Conner wasn't sure when he'd fallen asleep, only that when he woke things were very wrong. The sound of malicious laughter echoed in his head, the scent of dirt clogging his nose. There was a warm & heavy presence lain across his legs, but his arms were tightly bound to his sides with rope that bit at his skin and a gag that wrapped around his head. It took one or two tries to open his bleary eyes and when he did, he found Snapper—still unconscious—passed out on his legs and bound in much the same manner as him.
Jostling his legs did nothing to awaken the brunette, so Conner turned his attention instead to the main floor of the Cave which had been brightly decorated in banners, confetti & presents. There he found several members of the Justice League gathered about one of the larger presents, wrapped tightly in a bow. "…Why's it so dark?" Flash wondered as he zipped around the gift, inspecting it with rapt interest.
"Where's Snapper?" Hawkman wondered as Martian Manhunter joined them.
"Is this a present for me? Aw, c'me on, guys! You shouldn't have!"
"Mmmrhh!" Conner groaned against the gag, trying to capture their attention.
"But something is not right here!" Flash continued, unaware of Conner's attempts. "I don't understand—did I miss the memo? What kind of party is this?"
"If Snapper contacted us, I do not think it would be for a party" Manhunter replied sagely.
"It sounded like he was in distress" Hawkman agreed. "He must be around here somewhere"
"Well, why would he be distressed about a party?" Flash queried. "I dunno if you guys have noticed, but there's presents everywhere and banners across the ceiling and confetti all across the floor. What else could it be—?"
"Mmmmmppphh!" Conner tried again, but it was almost like they couldn't hear him—like he wasn't even there.
"—My guess is, it's a surprise party. Must be for our anniversary, yeah? That's coming up, right?"
"That kid is always celebrating something" Hawkman griped as he turned to search the area for the aforementioned teen. "Where are you, Snapper?"
"That kid is something else" Flash grinned as he fiddled with the large ribbon and went to unwrap it. "He went out with presents & everything! I wanna see what's in here—"
"—NO! DON'T TOUCH THAT!" Batman suddenly surged forward in an attempt to intercept the speedster, but it was too late.
BOOM!
The scarlet speedster had barely threaded his fingers through the bubblegum silk before a great troop of chartreuse monkeys exploded from the gift box. Aside from their colouring, the most eye-catching thing about the primates was the violet canisters that lay strapped across their spines like backpacks as they bounded about the place. The smaller presents around the cave (thankfully empty) fell prey to rabid monkey claws, ripped apart by the hordes. Crinkled wrapping paper floated to the floor to mix with the confetti already on there as the Leaguers scattered this way & that to avoid the flying primates.
"Monkeys? Seriously? Who thought this was a good idea?!" Flash exclaimed as he yanked off a monkey clinging to his face, only to find another strapped to his leg. "Oh man! I just know they're going to start flinging their own—"
"—Flash!" Batman interrupted, "We need to—"
"Hahahaha!" Joker cackled, catching the Bat's attention.
"—Joker!"
"Hey there, Bats! How ya doin'?"
"How'd you get in here?!"
"Oh Bat Brains! Your security is lapse, to say the least" Joker grinned as he gestured wildly; one hand held a doomsday red button, whilst the other held a clunky torch. Head tilted to the side, the clown shone the flickering light towards the alcove where the teens were stranded. "And Snapper here, totally dropped the ball in the vigilance department!"
"Snapper!" Manhunter exclaimed when he noted the unconscious boy laid out upon Conner's lap. Conner blinked repeatedly against the bright beam of light shining in his eyes, though a seed of hope budded in his chest when he saw expressions of concern & worry painted on the Leaguer's faces when they finally took note of them. Though, for the life of him, he could not fathom why they were not reacting to him alongside Snapper.
"Seriously? C'mon man, you can't possibly think that a box full of monkey clowns would stop us!" Flash scoffed. "I can't believe I just said that…What kind of deadly threat is that anyway?"
"Heh~heh! No, but I did think it was funny!" Joker replied as his other hand slammed down on the red button, which released smoking grenades from the monkey's backpacks and rained down upon them. "And I think this is the deadly part!"
"Mmmmmffff!" Conner struggled more ferociously against his restraints.
Apparently, this was enough commotion to rouse Snapper and the brunette snapped awake just as one of the ticking grenades rolled to a stop at Conner's feet. Thankfully, two batarangs ripped through their bindings with ease, finally freeing the pair. Neither teen wasted time in fleeing from that cramped alcove—and just in the nick of time too—as the grenades left in their wake denoted and coated their backs with a heat so fierce, Conner thought his shirt would burn straight off of his back.
"The Joker's an unpredictable maniac" Batman stated as he helped Snapper climb to his feet. "We need to get you out of here and to safety"
"No!" Snapper retorted, shaking off the Bat's grip. "I can help! This is my fault! He tricked me and followed me right to the cave—!"
"—You're helpless against him, Snapper! Let us handle this!"
"Well, I'm not helpless!" Conner growled as he irritably ripped the gag from his mouth. "I can put this 'Joker' down!"
"Not to worry, Bats! I got this one covered!" Flash called as he raced passed with an armful of canisters that he'd ripped from the monkeys. Though he didn't get very far before the canisters released a pink gas that smelt almost sickly sweet and hung out on the back of the kryptonian's tongue.
"Flash!" Hawkman exclaimed as the speedster tripped over his own feet and collapsed to the floor as he choked on the gas in his lungs. The avian hero raced over to disperse the cloud as Manhunter went to help the speedster off of the floor.
"He will be fine" Manhunter replied, "His metabolism should burn off the effects of the toxin before any damage can be done"
"I don't like people who mess with my fun" Joker growled as he caught Manhunter by surprise and stabbed through the chest with a dagger plucked from nowhere. But martian physiology was not to be taken lightly and no sooner had the tip of blade touched green flesh, did it get bent out of shape. "Hey! You bent my wookie!"
"This comes to an end now!" Manhunter rose to meet the clown's challenge, placing himself between Joker & Flash. "I will enter your mind and simply—AARGHH!"
"Scary in there, isn't it?" Joker grinned, head tilted to the side as Manhunter clutched to his aching head and wailed in agony. Conner had no clue as to what the clown had down to pain the martian so easily, but his confusion was quickly replaced with fury as Joker pulled a blaster from his coat pocket and shot down both Manhunter & Hawkman. "I told you, I don't like people who mess with my fun. How 'bout you, Batman? Are you going to try and ruin my fun?"
"No!" Conner growled as he launched himself forward, fangs bared & fists clenched for a fight. "I am!"
In a blink, Joker shifted ever so slightly to the right and easily bypassed Conner's attack, that sickening laughter ringing in his ears. The clone had barely pushed himself up onto his elbows when the clown struck again, this time the hit was powerful enough to throw him back across the room, even when those pale fingers only just grazed against his chin. His head rang, vision blinding white for moment as he landed upon concrete and skidded to a stop near Batman's feet.
"Ugh!" Conner groaned as he hauled himself up onto his elbows, lip weeping slightly from where he had bit it hard enough to draw blood. "I'm bleeding? H-how is that possible?"
"You're going down, Joker!" Snapper roared as he shot forward, this time garnering Batman's attention. Conner tried to ignore the sour pit in his stomach; why were they ignoring him but caring for this stranger?
"Hahahahahaha please!" Joker chortled, "The little boy that plays publicist to the Justice League?"
Publicist? Conner's brows furrowed in puzzlement, That's the thing with magazines and newspapers, right?
"The exclusive fanboy that gets an all-access pass to the most power people on the planet? Don't make me laugh!" It barely took a flick of the clown's finger to down the scrawny brunette. "Looks like it's just down to you and me, Batman! Just like it should be, the two of us, alone"
Blinking away the dots dancing in his vision, Conner rose to his feet and made to charge at the clown once more only to skid to a stop when the rest of the Justice League appeared as if like magic. His eyes blew wide and his heart raced as Superman came into his line of sight in all his blazing glory. The clone felt himself stop short in the face of his donor, ever stoic as he was. He knew that that anger was directed at the clown and yet, he couldn't help but feel like a little kid wanting to prove their parent wrong. He knew he could do, could be the best hero there ever was, if only Superman would give him the chance.
"Ohoho! The gang's all here!" Joker smiled as his gaze leapt from Superman to Wonder Woman, Green Lanterns, Green Arrow, Hawkwoman and Aquaman. Strangely enough, neither of their 'den mothers' were present. "Time to really get this party started! Let's go out with a bang, shall we?"
The Joker slammed on the red button again, this time setting off a second compartment on the canisters, making them sing out. Those few canisters still strapped to the bouncing primates began to furiously beep, the sound echoed throughout the cavern like church bells in a cathedral. Conner had barely had time to blink before he was thrown from his feet once more, this time flying back towards the zeta tubes as an explosion—one so much bigger than the one from the grenades—lit up the cavern. A wave of heat slammed into the clone as monkeys clambered all over him, heatwaves danced across the ground and clouds of smoke settled around the edges of the room like cloying smog.
"In the short time that I've been in the 'outside' world, I have come to a certain conclusion about one thing" Conner griped, pushing himself back up onto his feet as he grabbed one of the closer primates by the scruff and launched it across the room in a fit of anger. "I hate monkeys!"
"Recognised: Superboy B04" The Cave's computer sang.
"Huh? That doesn't make sense…" Brows furrowed as realisation dawned. Trotting back over to the threshold of the zeta tubes, Conner stuck his arm into the tube and watched as the device illuminated in blue as it recognised his presence.
"Recognised: Superboy B04"
"The zeta tube scans everyone that comes in or foes out—it registers them audibly for everyone to hear, so why didn't it…?" Conner puzzled, eyes turning to the ongoing fight between the Leaguers and Joker & his monkeys. He couldn't recall the computers announcing the arrival of the Justice League, nor Snapper's, now that he thought about it. With a half-baked plan in mind, Conner raced for the closest heroes. "Superman! I'm sorry I have to do this to you—"
"What?" Superman grunted as he—quite literally—blew away several primates and turned to face his clone with an unimpressed quirk of the brow.
"Uh—I mean…" Conner balked before he turned and quickly snatched Aquaman from his feet.
"What are you doing?!" Superman exclaimed.
"I'm sorry about this, Aquaman!" Conner hoisted the atlantean and threw him towards the zeta tubes. He waited for a beat for the zeta tubes to sing out, but nothing came.
"What was that for, boy?" Superman jerked the clone around to face him, face thunderous with rage. Aquaman was fine however, a slight groan falling from his lips as he pushed himself to his feet and returned to the fight, unmarred.
"The computer didn't recognise him!" Conner rambled, mind racing a mile a minute, for once not quite paying attention to Superman. "It didn't recognise a member of the Justice League because it only recognises people that are actually here! Which means that…NONE OF THIS IS REAL!"
Shaking off the elder kryptonian's grip, Conner launched himself high up into the air with fists raised up above his head. He seemed to hang suspended in the air for a moment, time slowed as he descended and met the troop-covered ground with an almighty khoom that cratered the concrete and sent the surrounding figures—including a G-Gnome—flying. The calm feeling which had blanketed his mind disappeared, leaving behind an ache that pinched at his mind.
"W-what?" Conner stammered, gaze locked on the little grey genomorph trying to pick itself off of the floor and then the visage around them vanished within the blink of an eye. "I recognise you from Cadmus! Where I…? You did all of this! Where'd you come from? How'd you get here? Why—why do you keep showing me all these images?"
Flashes of the illusion he had just been playing out suddenly switched to flashes of memories from his liberation from Cadmus some days prior and the resulting days that followed. Images of brightly-coloured sidekicks amongst snapshots of a burning building. Aqualad pleading for help even though Conner helped to pod the sidekicks, Raven giving him a name based on no more than the letters on his pod, Superman illuminated by the light of the moon, drowning in plaid and fighting the Terror twins alongside Wally, meeting M'gann & searching for bedrooms in the Cave. All these images fluttered through his mind's eye, played out like a movie and dredged up the emotions associated with those images.
"That's—that's the kid with the Justice League, the Joker and his monkeys!" Conner stomped over to the small creature and plucked it from the ground, furiously shaking it. "And that's when Aqualad, Robin, Raven and Kid Flash found me at Cadmus. Superman and the fight at the mall! M'gann & the Cave! What are you trying to say?" An image of his pod at Cadmus appeared at the forefront of his mind, welcoming and waiting. The three genomorphs which had been at his side since his conception, stared back at him with horns all aglow. They showed him familiar landmarks, ones seen from his lessons. The Statue of Liberty, the Eiffel Tower, the Pyramids of Giza, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and so on & so forth.
"I remember these images…" Conner blinked rapidly as he tried to shake off the images presented to him. "No! This is how you controlled me at Cadmus! I'm not falling for that again! You—you were the one that would teach me about all of these things when I was in the containment pod. You were the one that put images in my mind of flying and what the sun was like! Why—why would you do that?!"
"…" A feeling of longing lanced through his mind in reply, one so strong that Conner was almost convinced that it was his own.
"You…you miss me?" Somehow, it never occurred to him.
"This particular G-Gnome has a very strong connection with you, in particular, because it has been with you your entire life" Red Tornado summarised as he cradled the small genomorph in his hand, some time later. "It must've simply snuck into the Cave whilst reconstruction was going on and before the security system was activated"
"Yes, I understand that" Conner huffed in reply, crossing his arms as M'gann ferried her belongings back & forth to her newly chosen bedroom. "What I don't understand is how it all felt so real. Like when the Joker punched me, I felt it! I felt everything, the heat of the explosions! Even when I picked up Aquaman! I was even bleeding!"
"It was a psychic phenomena triggered by the G-Gnome. It has a great telepathic ability; in this case it happened to trigger what is called 'Perception at a Distance' It was able to perceive the traumatic acts that occurred here in the Cave quite some time, long ago. The psychic residue must've been strong enough for it to linger here after so many years and for the G-Gnome to pick up on it"
"How is that possible?"
"There are studies of mental interaction between living organisms that indicate that some unknown mechanism in the brain allowed the mind of one person, or thing, to induce physical change or even pain on another person remotely. Given this particular genomorph's attachment to you and the incredible images it can manifest, indicating a rather large mental capacity, that is exactly what I believe occurred here"
"Huh?" Conner blinked dumbly at the slurry of words thrown at him.
"In other words, the psychic connection between the two of you was so strong that your brain caused any pain you felt. When the Joker struck you, you 'felt it' Your brain inflicted that pain, so much so, that it led to you actually causing yourself to bleed. It's a good thing you did not engage further before breaking the connection or the results could have been deadly"
"Deadly? Really?"
"You should rest" Red Tornado dismissed the clone as he made his way over to the zeta tubes with G-Gnome in hand. "I will see about having this G-Gnome returned to Cadmus"
Is that longing mine? Conner wondered as he watched the little genomorph get carted away. The moment appeared almost bittersweet.
"Wow! Your own brain, huh?" M'gann chirped, alighting down next to the clone. "So, uh, with all that activity going on, did you learn anything about yourself?"
"Yeah" Conner blinked as the ginger's words brought him back to the present. "I hate monkeys"
