Disclaimer: DC Comics owns all rights to the characters within. They are used without permission and not meant to infringe on copyrights or meant to generate income.

Future Sins, chapter 4

During the week, Max received a summons to the JLA Watchtower. He had instructions to keep his visit a secret from both Conner and Clark. He considered disobeying them, but decided that it would be pointless to anger whoever he was meeting.

He made an excuse and went to the Watchtower. He was mildly surprised to see Wonder Woman waiting for him. He had expected Batman.

"Is there something with which I can assist you?" he asked.

He silently steeled himself for her response. Wonder Woman disliked him for his past deceptions of Wonder Girl. He understood this and tried to avoid antagonizing her.

"I want you to leave," Wonder Woman ordered. "I want you to go and never come into contact with Superman or anyone associated with either him or his civilian identity."

"I don't see what that would accomplish."

She glared at him. "It means that if you come into contact with him, then he would be able to consider you an enemy without reservation."

"It is likely that if I do as you say, then he would consider that a betrayal."

"You're eventually going to betray him anyway, aren't you?"

"I have no reason to do so. He has shown me extraordinary kindness and –"

She interrupted him. "You're a monster. That's all the reason you need."

Match showed no change in his expression but internally recoiled at such a statement. It hurt him so much because it was his greatest fear that he was irredeemable. He stared coolly at her and waited for his hurt and anger to recede before responding.

"This conversation is over," he said, his voice raw, as he started to walk away.

Wonder Woman grabbed his shoulder. "Don't you walk away from me-"

She was cut off as her body was enveloped in a field that did not allow her to move or speak.

Match glared at her. "I have no interest in what you have to say. Your comments have used up whatever reserves of patience that I had, and I consider this topic to be closed. I will not break off all contact with Superman and his associates. I will not betray him. I don't care what you think, and I care even less about what some madman from the future claims."

Match strode off and released her after a few moments.

The Martian Manhunter was on monitor duty and sensed Match approaching. His thoughts were unguarded, and J'onn could tell that he was angry.

"I'm not going to be here this weekend," he told J'onn.

J'onn looked at him. "Do you think that's wise?"

"I don't care. The constant surveillance serves to do little but antagonize me. It's a waste of my time if you're not going to trust anything I do."

"Do you understand why we are concerned?"

"I do. It is logical. At this point in time, nothing can be confirmed. The things she said...they were indefensible. Do you agree with her?"

"I do not. I didn't think it was an approach to take. Her dislike of you overpowered her judgment."

Conner stared at Max. "What do you mean you're going with me to the Titans this weekend? That means that I'd be going to see them."

Max gave him a smile. "I know you want to see them again. You've been down since entering your self-imposed exile. You don't have to do that any more."

"I...you're right. But, I don't think I deserve to see them again, not after what I did to them."

"Don't be foolish. Your actions were not your own. Even Superman gets controlled by a malicious external influence every now and then. You need to forgive yourself."

"I'm not sure I'm read for that."

"I think you are. I'll be there for you if you need any assistance. I don't think you will though."

Conner's eyes narrowed. "You're holding back something."

Max shrugged. "Yes, I am. It's not important though."

"If you want me to make a decision, then I want it to be based on all the facts. You'd insist on that, so I am too."

Max smiled ruefully. "I suppose I am rubbing off on you."

"You're not going to get out of telling me."

"I'm not going to the Watchtower this weekend. If you go to the Titans, which I really do think you're ready for, I can go with you and not be underfoot here."

"Why aren't you going to the Watchtower?"

"I had a difference of opinion with a member there. I don't wish to antagonize her any further."

"'Her?' Oh man, did you get into a fight with Wonder Woman?"

"Words were exchanged."

"Please tell me you didn't hit each other."

"We didn't. I did freeze her in position though."

"Do I want to know why you're getting into fights with Wonder Woman? Am I not doing a good job as your big brother?"

"I didn't start it. She said some insulting things."

Conner gave him a look. "It was about that thing, wasn't it?"

"Isn't everything these days?" Max said, smiling sadly.

"I'm taking you to the Titans this weekend," Conner announced. "You can use the trip to get away from all that."

It was an awkward reunion. Conner was still feeling guilty at having thrashed the team when under Luthor's control. Robin and Wonder Girl had clearly been told by their mentors to keep an eye on Max. Speedy was still new to everything, and Raven was unsettled by all the emotions in the room. Cyborg was trying to put everyone at ease, though Beast Boy and Kid Flash were doing a much better job of that with their usual banter. Hawk and Dove were also there; both were blissfully unaware of the history between everyone there.

"So, you guys are twins, right?" Hawk asked.

Kon shook his head. "He's my clone. We're brothers though."

"Were you both created at the same time or what?" she asked.

"I was made first and Match was created later."

Hawk smiled at Match. "Cool! I'm not the only one with an overbearing older sibling."

Dove looked affronted at this.

"Superboy's not overbearing," Match said, his first words beyond introducing himself. "He may not think the same of me, though."

"Match likes to get his way," Superboy said. "He's normally sneaky about it. He likes making it seem like I came up with the idea to do what he wants to do."

"Why am I not surprised?" Wonder Girl muttered.

"Maybe we should have a practice session," Cyborg suggested. "It'll give everybody a change to let off some steam."

"How do we want to do it?" Beast Boy asked. "There are too many of us to go against the automated sessions. It'd be too easy."

"I was thinking we could train against each other," Cyborg replied. "It'll be more interesting that way."

Superboy blanched at the thought of fighting against the other Titans. "I think I'll sit this one out. I...don't think that'd be good for me."

"I'm sorry," Cyborg apologized. "I wasn't thinking."

"It's okay," Kon said with a weak smile. "I know you didn't mean anything."

"Hey, Match can be our opponent!" Kid Flash exclaimed.

"Everybody against one person doesn't seem fair," Dove said dubiously.

"He'll be fine," Robin said. "He's as powerful as Superboy."

Match shrugged. "If that's what you want."

Superboy looked out at the practice room from the control booth with a sense of unease. It was too similar to the last time that he watched Match training. Hopefully, no time-displaced versions of himself would appear and try to kill Match. He also observed that while Max was disinterested in actually fighting the Titans, there was an eager gleam in Robin's and Wonder Girl's eyes. He hated that his brother didn't get along with his best friend or girlfriend.

Match stood on one end of the practice room while the Titans gathered on the other.

Superboy announced, "Okay, everybody remember that this is just a training session. I'm going to end it if people start getting too serious. Okay? Go!"

Cyborg unleashed a sonic burst at Match, but Match raised a series of thin barriers around him with the various panels from the training room and seemed unaffected.

Conner stared and remembered his physics class. "The baffler effect. I can't believe he did that."

Match retaliated by having items swirl around and pelt the Titans. They grazed Raven and Kid Flash across the temples, knocking them out.

Speedy shot an arrow at him, but Match caught it with his hands and he threw it back at the Titans. Unfortunately for them, it was an explosive arrow and caused them to scatter.

Wonder Girl threw her lasso to entangle Match, but it met a telekinetic barrier and fell to the floor. Match slammed his hands together, and a tremendous shockwave slammed her into the wall.

Cyborg aimed a sonic blast at Match since his bafflers were gone, but Match flew behind him and set off a sonic boom that not only overpowered Cyborg's blast but also disabled some of his audio circuits as well.

He parried Robin's kick and left him gasping for breath with a quick and forceful blow to the stomach.

Beast Boy charged in rhinoceros form, but Match struck a nerve cluster, temporarily paralyzing him.

Hawk and Dove tensed, ready to charge him from opposite sides, but Match turned away.

"I thought some exercise would make me feel better," he said. "It didn't. You win. I don't want to play any more."

"What do you mean 'you win?'" Hawk exclaimed. "You can't go and trash everybody like that and dismiss it all with a 'you win!'"

Dove placed a hand on her sister's shoulder. "Hawk, leave him alone. He's got other things on his mind and probably shouldn't have participated in this exercise to begin with."

"If this is what he's like when he's distracted, I'd hate to see what he's like when he's focused! He read us perfectly!"

Match paused as he was leaving. "That's because you shouldn't be whispering your battle plans when your opponent has enhanced hearing."

Dove laughed as Match walked off.

Match's defeating the Titans put them in a sour mood. He decided to stay out of their way to prevent himself from further antagonizing them.

Meanwhile, Conner was feeling a lot more comfortable around the Titans. There was still some awkwardness, but those moments were becoming rarer and rarer as time went on.

The Titans were surprised when the Flash came to visit. Kid Flash was expecting him to make some comment about them needing adult supervision, but he seemed to be there to just get to know them better.

"Superboy, are you okay?" the Flash asked. "There aren't any lingering effects of the mind control, are there?"

Kon shook his head. "I'm fine. J'onn checked, and there aren't any traces of that program left."

"Match, what about you?" the Flash asked. "There haven't been any signs of that happening to you, have there?"

Max looked up from the book he was reading. "The only thing that happens to me when I hear Lex Luthor's voice is that my bile rises."

The Flash blinked. "Why does he provoke such a strong reaction?"

"It's nothing he did to me, personally. However, he's done bad things to Superman, the Contessa, and my brother. Those are all people I care about. The man incites disgust in me."

"Who's the Contessa?" Hawk asked.

"She was the head of the Agenda, a secret organization that tried to conquer the world," Match replied. "They're also the ones who created me. I can't help caring for her, even if she only thought of me as a pawn."

"Wait, you were an evil clone?" Hawk asked.

Kon winced. "He didn't get a choice in the matter. Things have changed."

"Depending on who you ask," Match added.

"What do you mean?" Dove asked.

"I've fought some of the Titans before," he stated. "They haven't forgiven me, much less forgotten. Also, recent questions have been raised about my loyalties, which is why the Flash just happened to stop by. He's keeping an eye on me to make sure I don't do bad things."

"I did want to get to be on better terms with everyone too!" the Flash protested.

"Why have doubts surfaced?" Dove asked. "What happened?"

"It's something a future version of me said," replied Superboy. "This is before that version of me tried to kill Match, so I don't think it's reliable."

"Are all superhero teams this messed up?" Hawk asked. "It sounds like a soap opera!"

"They usually are," the Flash admitted.

----------

Any and all comments welcome!