All We Know of Love
Chapter five: Talks
Roy looks blankly at ceiling above him, stuck in one of the empty rooms in the Hall of Justice. The past twenty four hours burning out whatever fight the archer still had in him.
He is a clone.
He is a clone just like the missing Superboy. No. Not quite. He corrects himself. Superboy had always known he was a two-bit copy. He wasn't a usurper like he was, taking over the life of someone innocent.
His skin crawls and it's all he can do to not scratch himself in a attempt to rip it off, wearing this body that was not his body.
He wants Robin. He wants Wally. He wants Kaldur. He wants his friends. A part of him wants them so much it aches. But another darker part of him doesn't want them to see him. He had been created to destroy the league and almost could have. He had shunned them at every opportunity for playing hero.
How could they ever want to see him?
Clark sits inches away from Bruce as the Dark Knight interrogates the creature known as Dubbilex. The bluish grey genomorph looks tired, a feeling that Clark was becoming increasing familiar with.
"You had no idea about Roy Harper or his clones?" Batman asks—-accuses, really. Red Arrow and The Guardian was right under everyone's noses and Dubbilex had the most access to learn the truth.
The eerie creature nods.
"They were both created before I was born, a distinction few of my surviving brothers can say. It seems anyone aware was disposed of by Doctor Desmond."
Clark's stomach turns at how casually Dubbilex talks about the death of his siblings. But he reminds himself, this was the reality the creatures given no rights by their creators. Life could be stolen with the touch of a button.
"Jim Harper has no subliminal programming?" Batman asks.
"I have read his mind often. He would not be able to hide it from me. Cadmus forced my brothers to manipulate him externally."
"What about Superboy?" Clark asks before he could stop himself. His darkest fears about the child resurfacing. That he would turn over the drop of a hat. Roy had been stopped before any damage could be done. But at the end of the day he was human. Superboy was a lot more damaging if he was ever weaponized."This subliminal programming Roy had to infiltrate the league. Could he have had something like that?"
This offends the creature.
"No," Dubbilex says frostily. He purses his thin lips together into a thin line, his red eyes staring daggers at Superman for challenging the notion. "I—We, wanted better for him than to be the slave of Cadmus. I set fire to the building before Desmond could dig his hooks into him further by implanting such a thing."
The declaration relieves Clark and drags him to hell. Glad from the bottom of his heart that the boy, where ever he was has not fallen into the hands of the creators who viewed life and death so insignificantly. His agency stolen like Roy's had been and warped into their weaponized doll.
But blaming the child as a sleeper cell agent had been his final shield of nobility of his awful behavior to the child. He was protecting his loved ones from the possibility of the bomb that was shaped like his clone.
And now he had nothing left but acknowledge how unfair he was to the child.
"Speaking of Superboy, are you sure have no idea where he might have gone?" Batman asks while glaring at the Kryptonian.
"Sadly, no," Dubbilex says. "I can only hope my brother is safe."
"No capes, no tights, no offense."
Superboy remembers saying that to Kid Flash casually during their first real mission together when he refused the camouflage tech. The material had felt far too much like his solar suit for his liking. Too constricting. The cheap cotton of his t-shirt and loose cargo pants was a welcome break despite their constant fragility.
The ring has changed that.
His plain outfit is replaced with a violet body suit that is so dark it's almost indistinguishable from black until the light caught it, violet fingerless gloves and boots. He had a white hooded cape with a seven pointed star on its clasp and on the back of the cape. A pale purple domino mask on his face. The material is cool to the touch, and unlike any substance he has ever felt on earth.
The look is enough of a divergence, that few would ever connect Star Sapphire of Hawaii, with the Kryptonian runaway.
The warm breeze of Honolulu is a welcome change for Superboy. He sleeps mostly on rooftops and empty warehouses, comforted by the rays of the sun. While he spends his nights looking for crime to stop.
Just because he wasn't associated with the league anymore, didn't mean he still wasn't a hero.
Like everywhere else Hawaii had no place for a child without identification. He spends his time, stopping small crimes, putting out fires. The citizens are grateful often offering food (which he is not in a place to turn down) and for that, he swallows the inconvenience of the current purgatory of his existence.
The sound of glass breaking along side a silent alarm pierces through the air, as clearly as a bullet and the kryptonian sapphire heads towards the business district, making sure his hood is up and firmly in place. He tracks the sound to the LexCorp tower where all the windows on the highest floor has been shattered.
He flies as quickly as he's able to see a man dressed up as a snake wielding a gun in front of a bald man in a suit's face. His foot stepping on what Superboy could only assume is was the man's bodyguard.
"A lot of men want you dead, Luthor," the snake themed criminal mocks.
Luthor, seemingly unaffected by death mere inches away declares, "What else is new?"
The bullet fires and Superboy speeds between the shot. It bouncing off his chest and into the ground, shocking the serpent and Luthor as well.
Before he could react, Superboy points his ring towards him, shooting the ill prepared criminal into Luthor's wall. Knocking him out instantly.
Seizing the man up for injuries, Superboy breathes a sigh of relief that he's unharmed. Ordering him to call the police, as he checks the state of the woman on the ground.
She's still breathing and besides being shaken up, she seems mostly unharmed. He gets her into a sitting position as officers finally flood into the room.
"Is that Copperhead?" One officer asks. "I thought he was with the league of shadows?"
"Thanks kid. We can take it from here." another officer says to him, as they handcuff the criminal and lead him downstairs, leaving Superboy alone with Luthor again.
Superboy was about to fly away when a hand clasps him firmly. He turns to see Luthor holding onto him.
"Wait, son," he says as he lets him go. "I want to thank the man who saved my life. What's your name?"
"Star Sapphire," the name still sounds alien on his tongue as he lands back on the ground. "Why did he try to kill you?"
"Usually it's because I have money and power," Luthor says easily, waving towards his grand office. "This time I'm certain it's more…international than that."
Superboy cocks his head in confusion and the billionaire asks, "how much you do you know about Rhelasia?"
The words come unbidden and he says, "Modern Rhelasia was created in 1855 and ruled by the Boquoon dynasty until it was divided by the great powers into North and South Rhelasia after World War II."
"Very good." Luthor says with a smile, placing a hand on his shoulder. "A man who appreciates history is one after my own heart."
He shakes the hand off him but the man doesn't seem to take offense. "But what does that have to do with you?"
"North and South Rhelasia are in the middle of a peace summit. But it has broken down, war is on the horizon between the two countries. And as a last resort, I who have ties in both countries have been chosen as a arbitrator," he says with a smile. "It was supposed to have been kept secret but it seems my identity was leaked. You might have just stopped a international war, son."
The bout of praise surprises the Kryptonian and his cheeks turn suddenly hot, despite himself.
"He will not be the last assassin. I'd love to have someone as reliable as you on my side…at least until the summit," he adds quickly.
Superboy looked away. This was getting too big for him. If he messed up, he didn't have the league or the team to clean up after him. Untold lives hung in the balance.
"You should get the Justice League," Superboy says, frowning at his own weakness.
Luthor winces.
"What's wrong?"
"Let's just say I'm not the big blue boy scout's favorite person. Star Sapphire, I do not say this say this lightly. You are my only hope. Rhelasia's. Please."
Superboy bit his lip in frustration.
"Okay, Luthor."
"Please, call me Lex."
End Chapter
This chapter is a bit rushed. But it set up everything. Next chapter will be significantly longer now that we have Lex and Superboy together.
If you have not try my other story, Catching Icarus. I will be alternating between the two.