SECTION I: DAWN

Chapter 4: Blockbuster

Note: I do not own Young Justice, DC Comics, or any related characters. I'm merely borrowing them for creative purposes. Enjoy!

WASHINGTON, D.C
JULY 5, 01:12 EDT
2020

The creature that was once Doctor Mark Desmond seemed to scowl at the assembled group of heroes. Speedy whistled and aimed his crossbow directly at the monster. "Check out how ugly that made him." The brutish bulk of muscle growled in response, but made no moves to attack quite yet. He was still scoping out his opponents, not unlike a predator analyzing its prey.

Guardian, in a moment of brazen heroism, charged the creature, hoping to get in a good first strike. Clearly, he had no clue what Desmond's formula had done. The monster roared and landed a furious backhand, knocking the former hero with incredible force into a wall. Guardian was knocked out almost instantly, collapsing to the ground without even a whimper. Superboy, in response, leapt at the creature with his own roar on his lips.

The Kryptonian clone landed a solid blow to the monster's cheek, only to be knocked down to the ground by a counter punch. Undeterred, Superboy landed on his feet and slammed his fist into his opponent's chin, causing him to stagger. The clone was unrelenting in his assault, jumping up to lay on a series of powerful punches. It was now painfully clear that he had been suppressing his true power against the genomorphs: how any creature could stand up to him was simply amazing.

But the creature created by Desmond' Blockbuster formula simply shrugged off the blows as if they were the slaps of a child. He grunted and smashed a fist, with surprising speed, into Superboy's cheek. The Kryptonian clone was sent flying, smashing into the opposite wall and falling to his hands and knees. Now incredibly angry, Superboy pulled himself up and wiped the back of his hand over his mouth. To his surprise, there was a faint trickle of blood there. The other heroes couldn't believe it: how were they supposed to defeat something that could make a Kryptonian bleed?

Undeterred by his slight injury, Superboy leapt into the air and prepared to strike once more. The creature, roaring once more, beat him to it. He leapt into the air faster than Superboy could anticipate, wrapping his massive arms around the Kryptonian as their combined momentum carried them through the ceiling. Superboy roared in pain as they burst through ten feet of solid concrete into the main lobby of Project Cadmus's above-ground facility.

The other four heroes gathered around beneath the hole. Robin whistled in appreciation. "Well, that's one way to bust through the ceiling." Robin readied his grappling gun as Speedy readied a line arrow. Kid Flash grabbed onto Robin and held on as the two zoomed up to join Superboy. Speedy and Aqualad were not far behind.

The four heroes emerged into a darkened atrium, most of the lights turned off since it was well past midnight. The chamber was longer than it was wide, the ceiling two stories above and complete with a long sky-light. Moonlight spilled into the lobby, revealing a very nice reception desk near the front, flanked by two security stations. The oak desk was currently being reduced to splinters by Superboy's body, the creature ramming the Kryptonian repeatedly into that and the surrounding metal detectors.

Superboy flared his eyes in a desperate attempt to summon heat vision. His strength was clearly inferior to that of the monster, but if he could just summon some of Superman's other powers…

The brute roared and smashed Superboy's head all the way through the desk and into the unyielding floor below. He lifted up the clone by the neck and growled, applying increasing pressure with one giant hand. Superboy's vision began to blur as his air supply was cut off: even Kryptonians need oxygen to survive at some point.

A crossbow bolt exploded across the creature's back, polyurethane expanding to cover his entire body. His grip on Superboy weakened enough for Kid Flash to zoom in and recover the Kryptonian before he passed out. The speedster laid down the clone next to the other heroes as they waited for their foe to break out of his foam prison. Superboy groaned as he sat up, clutching his bruised throat. "Are you alright, Superboy?" Aqualad looked concerned, even when Superboy nodded and stood back up to his full imposing height.

Speedy spoke up, his crossbow still trained on the trapped monster. "Guys, that foam won't hold him for long." Superboy grimaced and rolled his shoulders back to loosen them up. "I got this." Aqualad's eyes widened as the Kryptonian leapt back into the fray. "Superboy, wait!"

Superboy fired off a snap kick to the back of the creature's skull, unintentionally shattering the hardened foam with the force of the blow. Undeterred by his mistake, the clone landed and spun to deliver a powerful uppercut to his opponent's chin. He dodged another attack and laid out two quick jabs which merely caused the monster's head to snap back. Kid Flash shook his head and snapped his googles down over his eyes. "Guy is going to get himself killed. He's no match for Blockbuster." Without another word, he zoomed off to help the Kryptonian, much to Aqualad's consternation.

Blockbuster, as termed by Kid Flash, knocked Superboy away with the back of his hand. Charging the prone Kryptonian, he was cut off by a wall of lightning. Actually, he discovered as he turned, it was a ring of electricity, flowing from Kid Flash's speed trail as he zoomed around and around the monster. Blockbuster roared and continued to spin, trying to find out where in the ring the speedster was. Inside the blur of light, Kid Flash closed his eyes and breathed. 'You've seen Barry do this a hundred times. You can do this Wally.'

As his speed increased, so did the intensity of his lightning. The energy built up to a critical mass as Kid Flash hit nearly six hundred miles per hour, moving so fast that only Superboy could really keep track. Suddenly, the drawn out ring of electricity condensed down to a single bright point as Kid Flash spun and extended his arm… to no avail. The lightning merely faded from existence as the teenager slid to a stop. "Huh?"

Blockbuster roared and clapped his hands together. Kid Flash was sent flying by a pressure shockwave, colliding into Robin at the other end of the room. With the annoyance presented by the speedster eliminated, the monster turned its attention back to its primary concern. Superboy silently thanked Kid Flash for distracting his opponent, allowing himself to gather some more strength. Somewhere in the back of his mind, however, a voice told him that it would never be enough. Shaking his head as if to dispel his doubts, the clone leapt once more into action.

Aqualad shook his head as Kid Flash picked himself up off the Boy Wonder. "Sorry dude." Robin stood up with a grimace, clearly injured from the impact. As one of the two normal humans in the group, Robin was constantly aware of the need to protect his body from superhuman blows. Unfortunately, one hundred and forty pounds of speedster moving at high speeds did not agree with him. Aqualad looked over to Robin as he touched his ribs, only to wince and pull his hand away quickly. "Are you okay?"

Robin chuckled. "I've had worse. As long as I don't breathe, I'll be fine." The Atlantean nodded soberly and turned his attention back to Kid Flash. "Kid, wait. We need a battle strategy. It is clear that this Blockbuster is stronger than even Superboy, and possesses some knowledge of tactics and fighting. He is not a mindless brute, no matter what you may think about his intentions."

Kid Flash nodded. "Yeah, I really thought the lightning thing would work." Speedy nodded: he knew about the technique Kid Flash had tried to perform. It was first developed by Jay Garrick, the original Flash from the 1940s. Essentially, the speedster would utilize the bio-electricity from his speed trail to fire off a bolt of lightning at an opponent. Flash had utilized the technique before when working with Team Arrow, but usually reserved it for superhuman foes who could handle the immense surge of energy.

The archer put a hand on Kid Flash's shoulder to comfort him. "Hey, I know it took Flash a while to master that one too. You'll get the hang of it." Kid Flash smiled: for all his gruffness and anger, Speedy was surprisingly good at positive reinforcement. The moment between the two old friends ended quickly, however, due to Superboy nearly colliding with Aqualad. Only Kid Flash's quick thinking saved the Atlantean from being crushed under two hundred pounds of dense Kryptonian muscle.

Superboy carved a trench in the floor ten meters long, finally slowing to a halt next to a beautifully constructed wall of water. The fountain continued to gurgle as the Kryptonian picked himself up yet again. Kid Flash zoomed over to steady him, joined soon by the other three teenagers. Superboy shook the speedster off and prepared to leap back towards his opponent. Aqualad stayed him with a surprisingly firm hand on his shoulder. "Superboy, wait. We must strike as one."

The Kryptonian thought about it for a moment. 'I'm not getting anywhere by myself, and they do have fighting experience.' He looked over to the two non-powered heroes, who stood at the ready. 'I don't want them to get hurt, but they can handle themselves. Besides, it's all or nothing, right?' Superboy turned to Aqualad and nodded. The Atlantean pointed to Kid Flash. "Kid, get behind him. Superboy, you're with me. Speedy and Robin, lay down some fire once all three of us get out of the way."

All four heroes nodded at Aqualad's orders. Kid Flash zoomed towards Blockbuster like a bolt of lightning, who charged to meet him halfway. Kid Flash slid under the creature's punch and through his legs to pop up on his hands and knees on the other side. Blockbuster turned to look at the speedster in confusion, before turning back to see Superboy and Aqualad leaping towards him, arms cocked back. His eyes widened just before two fists slammed into his face.

Blockbuster, knocked off-balance by the force of the blows, stumbled backwards only to trip over Kid Flash. The monster fell onto his back, the kneeling speedster rising to his feet to mock him. "Learned that one in kindergarten." Robin leapt over Kid Flash and spun to throw two Batarangs at their prone foe, while Speedy fired three crossbow bolts in rapid succession. All five attacks struck, causing a sizeable explosion which swallowed up Blockbuster.

As the smoke cleared, however, the creature was standing once more, bruised but not beaten. He turned to find Superboy in a fighting stance, ready to go once more. Blockbuster roared and charged the Kryptonian, grabbing him at his sides and ramming Superboy into a support column. The concrete cracked under the impact, but held strong. Superboy launched two quick punches that seemed like minor annoyances to Blockbuster. The muscular brute merely growled and slammed Superboy even harder into the column, causing more cracks to appear.

Blockbuster drew back his arm for a punch, only to be held back by a glowing water whip. Aqualad yanked himself towards the monster, kneeing it in the face and landing just above Superboy on the column. Forming a mace with his water bearer, the Atlantean dropped down at his foe with a two-handed strike. Blockbuster casually reached up and caught the mace with one hand, tossing Aqualad aside like he was merely trash. The Atlantean slammed into the ground hard, groaning loudly as his tattoos flashed back to normal.

Blockbuster threw Superboy into a neighboring column, choosing to focus on stomping Aqualad. The Atlantean rolled out of the way just in time for Kid Flash to charge the creature. Blockbuster merely stepped to the side, grabbed Kid Flash's wrist, and tossed him at a recovering Aqualad. The Atlantean smashed into yet another pillar, while Kid Flash flew off to land on the ground quite a distance away. He could feel his injuries already starting to heal, his Speed Force connection fueling his regenerative capabilities. Shaking off the numbness from the impact, Kid Flash sped off to regroup with Robin.

Meanwhile, Aqualad was forced to fight one-on-one with Blockbuster, dodging one punch which slammed into the column behind him. Unfortunately, the creature managed to grab him by the throat and slam him into the support column hard. The Atlantean groaned as his opponent pulled his arm back for a devastating punch. A crossbow bolt detonated on impact, an explosion washing over the monster's back. Blockbuster shrugged it off and cocked his arm back once more. However, now Aqualad was able to draw one of his water bearers and form a shield.

Speedy lowered his crossbow and silently cursed himself for not having a backup bow. He just ran out of crossbow bolts, and had a full quiver of unusable ammunition. As Blockbuster's punches to Aqualad's shield caused further cracks in the neighboring support pillar, Robin's eyes lit up with an idea. "Of course!" He pulled up a holographic image of the room, scanning for structural weaknesses.

Superboy leapt to Aqualad's aid just as his shield failed, delivering a punch to the back of Blockbuster's knee and then his shoulder. The creature faltered for a moment, allowing Superboy to wrap both arms around his neck in a chokehold. Blockbuster tossed Aqualad aside and grabbed Superboy with both hands. He pulled the Kryptonian off his back and launched him into the pillar in front of them, completely shattering it.

Robin's computer showed the damage occurring in real time. The pillar flashed away as red text appeared: "Damage. Structural Compromise." Robin turned to both Speedy and Kid Flash. "Got it?" Both heroes nodded and moved into action. Kid Flash zoomed towards Blockbuster as Speedy ran to the nearest support column. Turning abruptly, Kid Flash ran to a long jump which allowed him to punch Blockbuster in the face. The creature, who was holding Superboy above his head, turned to face his new challenger. Much to his chagrin, the speedster was clutching the remnants of his old face, a taunting expression on his lips. "Got your nose."

Blockbuster huffed and threw Superboy to the ground. He ran over and attempted to crush Kid Flash with a double-handed overhead smash, missing the speedster by a few feet. As Kid Flash continued to dodge the super-strong blows, Superboy and Aqualad regrouped with Robin. The Boy Wonder opened his hologram again, showing the two his plan. "Superboy, Aqualad!"

Kid Flash slid to a stop in front of an untouched pillar, opening his arms in a mocking gesture. "Come and get me, you incredible bulk!" He dodged an incredibly strong punch from Blockbuster, only to be hit by debris from the half-shattered column. The red-headed teen picked himself up and sped past the monster to the column once again, baiting his opponent to strike.

Superboy and Aqualad went to work, destroying two of the other columns with their impressive strength. Blockbuster weakened another one after failing to hit Kid Flash yet again. Speedy was busy dismantling his explosive arrows to rig as charges on an untouched column, leaving Robin to sabotage the last two with Batarangs.

After that was completed, Robin drew an X in the middle of the room with chalk. Aqualad then sprayed down water over the X, moving to the side as Kid Flash zoomed in. Sliding along the water slick, Kid Flash stopped just over the X. Blockbuster charged his now unmoving foe, only to be laid flat by a punch to the forehead courtesy of Superboy. The teen speedster ran out of the way as Blockbuster collapsed over the X, only to pick himself up more quickly than before. Desperate to buy time for the charges, Aqualad electrified the water, shocking the creature. Blockbuster remained still, more out of shock than actual pain. It didn't matter, however, as Robin watched his computer count down to zero. "Move!"

Suddenly, all the charges detonated, sending tons of concrete down on Blockbuster's head. He roared one last time before being crushed by the majority of the building. Superboy and Aqualad pushed their companions down, using their more durable bodies to shield them from the worst of the impact. Superboy in particular held up a multi-ton block of concrete with his back, keeping it from crushing his new friends.

With one final boom, the whole building collapsed, sending a plume of concrete dust and smoke high into the sky. A few moments of complete silence followed as nothing moved in the vast pile of rubble. Slowly, the neighborhood around it came alive, people in nearby apartment buildings waking up to the horrific sounds coming from the collapsed Cadmus.

Suddenly, within the sea of rubble, a single hand punched up through a piece of concrete. Groaning loudly, Superboy lifted the concrete above his head, letting the other heroes step out from under it. With a loud grunt, the clone threw off the slab and stood up.

Speedy, his uniform in tatters but still in one piece, looked around to find his crossbow in pieces nearby. "Really?" A firm hand settled upon his shoulder. Aqualad smiled wryly at his friend. "It is just a piece of equipment, my friend." Speedy, despite himself, smiled back. "I guess. But Green Arrow is definitely buying me a new one."

Robin's eyes widened as he realized something. "Uh, guys, did we ever contact the League?" The other three protégés groaned loudly, confusing Superboy. The clone scratched his head, knocking some concrete dust out of his hair. "Why does that matter?"

Kid Flash gestured around them. "Well, if Batman had this place under surveillance, and the building collapsed, it's only a matter of time before-" Looking to the sky, Kid Flash gasped. The other teenagers followed his gaze, their jaws dropping in unison. Coming straight towards them, a slowly growing figure against the backdrop of a full moon, was the Man of Steel. His cape fluttering in the nighttime sky, Superman slowly descended towards the group. Superboy's eyes widened at the sight of his… 'What do I call him? Brother? Father?'

Superman wasn't alone. He was flanked by Martian Manhunter, Zatara, Captain Marvel, and Red Tornado, all flying through various means. They landed on rubble directly facing the group, while another group of Leaguers landed to their left. Captain Atom, the Hawks, Wonder Woman, and Hal Jordan all looked on dispassionately at the assembled group of younger heroes. Finally, the last of the League arrived: Aquaman, Black Canary, Green Arrow, and Batman all carried on a disc construct by John Stewart, with Flash zooming in behind them.

All five teens looked on in awe as the full might of the Justice League stood in the ruins of Project Cadmus. Batman walked up to join Superman as the Man of Steel looked at Superboy with a look of utter confusion. Superboy smiled and stepped towards his genetic template, raising a ripped portion of his solar suit to show him the S-shield emblazoned on his chest.

Superman's eyes widened as he realized what, or who, was standing before him. To say he looked conflicted was an understatement: the legendary founder of the Justice League looked both afraid and elated. Batman, on the other hand, shot a patented glare at the clone. "Is that what I think it is?"

Robin moved forward to defend his new friend, but Superboy beat him to it. "I'm Superman's clone." The members of the Justice League looked at one another in shock. No one had ever successfully, to their knowledge, cloned a Kryptonian before. Batman's eyes narrowed even further as the Man of Steel looked down at his clone in silence.

The Dark Knight spoke up again. "Start talking."