A/N: I own nothing you recognize.

Okay, update time. This chapter isn't much different from the original, so if you've read this before, you can wait until the next update, which will be better, since it includes new scenes!

If you haven't read this, enjoy!


Washingont, D.C.
Monday, July 5, 2010
0001 EDT

Breath, aim, fire. Breath, aim, fire.

"Faster!"

"Time runs short."

Breath aim fire. Breath aim fire.

"Faster!"

"You must awaken."

Breathaimfire. Breathaimfire.

"You must awaken now!"

Lilith gasped and her head snapped up. She groaned when she felt a pulsing throb coming from her left shoulder, and then she glanced around.

Her hands were restrained, and she was being suspended in a box, similar to the one in which they had found Superboy. She glanced t her left and saw Aqualad, and to her right was Kid Flash; all of them were in similar casings as herself.

Lilith blinked her eyes to clear the fuzziness from her vision. When she glanced down, she saw Superboy standing in front of them, his brows furrowed.

"What?" Kid Flash managed to say. "Wha-what do you want?" Superboy didn't respond. "Quit staring," Kid Flash snapped. "You're creeping me out."

"Uh, K.F.," Lilith heard Robin say from Kid Flash's other side, "how about we not tick off the guy who can fry us with a look?"

"I don't think he can," Lilith muttered to herself, gazing at Superboy intently.

"We only sought to help you," Aqualad said.

"Yeah," Kid Flash said angrily. "We free you, and you turn on us! How's that for gra–-"

"Kid," Aqualad said sharply, glancing past Lilith to see Kid Flash, "please, be quiet now. I believe our new friend was not in full controls of his actions."

"Wha-what if I...What if I wasn't?" Superboy said finally, his voice a little rough from no use.

"He can talk?" Kid Flash exclaimed.

"Yes, he can," Superboy snapped, clenching his hands into fists and glaring at Kid Flash.

"If Superman can talk, I would think he could talk, too," Lilith said, rolling her eyes, though she knew Kid Flash couldn't see her.

"Not like I said 'it,'" Kid Flash said defensively.

Aqualad turned back to Superboy. "The Genomorphs taught you telepathically," he said.

"They taught me much," Superboy confirmed slowly. "I can read, write. I-I know the names of things."

"But have you seen them?" Lilith asked softly.

"Have they ever actually let you see the sky? Or the sun?" Robin jumped in.

"Images are implanted in my mind," Superboy said. "But, no," he admitted, glancing down with a slight frown. "I have not seen them."

"Do you know what you are, who you are?" Aqualad asked.

"I am the Superboy," he replied confidently, "a Genomorph, a clone from the DNA of the Superman, created to replace him should he perish, to destroy him should he turn from the light." His response sounded rehearsed, and Lilith wondered how many times Superboy had heard that mantra in his head.

"To be like Superman is a worth aspiration," Aqualad commended. "But like Superman, you deserve a life of your own. Beyond that solar suit, beyond your pod. Beyond Cadmus."

"I live because of Cadmus!" Superboy exclaimed angrily, glaring at Aqualad. "It is my home!"

"Your home is a test tube," Lilith said patiently. She searched imploringly for Superboy's gaze, and when he finally met her stare, he seemed to deflate a little.

"We can show you the sun," Robin promised. Lilith glanced briefly at Robin, shaking her head slightly.

"Uh, pretty sure it's after midnight," Kid Flash put in. "But, we can show you the moon!" he quickly added.

"We can show you, introduce you, to Superman," Aqualad said, and Lilith read the look in Superboy's eyes; they had him.

Suddenly, a voice called out, "No, they can't!"

Lilith's gaze snapped to the voice, and she saw three figures enter the room: Guardian and two people, a man and a woman, in lab coats. All three had a little Genomorph on their shoulder.

"They'll be otherwise occupied." It was the man in the middle who spoke, somewhat savagely. He turned to the woman on his left. "Activate the cloning process," he commanded.

"Pass!" Robin called. "Batcave's crowded enough."

"And get the weapon back in its pod!" the man shouted at Guardian, ignoring Robin completely.

"Hey, how come he gets to call Supey an 'it?'" Kid Flash asked out loud as Guardian marched up behind Superboy. Guardian placed a hand on Superboy's shoulder, and Superboy glanced briefly at Aqualad, then Lilith.

"Help us," Lilith pleaded softly.

Guardian started to pull Superboy backward, but Superboy shrugged off his hand and refused to move.

"Don't start thinking now!" the man in the lab coat exclaimed, sounding exasperated. As he passed Superboy and Guardian, the Genomorph perched on his shoulder leapt off and landed lightly on Superboy's. Its horns started to glow, and Lilith shouted, "No!" but it was too late.

"See, you're not a real boy," the man explained in a patronizing way, facing Superboy. "You're a weapon, and you belong to me! Well, to Cadmus," he admitted, sounding annoyed at the fact, but he quickly added, "Same thing. Now get back to your pod!"

Obediently, Superboy turned and started walking toward the door. Lilith tried desperately to reach out, but it was no use; he was human, after all. Superboy disappeared as the door slid shut.

After a nod from the man, the woman started pressing buttons on the controls off to the side. Two arms came out of the bottom of Lilith's box, and four probes sprung out from each arm. They dug themselves into her chest and Lilith inhaled sharply and screwed up her face in concentration. Just breath, she repeated to herself. In through the nose, out through the mouth. To her sides she could hear the boys screaming in pain.

Lilith gasped when she felt the probes suddenly leave her flesh. She immediately began working on the cuffs on her wrist, wincing as she did. The after-effects she could feel, and it hurt like hell. She glanced up and saw Superboy with the door over his head, and she sighed in relief. He tossed it to the side and strode in.

"I told you to get back to your–-" the scientist said as he, Guardian, and the woman raced forward to stop Superboy's advance, but he easily shoved them aside.

"Don't give me orders," Superboy said lowly, glaring down at the man. Then he turned to the cases.

"You here to help us or fry us?" Kid Flash challenged, glaring at Superboy.

Superboy narrowed his eyes in concentration, looking like he was testing to see if he had heat vision. He finally relaxed and said, "Huh. I don't seem to have heat vision, so I suppose helping is my only option."

"I told you," Lilith muttered under his breath. She heard Robin drop to the ground a moment before she got her own cuffs unlocked, depositing her in front of her own pod.

"Ahh, finally!" Robin exclaimed, rubbing his wrists. "Lucky Batman isn't here. He'd have my head for taking so long."

"Seriously?" Kid Flash deadpanned from above them. "That's what you're worried about? The whole League will have our heads after tonight!" he yelled.

Lilith pressed a button on the controls, and the probes disappeared and the cases opened.

"Free Aqualad," Robin told Superboy. "I'll get Kid Mouth."

"Don't you give me orders either," Superboy said, glancing at Robin.

"Oy, we can discuss that later," Lilith snapped, stepping between the two. "Right now, let's focus on getting out of here." Superboy didn't say anything but he jumped to Aqualad's side. He easily ripped off the cuffs and caught Aqualad as he slumped forward.

Once Robin had freed Kid Flash, the four of them dropped to the floor and immediately they dashed for the gaping hole.

"Yo-you'll never get out of here!" the man called behind them, still on the floor. "I'll have you back in pods before morning!" he promised.

Lilith shook her head and tsked. "Don't make promises you can't keep," Lilith said, stopping at the hole and raising an eyebrow at him.

"This guy is not whelmed, not whelmed at all," Robin said, reaching into his utility belt and throwing four disks at the globes beneath each of the holding cells, globes that Lilith realized contained their blood.

"What is it with you and this whelmed thing?" Lilith grumbled as she took off again, Robin at her heels. Behind her, Lilith heard explosions and crashes, and she knew Cadmus wouldn't be getting their DNA anytime soon.

They were passing through the halls when the bulbous shapes in the walls started to glow red. Lilith stumbled and held the wall for support.

"What is it?" Robin demanded, getting irritated with her constant stumbling.

"So many," Lilith whispered. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"She won't be any good to us," Robin snapped, glaring at her resentfully.

"I'll carry her!" Kid Flash exclaimed. He scooped her up and took off again.

"Of course you will," Robin grumbled as the others began running too.

"We are still forty-two levels below ground," Aqualad pointed out. "But if we can make the elevator..."

Their path was blocked when the large Genomorphs stepped into view.

"Put me down," Lilith snapped. "I'm fine."

"You are not–-" Aqualad started, but he was cut off when Lilith threw a glare his way and said, "I. Am. Fine."

Around them, the glowing red pouches began to expand, and soon, more Genomorphs were pushing through the membrane and gathering around them.

Aqualad, Lilith, Robin, and Kid Flash started dodging their way through the larger Genomorphs. They were clear of the large creatures when they heard Superboy yelling and felt the ground rumble.

"Superboy!" Aqualad yelled. "The goal is escape, not to bury ourselves here!"

"You want escape?!" Superboy roared at them, and Lilith winced and rubbed her forehead. He picked up one of the fallen Genomorphs and hurled it at the last two standing.

Aqualad pried open the elevator doors again and Lilith glanced up, feeling dismayed at the number of floors they had to climb.

Kid Flash began hoping to narrow ledges that lined the walls, and Lilith and Robin shot their grapples. Superboy grabbed Aqualad just as the large Genomorphs began to approach, and he leapt into the air to fly. But several seconds later, they slowed and gravity started to take hold. "I-I'm falling," Superboy called in disbelief.

Lilith quickly dropped her line and Superboy managed to grab onto her ankle as he passed her. Lilith grunted and reached up with her right hand to grasp the handle of her gun; her left shoulder still ached from its fall.

"Superman can fly," Superboy said softly. "Why can't I fly?"

"Don't worry," Kid Flash said, and Lilith saw he and Robin were now standing on the ledge right below her. "But it looks like you can leap tall buildings in a single bound. Still cool," he added quickly.

"Drop!" Lilith groaned. Superboy quickly released her and she sighed in relief at the loss of the extra weight. She released the grapple and dropped next to Aqualad at the edge of the ledge. Lilith lost her footing and started to fall backward. Aqualad quickly grabbed her hand and pulled her back onto the ledge. Once Lilith was standing safely beside him, she glanced up at him ad said, "Thanks."

Aqualad nodded as Robin called, "Guys, this will have to be our exit!" Lilith glanced up and saw an elevator was on its way down. Quickly, Superboy busted the doors and they stumbled into the normal-looking hallway. Genomorphs came at them straight on, and they dashed to the left, Lilith limping severely; her right leg felt as though it was out of its socket, and her left arm as though it was jammed into it.

"Go left! Left!" Superboy suddenly called from the front of the pack, and everyone followed blindly. "Right!" he directed next.

"Great directions, Supey!" Kid Flash exclaimed angrily; they were at a dead end. "You trying to get us re-podded?"

"No. I-I don't understand," Superboy said, his eyes wide in surprise.

"Don't apologize!" Robin exclaimed gleefully from behind Lilith. "This is perfect!"

Lilith followed his gaze and groaned when she saw the ventilation duct. "Great," she mumbled. "Just what I needed."

Robin shot a grapple at the vent and gave the cord a tug, causing the metal cover to pop off. Superboy helped each of them in, Robin first, then Aqualad, and Kid Flash. Lilith hissed in pain as Superboy gave her the boost, but she smiled thankfully at him once they were in, and he gave her a small one in return.

"Ah, at this rate we'll never get out," Kid Flash grumbled from in front of Lilith after they had crawled several hundred feet.

"Shh!" Superboy said quickly. "Listen," he whispered.

"Keep going," Lilith hissed. "We'll just be caught if we stop."

"This way," Robin motioned, and the five started off again.

A few yards later, they crawled out of the vent and Robin brought everyone to a halt. He fiddled with his computer and a moment later, she said, "I hacked the motion sensors!" He was clearly pleased with himself.

"Sweet," Kid Flash said.

"There are still plenty of them between us and out," Lilith pointed out with a raised eyebrow.

"But I've finally got room to move!" he declared. Kid Flash pulled his goggles over his eyes and then burst through the door leading to a stairwell and raced up the stairs. he met the smaller Genomorphs first and easily plowed through them, leaving the way open for Aqualad, Robin, and Superboy, who had easily swept Lilith off her feet before she could protest.

"More behind us!" Robin informed after consulting the holograph. Without stopping to set Lilith down, Superboy turned and stomped his foot on the top step. It crumbled, taking the Genomorphs with it.

They finally made it to the top of the stairs, and Kid Flash raced ahead. Alarms were blaring again and red lights pulsed, and Lilith knew before she saw Kid Flash sprawled on the floor that their way had been blocked.

"We are cut off from the street," Aqualad proclaimed, coming up behind Kid Flash.

"Thanks," Kid Flash said sarcastically, rubbing his forehead. "My head hadn't noticed.

Superboy stepped forward and tried punching through the doors, but that didn't even put a dent in them. Aqualad hurried forward to help Superboy pry the doors open, but to no avail.

"Can't hack fast enough," Robin huffed, his fingers flying across the holographic keyboard.

Behind them, the larger Genomorphs appeared, and Robin quickly kicked open the service door that was beside him. Everyone hurried through, Lilith waving away Superboy's offered assistance.

However, before they got very far, they were stopped by Guardian and a whole troop of Genomorphs.

Lilith stumbled into Aqualad and then didn't bother trying to straighten up. Her right hip was killing her and her left calf was cramping from overcompensating. She groaned quietly and closed her eyes.

The next thing she knew, she was waking up on the ground with Aqualad, Kid Flash, and Robin. Superboy stood over them, facing the tall, slender Genomorph they had seen in the bizarre-looking hallway. Aqualad helped Lilith to her feet, and she gave him a small smile of appreciation.

"Guardian?" Aqualad asked hesitantly, turning to the helmeted man.

"Go," he said, his eyes narrowing. "I'll deal with Desmond." A certain bitterness colored his tone.

"I think not." Guardian and the Genomorphs turned, and Lilith saw the man from below, glaring at all of them. "Project Blockbuster will give me the power to restore order to Cadmus," he declared, lifting a test tube filled with light blue liquid. Before any of them could react, he threw his head back and swallowed the thing in one gulp.

Immediately, Lilith could see the liquid take effect. She watched, horrified, as Demond fell to his knees and then began to expand, shredding his shirt and lab coat to ribbons. His eyes became black and red, and his skin began to peel away from his flesh, revealing a new blue skin underneath.

Lilith's eyes widened before snapping shut, sensing the mental change in Desmond that was just as obvious to her as the physical change.

The Blockbuster monster straightened with a roar, and everyone waited, watching as he scanned them.

"Everyone back!" Guardian called, facing Blockbuster and throwing his arm to the side to keep any of the teens from rushing forward. Guardian launched himself at Blockbuster, but he was easily swatted away like an annoying insect.

Superboy flew at Blockbuster and got in a solid punch but was as easily knocked down as Guardian. After several more punches, Superboy jumped in the air and Blockbuster met him halfway, sending the two of them through the ceiling.

"Okay," Robin said as they gathered under the hole. "That's one way to bust through the ceiling."

"You think Lab Coat planned that?" Kid Flash asked, reaching up to grab Robin's utility belt as Robin rappelled himself upward.

"I doubt he is planning anything anymore," Aqualad said gravely.

"You got that right," Lilith mumbled as Aqualad wrapped an arm around her waist and jumped them through the hole.

When they landed, Lilith watched as Blockbuster and Superboy continued fighting. Blockbuster caught Superboy by the legs and threw him toward them. Lilith got caught between him and Aqualad, and all three flew backward.

Lilith rolled over and gritted her teeth, her lip curling slightly.

"My turn," she growled. She stepped forward and thrust her arms out, glaring venomously at Blockbuster. She let herself open the gate that was keeping the whispers at bay, and it almost knocked her back. She grunted but held onto that humming before thinking, "Calm!"

For a moment, the others stared at her. Her eyes were closed tightly and her face was screwed up in concentration, but for a moment, Blockbuster stilled and went limp. After a second, Lilith slowly opened her eyes and sighed in relief.

"There we got," she said, turning to the others. "All it took was a–-"

"Look out!" Robin called. Lilith whirled around in time to see a giant blue arm swing her way. She felt herself get knocked back and she slammed into the wall wth a grunt. Her head snapped against the wall and she slid to the floor.

The battle raged on, and as Robin figured out the structural support of the pillars, he ran over the Lilith.

"Please don't be dead," he muttered as he grabbed her under the arms and pulled her to where he was planning the big finale. "Batman would kill me."

Once he was satisfied she was safe from falling rubble, he turned and drew an X on the ground with chalk. Aqualad poured water on the X, and Kid Flash stopped in the water, waiting for the man formerly known as Dr. Desmond to approach. As he drew near, Superboy appeared from the side and punched him in the end, causing Desmond to stumble into the water. Aqualad placed his hands in the water and sent an electric current through it, and consequently, through Desmond. As soon as the blue man fell, Robin yelled, "Move!" and Aqualad scooped up Lilith as Robin's detonators started to beep.

Lilith felt herself get swept up and then shielded as the roof caved in and dust filled her nose and mouth.

The sound of rubble shifting reached her ears and the pale light of the moon shined down on them. Lilith came to when she started coughing. She lay still for a moment before getting the energy to sit up.

"We...did it," Aqualad said, breathing heavily and turning to look at everyone.

"Was there...ever any doubt?" Robin joked, panting, a grin stretched across his and Kid Flash's faces. They high-fived and Lilith slowly got to her feet.

Superboy walked to Blockbuster, who was crushed beneath a slab of rock.

"See?" Kid Flash said, appearing behind him. Superboy turned and Kid Flash pointed up. "The moon," he explained. Lilith turned to the sky and saw a black dot come into view. "Oh. And Superman," Kid Flash added. "Do we keep our promises or what?"

Behind Superman, the other members of the League appeared, and Lilith winced. This is not going to be pretty, she thought grimly.

Superman landed in front of the five, and Superboy stepped forward. Superman's eyes narrowed as Superboy approached, but Superboy lifted the flap of cloth that covered the red S. Superman's eyes narrowed in confusion and his mouth gaped slightly in surprise before his face set in a stern glare.

"Is that what I think it is?" Batman asked quietly from behind Superman.

Kid Flash walked forard and said from behind his hand, "He doesn't like being called an 'it.'"

"I'm Superman's clone," Superboy spoke up. Behind Superman, the other Leaguers glanced at each other, shocked and confused.

Batman narrowed his eyes. "Start talking," he commanded quietly.

The five glanced at each other before Lilith stepped forward. She told the shortest, most to-the-point story she could, which was still quite detailed. Once she was done, the two Green Lanterns, Hawks, and Captain Atom left the Blockbuster. The remaining Leaguers stood in two groups, each apart from the five teens. Out of the corner of the Lilith's eye, she saw Superman approach, and she turned around to give them some privacy.

"So how much trouble do you think we're in?" Kid Flash asked quietly.

"Well, considering we hijacked the Batmobile, I wouldn't be surprised if Batman took away our masks," Robin mumbled.

Lilith cleared her throat, looking over their shoulders and they turned around to see the remaining Leaguers approach them.

"Cadmus will be investigated," Batman said once he was in front of them. "All fifty-two levels. But let's make one thing clear–-"

"You should have called," Flash interrupted, appearing behind Batman.

Batman glanced at Flash and then back at the five. "End results aside, we are not happy. You hacked Justice League systems, disobeyed direct orders, stole the Batmobile, and endangered lives. You will not be doing this again," Batman ended severely.

"I am sorry," Aqualad spoke up. "But we will."

"Aqualad, stand down," Aquaman commanded.

"Apologies, my King, but no," he said, "We did good work here tonight. The work you trained us to do. Together, on our own, we forged something powerful," he continued. "Important."

"If this is about your treatment at the Hall, the four of you–-" Flash started.

"The five of us," Kid Flash snapped. "And it's not."

"Batman, we're ready to use what you taught us," Robin said softly, stepping forward. "Or why teach us at all?"

"Give us a chance to prove to you we can be more than just your sidekicks," Lilith said. "There's good work we can be doing," she added, sharing a look with Batman that the others couldn't quite read.

"Why let them tell us what to do?" Superboy said suddenly, glaring at his feet. "It's simple," he said, walking forward. "Get on board, or get out of the way." He glared at Batman, and the others followed his lead.

For a long moment, an uneasy tension began to fill the space between them and the League, a space that seemed to get longer and heavier each passing second. Batman narrowed his eyes, and finally gave a small nod of his head.

Lilith sighed; he would think about it.


A/N: Hope you enjoyed!

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask!

Also: I would love to get at least five comments on this chapter. Maybe if I can reach the goal, I'll update early! If not, I'll do my regular Saturday update.