Young Justice: The Justice Initiative
InfiniteWriter
Chapter Two: The Boy of Tomorrow-Part Two
Lex Luthor Metropolis Academy
Metropolis, Delaware
08:30 A.M.
Conner stood outside the main gate of the school. He was waiting for a certain five-seven, auburn-haired speedster. It was their morning routine. Since becoming friends with Bart, Conner would hang out with him before school instead of his 'other friends'. Those said 'other friends' would call him out on it, but they soon stop. Conner, like his adopted father, was no pushover. If his physical attributes didn't scare you off then his cold stare would. Conner wasn't mean though. If he was mean then he wouldn't have become friends with Bart or care so much about having 'fake' friends.
"Still brooding, Con," shouted a voice. Conner didn't even look up or replied. He just held his arm out to stop the small train from hitting him head-on with a manly hug. But Bart came ready.
He expertly slid under his arm and granted Conner a hug anyway. "Ha," he shouted. "You could not stop Impulse this time." Impulse was the nickname that Bart gave himself. It was kind-of fitting because of his personality. He was hyper-active, had a small attention span, and acted impulsively.
"Bart," he warned. "Get off of me before I throw you off."
He finally released him after one more good squeeze. He toke a couple of steps back and pulled out his signature goggles. "You know, Supey," he said while cleaning off his goggles. "You need to work on your personality. Sometimes, you can come off as a downer."
"Supey," Conner asked, ignoring his comment about his social tendencies.
Bart grinned. "You know of Superman, right. The Man of Steel, protector of the innocent, and overall big blue boy scout in red underwear?" Conner nodded. Everybody knew of the Man of Steel. Superman lived, right here, in Metropolis. He is, or used to be, our guardian angel.
"Well," he continued. "You are just like him. The Boy of Steel, protector of the bullied, and a boy scout minus the red underwear and tights."
"That makes no sense."
Bart frowned. "Of course it does," he protested. "You just obviously don't go around saving cats from trees and doing the impossible like flying."
I sighed and patted his head. "Whatever you say, Bart. Just don't call me that in front of people."
Removing Conner's hand, Bart smirked. "No promises, Supey. You know the relationship between me and my mouth. There is none!"
"I am going to regret this," Conner admitted.
History Class
Metropolis, Delaware
09:00 A.M.
"Today, class. We will be discussing the anniversary of Superman's last appearance," Mr. Carr stated. "So maybe most of my class will actually stay awake," he joked.
His real name is Lucas Carr, but nobody calls him that. Students either called him Mr. Carr or his nickname, Snapper. His nickname came from his habit of continually snapping his fingers. Mr. Carr is pretty laid back. He was a least five foot ten. He was lean, had blue eyes and brown hair. He kind-of reminds you of Shaggy off of Scooby-Doo. Instead of a regular green shirt and a passion for food, he wears superhero-themed t-shirts and has an obsession with the Justice League. He would always tell his classes that his was an honorary member. He also said that they personally put him in charge of maintaining their headquarters.
The whole class paid attention. Despite the fact that they are all teenagers, hearing stories about the legendary Justice League, made of super-powered heroes, was something they always looked forward to. Even though they had perished ten years ago, they still lived on. Especially Superman. The Man of Steel was the prime example of a perfect mixture between human and god. Nobody thought he would ever lose a fight. Or die in the northern part of Metropolis ten years ago.
Bart tapped Conner with his elbow across the desk they both shared. "You better listen up, Supey," he joked. "You are about to learn about your old man."
"What did I tell you about that nickname, Bart," Conner warned. A little too loudly.
"Is there something you two want to share," Snapper asked. His was retelling his story about how he single-handedly helped the League save the day against Starro the Conqueror. Starro the Conqueror was a member of the Hatorei species. One time, he used the Starro's, a starfish-shaped alien species, innate psychic powers to take over the world.
"Nothing, Mr. Carr," Bart exclaimed. "I was just reminding Supey here to pay attention since Superman is like his distant ancestor."
"Supey," Snapper asked. Though some days Snapper didn't want to hear Bart's impulsive and very long speeches, Bart's newest nickname for Conner was interesting. He had to hear the explanation behind this one.
Bart grinned. "Well, you see ," he started. "Supey is a shortened form of the name Superman. And Conner is just like Superman. You can even see the family resemblance." He paused to point to Conner's face then to the picture of the Man of Steel on the Smart Board. "Conner is the Boy of Steel, protector of the innocent and defender of Earth minus the tights." Bart paused and gain a look that showed his was thinking. "I just figured out an even better name," he shouted. "Superboy!"
There was a moment of silence. The whole class had just witnessed an Impulse Moment. It was more like a moment of insanity that had some intelligence in it. After the silence, they all started laughing.
"Well, that was something, Impulse," Snapper said, still shocked. "Just keep your conversations with Superboy to a minimum while I'm lecturing, alright?"
Conner placed his head in his hands. He did regret giving Bart permission to use that nickname.
"Alright, Snapper."
Snapping his fingers, Mr. Carr started his lesson about the Last Son of Krypton. "As you guys all know, Superman and the League died in an epic battle that toke placed right here in our own City of Tomorrow. We have come to creatively call that event 'The Day'. On 'The Day', Doomsday was released from his secret prison by an unknown group or person. Some have come to say that the Legion of Doom were the ones responsible without any logical evidence. It was impossible for them to be behind the plot. The Legion was capture and disbanded a year before 'The Day'. There was some other rumor about some kind-of light, but I forgot the story behind that one.
Anyway, Doomsday was destroying the New Troy District of Metropolis. Superman was called in to help. Here is an important fact to remember: Superman has fought Doomsday before without any trouble. But this time, something was different. Doomsday quickly overpowered Superman. Our hero was almost down for the count ten minutes into the battle. The Justice League were in the same area protecting and evacuating the civilians still present. Seeing Superman in distress, they went into the hot spot. Strangely, as soon as the League began to launch a joint assault on the creature, a barrier appeared over the battle zone."
"What caused the barrier, Mr. Carr," asked a student.
"To this day, we still don't know," he answered. "But that impenetrable barrier became the death sentence for those inside. Despite the appearance of the prison, the League battled on. Then, at precisely twelve o'clock, there was an explosion. Soon after, an EMP shut down all machines in the whole east side of the country." He paused. He expressed sadness on his face. With the look of grief he showed, you could really believed that he used to know the Justice League personally.
"When the smoke cleared and the power was restored," he continued. "The barrier was gone and wherever it went, it took the world's heroes with it."
"Now, every year," Snapper carried on while battling tears. "We celebrate their heroics and remember their sacrifice."
The Justice League's demise was the shot heard around the world. It effected everybody worldwide. The whole world was grieving at their loss. The Justice League was the Earth's mightiest heroes. Superman, the Man of Steel, Batman, the Dark Knight, Wonder Woman, the Amazon Princess, Aquaman, the King of Atlantis, Flash, the Scarlet Speedster, Martian Manhunter, the Alien of Mars, Green Arrow, the Emerald Archer, and Green Lantern, Emerald Crusader were the founding members of the League. They were the world's first and only heroes. With no heroes to keep them in check, villains ran rancid, uncontrolled. The local governments tried their best, but they needed their heroes.
That's where companies like LexCorp's and organizations like the League of Assassins come in.
"So class," he explained. "Today, we will be going to LexCorp's, the company that has everything there is to know about Superman. Afterwards, we will visit Centennial Park to see the Superman Memorial Statue and Tomb. So, let's head out."
Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to the mentioned characters or published materials. If I did, Superboy would have all his powers.
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