Title: Flying to Redemption
Genre: Crime, Romance, Supernatural, Family, Friendship, Hurt/ Comfort, Angst
Pairing: Bruce Wayne X Dick Grayson (OC Semi Self-Insert)
Summary: It was only as he stared at his new guardian dressed as a giant bat that he realised that he had not simply been reborn. No, it was much worst.
Warning: Slash (Yaoi, Boy X Boy…), Reincarnation, Semi Self-Insert, OC as Dick Grayson (Sort of), Age Difference, OOC! Dick Grayson, Bat Family will not include Cass and Steph, Follows its own timeline (This is mostly its own dimension, different from any seen in the comics but also holds similarities). Endgame BruDick
Chapter Fifteen – Dick's Teen Years: The First Negotiations Part 5
They had expected to find something of note when they had decided to investigate the lower levels of Cadmus Labs. 'Project Kr' was on level negative 52 so that was the first place they decided to check out. They found an elevator that took them down. The simple fact that it was even working when all elevators were supposed to be inaccessible because of the fire showed them that they were on the right track. There was something fishy going on in this place.
To be honest, Robin had expected to find some kind of chemical experiment or illegal biological experimentations. What they found instead was… well, a clone.
Superman's clone.
Maybe we should start from the beginning.
Everything started out well enough. They found the elevator, the right floor and managed to avoid scientists that walked in the polished, sterilised corridors. 'Project Kr' was supposed to be on the other side of the level from where the elevator had dropped them off.
And then they opened a door and found themselves facing strange creatures. They were all of different sizes but one thing they had in common was that they had grey skin. After Kid Flash almost got himself flattened, the three teenagers kept to the walls and continued on their way to 'Project Kr'. They hesitated a moment, wondering if they should just wait for the League to reach them but since the creatures were not attacking them and instead continuing on with their business as if the three were not even there, they decided to continue.
And then they found 'Project Kr'. After opening one door with far more security than all the others, they found a lab, screens all over the room showing information about their experiment, and there in the middle of everything was a pod in which lied a teenager looking really similar to their super boy scout. Far too similar. He even had Superman's sign on his chest.
"That is a clone of Superman," Aqualad observed, horrified.
"And I'm pretty sure the big blue doesn't know about him, right?" Kid Flash added just as horrified.
"Robin, we need to inform the League," Aqualad turned hastily towards his youngest teammate who was frowning down at his wrist computer.
"Already tried that," Robin replied. "We're too far underground. No signal."
"Great. What do we do?" Kid Flash asked, skirting around on of the consoles.
"The League will come," Robin said, moving ahead to fiddle with the mainframe and his wrist computer. "We've already informed them what we were doing. They should be on their way. We should wait for them. This is far above our mission clearance."
"What are you doing?" Kid Flash stopped beside him and frowned at what the younger was doing.
"Downloading any information they have on this for the League," he informed.
"You can do that?"
While the younger two got busy with the mainframe, Aqualad leaned over the pod and observed the teenaged clone. The clone was lying in the pod, eyes closed. If not for his gently moving chest, Aqualad would believe him not even alive. It was strange to see such a perfect replica of the Man of Steel, even a younger one. To think those scientists had so much disrespect for life that they would dare create a clone, someone's clone and without even having their permission. With a shudder, he thought that this was the kind of invasion of privacy even he would be repulsed by.
"Done. Now we should wait for the League to come," Aqualad heard Robin say behind him. What happened next, happened really quickly. An alarm went through the room, the screens around them lighting up red and then… the clone's eyes snapped open.
Aqualad did not have the time to react before the clone burst through the pod, the sound of glass breaking resounding through the room, and tackled Aqualad.
"AQUALAD!" Kid Flash shouted but Aqualad dared not shift his attention away from the suddenly awake, aware and very mad clone he was wrestling with.
"Kid, wait!" he heard Robin behind him before the clone suddenly let out a groan, his hold on Aqualad loosening enough that he could throw the clone away. Except, he did not have to as the clone collapsed beside him.
Kid Flash rushed ahead and helped Aqualad to his feet while the Atlantean tried to regain his breath. Robin appeared by their side, a green rock between his fingers. Aqualad had never seen it before but from the clone's reaction, he could only deduce this was kryptonite. Because clearly Robin carried around kryptonite on him.
The clone let out another loud groan, loud enough to be heard through the alarms blaring in their ears, at Robin's approach. The youngest among them knelt in front the clone to be seen but far away enough not to be at arm's reach. The clone's eyes fell on the young teenager, blue eyes falling to the green rock in his hand.
Seeing the confusion in the blue eyes, Robin tilted his head at the clone, "I will put this away if you do not attack us. Am I clear?"
The clone, surprisingly, gave a hesitant and pained nod. At this, the kryptonite seemed to disappear from Robin's fingers. There was a moment of silence between them as the three teenagers stared at the clone who carefully hauled himself to his feet. As he proceeded not to attack them and instead observe them cautiously, Robin nodded and went ahead to shut down the alarm while keeping an eye on the clone.
"Holy shit, Robin!" Kid Flash whisper-shouted in shock, hands gripping Aqualad's arm. "You even have kryptonite on you!?"
Aqualad massaged his shoulder where the clone had held him and regarded said clone and the way he backed away from them like a cornered animal. Carefully, he extracted himself from Kid Flash and stepped towards the clone, hands raised to show that he was unarmed. When all the clone did was stiffen and eye him warily, Aqualad attempted something else.
"I am Aqualad," he said evenly. "These are Kid Flash and Robin. We wish you no harm." Around them, the alarm stopped blaring and Robin came to stand beside Kid Flash.
"We need to get out of here before security appears," Robin murmured at his back.
Ignoring the warning for the moment, Aqualad continued, "Do you have a name?"
The clone frowned and glared at the three of them suspiciously before he opened his mouth, "I… I am Superboy, Superman's clone, born to replace him should he perish or defeat him should he turn from the light," the clone said, voice stilted and a bit rough, as if unused to speaking. His tone was a flat monotone as if repeating something he had been told.
"He can talk?" Kid Flash murmured beside Robin.
The clone immediately straightened and sent a scowl at the speedster. "Yes, he can."
"Erm, it's not like I said 'it'?" Kid Flash attempted to smile sheepishly.
The clone, Superboy, frowned at him and added, "The genomorphs taught me all I know."
"Genomorphs?" Robin questioned.
"Maybe those creatures we saw earlier?" Aqualad offered.
"How did they teach you?" Robin asked. "From what I saw in the files, you are only a few weeks old and you were artificially grown." Robin was curious but he decided to continue this line of question more to have a read of this 'Superboy''s character. He was a clone, one made by Cadmus which was owned by Luthor. It would not be above Luthor to create the clone to 'overthrow Superman', or at least to use against the Man of Steel. So far, the clone did not show additional sign of aggression besides his initial reaction…
Superboy gave a stilted nod. "Yes. They showed me through my mind images and gave me information about the world while I slept. I – I know how to read and write. I know how to count. I know many different languages from around the world."
Robin frowned behind his mask. Telepathy?
"You have not seen the world with your own eyes?" Aqualad asked.
"No."
"Then would you like to come with us?" Robin asked, stepping forward to stand in front of the clone. Whatever his origin, it was after all best not to leave him in Luthor's clutches. Besides, Superboy seemed pretty benign so far; it would feel wrong to leave him behind.
"With… you…?"
"Yes. We plan on getting out of here," Robin tilted his head at the clone. Behind him a sudden bang was heard at the locked door, indicating that security had finally arrived. Thankfully, Robin had locked the door from the inside the moment they had stepped inside. They had at least a few more minutes until the door could be forced open. He ignored the noise and continued, "We are heroes, like Superman. We fight to protect the innocent and keep our world safe. Would you like to join us?"
"Yes, we would like to have you join us, Superboy, if that is your wish," Aqualad added, offering his hand at the clone.
"Guys, are you sure about this?" Kid Flash asked hesitantly behind them.
"I… go with you?" Superboy asked hesitantly. He seemed conflicted yet there was a yearning on his face that could not be ignored by any of the other teenagers. "But Cadmus is my only home…"
"A lab is not a home, Superboy," Aqualad said gently. "You deserve to see the world too, to see the sky and be free. We can offer you another home, one where you would not be forced to stay in if you do not wish."
"I – I… Yes. I… want to go with you," Superboy finally nodded, taking a step towards them and taking Aqualad's hand. His eyes were wide and earnest, innocent in ways it was strange to see on the face of a teenager. And yet, they should have expected this. Superboy was only a few weeks old and whatever had given him information had clearly not given him life experiences.
Another bang from the door, louder than the previous one, made the four turn to it. Sharing a look with his teammates, Robin nodded at Superboy, giving him a small smile to put him at ease because while the clone appeared alright with Aqualad, he also seemed quite wary of Robin. Well, it was no surprise he would act like that; Robin had taken a kryptonite at him.
"Then we should get prepared to fight our way out of here and to the surface," Robin said.
Decision made and situation thankfully settled for the moment, the four of them quickly formed a semi-circle in front of the door, Superboy moving to join them only after a motion from Aqualad. It was not long before the door was finally burst open and the four moved. Kid Flash ran ahead and made a path for his teammates, pushing who clearly looked to be mercenaries and a couple of scientists in lab coats away from the door. The other three joined him and they made a break through and to the elevator.
Now all they had to do was fight their way out and hope the Justice League was not too far behind.
Superboy tore the elevator door open as soon as they reached them. Quickly, Robin fired his grappling hook, had Kid Flash wrap himself around the younger boy to hitch a ride while Superboy grabbed Aquaboy. Robin's grappling hook engaged and Kid Flash and him found themselves hurling up. Superboy crouched, arm secured around Aqualad, and jumped. It was not long before he found himself flying up beside Robin and Kid Flash.
"Er, guys!" Kid Flash's alarmed cry brought all their attention towards the elevator coming their way from several levels upwards.
Reacting quickly, Superboy flew ahead and tore open the nearest door. That done, the four of them scrambled their way through the door, narrowly missing getting crushed by the elevator.
"Thank you, my friend," Aqualad nodded gratefully at their newest companion who only nodded back.
"Okay, what now?" Kid Flash asked rhetorically. They were still underground, having not been able to reach ground level, and still needed to find their way out of Cadmus. Robin leaned through the torn elevator door and looked down, finding the elevator several levels under them. Thinking quickly, he decided that if they acted quickly, the four of them could made their way upstairs before the elevator could come back their way.
However, before Robin could announce his idea, Aqualad let out a pained cry, making Robin snap his head at his teammate. There was a man standing behind them, a sword held aloft from where he had clearly attacked the young Atlantean. The man was fit, dressed in combat clothes and a strange orange and black mask covering his face. Superboy reacted to the new arrival with a bellowing roar before he threw himself at the man.
"Superboy!" both Robin and Kid Flash called but they were ignored by the enraged clone. The two rushed to their other teammate, finding Aqualad pushing himself back to his feet as he cradled his side where the newcomer's sword had hurt him.
"Kid Flash, go help Superboy!" Robin immediately ordered as he hastily got out bandages from his utility belt for an emergency patch. The speedster did not hesitate. Knowing his teammate was in good hands, he sped forward and attempted to aid Superboy as he fought the unknown variant. But he never expected the man to be so good. It was as if he was playing with them the way he easily deflected their attacks, calculated Kid Flash's speed and where he would appear next. Neither of them could get even a hit on the man who danced around their attacks.
Thankfully, it was not long before they were joined by his other two teammates. Aqualad attempted to catch the man with his water whips, easily working around Kid Flash who tried to be the distraction while Robin attempted a surprise attack. However, it was almost like their first training session with Black Canary. The three of them had improved their teamwork and did not get in each other's way as they had before, and yet it was like nothing they did could reach the unknown man. Even with Superboy's aid, it was like they could barely do anything against this man.
While Kid Flash caught his breath and Superboy got kicked a few metres away, Robin fought the man hand-to-hand, being their best fighter despite his age. The young boy had trained in various martisal arts with the help of Batman, and being the first child hero, he was the most experienced among them. And yet, the man managed to match Robin blow for blow, sword sliding across his batarangs' edges. Robin threw everything he had on his arsenal, he threw smoke pellets that gave his team and him a couple of seconds reprieve, tried to sneak behind the man and electrocute him with his taser. He used everything he had been taught and while the man upped the level of his fighting, he was also still visibly not struggling.
After a while, they found themselves in a stalemate, the four youngsters facing the man regarding them through the holes in his dual-coloured mask.
"How interesting," the male voice made the four stiffen as they eyed the man warily. Said man appeared relaxed as he leisurely swung hi sword in his hand. "I recognise the three of you but I have to say that you, I do not," he tilted his head at Superboy, before his eyes clearly fell to the famous sign on the clone's chest. "Then again, I suppose I do not have to ask who you are."
"Who are you?" Aqualad asked.
"You may call me Deathstroke," he replied. "Now I wonder, what are you little baby heroes doing in this place?"
Not recognizing the name, Robin stayed quiet and tried to take in as much information as he could so as to give his mentor when he next saw him.
"None of your business," Kid Flash snapped warily.
"No need to be rude," the man, Deathstroke, tutted.
Before anything else could be said, a noise came from the elevator door…
…and Superman appeared, sending a trail of heat vision towards Deathstroke. He was quickly followed by other Leaguers, namely Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Flash and Batman.
"Ah, it seems that's my cue," Deathstroke said as he dodged an attack from Superman, flipping over the Man of Steel. "Don't worry, little Heroes, we'll meet again." With that ominous farewell, the man turned and fled, being quickly followed by Superman, Wonder Woman and Green Lantern.
The four youngsters could not have been more relieved.
And then they were facing two of their mentors, Flash fussing over them, Batman silently demanding a report of the situation while quietly making known his disapproval… and Superboy lingering behind the three young heroes cautiously.
Well, there was one pink elephant in the room they needed to take care of first.
AN: Okay, there are some IMPORTANT things you need to know. As I have already mentioned before, I won't follow strictly the Young Justice Cartoon. That being said, as you might have already noticed in this chapter, I changed Superboy's powers to include flight. The thing is that I've chosen to give him Tactile Telekinesis like from the comics instead of his powers from the Young Justice Cartoons. In this chapter, it looks like Superboy has Superman's flight, super strength, etc. Everything will be explained in the following chapters.
Now to add to this, since Dick is a very different Robin, his teammates are also going to be different. You already saw the difference through their ease in following his orders, Kid Flash's fanboy-ing, etc. Meaning, Superboy, because of this different Robin, will also be somewhat different. Superboy is a few weeks old and doesn't know people, and all, so he's more of a clean slate. Now, I'm still debating whether making him more like his Young Justice Cartoon self or his comics self. Most problably, he'll just be different.
Another thing, I'll also add characters from the wider DC Universe, like the Titans, etc. But they will problably appear a few years in the future so not any time soon, if you're wondering. And yes, Robin has not encountered Deathstroke before this. So, right now, the mercenary is an unknown.
That said, I hope you liked this chapter. Don't forget to leave behind your thoughts.
Leight