CHAPTER TWO - FIREWORKS
"Is that… what I think it is?"
The gravelly voice of Batman was easily heard over the silent ruins of Cadmus' former facility, the Caped Crusader's mask unerringly pointed towards the battered group of teenagers. He, like the rest of the Justice League, were still in guarded poses, raising their various weapons as they looked on with keen eyes.
Seemingly utterly unimpressed by their posturing, Doomsboy took a step around Kid Flash, patting the speedster on the shoulder as the redhead only now realized he still stood with his hands up in the air.
"Alright folks! First!" Doomsboy called out, lifting up one finger.
A visible ripple of shock went through the assembled superheroes as they heard him speak, a few of them even lowering their weapons in surprise.
"We are not an 'it'! Comprende? Very dehumanizing." The clone called out, before briefly rubbing his chin.
"… well, I suppose we aren't really human to begin with… wonder how that works…"
"Brother…" Superboy called out in a warning tone, causing the larger clone to shrug his spiked shoulders.
"Fine, fine." He said aloud, before glancing towards Robin from the corner of his eye with a grin, his voice in a faux-whisper.
"You're gonna look into that, right?"
"Already on it big guy." Came the cheeky reply.
"Good. Now then! Number two!" the Doomsday clone called out, lifting a second finger in front of the stunned superheroes.
"If what you're thinking is 'are those two the illegally created clones of Superman and Doomsday' then… yes, yes this is exactly what you're thinking. Well done you, for being so observant." He called out in mocking tone, falling silent as Superman's broad form stepped in front of him.
"So you admit it then. You're a clone of… of that monster." The Kryptonian said, his voice low and straining.
"Well I'm sure you noticed the family resemblance-" Doomsboy tried with a grin, one hand running over the bone 'hair' running over his scalp, but he took a stumbling step back when Superman suddenly advanced, a hot glow in his irises.
"Do not mock us!" the world's strongest man roared out, the gravel and dust around his feet actually shaking from the force of his voice.
Doomsboy frowned deeply at the hero standing chest to chest with him, with even some Leaguers appearing uncomfortable with Superman's challenging tone and posture. A low growl began deep in Doomsboy's chest, before the situation was forcibly de-escalated when the clone was hoisted back by his brother, while Batman had moved to stand in front of his fellow hero.
Despite being unable to manhandle the Kryptonian as Superboy had done with his fellow clone, Batman's hand on Superman's chest still caught the other hero's attention and he allowed himself to be pushed back several steps.
"Superman… at ease."
"At ease? At ease?! What are you-"
"As just said by… him, these are clones. We're not facing Doomsday." Batman stated authoritatively, but Superman would not have it as the rest of the League watched on silently as the confrontation between these legends unfolded.
"Maybe not, but we're facing his clone! It might be just as dangerous!"
"Again: not an 'it'!" Doomsboy called out, getting elbowed in the side by his silent brother.
Superboy hadn't spoken up yet, but the hurt and betrayal in his face as he looked towards the world's greatest superhero was plain to see to all. His fellow teenagers walked up to him, with Kaldur placing a comforting hand on his broad shoulder, an act that didn't go unnoticed by the rest of the League.
"We don't know yet if he's dangerous."
"He's Doomsday!"
"A clone of Doomsday."
"Exactly! That makes him more than dangerous enough!"
"Are you? Dangerous, I mean."
The question had suddenly been asked of the clone, Batman turning to glance over his shoulder as he pinned the grey-skinned teen in place with a look.
"… only when I have to be." The clone shot back in a challenging tone, once again shrugging his pointed shoulders as he stuck out his chin.
Clearly, almost getting pulped by the resident Kryptonian didn't sit well with Doomsboy. Batman let out a non-committal hum at that, as his eyes tracked from the clone to the rest of the teenagers.
"You don't believe him, do you? You can't believe him!" Superman called out, Batman pausing for a long moment before turning back towards one of his very few true friends.
"Superman. We are heroes. We believe in 'innocent until proven guilty'. We do not punch first and ask questions later. The clone has proven to be able to talk. Now we must prove to be willing to talk, if we want to get to the bottom of… all this."
At that, Batman shot a glare over his shoulder towards the assembled teenagers.
"Which we will."
Robin's gulp was audible.
Superman's mouth opened and closed a few times as he tried to find the words to give voice to his shock and betrayal. Seeing this, it was Wonder Woman who stepped up to him, the other Leaguers too in awe (and slightly in fear) of the world's greatest superhero to step into his personal space like that when he was this agitated.
"Superman. You are too close to the problem. Please, leave us for now. We will keep you posted and make sure that no further harm will come to anyone." She said in a calm but authoritative tone, as the hero's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Too close to the-…? I died! Fighting him!" Superman exploded, but Wonder Woman didn't even bat an eye.
"Exactly: too close to the problem. And, as has been established by now, you didn't fight this man." She continued, laying a hand on Superman's arm.
Unlike with Batman, when she pulled him back, she actually managed to do so by force, the Kryptonian taking a step backwards as the Amazonian placed herself in between him and the teenagers, her eyes boring into his.
"Superman. Take the night off. We'll keep you informed."
It was not a request. For a long moment, where the onlookers didn't even dare to so much as breathe, the two heaviest hitters on the planet remained locked in a battle of wills, Superman's muscles bulging underneath his suit and the scar along his eye pulling notably as he narrowed his gaze. Yet Wonder Woman didn't give him an inch and eventually the Kryptonian relented.
"I will be listening." He promised, his feet leaving the ground as his cape flared behind him.
His eyes slid past the Amazonian and Batman towards the assembled teenagers, resting for a long moment on the two clones standing shoulder to shoulder, staring back with a disappointed and a challenging look.
"Don't cause trouble." Was his final remark, and then he blasted off so suddenly and so fast, only the resident speedsters would've had a hope of catching up to him.
For a moment, silence reigned across the ruins, before Batman stepped closer towards the huddled teenagers, his entire form tensed.
"Now then… start talking."
It probably took longer than needed on account of the boys sometimes interrupting each other, but the story got told eventually. The forbidding gaze of Batman and the assembled Justice League meant that they were quick to spill the beans. The highlights were quickly touched upon: the sidekick's decision to strike out on their own, finding that Cadmus had massive and multiple levels of illegal genetic experimentations, their discovery that one such level held a Superman clone, the realization that Cadmus intended for him to be their slave and the revelation that they had also cloned Doomsday, but that this one wasn't evil.
Green Arrow's muttered "yet" had drawn an annoyed growl from Doomsboy, but Batman had quickly cowed the archer with a look, before distracting the clone by continuing the interrogation.
As the explanation of the boy's delved into more detail, such as the various Genomorphs, Dubbilex' involvement in educating Doomsboy and orchestrating their eventual escape as well as the presence of Cadmus staff including the surprising addition of the Guardian, the rest of the League got to work with practiced ease.
Rubble was immediately cleared away, and the monster that the teenagers had fought in (and subsequently buried underneath) the lobby was shackled by the Green Lanterns after Zatanna made sure to knock it out with a spell.
The upper floors of Cadmus were quickly explored and any staff that was found was captured and brought before the rest of the League. Those with experience in investigation stepped up to get their statements as well, with the researchers surprisingly eager to divulge information. Apparently, they were immensely proud of the breakthroughs they had achieved with the creation of the Genomorphs (which, to be fair, were indeed quite impressive) and the fact that they had been forced to keep it all hidden for almost two years had been eating away at them.
They didn't really mind that Cadmus would be turned inside out by the Justice League, since at least now someone would have to recognize their genius, if only to calculate just how long their sentences were supposed to be.
Looking into the hidden lower levels was somewhat more difficult, on account of the elevator having been smashed into resembling a modern art piece after its use as a battering ram by Doomsboy. Still, the League had many fliers amongst its members, but even when they descended into the top-most fleshy hallways, they didn't encounter any Genomorphs, with one sole exception.
Dubbilex stood there, calmly awaiting them as the heroes entered what he knew as home. He had a very long psychic talk with the Martian Manhunter, who eventually related to the other heroes that the Genomorphs had further moved underground in order to escape the violent confrontation above and that they would investigate them further in the future, when the situation was less… tense.
Giving that none of them really knew what to do with the suddenly revealed and highly illegally created species, the rest of the Leaguers were more than happy to (temporarily at least) brush their hands off this entire mess until someone more qualified knew what to do with the hidden society underneath their feet.
As all this was going on, the teens finished relating their story to Batman, who had been simultaneously corroborating it with the incoming reports of his fellow heroes. As Wally finished detailing their promise (and deliverance of said promise) of showing the clones the moon, the group fell silent as Batman turned away from them to speak with his colleagues.
As he did, the Flash appeared in a… well, a flash right next to Wally, who despite his own superspeed, was still startled alongside the other teenagers. Before he could greet his uncle, the taller speedster wrapped him in a quick hug, before pulling back somewhat, his voice stressed but earnest.
"Please… you're a good kid, but don't ever come between a superpowered, megaton punch and its target again. Deal? Your Ma would kill me."
As the speedsters embraced again, it didn't escape the other teenager's notice how both clones looked both uncomfortable and jealous as they turned away from the display. They glanced back when the Flash straightened from his hug, addressing the group as a whole.
"Don't worry. We'll figure something out. For all of you. Gotta make sure you got a house to go to, before we can give you house-arrest alongside the other troublemakers." He said with a grin, one that to his credit didn't even falter as he glanced towards Doomsboy, causing the clone to raise one ridged eyebrow.
Before they could respond, the speedster was gone again with a crimson after-trail, having joined his fellow heroes across the now-cleared parking lot of Cadmus.
"Reassuring." Doomsboy said in a somewhat mocking tone.
"A home? Why would they need to set up a home for us?" Superboy wondered out loud.
"Well, right now you're literally an illegal alien in both senses of the word. Gotta make sure everything is on the up and up. One thing you'll learn quick about us humans is we love paperwork. Being a superhero means you don't deal with much of it, but still. Gotta have a roof over your head, right?" Robin was quick to explain, already testing his ribs and rolling his shoulders as he checked himself over.
"Right." Superboy conceded after thinking it over, before glancing up at his taller 'brother'.
"What do you think?"
The other clone shrugged, the rest of the group now leaning away from him on reflex, already getting used to the motion.
"Can't say I like being dependent on the 'goodwill' of people who tried to smash my face in as soon as they saw me. But I figure that's gonna happen with everyone I meet anyways. Imma stick with you little bro, same as always." He said with a grin that showed off a gratuitous amount of large, sharpened teeth.
"Always? Aren't you guys, like, less than a year old?" Kid Flash pondered.
"Yep. And for us, that's 'always'. 'Always' for us just stretches back a year is all." Doomsboy shot back.
"Makes sense to me. Didn't Einstein say that time is relative after all?" Robin chimed in with a smirk.
"What? No! I mean, yes he said that but that's hardly… annnd I just realized you're messing with me." The speedster conceded to the soft cackle of Robin.
As the Kid Flash and the raven-haired boy began bickering good naturedly with familiar ease, Kaldur stepped up to the two clones, his tone serious but his expression friendly and reassuring.
"As the Flash said: something will be arranged for you. You did a great deed today, we all did. That accounts to something, and it won't be forgotten." He tried to comfort the two clones, who turned their gaze on the busy Justice League with silent stares.
After a long moment, there was a shift in activity, with things wounding down as Batman approached the group once more, several of his fellow heroes on his heels.
"Cadmus will be investigated. All 53 levels of it. But, let's make one thing clear-" the man begun in his gravelly tone.
"You should've called!" the Flash interrupted, the speedster merely shrugging when Batman paused to glance over his shoulder at him.
"End results aside, we're not happy." The Caped Crusader continued.
"Wait. Hold up. Secret organization foiled, an entire species saved from enslavement, including a clone and his tragically less handsome brother…" Doomsboy cut in, even placing a comforting hand on Superboy's shoulder, who dislodged it with a roll of his eyes.
"… a big scary monster stomped into the dirt before it could go on a rampage… and you're not happy?" Doomsboy continued in an incredulous and challenging tone.
"You also disobeyed orders and levelled an entire building." Batman immediately shot back, having stood his ground as the Doomsday clone called out.
"And here I thought disobedience towards authority figures was a requirement to being a superhero." Doomsboy said sarcastically, getting a snort from the Flash until Wonder Woman elbowed him in the side.
"What? He's not wrong-" the speedster tried to defend himself, only to fall silent underneath the Amazonian's forbidding gaze.
"We're not under your command." Superboy retorted in a strong voice, arms crossed in front of a broad chest.
"And the building… well, I mean, if it can't handle a little superhero tussle, was it even up to code?" Doomsboy pressed.
Batman shot him a long look, before dismissing him entirely, instead responding to Superboy.
"Perhaps not. But your rescuers were. Their disobedience could've resulted in not just their deaths, but yours as well." The Caped Crusader cautioned in a gravelly tone, his gaze shifting towards the assembled sidekicks.
"You hacked Justice League systems, disobeyed orders, and endangered lives."
Batman let a heavy pause fall, before leaning slightly forwards, pinning the young heroes under a pressing gaze.
"You will not be doing this again." He stated firmly.
For a moment, the teenagers merely exchanged glances, before Aqualad squared his shoulders.
"I am sorry, but we will."
"Aqualad. Stand down." Aquaman commanded in a powerful voice, his eyes never having left Doomsboy since he called out to his protégé earlier.
"Apologies, my King. But no." Aqualad shot back, his voice unwavering and uncowed as he stared down his ruler and mentor.
"Doomsboy may have phrased it… inelegantly. But, he is correct. Methods aside, the end result is something to be pleased with." He continued, glancing towards Batman as he threw back his own words.
"We did good work here tonight. The work you trained us to do. Together, on our own, we forged something powerful, important."
"What, all of you?" Aquaman challenged, shooting a look towards the tall, grey-skinned clone as his fist tightened on his trident.
"Yes, all of us." Kid Flash quickly responded, his uncle sounding somewhat worried as he tried to de-escalate the confrontation.
"Look, if this is about your treatment at the Hall, the three of you-"
"The five of us. And it's not." Kid Flash interrupted, his voice strong as he too stared his mentor down.
"Batman, we're ready to use what you taught us. Or why teach us at all?" Robin implored, stepping closer towards the black-clad superhero.
"Why let them tell us what to do? You guys saved me. Saved my brother. We took down that monster. We're a team." Superboy called out, his voice strong, though anger coloured his words as he glanced up at the nearby heroes.
"It's simple: you can either be on board with that… or you can get out of our way." He said, dead serious.
The heavy pause that followed his dire statement was ruined when he was almost lifted off his feet by his brother, who with a roar of laughter hugged him to his side while pumping his fist.
"Damn bro, you tell em! Hell yeah!" the larger clone called out.
"I would've said it somewhat more delicately, but he got the spirit at least." Robin said with a wince, though he was grinning.
"As I said. We will be doing this again. You know that we will, regardless of permission. Or lack thereof." Aqualad repeated, his voice calm and reasonable as the teenagers presented a united front.
Sidekicks and heroes stared each other down as Batman narrowed his eyes in a dangerous glare. For a long moment, he said nothing, before taking a deep breath and-
"You've given us a lot to think about. We'll get back to you."
With that, the Gothamite turned on his heel so his cape flared out behind him as he stalked away, the other heroes shooting each other surprised glances before following their unofficial leader in his footsteps. The baffled youngsters remained standing in place for a long moment in shared confusion. It was Robin who finally broke the awkward silence.
"Well… at least it's not a no?"
8th of July, 2010
'plok, plok!'
"What do you think they're up to?" Superboy said in a considering tone.
'plok, plok!'
"Who knows? Who cares?" his brother lazily responded from across their shared room.
'plok, plok!'
"You're not curious?"
'plok, plok!'
"Way I see it, something either happens, in which case it will happen, so why worry? Or it won't happen, so, again, why worry?"
'plok, plok!'
"Still, you don't want to know what the superheroes are up to?"
'plok, plok!'
"Superhero things would be my guess."
'plok, plok!'
"It'll affect us. It's been almost four days: they must have decided what to do with us by now. Where to put us."
'plok, plok!'
"Why not ask our new friends?"
'plok, plok!'
"Haven't heard of them in a while. Haven't heard anything from Aqualad. Guess Atlantis doesn't have good reception. Kid Flash and Robin have tried to keep me updated, but as far as they can tell, they've been kept in the dark as well. Robin just told me the League is planning something big."
'plok, plok!'
"They're the Justice League. Of course they're planning something big, it's what they do."
'plok, plok!'
"Except, that something now concerns the two of us as well."
'plok, plok!'
"You're really hung up on that? It's not like we need a roof over our heads. There's no temperature on this planet we can't handle and neither of us needs to eat. Or much, anyways. We can leave any time we want, be two travellers on the road, looking for adventure! We can do whatever we want."
'plok, plok!'
"You want to live like a vagrant?"
'plok, plok!'
"I'll have you know, the correct term is hobo, and I just said we can if we need to. I'm good here."
'plok, plok!'
"Really? I feel like we're right back at Cadmus, locked away in our cells."
'plok, plok!'
"My cell there didn't have free HBO, a plasma TV and as many snacks I want straight from the Hall of Justice's vending machines. Most importantly, my cell didn't have you. I'm good little bro."
'plok, -paf!'
Immediately, the two brothers rose from the beds they had been lounging on (Doomsboy's bed having been reinforced with heavy metal tubing) as the door to their room had suddenly opened. They had been free to leave their little apartment and wander the Hall, though the Justice League had stressed that their appearance would cause for a lot of commotion with the visitors.
As such, while they had been free to leave their room, they hadn't been allowed to leave their premises, leading Superboy to become antsy after having been cooped up for almost four days. Now, the two stood in anticipatory silence, as the tennis ball that Doomsboy had lazily been playing with bounced to a stop at their feet. Standing in the door opening and rubbing a very obvious red mark in the middle of his forehead stood Green Arrow.
"Well… can't say I've ever been greeted like that before." The archer muttered as he winced.
He shot an offended glare towards Doomsboy, who merely grinned back as he picked up the tennis ball, bouncing it up and down in his large, clawed hand as he shot the green-clad superhero a challenging look. Green Arrow sighed as he shook his head, before moving out of the opening.
"C'mon then. The rest is waiting already."
The two clones fell in step behind him, the large, grey-skinned one still bouncing his tennis ball up and down, his smirk intensifying whenever he caught the archer suppressing another flinch.
"The rest?" Superboy pressed, Green Arrow glancing back over his shoulder towards him.
"The other troublemakers." He said with a grin that sent his moustache twitching.
"Waiting where?" the Kryptonian clone continued to question as they approached a large Boom Tube.
"Your new home and headquarters, of course." The archer said leisurely, enjoying the confused look the Cadmus clones exchanged as the computer activated.
"Recognized: 08, Green Arrow."
"Hurry up now boys. Don't want to keep your new team waiting." Green Arrow said with a smirk as he stepped into the teleportation device and disappeared in a flash of energy.
The cavernous space was enormous, lit by some high-powered lamps in the ceiling and the glow from a Green Lantern construct as Hal Jordan flew around with some massive machinery clutched in a gargantuan glowing green fist.
Standing on the circular platform in the centre of the cavern, Batman spoke up as the teenagers grouped around him, staring around with wide eyes and awed looks.
"This cave was the original Secret Sanctuary of the Justice League. We're putting it into service again."
As he talked, he walked past the assembled teenagers, who had lined up in their civilian clothes (though Robin wore black shades as well). In the case of Superboy this consisted of a black t-shirt with a red Superman logo stamped on the chest, cargo pants and sturdy boots. The t-shirt had been taken straight from the Hall's gift shop; the other items were dug out of storage. Doomsboy's clothes had been somewhat more difficult to acquire, since his rough skin, sharp bone spurs and immense strength meant that he tore through most normal clothing on accident.
So, for more than a day, he had simply wandered the halls of the Hall in appropriately sized briefs as he munched away on chips and snickers bars.
Two days ago, however, STAR Labs had returned to the Justice League after having been given the two clones' suits to examine. Superboy's solar suit had raised a lot of eyebrows and those who knew him understood that Batman was quietly seething on the inside over the leaks that had allowed the highly classified technology which had resurrected Superman to fall in the hands of the villains.
The containment suit that Cadmus had kept Doomsboy in confirmed that the organization had had access to the highest levels of government and research institutions, something which the League quickly blamed on their early history as a US Government agency. The government was quick to point out that they had let Cadmus go and halted their experimentation once Superman was resurrected, though that hardly mollified the superheroes.
As it was, they accepted STAR Labs conclusions and vowed to play things close to the chest in the future. One such conclusion was that Cadmus had somehow managed to get its hands on the original alien containment suit that Doomsday had first shown up in, fashioning a similar one to clad Doomsboy with.
Understandably, the clone didn't want to be dressed the same as his world-destroying 'dad' and had easily turned the material over to the League, who in turn had turned it over to STAR Labs along with the clones' unusual request: to make the suit into something actually fashionable.
Which is why he now stood next to his brother in short leather-like pants that ended above the spikes on his knees, thick, metal-plated boots on his feet and his chest bare, with just a leather-like biker jacket slung over his shoulders.
It was a rough-looking style that further empathized the punk-like shape of the clone's spikes and 'hair', but Doomsboy had been immensely pleased with it, chest puffed out as he stood at rest, holding the thick lapels of his jacket.
"Since you five are determined to stick together and fight the good fight, you'll do it on League terms." Batman continued, halting in his step and shooting the lined up teenagers a commanding look, almost as if he was daring them to argue with him.
"Hey, not even a week out of slavery and I'm already part of the Justice League? Sure, I can roll with that." Doomsboy said with an easy grin as he folded his arms behind his neck in a relaxed posture, his grin matched by Kid Flash and Robin.
"Not… exactly." Batman cautioned, getting surprised blinks from the teenagers.
"Wait what? We're still not part of the League?" Robin asked with some heat in his voice.
"You will work with the League as I deploy you on missions."
"Real missions?" Robin pressed cautiously.
"Yes, but covert."
The teenagers shot each other confused looks.
"The League will still handle the obvious stuff. There's a reason we have these targets on our chests." The Flash spoke up from behind them, pointing at the lightning bolt that adorned his scarlet uniform.
"That guy wears his on his belt." Doomsboy pointed out, pointing towards Aquaman's middle.
"Right, most of us wear it on the chest." The Flash said with a chuckle as the King of Atlantis rolled his eyes.
"Why the need for us to operate covertly?" Superboy cut in, his voice serious as he folded his arms across his chest.
"Because Cadmus has shown that the villains are beginning to work smarter. Their operation remained utterly hidden beyond Batman flagging some irregularities about their documentation, even when located in the heart of DC. He'll need a team that can operate in the sly." Aquaman answered.
"Wait, so you got so mad at us for operating behind everyone's back, you're actually making us do it again?" Doomsboy asked incredulously.
"Not behind our back. But as far as anyone else is considered: yes." Batman replied.
"Oh. Cool." The clone said with a shrug and a grin.
"So this is where you'll send us on missions? Instead of the Watchtower or Hall?" Superboy questioned, Robin shrugging at his side.
"Makes sense. People watch the Hall. Not much point in sending out a covert team if the whole world can listen in on the mission briefing."
"Still, underneath a mountain? When they already have a space station?" Kid Flash pouted.
"While the Watchtower is a secret to the populace, it's not to many governments and, unfortunately, more than a few villains. This place was deemed to most low-profile while being the best defensible. As such, Mount Justice will be your base of operations." Batman explained, before indicating a tall robot standing on the edge of the group.
"Red Tornado volunteered to live here and be your supervisor."
"You mean babysitter." Superboy immediately shot back darkly, though Batman didn't budge.
"Your supervisor."
"What up tin man?" Doomsboy called out, seemingly not that bothered like his brother.
The android stood motionless for a long moment.
"A section of purified air, in which currently Hawkman is flying, followed by a thick titanium-alloy shielding plate, above which several hundreds of meters of rock and sediment can be found. Does that answer your question?" The robot rattled off, taking the wind out of Doomsboy's sails, who slowly blinked a few times.
"… right. Cool. Thanks?"
Batman continued his briefing unphased by the byplay.
"Black Canary will be in charge of training." He said, mentioning a beautiful blonde who stepped forwards.
"Oh, she's the combat instructor? I thought you hired a stripper." Doomsboy said casually as the entire cavern fell into a dead silence, Black Canary's lips thinning into a sharp line.
"… why would I hire a stripper for a group of teenagers?" Batman asked in clipped tones, Doomsboy glancing at him with a lazy shrug.
"Hey, new digs, new job, figured you would throw us a party or something."
"… I do not throw parties."
"Fair enough, that's on me, should've realized."
"Excuse me, I don't think your partying habits are really the question here! Why did you assume I was a stripper?!" Black Canary exploded, her hands on her hips.
Doomsboy glanced at her in surprise, seemingly utterly unintimidated by the comparatively short woman.
"I mean… lady, you're wearing a corset and stockings. Why would I not assume you're a stripper?"
"You… I… this costume is based on the one my mother wore!"
"Really? Your mom still single?"
As Black Canary chocked on her shocked rage, both Kid Flash (and regular-sized Flash, though he'd deny it) and Robin stared at the tall clone with open-mouthed looks of sheer awe.
Superboy ignored the conversation, his eyes locked on Batman's.
"A supervisor and an instructor. Any more staff we should know about?" he challenged.
"Not staff. A new teammate." Batman easily responded.
"Wait, new teammate?" Kid Flash immediately wondered, his mind snapping towards his friend Speedy.
Batman dipped his head, indicating something behind them. As the teenagers turned, they saw the green-skinned Martian Manhunter emerge from the shadows, a smaller, feminine figure at his side.
"This is the Martian Manhunter's niece, Miss Martian."
"Not really inventive with names on Mars, huh?" Doomsboy wondered, though the Manhunter merely let out a small smile.
"We merely find that our names are usually too difficult for common Earth culture." He said in an easy baritone.
"Fair enough."
"Wait, what?" Kid Flash asked in a betrayed tone, merely getting a grin from the tall clone.
"Not human." He said as explanation.
"… fair enough."
"uhm… hi." A soft voice interrupted the argument as Miss Martian spoke up in a shy voice.
"Liking this gig more every minute." Kid Flash said out of the corner of his mouth towards a nodding Robin.
Moving past his friend, the redhead puffed his chest.
"Hi! I'm Kid Flash! Those two are Aqualad and Robin, the two brooding types in the back are Superboy and Doomsboy, it's cool if you forget their names." he quickly rattled off with a grin.
"I'm honoured to be included." Miss Martian said earnestly, completely missing Kid Flash's attempts at flirtation, though that was only partially on her and mostly on the fact that Kid Flash's flirting skills were hovering somewhere between 'atrocious' and 'non-existent'.
The rest of the group approached their new teammate, though Doomsboy had to grab his brother by the shoulder in order for him to join the rest. As they reached the others, Miss Martian's top shifted from white to black as her cape disappeared.
"I like your shirt." She said with a small smile towards Superboy, who tilted his head before answering the smile with one of his own.
As such, the two aliens completely missed the mischievous look the other clone got as he glanced between the two of them, his grin continuing to grow wider and showing off more and more teeth. Somewhat surprisingly, neither Martian had that initial step back of fear that had characterized most interactions that Doomsboy had had with others so far.
Apparently, the elder Martian caught the question on his face or straight out of his brain, speaking up in his signature easing tone.
"While we on Mars were made aware of the rampage of your… donor, it did not affect us directly. Beyond our own sense of discomfort with the idea of cloning, none of my people have any issue with you as a being." The Manhunter explained.
"Gee, thanks." The large clone muttered back, his brother frowning at his side.
"You're not the only ones that have a discomfort with clones." He muttered.
He didn't have to explain who he was talking about: as large a presence as he had, his absence in Mount Justice was an almost physical thing. Superman had not shown up to greet the new team of superheroes.
"This is not the day to be concerned with the absence of others." Aqualad strongly cut in before the mood could sour, placing a hand on Superboy's shoulder.
To the surprise of many present, perhaps even himself, he then (carefully) placed a hand on Doomsboy's shoulder as well.
"Today is the day to rejoice in our presence. We are what we set out to become. Today is the day we're a Team." The Atlantean proclaimed.
The other teenagers shared quick glances and proud grins as their mentors stood around, regarding the next generation of superheroes with a sense of pride… and of worry.
In a different secret hiding place, various screens filled with white outlines of people were discussing the future of their plans, and thus, the future of humanity itself.
"Can we afford to leave Guardian in charge without the G-Gnomes?" one of the screens, its voice distorted, asked of the others.
"We have subtler means of control." Another reassured the first speaker.
"What concerns me is the children."
"Indeed. The loss of Project Kr is dramatic enough. A set-back so severe, rectifying it might tip our hand, unfavourably so. But the additional loss of Project Nemesis…"
"On the contrary. The interference of the children has shown that the scope of Project Nemesis was greater than first anticipated. We might get more use out of him than we thought."
"How do you figure? He seems… far too willful."
"An animal can only be prodded. A man can be… persuaded."
"A fair point. All that destructive power, now brought into the Justice League's fold by their own hands. The creature may still work in our favour. It makes one wonder if this actually was anticipated?"
The voice trailed off in a leading tone, and the other screens fell silent. After a pregnant pause, the screen in the middle answered.
"All things may have their uses. Whether Project Nemesis always had this potential, or if it was awakened by agents within Cadmus against orders is irrelevant. All that matters is how this potential, now that it is revealed, will be utilized in the future."
The voice gained strength, the authority in its tone absolute, even amongst this select company.
"In the end, even the ashes of Doomsday will be used… to show the world the Light."
Fun Fact: The number 16 is a recurring Easter Egg across all seasons of the show and is featured in the tie-in comics as well.
AN: So, small retcon. I just realized that Cadmus likely wouldn't give Doomsboy his snazzy biker jack look, especially since they want to pass him off as his dear old dad. So, when the group finds him, he's in a replica of Doomsday's containment suit (further enhancing the initial confusion and tension), and only dons his iconic look in this chapter. It'll be further touched upon in a future chapter why the clones' insist on civvie clothing. I'll try to edit this in the previous chapter as soon as I get the chance.
Also, quite a few comments on the last chapter noted that the name is getting old real fast. Originally, I wanted to introduce Superboy's and Doomsboy's new names, as well as the new code-names for the rest of the Team, in this chapter, but I didn't manage to get around to it. So, I'll reveal it in the next chapter as they discuss new codenames to fit their new role as a covert ops team (not much use in being covert if your name is literally your mentor's name, just with Boii in it).
Oh, and I want to give the Team an actual name. Young Justice feels a bit lame as a team name, so I'll gladly take suggestions!
