Child of the Forest and the Ocean
Chapter 7
Harry rose to his feet, his hand resting on the metal floor beneath him for balance. Recessed lighting clicked on, bathing the room in a bright pure light.
He was in a circular room. The walls were made of the same dark metal that covered the floor. Metal cables ran across the ceiling in between the recessed lighting and down the walls. They converged at the base of a square bed with a glass top standing in the center of the room.
Three circular platforms were mounted above the tank, each one holding one of the little creatures that attacked him in the hallway. As his eyes swept over them, their eyes turned to his. The horns atop their head and their four red eyes lit up a pale reddish white.
He staggered backwards, the psychic brunt of the three creatures applying pressure to his mind.
Snarling, he flicked his free hand forward. The water orbs had busted when he fell onto the floor, but with the gesture they reformed. All but three took up positions rotating around him.
The three orbs that didn't flew forward, splashing against the small dome covered platforms and freezing solid, covering the creatures inside in a thin layer of ice.
Swiping his Trident through the domes, glass shattered on the floor and the creatures tumbled through the air, their bodies cut in half, their dark blood splattering onto the floor.
Instantly the psychic pressure on his mind vanished.
Clenching his hand into a fist, water rose up from their blood, transforming it into a dark brown flaky patch on the floor. Moving his attention over to the bodies, the creatures gray skin shriveled.
The three orbs of water returned, leaving behind the mummified corpses of the psychic creatures.
"Garth!"
Harry turned around, Kid Flash and Robin knelt on either side of Garth. The young Atlantean lay sprawled on the floor, a bloody hole in the right side of his abdomen.
Closing the distance in two quick steps, Harry knelt beside Robin. Pushing his hand into one of the orbs circling his body, the water flowed over his skin, clinging to it like a glove.
He stretched forth his hand, only for Robin to grab his wrist, "What are you doing?"
Green eyes locked with gray. "I'm healing him, unless you can do that?"
"How can we trust you after what you did to those creatures?" Robin's eyes flicked to the mummified things on the floor.
"Those creatures were little psychics. They tried to invade my mind. I don't like that so I reacted with extreme prejudice."
Kid Flash's eyes narrowed behind his yellow mask. "The justice league doesn't kill."
"Good thing I'm not a member of the justice league then. Now, are you going to let me heal him or not?"
Garth cracked open a purple eye hazy with pain. "I trust him. Atlanteans are trained to take down any threat quickly and efficiently." His face pinched in pain, he glanced at Harry, a thin smile stretching across his face. "Besides, Harry hasn't had the best role models."
The male Isley sent Garth a warning look, and the wounded Atlantean inclined his head slowly.
Robin removed his hand from Harry's arm, "Do it."
Laying his water covered hand across Garth's wound, Harry closed his eyes. Since he didn't have the green to help guide him this time he reached out with his mind, connecting with Garth's. Using this connection, he felt how Garth's body was supposed to be and then willed the water to correct the damage.
He felt the pull on his magic as the water flowed into the wound, becoming muscle, flesh, and lastly skin. When smooth unblemished tanned skin sealed itself over new muscle, Harry drew back a thin sheen of sweat on his forehead.
Without someone having a connection to one of his elements, it took more energy to heal them. He would have to remember that in the future.
He rose to his feet. The beads of sweat soaked back into his skin. He made sure to keep his breathing level. The last thing he needed was to show weakness and for it to get back to the sidekicks teachers.
Garth rose to his feet, the only sign he had been injured was the hole in his blue fish scale armor.
"You alright?"
Moving beside him, Garth nodded placing a hand on his shoulder, "Yeah, thanks Harry."
Harry inclined his head as Robin and Kid Flash moved to join them.
"So," Kid Flash began, his eyes moving over the tubes lining the walls. "Where are we?"
Robin moved over to a small computer terminals setting before the tank. "We are in the room containing Project KR." His eyes swept over the broad shouldered dark haired teen inside the tank, "and I think this is Project KR."
"So," kid flash walked forward, tapping on the glass with a gloved finger. His eyes scanned over the skintight white suit clinging to the teen's frame, before locking onto the familiar red S in the center of his chest. "Get started with your hacking and tell us what's going on in this joint."
With the ease of long practice, Robin's fingers danced across the small keyboard. Within moments, he pulled up what they needed.
"Those," he nodded to the emaciated creatures on the floor, "along with the elephant sized things we saw on the way here, are called Genomes."
His gray eyes danced across the screen. "According to this, they are artificially created beings. The small ones have incredible agility and telepathic power. Going by the specs, the bigger ones have super human strength, along with incredibly thick skin. There's another model we haven't seen yet, there fast and have the abilities of the other two, but they're not as strong as the big ones."
"What about him?" Garth asked nodding to the tank.
Robin's hands fluttered across the keyboard. "This is Project KR. He was created from DNA collected from Superman. He was grown in, sixteen weeks!"
Kid Flash stepped back from the tank, his eyes wide. "Superman has a son, wow that's heavy."
"Can you open it?" Garth asked.
Harry stepped forward, his eyes locked on to the teen's square jawed face. "I wouldn't do that just yet."
"Why not?"
"He's had those telepathic genomes inside his head. We don't know what kind of mental state he'll be in if we wake him up now."
Robin crossed his arms, eyeing Harry out of the corner of his eye. "So, what do you suggest?"
"Let me go in and ease him awake. Explain some things to him. Show him what the real world is like, and how bad Cadmus really is."
A hissing sound erupted behind them.
The quartet turned, part of the door was glowing red, the smell of heated metal wafted into the room.
Robin turned to Harry, "Do it, but hurry."
Staring at who Harry now dubbed as Superboy, he reached out with his mind. The world around him along with the sounds of scorching metal faded away.
–XX –
Harry found himself in a stone passage made of dark gray rock cuts so smooth that it pieced together like a jigsaw puzzle. Sconces on the wall cast a dim light around him, their flames casting long shadows on the dirt floor.
"What kind of person has a mind like this?"
Reaching out with his mind, he tried to contact Project KR.
Suddenly, the torches pointed in his direction, and loosed streams of fire.
Bringing his hands in front of him, he sealed himself inside a clear oval-shaped bubble.
The fire slammed into the barrier. Orange light glanced off its surface, and he skidded backwards along the stone. Heat filled its confines and beads of sweat began to pop out on his skin, soaking his clothes.
Gritting his teeth, he withdrew his mental pulse back into his mind. The flame snapped off, the torches sprung back into their upright position.
"All right, looks like I'm just going to have to do this the hard way."
Stuffing his hands into his pockets, he began walking down the passage. "It's too bad my other powers don't work in here, or I could just listen for his footsteps through the earth."
As he walked, the walls slid seamlessly from stone to smooth metal that reflected the light shining above him. The scuffing of his feet on rough stone, changed to squeaks as the floor shifted to linoleum.
He stopped before a junction. Shadows consumed the paths in front of him, making it impossible to know which way to go.
"I can't send out a psychic probe to track Project KR, but maybe I can listen for his thoughts." Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath then released it out through his nose.
Whisperers filled his ears along with the same pressure that accompanied the genomes psychic attacks. Scrunching his face in determination, he pushed through it all.
For a moment, he heard nothing then a deep young voice resonated in his mind.
'My purpose is to replace Superman should he ever fall, to be a weapon for Cadmus, and protect the freedoms of the American people.'
Eyes snapping open, Harry turned down the left hallway.
Five steps in, the paths behind him faded away. Ignoring that, he focused on what he heard from Project KR. He knew Project KR was being manipulated, he doubted Cadmus cared about America. More than likely, he was just another tool for Cadmus to use in furthering their agendas.
Striding along the smooth metal corridor, he frowned. Ever since he entered this hallway, the metal seemed to absorb the sound.
The defenses around KR's mind also threw him for a loop. Why would the genomes make one part of it stone, and the other metal? Sure they look like something out of medieval times, but he didn't think that their looks would affect what they built.
His face relaxed into a thoughtful expression. Then again, the stone hallway looked like something he would find in a storybook. The metal hallway reminded him of the bowels of Cadmus, so maybe they combined what KR was familiar with, and images from books in his head.
The combination would certainly confuse those who weren't well trained with mental powers, another thing he needed to thank Atlantis for.
Even if someone was well-trained in the mental arts. With all these hallways, it would be impossible to brainwash him without getting to the center of his consciousness.
Metal tentacle shot from the walls whipping through the air like snakes.
Harry leaned from side to side, before dropping so low that his back almost touched the floor. Tentacle swept past him just barely out of reach each time. The wind they left behind ruffled his hair and tore holes in his leather jacket.
Cartwheeling sideways, he straightened, coming face-to-face with a large circular room made out of white square metal panels. Glancing up, he found that the panels continued on to create a domed roof.
Stepping into the room, he kept his eyes locked on the broad shouldered dark haired teen in its center. Metal panels fell away on either side of him, leaving behind a dark void, but he ignored it. Stopping a foot away from the teen, they stared at each other.
"Who are you?" KR asked his blue eyes narrowed.
"My name is Harry Isley, I'm here to free you from Cadmus, and show you what the real world is like."
"I know what the world is like. Cadmus taught me everything I needed to know."
"Have they really? Do you know what the sun feels like on your skin, have you ever held a conversation with a friend, or just did something because you enjoyed it? Have you ever seen the moon, or felt the wind on your face."
"I know what the moon looks like."
"Knowing its image and seeing it with your own eyes are two totally different things."
"Let me show you what Cadmus is really like."
Placing two fingers on KR's head, Harry reached out with his mind, using himself as a bridge to connect KR with Felicia Star, assistant to Alexander Desmond, and the woman who shot Garth.
KR tensed as the world around him shimmered like water.
When it stabilized, KR found himself standing in a dark room. A large rectangular computer screen filled one wall in front of him. A bulky six foot long keyboard set beneath the computer screen, its keys bathed in the dim light of the screen.
The screen was segmented, showing him a large rectangular room made of silver metal from a variety of different angles.
Project KR and one of those elephant sized creatures with the starfish shaped face stood in its center.
Alexander Desmond and Felicia Star stood before the giant computer.
Desmond pressed a key on the keyboard, "Begin simulation."
The view on the screen changed one corner showed a close-up of KR's face. His eyes rolled back into his head, leaving his sockets pure white. Another screen showed his pulse, his heart rate increased, filling the room with a rapid beeping sound.
KR's head whipped from side to side. "Where are we?"
Uncrossing his arms, Harry pushed off the wall. "We are in the memory of Felicia Star, one of the scientists that helped create you." He nodded at the computer screen. "Do you recognize what's happening there?"
KR stared at the screen. After a moment, he nodded. "Yes, that is the day I was having a spar with one of the genomes."
"Good, then listen carefully."
Felicia Star stared at the screen in front of her, her brow creased. "Project KR needs positive reinforcement." The KR on the screen roared, slamming his fist into the elephant sized genomes starfish shaped face.
The creature let out a bellow of agony before toppling to the ground unconscious.
One corner of Desmond's lips turned upward, "why? He's perfect."
The KR on the screen leapt forward slamming both feet down on the genomes head, causing it to explode like a watermelon. Grabbing the ragged edges of its neck, he tore it in half. A roar ripped from his throat as bloody bits rain down on him.
Felicia pointed a finger at the screen. "He still has too much anger in him. I think if he was to see the outside world, to know what it means to be human. It would help him control his rage. Of course, it would help if you would quit giving him those stimulants."
With his face twisting into a scowl, Desmond punched a button on the keyboard. Green gas filled the monitor. The outline of project KR swayed side to side before falling unconscious.
Desmond turned, getting right in Felicia's face. "Project KR is a weapon!"
Felicia drew back, but Desmond followed her. Her back slammed against the wall. He got in her face. "He is not a human being. He is something to be controlled. The last thing we want our weapons to develop is the ability to think for themselves."
He turned around, letting his auburn ponytail slap her in the face.
"I think that's enough," Harry said, causing KR's eyes to snap to him. Placing his hand on project KR's shoulder, the male Isley pulled them out of the memories.
The world shimmered and KR found himself back in the domed room, standing on his metal platform.
"So, do you believe me now, will you let me help you?"
"How will I know what you showed me was real?"
"Dude I ventured inside your head. Passed all the traps Cadmus set in here to wake you up, while my team is outside preparing to defend themselves against Cadmus soldiers. Why would I bother to make any of that up?"
KR was silent for a moment. Then he locked eyes with Harry. "Can you help me meet Superman?"
Harry raised his shoulders. "I've never met the man myself, but I think he would be interested in meeting you."
What Harry didn't say, was he doubted Superman would be thrilled that the government made a clone of him.
"Alright, I'll go."
Placing a hand on KR's shoulder, Harry smiled. "Before we leave, I need to take care of any subliminal commands Cadmus left in your head."
"How does that work?"
"I just need you to relax and try not to fight me."
KR's shoulders relaxed under his hand, and Harry sent out a psychic pulse. The world around them shattered like glass.
–XX –
Harry's eyes snapped open. He spun around. "How long have I been out?"
Garth cocked his head. "Not long, about two minutes."
Inclining his head, Harry turned back around. "KR are you up?"
The dark haired teen's blue eyes snapped open. With a small push of his hands, the glass covering his tank flew outwards, smashing against the wall. He hopped lightly to the floor, landing in a crouch.
Kid flash and Robin backed away.
KR's eyes flicked to the door which now had a glowing orange jagged cut traveling up from the floor on its left side. "Looks like we have a problem," With his fist clenched, he strode forward. "Don't worry. I'll get us out of here."
"Stop, we're not going to win a straight up fight, especially with more of those genomes out there."
Robin turned to him. "What do you suggest?"
Raising the butt of his Trident, Harry slammed it on the floor. A metal clang echoed through the room.
"I have an idea, but you're going to have to give me a minute."
Kid flash glanced back at the door. "I'd say a minutes all we have."
Kneeling down, Harry placed his free hand on the metal floor. Closing his eyes, he felt the metal with his connection to the earth. Images of different places where the minerals were harvested filled his mind.
Metal was just a different form of earth, so he should be able to manipulate it like he does the ground.
Going easy at first, he pictured the metal floor in his mind. Slowly, he pictured its edges bending upward. Once he had the image firmly in his mind, he let out a breath and began trying to make it a reality.
"Bring it in. Stay as close to me as possible."
"What are you doing?"
Harry ignored the question, pushing his power over the earth into the floor. The metal fought him, refusing to give in its forged shape.
Gritting his teeth, Harry laid his hand flat on the floor. He would not be captured here. He would not become a lab experiment for Cadmus. He pictured the edges of the floor bending into a teardrop shape around him and his companions.
His body lurched downwards. Energy was sucked from his body as a terrible screeching filled the air. He felt the floor under him shift. In his mind's eye black and white representations of the team swayed on their feet.
Ignoring them, he could see the floor in a black and white representation bending upward, scraping along the walls and shattering the pipes mounted into them.
His face twisted as KR's tank swayed back and forth.
"Garth, bury that tank in the wall," Harry rasped his body shaking with the effort of molding the floor. "We need more room."
A black and white representation of Garth shot forward. The tank came into view as Garth touched it, ripples of sound outlining its shape.
Harry watched as Garth ripped it out of the floor and slung it across the room. A boom echoed through the room, the sound waves outlined the tank now buried in the wall.
With that out of the way, Harry forced magic into the floor. The metal became malleable to his touch before spreading outward. Before long, the five teens were encased in a teardrop of shining metal.
"Alright, now what are you going to do?"
Opening his eyes, the male Isley found himself in total darkness. With a thought, glowing green soft moss flooded out from his hand, covering the walls and bathing everyone's features in a soft light.
"Now…" Harry panted, "We're going to take the express route up."
With a thought, the metal tear shot upwards. Everyone but Harry bounced around as the tear shot through floor after floor, but thankfully the moss on the walls cushion the impacts.
Finally, the tear stopped and splayed open like a flower.
With sweat dripping from his brow, Harry fell onto his butt, his chest heaving.
Garth knelt beside him. "You okay man?"
Harry nodded, wiping his nose with the back of his hand. It came away bloody. "Yeah, I'm fine that's just something I'm going to need to practice."
With a grunt, he rose to his feet. His legs shook with exhaustion and his vision blurred, but he gritted his teeth forcing it to come back into focus.
Selena had once told him that the mind could overcome the body's natural defenses, it was time to see if that was true.
Spinning on his heel, he turned to face the rest of the team. "We need to get out of here before reinforcement show up. There are too many of them for us to fight our way out, plus Cadmus is a well-respected research facility, it wouldn't look good if we were fighting their employees."
"I think it's a little late for that," kid flash nodded to the far end of the room.
Alexander Desmond strode towards them, a crazed look in his gray eyes. His white lab coat billowed out behind him. "Project KR, get back inside!"
"Project KR stepped forward. "I'm not going anywhere."
A wide unhinged smile spread across Desmond's face. "I was hoping you would say that."
Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a vial of glowing blue liquid. Popping the top off with his thumb, he downed the contents.
His body hunched forward, and began to expand. Large chunks of skin felt the ground as the jagged rock beneath tore it away.
The creature that was once Desmond threw back his head, its human face still dangling from one side and roared. Flexing its large long clawed fingers, the creature charged forward, its three toed web feet creating dents in the tile floor.
"Take him down," Robin screamed charging forward.
– XX –
Garth shot forward. Ducking under a swing from Desmond's large clawed arm, he fired two pale blue force beams from his eyes, making Desmond stagger back a step.
Kid flash zoomed by Garth, ruffling the Atlantean's dark hair in his wake.
The young speedster ran circles around Desmond, his fist slamming into the man's thick gray skin, filling the room with what sounded like machine-gun fire.
With a roar, Desmond grabbed the speedster by his red hair, lifting him off the ground.
He drew back his free hand, the spikes protruding from his knuckles shadowed in the dim light.
Before he could throw his fist forward, a black cord wrapped around his free arm, pulling him sideways and making him drop kid flash.
"Now," Robin screamed, using a nearby pillar as leverage to pull Desmond off balance.
–XX –
Harry watched KR slam his fist into Desmond's wide rock covered skull, driving the former scientist to the floor.
Hating that he had used up most of his energy getting the team out of the subbasement, Harry allowed his eyes to wander around the room, searching for anything that could help the team.
He was in a large square room. Stone columns lined either side of him. Rectangular Windows high up on the walls illuminated everything and pale moonlight.
Glancing behind him, he saw the remains of his tear covering a six foot wide hole in the ground. Cracks spread out from the hole. Following them, he found that some of the pillars had large cracks traveling up them.
Stretching out with his mind, he probed the pillars. A wide smile spread across his face at the information he got back. One good hit and those pillars would go down, bringing at least half the roof with it.
Harry opened his mouth to tell the team, when a yell from Robin cut him off. The boy wonder pointed to the pillars.
Garth and KR moved forward, slamming their fist into the damaged pillars. They shattered, sending a shudder through the floor and causing white dust to rain down from the ceiling.
Tightening his left hand around his Trident, Harry drew in a little bit of the Earth's energy. Watching Robin lead Desmond into the center of the room, he made a fist with his right hand. The remaining pillars exploded, sending small pieces of shrapnel flying in all directions.
Desmond's red eyes widened as tons of rock rain down upon him.
Tilting his staff forward, a tentacle of water wrapped around the boy wonder, pulling him to Harry's side.
The boy wonder skidded to a stop at Harry's feet, his gray eyes wide. He stared at Desmond, half buried under tons of rock, the fingers of one hand twitching.
Slowly, Robin turned to look at Harry, "Thanks."
Harry nodded, "No problem."
Together the five teens exited the building. Dust drifted out of the building behind them, along with the click, click, of settling rocks.
KR's eyes drifted up to the bright full moon hanging in the clear dark blue sky.
Harry placed a hand on his shoulder, "Much better than mental imaging isn't it?"
KR bobbed his head.
Slowly, shadows obscured the moon. As they drew closer, the teens recognize them as the justice league. Superman and Wonder Woman touched down first.
KR's eyes locked onto his progenitor.
Eyes drooping with fatigue, Harry raised his Trident. He willed it to shrink back into a charm. Clipping it onto his necklace, he turned and began walking away. A gentle breeze swept through his hair, cooling his exposed skin. He leaned into the wind, allowing it to wake him.
Hurried footsteps made him pause.
Slowly swiveling on his heel, he found Garth staring at him.
"Where are you going man?"
"Someone attacked my mother, I aim to find out who, but if you need me you know how to get in touch."
Garth nodded, and he continued walking away.
Five feet away from Garth, a hole opened up in the earth, swallowing him into its depths.
–XX –
Deep beneath the earth, Harry Isley lay curled in a fetal position. Dark brown vines pierced his naked body, filling him with nutrients and healing energies. The veins in his body shone a dark green as the earth healed its child.
Glowing emerald eyes stared into the darkness around him not seeing it, but the world from an aerial view. Leaves blew across the sidewalk of a suburban neighborhood. They drifted under yellow crime scene tape, settling in the center of a large square of upturned earth.
Someone attacked his mother with a bomb, tomorrow it would be time to find out who, it would be time to go home.