"I'm so feeling the mode," Impulse groaned. He tried to vibrate through the restraints keeping him in the cloning tube, but stopped almost immediately, face pinched.
"What? What are you staring at, creep?" Wonder Girl snapped, glaring at Superboy from behind the glass of her own tube.
"Please don't tick off the kryptonian, Wonder Girl," Arrowette said, twisting her wrists. She turned to Superboy. "Please, you need to help us."
"Uh, he's the one who threw us in here, remember?" Impulse pointed out, slumping down in the tube as much as he could.
"Impulse," Arrowette said, giving him a look. She turned back to Superboy. "You can't want this. You're a clone of Superman. He wouldn't do this."
"Yeah, well, I'm not him," he snorted, crossing his arms and looking away.
"You'd rather be Cadmus's puppet?" Wonder Girl hissed.
"I'm nobody's puppet!"
"Then why are you helping them?"
Lex asked him to. "They helped create me. I owe them my life."
"They made you for Luthor and he's evil. He probably had you created for evil purposes," Impulse pointed out.
"That's enough," Dr. Desmond barked.
Superboy frowned as his least favorite Cadmus scientist stomped in, only looking up from his tablet long enough to glance over the sidekicks and shoot Superboy an annoyed look. "Activate the cloning process. And get the Superboy back on its patrol."
"Did you seriously call him it? These are the guys you want to work with, Jr. Supes?" Wonder Girl asked.
Superboy didn't look back as a different scientist led him out of the room. There was no point in arguing the point because he'd be lying.
He hated it when something came up that meant Lex had to leave him at Cadmus. Lex could be controlling, but at least he talked to Superboy like he was a person. He was just another experiment to Cadmus, one that could be ordered around like a guard dog. Desmond especially seemed to think Superboy was nothing more than Cadmus' weapon, even though Lex had completely funded his creation.
Superboy couldn't wait until Lex's people finished the compound in Hawaii.
He was imagining beaches, hot girls, and sunshine when he heard something shift in the corridor he was passing. It was quiet, so quiet he barely picked it up even with his increased hearing.
The scientists weren't quiet. They stomped around the labs with a purpose. The sidekicks hadn't been quiet either. Impulse was a chatterbox, Wonder Girl was heavy-footed when she wasn't flying, and Arrowette's arrows had clicked together every time she had grabbed at them when the three reached a corner during their sneaking.
Whoever was sneaking around now was near silent, which made them a problem. One Superboy would have to deal with.
He sighed and floated down the hall. When he reached a door labeled Project B.B., he flashed his badge, but the door didn't unlock. Frowning, he tried again, to no avail. He glared at the door, debating whether he should try a third time, tear down the door, fetch someone else, or just pretend he hadn't heard anything. Trying a third time probably wouldn't get him a different solution and Desmond would call him stupid if he found out, but if his badge did work Lex would be annoyed if he only tried twice. Tearing the door down would definitely get him inside, but it would also tick off so many people and he'd get a lecture from Lex about using his head. Going to get someone would be annoying and would risk letting the intruder get away, which would definitely earn him a lecture from at least one person. Pretending he hadn't heard anything would get him in trouble if someone found out he knew, but the intruder had made it that far without getting spotted by anyone but him…
The door clicked open near silently and a head poked out. "Only the head scientist has clearance for this lab. Alarms will sound if you try a third time."
Superboy stared blankly at the person in front of him. They wore a black (helmet? Hood? Mask?) thing that had two points at the top of the sides and covered most of their head with only their mouth being visible. Even their eyes were hidden behind white lenses.
They watched him for a moment, then nodded and pulled their head back into the room.
He quickly grabbed the door before they could close it. "Hold on, who are you?"
"Cleaning staff."
Superboy snorted as he opened the door to see their mask-thing connected to a black cape with a gray lining. Underneath they wore a black, sleeveless suit that had a white utility belt wrapped around their waist and the gray silhouette of a bat stretched across their chest. The latter matched the gauntlets protecting their hands and wrists. Black straps wrapped around their arms and across their chest, appearing to be the same material as the cape and slightly obscuring the bat.
"Pretty sure the cleaning staff doesn't dress like that."
"We're trying something new," they said with a shrug.
"What's your name then? Where's your badge?"
They hummed and patted their belt. "Must have left it in my other belt."
"Then how'd you get in? Especially since Only the head scientist has clearance for this lab. Huh?"
"He let me in."
"Sure. Then you won't mind if I go check with him."
"I mean, if you want to bother him. I don't think he'd appreciate the interruption, but feel free."
Superboy fought down a smile. "What's your name again?"
"Tim."
"Tim…?"
"Tim."
"Just Tim?"
"Yup. Any more questions, Mr. Luthor?"
"That's not my name."
They frowned, leaning back against a control panel. "So what is your name?"
"Superboy."
"Superboy isn't a name. It's a mask. Don't you have an actual name? Didn't Luthor give you one?"
"I don't need a name."
"I guess… but do you want one?"
Superboy leaned against the door with a shrug. He'd never really thought about it. "If I need one Lex will handle it."
"If that's what you want. It's your choice in the end. So, Superboy, what brings you here?"
"An intruder," he said pointedly.
"There's an intruder? Then you really should be going after them." Tim nodded and he snorted.
"You're the intruder, remember?"
"Me? No, I'm cleaning staff. Pretty sure we went over this already."
"So you're not with the sidekicks in lab thirty-seven?"
Tim's mood dropped instantly and they straightened up. "What sidekicks?"
"Wonder Girl, Impulse, and Arrowette," Superboy said slowly. Did they not realize their buddies had gotten grabbed?
"They're here?" Their voice was blank, but their body was stiff and Superboy got the impression they were staring at the door now, not him.
"Uh, yeah. Didn't you come with them?"
"No, but if they're here, the League can't be far. Shoot, shoot, shoot." Tim spun around and started typing on the panel they'd been leaning against. "Hurry up!"
Superboy shot forward and yanked Tim away from the panel, which had a lot of information on the screen alongside a progress bar that was at ninety-eight percent. "What are you doing?"
Tim glared at him. "Look, SB, I don't want to fight you, but I will if you keep me from leaving here with my family."
Superboy glanced past the panel to see a cloning tube. Not the kind the sidekicks had been locked into, made to extract DNA samples and memories, but the kind that grew clones, the kind he'd been made in. This one held a baby (toddler?) with pitch-black hair, fair skin, and East Asian features.
Project B.B.
"That's a clone."
"So are you. What's your point? He can still have a family."
"I can't just let you steal him from Cadmus."
"Why not? They stole my mentor's DNA to make him. Seems only fair to steal him in return."
"He's Cadmus's -" Property? Weapon? But then what would that make Superboy? "He's Cadmus's."
"He deserves a chance to be more than just Cadmus's mindless weapon."
"As opposed to -" A sidekick? But Tim hadn't known the others were there. They'd almost seemed afraid of the League. They wanted to get out of Cadmus before the League arrived, so did that make them a villain? "- whatever you are?"
Tim's chest puffed up. "I chose to do this. Like this, I can watch my family's backs and I can make sure no one else ends up in the kind of situation I was in when my family found me. If he wants to be a vigilante when he's older, we'll support him and train him until he's ready. If he doesn't want to, then he won't. Heck, B - my mentor - would probably be happy that at least one of us is staying home. Just… he deserves the chance to make that choice, to decide what - who - he wants to be, doesn't he?"
Superboy jokingly wondered if Tim was some sort of telekinetic meta as he felt something in his chest clench as they stared into his eyes.
He'd never really had a choice about who he was going to be. He had been created to replace (and maybe defeat, Lex had been kind of vague) Superman. He ran protection or rescue missions because Lex gave them to him. Don't get him wrong, he liked being a hero. Saving people, fighting bad guys, and sweeping potential dates off their feet (sometimes literally) was great and he'd probably have been a hero even if he'd been given the choice.
But he wasn't given a choice.
B.B. wouldn't get a choice. Cadmus would give him his orders and he'd be expected to follow them. The kid wouldn't even have a Lex to step in for him when Cadmus started to get too pushy or creepy or forceful. Instead, his version of Superman…
"And your mentor wants him? Like he'll take care of him?"
"Of course! He's B's son. It's not his fault that Cadmus is awful. We all already consider him part of the family. B would have been here instead, but the Court was causing trouble so he couldn't get away."
His version of Superman wanted him, had a whole family ready to welcome him in instead of just wary looks and the desire to be around him as little as possible. In a way, this B guy was more like B.B.'s Lex, and Lex was going to keep Superboy away from Cadmus once the compound in Hawaii was ready so why shouldn't Tim's mentor be able to keep B.B. away from Cadmus?
Because Cadmus would take it out on Superboy if he intentionally let their property be stolen and he couldn't be sure Lex would be on time to stop them.
The control panel gave an alert.
"I can't let you take him," Superboy said, looking at the panel to see the bar had reached one hundred percent.
"Yeah, I figured," Tim said, sounding understanding. "I'm sorry about this."
Suddenly there was pain lacing through Superboy's entire body. His throat felt like it was closing up and his skin felt like it was cooking. He collapsed with a groan as his strength left him.
Tim stood above him, holding an open metal case with a glowing green rock inside.
Suddenly, Superboy understood why Lena had thrown such a fit when Lex had suggested presenting him with small amounts of kryptonite in short intervals to attempt to build up a resistance to the pain. The few times he'd felt pain over his few months of life were nothing compared to what he was feeling as Tim set the case down next to him and bound his wrists and ankles with zip ties.
Vision hazy, he watched as Tim rushed over to the opening tube. They pulled the straps off their back, revealing they'd been wearing one of those backpacks designed to carry babies. They changed B.B. into a baby one-piece covered in birds, tossing aside the cloning suit that Superboy knew contained trackers, then tucked the boy into the carrier.
"Let's get you home, little bat." They kissed B.B.'s head and put him on their back. A flick of their cape hid the boy, though it gave them a humpback. They walked over to kneel next to Superboy. "I really am sorry, and I owe you one. If you need anything, come to Gotham. We'll find you."
Tim was gone in a flicker of black, taking B.B. and the kryptonite with them.
Every second the kryptonite was gone, the easier it became to breathe and the cooler his skin felt. His strength trickled back until he was able to rip the ties off and get to his feet. He dusted himself off and tried to listen for Tim or B.B.
He was relieved to find he couldn't pick them out from anyone else in the building. He could, however, hear the sidekicks, and their screams made his stomach turn.
B.B. was free of Cadmus, and Superboy would soon be following, but the others… Tim seemed sure the League was coming for them, but Superboy couldn't hear any sign of them. The extraction had to be nearly done. If it finished before the League got there, Desmond could get away with the samples. There was no telling if the sidekicks would care about their clones the way B cared, but they were only teenagers either way. They'd have to rely on the League wanting to take care of the clones too. If Superman was any indication, they'd leave the clones to Cadmus, and then there would be three more clones under Cadmus's control. There would be three clones who were treated like property without a Lex to watch their backs.
Because of Superboy.
Well, Lena had said to stand up for myself or leave the next time Cadmus goes too far. This sort of fits the bill.
Or at least that's what he hoped as he shot off towards lab thirty-seven.
"We didn't expect you to turn up so soon."
Superboy jumped and spun around to see Tim Drake, Ghost Bat, dropping down to sit next to him on the edge of the roof. "How did you sneak up-Wait, we?"
Tim nodded to the side and Superboy looked over to see a man standing on the next roof over. Jason Todd, Red Hood, wore a black suit like Tim's, though a bit bulkier and bearing a blockier red bat silhouette. His dark gray utility belt had gun holsters hanging from it and instead of a cape and cowl, he wore a red hoodie under a brown leather jacket, a black domino mask with red lenses over the eyes, and a red metal face covering that the internet called a muzzle.
The older teen gave Superboy a salute with the hand not spinning a tire iron like a baton, but didn't move to join them.
"My family," Tim said, drawing Superboy's attention back to him. "I told you we'd find you if you came looking for help in Gotham. I'm just glad you were subtle about it. You're not supposed to be here."
"Why not?" He knew the Gotham police and mayor had worked together to pass a law banning superheroes in Gotham after a bunch of lesser-known members of the Justice League got hit with Fear Toxin (whatever that was) and went on a rampage. He'd read the whole story while looking for information on Tim. He wasn't sure why that would apply to him, though. He might not be quite as strong or durable as Superman, but he was still immune to all toxins and diseases as long as he wasn't under the effects of kryptonite or red sunlight. At least that's what Lex said, and he'd run every test he could that didn't involve dosing Superboy with said toxins and diseases. Besides that, "The only ones listed in the ban are the League and Titans, and I'm not with either of them."
"Aren't you?" Tim said, leaning back on his hands. "We heard about you rescuing the sidekicks from Cadmus. Was that just a one-time team-up?"
Superboy shrugged and similarly relaxed. "I dunno. Impulse added me to their group chat and we've joked around, but we haven't done anything. Besides, they're not part of the Titans either so it doesn't matter."
"Fair enough. You should still probably keep a low profile here, though. GCPD can be trigger-happy around capes and while you might be bullet-proof, the people within ricochet range aren't."
"I don't wear a cape," Superboy pointed out, not mentioning that the police being trigger-happy was probably because of Tim's family. He wasn't sure how to approach the Batman thing. The news never showed Tim being as defensive as Jason and Dick, but he'd seemed pretty fond of his mentor when they'd met.
"You know what I meant," Tim snorted, tilting his head back. He frowned and looked at Jason. Sighing, he sat up. "So what'd you need, anyways?"
"How's B.B.?"
"B.B.?"
"The kid. Clone. The lab door said Project B.B."
"Oh, right. B.B. for Batman Beyond," Tim chuckled. "That actually fits. Wing's been calling him Baby Bat."
"B.B.'s fine. B's a little freaked out about having to take care of a literal baby this time instead of an overly-competent nine-year-old or preteens who're used to taking care of themselves, but The Nest is helping him through it. Wing dotes on him whenever he's in town, Hood's gone full overprotective big brother, -"
Jason gave a sharp whistle and Superboy looked over to see him flipping off Tim.
The younger vigilante didn't react as he continued, "- and I'm enjoying the freedom that comes with no longer being the baby of the family. Then there's Catwoman, who's decided B.B. is her kitten despite having even less experience with children than B."
"Catwoman?" The only people he'd turned up while looking for info on Tim were Batman, Richard "Nightwing" Grayson, Jason, and Batgirl (who'd disappeared shortly after Tim became Ghost Bat). He'd read some rumors about people called The Nest and Oracle, who the Bats could supposedly be heard talking to sometimes, but not a Catwoman.
"Yeah, long story. Point is, B.B.'s doing good. I'd offer to let you see him, but…"
In case it wasn't obvious, Kon doesn't know he's half Lex at this point.
I didn't have a good point to put this in since this is in Kon's POV and he doesn't know babies, but Terry is about a year old (biologically, a few weeks chronologically) when Tim rescues him. Also, I haven't decided if Matt's going to be a thing or not, so I didn't clarify if Tim destroyed Cadmus's samples of Batman's DNA.