A/N: Here's another chapter! Enjoy and leave a comment if you did.
Deep underneath Washington DC, a nervous scientist paced as he waited for his request for an audience to be granted. He walked over the middle of a circle on the floor. He took a breath as minors lowered, surrounding him in a circle. As they did the lights automatically went down, leaven him in only a mall circle of light. The whole process was intimidating, which he supposed was the point. A figure of flight appeared on each screen around him.
"Dr. Desmond," one of the light figures said. "You require an audience with The Light?"
"Yes," Dr. Desmond confirmed, trying to sound confident. "I'm sorry to disturb you at this late hour-"
"Just get to the point," the figure in the monitor on his left said.
"Of course." He cleared his throat. "Well, we had a small fire here at Project Cadmus, the origin of the incident remains unclear but it seems to have attracted some…unwanted attention. Four side-kicks, Robin, Arsenal, Aqualad, and Kid Flash breached security. They found Project Kr and related the superweapon. The Superboy. Of course, the clone is under our telepathic control and, as ordered, turned against his would-be liberators. The four are contained and we don't believe the League knows that they're here. Uh…what should I do with them?"
There was a moment of silence before, "Clone them," said the first figure. "The substitutes will serve The Light and only The Light."
"And the originals?"
"Dispose of them. Leave no trace."
"Except for Arsenal," the second figure added. "Keep him well sedated and restrained, then move him to another facility. We have an associate who has unfinished business with him."
"As you wish," Dr. Desmond responded with a smile.
— —
In another part of the Cadmus facility, Robin, Arsenal, Kid Flash, and Aqualad were restrained in containment pods and still unconscious. "Time runs short," a deep voice side suddenly in their heads. "You must wake up. You must awaken now!" The four of them opened their eyes and gasped as they picked their heads up.
Arsenal his heart rate picked up at the feeling of being unable to move, and then his brain picked up on the fact he was confined in a small space. 'Calm down, calm down, calm down.' That was when he noticed Superboy standing in front of the pods and staring at them.
"What- What do you want?!" Kid Flash demanded. Superboy didn't respond and merely continued to stare. "Quit staring, you're freaking me out!"
"Uh, KF," Robin said, "how about we don't tick off the guy who can kill us with a look?" He could hear Arsenal's breathing getting so shallow and fast it was starting to sound like hyperventilating. "Arsenal, bro, breath. In, out, in, out." Arsenal focused his breathing on following Robin's words. For his part, Robin felt guilty for putting Arsenal in this position, since it had been his idea. "I know the pod is small, but you need to focus on my voice, ok?"
"Uh-huh," Arsenal grunted, unable to form any other coherent thoughts or words. Robin was going to say something eel, but then stopped when he realized Superboy was staring at him and Arsenal.
"We only meant to help you," Aqualad said to the clone, who turned his attention him slowly.
"Yeah, we free you and you turn on us!" Kid Flash shouted. "How's that for gratit-"
"Kid, please, be quiet now. I believe our new friend is not in control of his actions." With Superbly's attention no longer on him, Robin took the opportunity to slip a lock-pick out of his glove.
"Yeah," Arsenal agreed, voice almost a wheeze and still sounding like he was going to hyperventilate. "He-he might be…being forced to…"
Superboy grunted. "What if I….what if I wasn't?" he asked in a quiet voice.
"He can talk?!" Kid Flash demanded.
"Yes, he can." Superboy's fist tightened as he talked. Arsenal felt his chest constrict even more at the hard edge of the teen's voice. He silently commanded himself to focus and also slipped a lockpick free of his glove. Aqualad and Robin both gave him a look.
"What? It's not like I said 'it'."
"The genomes taught you," Aqualad guessed. "Telepathically."
"Yes, they taught me much. I can read, write…I know the names of things."
"But have you seen them?" Robin asked. "Have they ever let you seen the sky? Or the sun?"
"The images are implanted in my mind, but no. I have not seen them." Arsenal, despite his own impending panic, felt a flash of sympathy for Superboy.
"Do you know who you are, what you are?" Aqualad asked curiously.
"I am the Superboy. A genomorph. A clone made from the DNA of Superman. Created to replace him, should he perish. Destroy him should he turn from The Light." Robin, Kid Flash, and Aqualad gave each other looks of concern at the last part, but the clone's words merely deepened Arsenal's sympathy for him.
"Being like Superman is a worthy aspiration. But like Superman, you deserve a life of your own. Beyond that solar suit. And your pod. Beyond Cadmus."
"I live because of Cadmus!" Arenal's body flinched at the yell from Superboy. "It is my home!"
"Your home is a test tube," Robin said in a voice Arsenal knew all too well. "We can show you the sun."
"Uh…pretty sure it's after midnight," Kid Flash pointed out. "But we can show you the moon."
"And the stars," Arsenal added hoarsely.
"And we can show you, introduce you, to Superman," Aqualad added. This seemed to make Superboy reconsider.
"No," said a man who was walking in with a woman and Guardian. The four young heroes glared at him. "they won't. They'll be otherwise occupied. Begins he cloning process."
"Pass," Robin said immediately as the woman with him walked towards the controls. "Bat Cave's corded enough, right Arsenal?"
"Uh-huh," Arsenal agreed.
"And put the weapon back in its pod!" Desmond shouted at Guardian.
"Hey, how come he gets to call Supey an it?" Kid Flash asked as Guardian walked forward and put his hand on Superbly's shoulder.
"Please, help us," Aqualad pleaded to the clone. Superboy looks at Guardian and shook his hand off.
"Don't start thinking now," Desmond said as he walked past, his genomorph hopping off his shoulder and onto Superboy's. Its horns started to glow. The effect was immediate as Superboy's gaze became unfocused. "See, you're not a real boy, you're a weapon! And you belong to me!"
Despite his still very loosely held calm, Arsenal felt a burst of anger. "He doesn't belong to you!" he snapped at Desmond. "He's a person, he doesn't belong to anyone!"
Desmond barely spared at the archer a glance. "Well, to Cadmus, same thing! Now get back in your pod!"
"Don't listen to him Superboy! You don't belong to anyone! No one owns you and they can't treat you like this!" Arsenal felt even more panic and worry as he watched Superboy turned and march out of the room. The door closed and he felt his resolve double-down. He was getting out of this pod, of not to help himself, then to help Superboy. Unfortunately, Desmond then nodded to the woman, who started typing on the keyboard. Two metal arms with thin, finger-like structures on the end suddenly came up from the bottom of the pods and attached themselves to the heroes. Arsenal shrieked in pain and felt his grip on his calm slip. His muscles went tense and he hyperventilated as the needles on the structures pierced his skin.
"Where's Dubbilex?!" Desmond demanded as the genome came up behind him. "Lurking in the shadows, as usual. Have the genomes being downloading their memories. When that's done, and when you're sure the clones are viable, delete the source material; except for," he pointed to Arsenal. "that one. Move him to a freeze pod and put him on ice, then have him ready to be transported to another facility. He is to be unharmed in the process." Arsenal was in such a deep state of panic he didn't focus on anything else, but Robin caught bits and pieces of it. Tough to know, even through the haze of pain, that he was about to die and his older brother was going to be frozen for God-only-knew what reason.
Aqualad also heard this and gutted his teeth. "Superboy," he whispered, hoping the clone's super hearing was as good as Superman's. "You live. That gives you the right to follow your own path. You're not a weapon. You're a person. The choice is yours, but ask yourself, what would Superman do?" Unknown to him, Superboy could indeed hear him and the Atlantean's words made the clone stop.
Robin was trying to mediate through the pain like Batman had taught him to try and find a way out when a loud noise momentarily distracted him. The door of the room crumbled and caved in from the outside. Superboy stood in the doorway, having cut off the power supply of the room when he tore off the door. The pain stopped and three of the heroes all breathed a sigh of relief. Arsenal though was still in the grips of his panic attack. It made Robin desperate to get free.
"I thought I told you to get back in your-" Desmond shouted at Superboy as he walked calmly forward. Desmond, Guardian, and Dibbilex ran at him, but Superboy shoved them aside without care.
"Don't give me orders," he said to the now unconscious Desmond. He turned to the trapped heroes.
"So are you here to fry us or help us?" Kid Flash asked.
Superboy's eyes narrowed for a moment. "Huh. I don't seem to have heat vision, so I guess helping is my only option." His gaze drifted to Arsenal, who as still having a panic attack. "What's the matter with him?"
"He's got issues," Robin said shortly. He finally got them off and jumped down.
"Ah, that's better," he said, rubbing his wrists and putting the lockpick back. 'Luck Batman isn't here. He'd have my head for taking so long."
"Seriously, that's what you're worried about?" Kid Flash asked as Robin ran to the control panel. "The whole League will have our heads after tonight!" The pods opened and Robin turned to Superboy.
"Free Aqualad and Kid Mouth. I have to take care of Arsenal."
"Don't you give me order either," Superboy growled, but he leaped to free them nonetheless. He crushed the metal cuffs with his hands with ease.
Robin went straight for Arsenal and climbed the structure with ease. He carefully picked the lock on the cuffs and jumped down in time to catch his brother. "Arsenal," he said, staggering a little bit under the older teen's weight. With a grunt, Robin heaved his upper body up and brought them both down to their knees. He put both his hands on either side of the archer's face. "Arsenal, it's Robin. You're safe now, you're out of the pod. Look at me, bro." With their masks on it was hard to tell if he had Arsenal's attention and he knew this would be better if Arsenal could see his eyes, but this was the situation as it was. "Breathe Arsenal! in! Out! In! Out!" He put the archer's hand on his own chest and took deep breaths as he talked. Thankfully, Arsenal did calm down fairly quickly. "You ok?"
"Mhm," Arsenal grunted. He was shaky and feeling as though he was going to collapse, but he could think straight, so it was better than nothing.
"Let's go," Aqualad said. Robin grabbed Arsenal's hand and they ran out of the room.
"You'll never get out of here!" Desmond hustled after them. "I'll have you back in pods before morning."
"He's so not whelmed," Robin muttered, throwing several exploding discs back at Desmond.
"What is it with you and this whelmed thing?" Kid Flash asked as they left.
"Better not to ask," Arsenal replied. The discs that the containers with their DNA and back up, destroying it.
Desmond got to his feet and glared at them as they ran. "Activate every genomorph in Cadmus."
Meanwhile, the group was running for their lives. "We're still 42 levels below ground," Aqualad said as they ran. They stopped suddenly when several of the genome monsters they'd seen before was standing there. They backtracked a little bit, but at that moment noticed several round structures on the wall were glowing red. More genomes emerged from them. The group scattered as one of the creature's fists came down at them. Superboy glared up at it and leaped into the air, knocking the creature down with a single punch. Another creature suddenly hit him and pinned him down, giving the others a chance to get by them. Superboy freed himself and started pumping the creature into the wall. "Superboy!" Aqualad yelled. "The goal is to escape! Not to bury ourselves here!"
"You want escape?!" Superboy demanded, a wild look in his eyes making Arsenal whimper and step back. Superboy picked up one of the natures and thew it into the other two. They continued running until they reached an elevator, whose doors Aqualad pried open. Kid flash hopped onto a ledge, allowing Robin to shoot his grappling hook. He jumped just as Arsenal wrapped his arms around the boy's shoulders. Superboy wrapped one arm around Aqualad and jumped up. They traveled up several stories before their momentum scowled and they started falling. "I'm falling…" Robin's eyes indeed and he spared a glance at his brother. Arsenal gun himself to a ledge, grabbing on with his fingers. Robin shot another grapple down to their falling feeding, which Aqualad caught. "Superman can fly," Superboy said quietly in disbelief. "Why can't I fly?"
"Don't know," Kid Flash said from the ledge he, Robin, and Arsenal were standing on. "But it looks like you can leap tall buildings in a single bound. Still pretty cool."
"Thank you."
"Guys!" Robin yelled. "This floor has to be our exit!" He pointed up at an elevator that was quickly descending on them. Superbly punched the doors out and they quickly exited onto the floor just as the elevator passed. More genome creatures came down the hall and they turned right to avoid them. Kid Flash ran ahead of the group as usual, but Superboy was able to keep pace with him.
"Turn left ahead," a movie in his head said. He frowned and hesitated, but they didn't have a lot of options.
"Go left!" he shouted to the others. "Left!" They turned left.
"Turn right ahead."
"Right!" They ran right. Unfortunately, this turn took them into a dead-end.
"Great!" Kid Flash sighed s they all came to a stop. "Great directions Supey! You trying to get us re-poded?"
"I…I don't understand.."
"Don't apologize," Robin smiled, looking at the air vent above their heads. "This is perfect."
"Uh-uh," Arsenal said shaking his head and stepping back. "I'm not getting in there!"
"We don't have another options bro!"
"No way!"
"I'll be right there with you. We'll be fine, I promise." Arsenal sighed, but bit his lip and nodded. Superboy leaped up and pulled the cover of the vent out of the wall. Robin climbed up Arsenal and pulled himself inside. Arsenal followed closely behind, Aqualad using his hands as a step to push him up. Aqualad then went himself next, and then Kid Flash; with Superboy helping them. He then jumped up and pulled himself inside last.
"This is just great," Kid Flash muttered as they crawled through the vents. "We'll ever get out of here at this rate."
"Shh!" Superboy shushed. "Hear that?" There was a faint scraping and scrambling sound behind them.
"Let's move!" Robin advised, the group crawling even faster. Arsenal focused on his brother instead of the small space around him. They made their exits in no time and Robin pulled up his hologlove. Everyone stood around him for a moment as watched.
"What're you doing?" Arsenal asked.
"I just hacked the motion sensors." Arsenal rolled his eyes at the grin on Robin's face. Robin nodded to the doorway they were near. "That staircase will take us up and out."
"And I finally have room to move," Kid Flash rejoiced. He slipped his goggles on and ran up the stairs ahead of everyone else. He ran into some genomes, but simile ran faster and knocked them all down. The others followed behind.
"There's more behind us!" Superboy turned on the landing and stomped his foot down, destroying the staircase the genomes were on. An alarm was going off as they exited the stairs. Unfortunately, two metal doors closed in the middle of the hall and Kid Flash ran straight into them.
"Oh crud," he said right before he hit them and tumbled backward.
"They've blocked our exit to the street," Aqualad said.
"Thanks, my head hadn't noticed." Superboy tried to punch the doors, but they didn't budge. He tried to pry them open and Aqualad joined him.
"Can you hack it?" Arsenal asked Robin, who already had his hologlove up.
"Not fast enough," Robin replied, shutting it down. More genome creatures came around the corner. "This way!" Robin kicked a door open and lead the others through it. They stopped suddenly though when they found their path blocked by more genomorphs and Guardian. They looked back, but more had come up behind him. One of the genomes' horns glowed and everyone but Superboy dropped onto the ground, unconscious. The clone merely fell to his knees.
"Perhaps for the sake of all genomorphs, our brother Superboy should make up his own mind," said a voice in Superboy's head. He looked up. It was Dubbliex.
"It was you," he replied telepathically.
"Yes, brother. I set the fire and lured your new friends down into Cadmus and woke them when they were in danger."
"And told me where to go."
"Yes. You are our hero. You will blaze a trial for all genopmorphs, showing us the way to freedom." The genome on Guardian's shoulder jumped off.
"Uh…what's going on?" he asked groggily. Aqualad awoke and stood up, as did Superboy.
"What is your choice brother?"
"I…choose…freedom."
"Feels like…fog lifting," Guardian said, putting his hand on his head. The others also awoke and stood up. "Go. I'll deal with Desmond."
"I think not," Desmond said from behind. He held up a vial of liquid. "Project Blockbuster will give me the power to restore order to Cadmus." He downed the liquid and Guardian backed up. Desmond's body jerked and spasmed as he fell on the ground. He shouted his muscles grew so big they ripped through his shirt and lab coat. His body kept growing in hiss and strength until a giant, grey monster stood there in front of the group.
"Everyone back!" Guardian shouted, running at Desmond. Demond merely knocked him aside with a single hand. Superboy attacked him next and punched him in the face. The monster was unfazed though and punched him back. Superboy was knocked down, but quickly got back up and kept punching back. The monster knocked the clone into the wall. He jumped up, but the monster also leaped into the air and knocked him through the ceiling.
"That's one way to get through the ceiling," Robin said, shooting his grappling hook through the hole and Arsenal pulled a grappling arrow from his quiver. He clicked a button on the side and the top half shot through the hole.
"Do you think lab coat planned that?" Kid Flash asked, grabbing a hold of Robin. The two of them ascended through the hole.
"I don't think he's planning anything anymore," Aqualad said, wrapping his arms around Arsenal. The two of them zipped up through the hole. The stood on the edge and found Superboy still fighting the monster. The monster threw him back and hit Aqualad and Arsenal. Kid Flash ran to Aqualad and Superboy, while Robin ran to Arsenal. They got to their feet and the five young heroes stood to face the monster. They ran at him as a group. Kid Flash ran ahead and slipped under the monsters foot as it tried to step on him. Luckily it distracted the monster, which allowed Aqualad and Superboy to punch him together. The nonstop fell back, tripping over Kid Flash who was down on all fours behind him.
"Learned that one in kindergarten," he smiled. Robin flipped over the speedster, Arsenal right behind him. He threw more discs and Arsenal threw two arrows javelin style. The monster merely knocked the discs and arrows away though. The monster got up and attacked Arsenal, shoving him into a pillar. He punched the clone, cracking the structure even more. Aqualad suddenly cracked out a whip of water with his water bearers and caught the monster's fist. He used it to pull himself over to the monster and landed on the pillar above Superboy's head. He then created a mace of water and tried to hit the monster, who simply caught it and threw him to the side. Superboy tried to get away, but the monster backhanded him into another pillar, breaking that one too.
Kid Flash ran at the monster and jumped over Aqualad, but the monster simply grabbed his arm and swung him into his friend. The two of them hit two separate pillars. Arsenal ran up from behind, silently cursing. He was at a severe disadvantage without his bow. He jumped up and pulled a glue arrow from his quiver, intending to stab it into the monster. Instead, the monster turned around and smack him down into the ground. He stepped on Arsenal, inning the archer down with his foot. Aqualad water bearer's glowed again. getting the monster's attention. It turned and rammed into the Atlantean, pushing him through the pillar he was leaning against and into another one, which cracked at the top and bottom. The roof of the whole room shook and Robin's eyes widened behind his mask.
"Of course," he whispered. He pulled up a holographic schematic of the room and pillars on his hologlove. "KF, get over here!" Aqualad tried to block the monster's punch, he was being held against the pillar with one hand, with another structure from his water bearers, but it didn't help. Superboy ran at the monster and tried to punch him, but the monster caught his arm and threw him through the pillar, then threw Aqualad across the room. Arsenal tried to come up behind him again, but his electroshock arrow was stopped before he could hit the monster's skin and the monster held him up by the arm. He brought his legs up and kicked him, but it had no effect and the monster threw him over next to Aqualad.
Meanwhile, Robin has just finished filling in Kid Flash on his plan. "Got it?" he asked.
"Got it!" Kid Flash replied as he sped off. He ran around the monster and jumped up, punching him in the face as he picked up Superboy with both hands. The speedster stopped and looked at a glob of….something on his hand. "Got your nose," he teased. The monster dropped Superboy and ran after the speedster.
"Superboy, Aqualad, Arsenal!" Robin shouted, getting their attention.
Kid Flash ran over to the pillar that Robin had indicated and stood in front of it. "Come and get me, you incredible bulk!" The monster punched at him, but he dodged to the side and the fist hit the pillar instead. A piece of cement hit speedster on the back and knocked him down. He rolled to his feet and ran, but the monster punched him in the back.
"There and there!" Robin pointed to each of the pillars they needed to take down. Aqualad and Superboy ran to comply. Robin looked at Arsenal. "Get some explosive arrows ready."
"I don't have my bow! Superboy broke it!"
"Then make one!"
"Make one?!"
"Yes! Hurry!" Arsenal looked around and saw a piece of thin metal on the ground. He picked it up and bent it, testing the flexibility. 'It'll do." Meanwhile, Aqualad used a water mace to take out a pillar and Superboy punched out another one. Kid Flash stood in front of another one.
"So close!" he laughed as he dodged another arrow. Robin meanwhile, drew an 'x' in chalk on the floor. Aqualad spilled water down with his water bearers and Kid Flash skidded through it. The monster an after him, but slipped on the water and fell right on the 'X'. Aqualad generated electricity and pulsed it through try water, stunning the monster. Robin nodded to Arsenal, who pulled the arrows from his quiver.
"Move!" Robin shouted to Aqualad, pulling him out of the way. Arsenal shot off four explosives arrows, one after another, into the weakened pillars. The rusting explosions destroyed the pillars and the room started caving in on them. Superboy and Aqualad pushed Arsenal, Robin, and Kid flash down and threw themselves down on top of them, Arsenal also threw himself over Robin, as the building collapsed on them. Everything was quiet and still for a minute. Supply punched his way through the rubble and pushed off the large slab of the roof that had fallen on them. Everyone stood up slowly. Their suits were torn and everyone was hurting. Aqualad was panting.
"We-we did it," he said to Arsenal, who felt like he wanted to sleep for several years.
"Was there…ever any doubt?" Robin asked, grinning at Kid Flash. The tow of them high-coved, then immediately cringed in pain and put their hands to their sides. Superboy walked closer to the monster, who was unconscious and under a large slab of the ceiling.
"See?" Kid Flash gasped. Superboy looked back at him. "The moon!" He pointed to the moon.
"And the stars!" Arsenal added with a smile. Superboy stood there, staring up at the moon with a sense of awe. A dot appeared in front of the moon and seemed to grow bigger. His eyes narrowed, then widened when he saw what it was; or who it was.
"And Superman," Kid Flash added when he recognized the Man of Steel. "Do we keep our promises or what?" More heroes flew behind Superman and landed in front of the sidekicks. Even more, heroes landed on either side of the group, surrounding them. Arsenal swallowed and moved closer to Robin. Green Lantern John Stewart felt down with even more League members, including their mentors, on a construct. The entire League stood surrounding the teens and no one said anything or moved for a moment. Finally, Superboy approached Superman. Superman regarded with him suspicion as the clone walked slowly forward. Not knowing what to say, Superboy lifted up the torn edge of his solar suit and showed the 'S' on his chest. Superman's face morphed into shock before it morphed into anger. Superboy frowned.
"Is that what I think it is?" Batman asked.
"He doesn't like to be called an 'it'," Kid Flash advised him in a whisper.
"I am Superman's clone!" Superboy declared. Several League members showed visible shock.
Batman looked at the teens with his eye narrowed. "Start talking." The five of them gave a brief report of the events that had transpired. Everyone once and a while Kid Flash and Aqualad saw their mentors shaking their heads or facepalming. Once they finished The Green Lantern's and several other League members took Monster-Desmond into custody. Superboy looked over at where Wonder Woman and Martian Manhunter were talking to Superman. Martian Manhunter looked back and saw them being watched. He put his hand on Superman's shoulder and he looked back at Superboy, who looked away. Superman turned back to teammates for a moment before slowly walking towards Superboy.
"We'll…uh…figure something out for you," Superman said slowly. "The League will, I mean. I should….go make sure they get that Blockbuster creature squared way." He tried and flew away.
"Cadmus will be investigated," Batman said as he Flash and Aquaman approach the teens. "As will all 52 sub-levels, but let make one thing clear-"
"You should've called," Flash interrupted.
Batman gave him a look. "We are not happy. You hacked Justice League systems, disobeyed orders, and endangered lives, you will not do this again."
Aqualad looked at the others before he stepped forward and they moved closer together. "I'm sorry, but we will."
"Aqualad," Aqauaman began. "Stand down."
"Apologies my king, but no." Aquaman raised an eyebrow. "We did good work here tonight. The work you trained us to do. We did it together and on our own, we forged something powerful."
"If this is about your treatment at the hall," Flash said, "the four of you-"
"The five of us," Kid Flash corrected him.
"Batman, we're ready to use what you taught us," Robin said. "Or why teach us at all." Batman looked at Arsenal, who didn't say anything but nodded.
"Why let them tell us what to do?" Superboy asked. He walked forward. "It's simple. Get on board, or get out of the way." The five of them stood together, staring their mentors down in defiance.
Batman's eyes narrowed. "Give us 3 days to think about it," he allowed.
"I know how that conversation will go," Wonder Woman muttered as she walked past him.
"Three days won't be so long," Kid Flash said.
"UH, guys," Robin whispered, nodding his head at Superboy. The clone was looking in the direction Superman had left in. Kid Flash looked at him for a moment, before running up to his uncle.
"Hey Flash," he said. "Can Supey come home with us?"
"Uh…" Flash stammered.
"He doesn't have anywhere else to go. Come on, please?"
Flash sighed and rubbed his face. "Fine, but you're still in trouble."
"Got it, thanks!" Kid Flash ran back over to Superboy. "Don't worry Supey, you're coming home with me and Flash."
"Flash is nice, don't worry," Robin said. "He'll take care of you."
"Kid….Super…boy? Let's go!" Flash called.
"Late dude." Robin and Kid Flash high-fived again before the latter and Superboy left. Aqualad made eye contact with Aquaman, who still looked angry and disappointed, and gestured to him.
"Bye Aqualad," Arsenal said, the two of them briefly pressing their fingertips together.
"Good-bye Arsenal." They watched him leave and Aquaman put his hand against his protege's back.
"Robin, Arsenal," Batman said. The two of them walked over to him. Batman simply turned away. Even without him saying anything, the two teens knew just from the tone in his voice this wasn't over. Arsenal swallowed and rubbed his hands over his arms nervously. They were still in a lot of trouble.