid-fall and pushing him through the ceiling of the floor.
"Superboy!" Green Lantern called after him in alarm as she and the team looked through the improvised skylight.
"Okay, that's one way to bust through the ceiling," Robin commented, a little bit stunned. He doubted he'd ever be able to get used to the destruction caused by superpowered brawls. He shrugged it off and took out his grappling hook, propelling himself upstairs.
"Let's go," Kid Flash said, eager to get this fight over and done with in his condition. He held onto his arm as GL made another platform and took him and Aqualad above ground.
When they came through, Desmond and Superboy were still going at it. Desmond held Superboy up tightly, moving to crush him when Superboy summoned all his strength and broke free, throwing the other's arms off his body. Desmond sneered and grabbed his leg while he was still in the air, turning around and throwing him at the heroes.
Lantern widened her eyes as she used her ring to make a large baseball glove and caught Superboy as easily as she would a baseball. She set him down beside them gently, causing Desmond to growl and roar savagely.
"Behind you," A voice said as a dark figure appeared in the background. The darkness melted away to reveal Glitch, glaring at him darkly as she opened a portal over the beast and a very large slab of concrete fell on top of him.
Desmond pushed it off of him and lunged at Glitch. She sunk into the portal keeping her afloat and reappeared beside KF, holding on to him as she took in his wound, "What happened down there?!"
"No time to talk," Robin answered, running forward to meet Desmond and give the others more time to get ready.
Glitch turned to Aqualad for an answer, furrowing her brow in regret as she observed the many cuts on his body from his fight from before. Noticing her discomfort, Aqualad shook his head, speaking to her firmly, "Don't worry about that now. We need to take down Desmond."
Glitch held her tongue and nodded, moving away and forming her energy around her fists. She watched as Robin relied on long range attacks to avoid getting close with Desmond. She threw up her hand and summoned a portal as Robin threw a few birdarangs behind him as he ran away from the rampant monster. She sucked the weapons through her void and created another portal behind Desmond, hitting him in the back successfully.
He stopped in bewilderment before realizing Glitch's part and running after. She melted through the floor, taking Kid with her as Aqualad, Superboy, and Green Lantern prepared to take him on. Lantern formed a lasso and hooked it around Desmond, pulling him off his feet and twirling him around in a circle while Aqualad and Superboy stood back and planted their feet to the ground, rearing back their fists as Desmond came round. They smashed their fists into Desmond's face, pushing him back through the lasso and sending him back a few meters as a twin pair of smiles spread across their faces.
While that was happening, KF and Glitch appeared beside Robin for a strategy. Kid Flash scowled as he stared after the others, watching as GL constructed a boot and kicked Desmond while he was down.
"There's no way I'm staying out of this," KF declared, strapping on his goggles and running into the fight before either could stop him. He ran at the recovering Desmond and somersaulted, kicking Desmond twice before crouching down and running low before Desmond could retaliate.
Desmond fumed and swatted an arm, hitting Aqualad as he attempted to get another shot in. Desmond went towards one of the pillars supporting the room and ripped it from where it stood, using it as a bat, hitting Aqualad and KF in the process as they came back around for round two.
Glitch summoned a portal, catching the two before they made contact with the wall and teleported them safely to the sidelines, though both were hurt much more than they were before. Superboy stepped in then, but was immediately grabbed and thrown into another pillar. Desmond drew his arm back a second time, but Superboy was saved by another portal opening up behind him.
GL moved in with Robin as she threw a bolas at Desmond's feet while Robin leaped in to hit him with an ammunition disc full of freezing gas. Desmond knocked the disc to the side, freezing his arm in the process, but grabbing Robin with the other. He held the youngest before him, squeezing harder and harder as Robin cried out in pain.
Kid Flash immediately came to his rescue despite his injuries, taking a swipe at Desmond and splitting as Superboy stormed in and ripped Desmond's hand off of Robin. He recovered Robin and the two were immediately taken out of the battle by another portal.
Glitch replaced them as she and Lantern paired up. Lantern formed a machine gun and began firing off to the side, shooting into the center of one portal while Glitch created multiple portals around Desmond and unleashed a torrent on Desmond. The giant ducked in response, taking cover against the hail of bullets before running blindly forward, attempting to flee the barrage. He ran directly into a portal and ended up straight ahead of Green Lantern, still charging forward aimlessly. GL yelped as she was run down and thrown back by the brute. Desmond stopped and roared as he realized he was free from the offense. He once again went after Glitch who attempted to escape once again, but Desmond reached down into her portal after her and grabbed her before she could make it through. She gasped as she was pulled out, still enshrouded in the dark energy. Desmond stood up and slammed her into another pillar, breaking it considerably. Glitch groaned in pain, her vision blurring as the entire building shook with the impact.
Robin looked up as he came up with a plan and called Superboy and KF to him to tell them his plan while Aqualad ran to the girl's rescue. He immediately engaged Desmond as GL ran towards Glitch and helped her up.
"Talk to Robin," KF said, appearing next to them in the next moment as Superboy tore apart the pillar next to them. Saying nothing else, he ran to help Aqualad, throwing a punch at the villain and snatching a stray film of skin off Desmond's face. "Haha, got your nose!"
Desmond growled and went after Flash as the speedster made sure not to get himself into further trouble. Seeing the monster distracted, GL and Glitch ran towards Robin who pulled up a three dimensional diagram of the building structure from his holographic computer, "I need you two to set up a trap for Desmond. Glitch, when I give the signal, you teleport him to the center where Aqualad will be waiting with a trap. Green Lantern, I need you and Superboy to knock out these pillars. Got it?"
They nodded and went to work. Green Lantern met up with Superboy and helped him to destroy the specified pillars while Glitch shadowed Robin as he threw time fuses into the remaining pillars and met up with Aqualad to tell him his role. Aqualad nodded and ran to the center, gathering his water and laying it out on the floor.
"We're ready!" GL called, waving over to them with Superboy. Robin turned to Glitch and nodded. She faced Desmond and raised her hand, creating a portal between him and KF. Desmond ran straight in, unable to stop himself as Glitch closed the portal around him and opened another above the middle of the room. Desmond crashed down roughly as KF ran to the safety of Green Lantern and Superboy's side.
Aqualad bent down and sent a wave of electricity through the water, electrifying Desmond. The hulking brute recoiled, laying down frozenly as Robin yelled for them to take cover and activated the bombs he had placed earlier.
With a great shudder, the whole building began to collapse. Desmond's eyes widened as a large slab of crushing weight fell on top of him. Meanwhile, the others took their own cover. Superboy gathered Green Lantern and Kid Flash close, covering them with his body as GL made a shield with her ring. Aqualad faired fine against the debris, his body being much more durable than an average human's, and Glitch made sure she and Robin were safe as she teleported them above the explosion, floating in the night air as the debris settled.
Superboy grunted as Green Lantern dropped her shield and he caught what debris it had collected, throwing it to the side. Aqualad also broke free of the debris and climbed out to meet them. The team regrouped and stared into the pile, spying an unconscious Desmond trapped between layers of destroyed floors.
"We did it," Aqualad said, smiling and panting heavily.
"Was there ever any doubt?" Robin grinned, turning to KF and giving him a high five. The two recoiled a second later as their injuries caught up with them and anything as simple as a high five brought a rush of pain.
"So, what do you think?" Green Lantern asked, smiling tiredly at Superboy. He tilted his head slightly, staring at her curiously as he wondered what she was talking about.
"It may not be the sun, but the moon's still pretty cool," Kid Flash helped explain as he pointed up. Superboy looked upwards, staring at the moon in wonder as it seemed to reflect all the possibilities before him now that he was free. And if by coincidence or fate, a hallmark figure flew into his line of vision, bearing the same symbol on his chest as the boy below.
"Uh oh," Glitch paled as the other League members came into view, bearing disapproving frowns. She melted into the ground and teleported herself between the group, hiding away from her superiors as they gathered around the teens.
Superboy stepped forward, staring at Superman attentively as he revealed the symbol on his chest. Superman's eyes widened in surprise, too stunned to even speak. Superboy attempted to smile, understanding that that was a way to ease someone's nerves, however, Superman's gaze only hardened and he frowned, making the newly released clone falter. Batman narrowed his eyes and approached the group, standing beside his partner, "Is that what I think it is?"
"He doesn't like being called an it," Kid Flash whispered, learning that lesson the hard way.
"I'm Superboy," said boy announced roughly, upset over his mentor's gruff response. "I'm Superman's clone."
Batman narrowed his eyes, conveying a demanding presence as he took over the scene. "Start talking."
One by one they all took their turns adding to the story until all the pieces were put together. Batman gestured to a few Leaguers and they moved to capture Desmond and take him away while the more prominent League members stayed behind.
"Cadmus will be investigated," Batman declared as he approached the newly-formed team with their mentors, save for Superman, who flew off after speaking with Superboy briefly. "All fifty-two levels, but let's make one thing clear."
"You should've called," Flash frowned, almost slightly pouting in disappointment oh his protégé's incompetence.
"Emma," the other Green Lantern warned paternally, crossing his arms convictingly.
Emma laughed weakly, "Heh, hey Uncle Jordan."
The older Green Lantern smiled, breaking his reprehending attitude, "Glad to see ya kid."
Emma looked down sheepishly, embarrassed at being the only one with a mentor who didn't care that she broke the rules. Then again, this was Hal Jordan she was talking about. She was sure if her Uncle Stewart had stuck around, she'd be getting an earful right now.
"Glitch," Canary chimed in, "I didn't expect such behavior from you. I'm surprised."
Glitch blushed and looked down. She had changed opinions somewhere along the line of working with her team. They had proven their point to her. They all had much more potential than the Justice League was allowing them and setting them up as sidekicks was an insult to the skills they each possessed. However, she felt bad as she adored Black Canary more than anything and couldn't bear to disappoint her. She shuffled her feet, saying nothing as she kicked at the ground and pressed her lips together.
"End results aside, we are not happy." Batman restated, making sure none of them got the wrong idea. "You hacked Justice League systems, disobeyed direct orders, and endangered lives. You will not be doing this again."
"I am sorry, but we will," Aqualad stood up in place of everyone, voicing their thoughts aloud as they all gathered behind him to rally their support.
"Aqualad, stand down," Aquaman ordered, pondering over how much his prized student changed.
"Apologies, my king, but no." He bowed, placing his hand over his chest in respect, earning a raised brow from his mentor. He continued, "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, the four of you " Flash began only to be interrupted by his younger copy.
"The six of us," Kid corrected, adding on, "And, its not."
"Batman, we're ready to use what you taught us, or why teach us at all?" Robin persuaded, stepping a little bit closer.
Superboy crossed his arms and stepped forward in aggravation, either sore over his treatment with Superman or upset over how his friend's pleas were not being heard. "Why let them tell us what to do? Its simple: either get on board or get out of the way."
The rest of the team went silent as Superboy summed up their feelings. They didn't have anything else to say. They didn't have to convince their mentors; they were doing this one way or another.
"You've failed us, Shade," a blurry image on one of many screens said as it talked to the gun slinger the team had encountered back in Cadmus. The boy looked on stoically, unfazed by the criticism of his work.
"We expected more from someone with your background," another added. Still, he didn't speak.
"Are you listening, boy? We've lost Cadmus because you couldn't fend off a few wretched brats."
He blinked, "I understand."
"Enough, brother," another silhouette spoke, this one being much more oddly shaped than the rest, obviously not of this world. "I believe Cadmus was already doomed."
"Yes, but what should we do about the children?" one asked. "I worry they will become a problem to our plans."
"We can use them to our advantage," another screen said confidently. "Eventually, everyone sees the Light."
"This cave was the original secret sanctuary of the Justice League," Batman introduced as the young heroes gathered around him while other members of the League bustled about, cleaning the place up for the new team. "We're calling it into service again. Since you six are determined to stay together and fight the good fight, you'll do it on League terms. Red Tornado volunteered to live here and be your supervisor. Black Canary's in charge of training. I will deploy you on missions."
"Real missions?" Robin asked hopefully, still feeling a hint of doubt.
"Yes," Batman eased his worries as he stepped in line with the other mentors, "but covert."
"The League will still handle the obvious stuff; there's a reason we have these big targets on our chest," Flash grinned, pointing to his own symbol as he put a hand on KF's shoulder.
"Cadmus proves the bad guys are getting smarter," Aquaman added. "Batman needs a team that can operate on the sly."
"The seven of you will be that team," Batman revealed, adding in an extra number.
"Cool," Robin grinned, having his worries absolved. He faltered a moment later as he registered the addition of another team member, "Wait, seven?"
Batman looked to the end of the room as Martian Manhunter walked in with a female version of himself, the girl having long, red hair and cute, little freckles adorning her face. She approached them shyly as Batman introduced her as Martian Manhunter's niece, Miss Martian.
"Hi," she forced out, waving consciously, but doing her best to give them a big smile.
"Liking this gig more every minute," Kid Flash commented to Robin as he moved in to welcome their newest member. "Welcome aboard, I'm Kid Flash. That's Glitch and Green Lantern. And that's Robin, Aqualad, Superboy its cool if you forget their names."
"I'm honored to be included," Miss M replied sincerely, blushing as she caught sight of Superboy. She tucked her hair behind her ear and looked to the side as she made her shirt turn black. She looked back up at him nervously, attempting to make friends, "I like your T-shirt."
Superboy smiled as Robin nudged him, catching on to what Miss M was putting down. She blushed and looked away again as Green Lantern rolled her eyes, "Ignore them. Just be glad you got some girls on the team."
Miss Martian met their eyes gratefully as she smiled past the hair curtaining her face. Aqualad smiled as he felt the group really settling in and becoming comfortable with one another, "Today is the day."
A/N: Hello all. This is the new chapter. I've been working on it for a while and just finished it tonight. It's actually rather late, so I obviously didn't proofread and amend my work too well, but oh well. Please check the updates on the OC forms in the previous chapter. If it hasn't been updated yet, here are the changes:
I am fully stocked on heroes. Any more will be saved and considered for future story lines. This means they will either appear much later in the story line or in season two when this story gets there. Currently, I am only accepting two more OCs and those are villains. Let me know if you have any questions. Night