FOUR BOYS: The Path We Seek
Chapter 3: First Choice
"The only thing we're allowed to believe is that we won't regret the choice we made."
"Well you could say, we are your 'Doomsday'." the small raven haired stated as he crossed his arms and glared at his teammates. As if annoyed for their not so hot first performance.
The Leaguers stared wide eyed.
The archer shook his head out of the stuppor, "Kid, you are clearly outnumbered and your robots over there, can´t help you anymore so stop this, let them go and explain what you just said because its not making any sen-" Green arrow words drifted away as he starred at the boy who simply threw a vile into the foam.
It started disintegrating right on the instant.
R looked at them curiously, "You are the ones not making any sense. For starters I don't think you had an invitation. As to who we are... I will tell you just what you can understand, I am Project Renegade, L is Project Lightning, W is Project Water and S is Project Superboy. We are weapons all created in this facility, Cadmus, and our goal is to destroy you in name of the our masters."
"Masters?" There was no response.
The team was again standing and the heroes with two of their members unconscious decided it was best to capture them fast. Both sides moved forward, just before the first impact the leaguers saw the boy named R nod to L, and they found themselves surrounded by 8 speedsters running around them.
"Uh can, can you do that too?" Green Arrow screamed trying to keep himself grounded.
"Wha-NO!" Flash said once again exasperated. He then ran forward and got out, he grinned 'I knew it' but stopped as he found the place empty rather than the speedster, he then felt a touch in his shoulder, and turning around he found himself with a punch to his chin and a kick in his stomach which threw across the room and made him crash hard on the wall creating a dent. The young raven haired had appear from nowhere, Flash stood up cautiously looking at the boy bewilder,
"D- did you just..?" He began.
Clutching his stomach before standing up, he saw the boy looking slightly up, he was lucky he had super speed, because he had a second to move out of the way before the atlantean crashed down with his hydroswords in hand, they had sliced down the floor, as soon as Flash moved. Not wasting more time he charged at Flash.
Inside the tornado Green Arrow could not hold it any longer he was sent flying outside of it landing harshly on the floor just infront of superman's clone. Green arrow moved to take an arrow from his quiver and found everything was missing, soon enough his arrows and bows fell not too far away, 'damn' he thought as he moved out of the way when S threw a punch.
Batman used all of his effort to move to the side and get out of the tornado he then jumped out but was blocked, he then heard several voices taunting, "ah ah detective you are staying here." Batman was sick of playing games, the tornado stopped as he found himself surrounded by 8 speedsters, he caught a glimpse of his two teammates fighting of the atlantean and the clone, but it soon ended as the tornado began again, he turned around and saw R grinning.
"One on one?" the boy offered casually, and moved forward at almost an inhuman speed, throwing kicks and punches, while Batman dogded, he had to say he was truly impressed with the kid's ability, but it could not compare with years of experience, R threw a kick, he was blocked by Batman before he was knocked backwards, and directly followed by a kick to his stomach.
Batman saw the boy landing expertly, he coughed slightly, "You really are strong as our databases tells us, detective, but we are stronger and as a matter of fact not even trying." the boy said.
Batman narrowed his eyes behind his cowl. "Cadmus did this to you... They used you for their experiments, they kept you trapped underground, I doubt it to be pleasant... So why, why do you still fight for them?"
They boy seemed to hesitate in his next move, he in fact took a second before answering, "If it wasn't for Cadmus, S wouldn't live, W will not be able to stand, L would be dead by now, and I … If it wasn't for Cadmus I would- I would have been left forgotten, alone, dead as well as the others."
He finished, his words were full of emotion though his face didn't show it. L had stopped running, fusing into one alone glaring at the bat troubled by the question as well, at the back you could see a heated fight between the others.
"R, this is getting us nowhere." L spoked low, to which R nodded, soon enough there was a beeping noise coming from the panel.
"Just in time it seems, we have almost no more left." He clicked some more commands onto a smal wrist watch and called out to the others "We retreat for now."
The other two threw each leaguer far away and followed the retreating teammates without question other than Superboy's grumbling.
"WAIT WERE ARE YOU GOING?!" Flash said as he got up and headed to the door, the two giant robots had left Superman and Canary in the ground and finally deactivated releasing smoke in large amounts. An explosion sounded and the building shook. The dark knight stared at the retreating boys who could stand a fight with the League and not break any sweat as it seemed. He deemed that this was not the only encounter and they needed to get medical attention to Superman and Canary.
"We should get going too." Batman said as he moved to an exit.
"What? Are we just gonna leave them." Flash said troubled.
"Yes. For now."
...
They moved to the exit.
"Was it just me or the smallest of the four is just like a mini version of Batman?" Green Arrow commented.
"They are kids with powers!." Flash added.
"What exactly happened?" Black Canary asked as she rubbed her temple.
"We are not quite sure ourselves." Green Arrow said supporting her with one arm.
There was a large explosion followed the sound of a crumbling building. Batman's jaw clenched.
"We need to get out NOW."
/
Outside the warehouse in a nearby hill the three boys stood gaping the building they had come to know as home... in flames, the smallest stared at it with a grim expression.
"YOU- YOU WERE GONNA BLOW THE PLACE?" the speedster turned to the small raven, "THE- THE ENTIRE FACILITY! more than 300 millions there R! Was that your 'we have no time left?' You planed this! Oh my gosh" the speedster said throwing his hands in the air and turning away.. "-the masters will have our heads!"
"As you said, R did it, we just followed orders." The Superboy pointed at the youngest. He started walking away following the speedster.
The atlantean looked at the youngest who just kept silently staring at the fire. The older put a hand in his shoulder "You wouldn't have done it, if you didn't think it was necessary." He turned away.
R stared for sometime longer, his blue eyes unmoving from the sight, "It's more like I hated that place." He whispered to himself, and then turned away following his teammates. They needed to get to the rendezvous.
/
The main doors of the building bursted open, the heroes coughed they had barely make it.. soon enough sirens filled the scene and the fireman worked to put off the fire.
"Well, we lost them.. and the building is in flames.." Flash commented as a matter of fact.
"Did you get it?" Batman asked to Superman. Superman nodded in return as he handed the dark knight a small vile with light blue liquid.
"That's where we met the robots and the boy, that kid is dangerous, I couldn't take more samples." Superman finished.
"This will do, for now. Move out." Batman said as he turned away just in time the bat-plane landed.
"SEE!" Green Arrow screamed, "They are so much alike that kid and B-man."
The others sighed at the archers antics, it had been a tough mission filled with some secrets that left them far more troubled and traumatized than any other mission.
/
In the shore three black bulletproof vans were waiting for the boys. As well as the head scientists of each crew. R had gotten ready 4 motorcycles in advance, the speedster decided to run. It took about 10 minutes for them to get there, just in time, but when they got back they saw the slightly aggravated faces of the scientists.
"Report now." The leader of crew R said stoically, his eyes calculating his young creation.
"What else is there to report! They blew up the entire facility along with all the data we had!" The leader of crew L shouted.
"It wasn't all of our choice." Superboy countered.
All four scientists looked at the youngest. R gave his boss a memory drive, "I stored the data of the facility along with the triple encripted files there- I didn't see them- The destruction of the building was necessary it was best the league didn't find out what was done there, The masters wouldn't be pleased if their secrets were exposed right away so I deemed the consequences necessary for the future."
They all stared at the young boy agape, the leader of crew R laughed softly "Sometimes I think my team and I exceeded ourselves with this boy. I think we won."
The others grumble but did not contradict, "Anyway lets get you safe, tomorrow is the delivery." said the leader of crew W.
The scientists got into the first van, the boys in the second and guards filled the third.
/
Inside the second van everything was quiet, a window separated the boys from the driver and the guard in the front. The three battered teens S, L and W sat in one side and R in the other he was the only one that kept his uniform as neat as possible.
"I I can't believe how easy they go on you, I mean you blew millions with that facility and they let you of the hook so easily, I bet if it had been any of us we would have gotten a beating." the speedster said shuddering, amazed at all that had happened.
"Yes, but what I can't believe is that they chose a thirteen year old to lead." The clone added.
To their surprise the youngest laughed sourly, "Oh and you're what 2 years older than me? I did not choose to be in charge, the Light decided it, if you have any complain then tell them." he dared. The tensed air grew increasingly as to why W decided to intervene.
"Team, perhaps we need to calm down. It's been a troublesome night. Besides this was the first time we worked together, we need to get to know each other better and learn how to work as a team to fulfill our purpose." atlantean finished,after that they all felt into silence.
"...You don't even know, the scientists may have left me of the hook; but, the Light won't be happy about it no matter the reason." R looked troubled as he held his knees close to his chest and his chin resting on top.
...
After some time in silence the speedster sighed heavily and extended his hand to the youngest. "Even if you had a good reason for exploding the labs, you should have told us before hand R. We are a team after all." R grimaced, "I'm Lighting by the way, you know the one in charge of The Flash, all that stuff we kept on hearing everyday."
The raven haired starred for a while and cautiously extended his hand to shake the speedsters. "I'm Renegade, Batman´s rival and leader of...well the group I guess." He smiled tiredly.
"Superboy." the clone said shortly, they all smiled.
"I'm Water"
"Wait -Water? Dude your guys didn't have too much of an imagination right" The speedster laugh.
"Cause Lightning gets the award for that." their leader added, and to that, the four boys laughed.
Its was the first time they interacted with each other, bonding not by their minds, but by their souls.