Chapter 2
A/N: hey everyone, welcome back. Good to be back! And thanks for the reviews. Glad to see y'all're liking the changes I've been making so far. Remember, I just own my story, I don't own Transformers Prime or Young Justice.
Telepathy/flashbacks
"Bumblebee talking."
Nemesis, July 4, 15:37PDT
The doors to the bridge hissed open as a tall, wry figure stepped in. Troopers who had turned to see who entered immediately adverted their eyes from the faceless man as he strode across the room silently. He walked onto the platform where Starscream stood working on something, and stopped behind the seeker.
Unperturbed by the silent man's appearance, Starscream didn't bother turning his head from the screen as he continued to type. "Soundwave, what is it?"
"Like Jasper, Nevada's a party? We're still alone wherever we travel on this rock Cliff."
The seeker stopped typing. Despite the mechanical whir to the voice, he still was able to recognize it. No doubt it was that same Autobot who tried to help Cliffjumper blow him to smithereens eons ago. "Ah, Arcee," he smirked, turning to face the third in command of the Decepticons. "When snuff one Autobot when we still have the advantage of surprise?"
He expected a nod of agreement, but the black screen covering Soundwave's face flickered. "Arcee to Justice League, Cliff has been captured by Decepticons," the recording said.
Starscream growled. So much for the advantage of surprise. It seemed like that infernal Autobot still managed to alert his comrades before his men could subdue him. Which meant, the Autobots and their pesky human pets would be looking for them. "Thank you for the warning, Soundwave."
Turning back to his screen, he continued his work, trying to not focus on the fact that those fools had completely and utterly exposed their entire operation. Prime no doubt knew for certain that they had not left Earth like he wanted them to believe. It would only be a matter of time before one of their operations was discovered.
A chill ran up his spine, and the seeker turned, red eyes widening slightly as he noticed that Soundwave was still looming behind him, as silent and emotionless as ever. "Yes, Soundwave?" he asked, this time a bit more cautiously. It wasn't like the silent spy to stay longer than necessary. Even Starscream would admit he was one—if not the most efficient person in the Decepticons.
His screen beeped and Starscream leaned in. It was a frequency, with an embedded message. Unlike a message he would've expected, this one was written in human.
They had a message, from humans about a time and place to meet. It was preposterous. Their race had no need to interact with such weak fleshlings. Yet, he found himself intrigued. What humans would be bold enough to directly contact him and his army? It certainly wasn't from any of Earth's governments, he knew that much. Which meant, this was someone who was either setting a trap or looking for an alliance.
Either way, both merited looking into.
-.-
Washington D.C. 18:44EDT
"Ok, I'm officially whelmed," Robin said as the door hissed open.
The others didn't bother to comment, as they were too busy focusing on the dozens of tubes lining the walls on either side of them. Within each tube, they could see a strange gray creature with what appeared to be lightning zapping off of it.
"So this is how this place stays off the grid," Robin realized. "They generate their own electricity with these…things. Must be what they're bred for."
"Of course, even the name is a clue," Aqualad spoke up. "The Cadmus of myth created a new race by sowing dragon's teeth into the earth."
"Should we call the League?" Kid Flash asked.
"And let them take over our investigation?" Emerald scoffed. "Geez cuz, where's your sense of adventure?"
"Hey guys," Robin called, "I think I got something." Typing on a monitor, the others gathered around the small form. "They call them Genomorphs." Scrolling down the screen, the Boy Wonder whistled. "Geez, look at the stats on these things! Super-strength, telepathy, razor claws—these things are living weapons!"
"They're making an army," Bumblebee said, his brows furrowing as he set his palm on the monitor. Robin yelped as the screen began rolling rapidly, lines of unreadable code flashing rapidly across the screen. "It doesn't say for who, but, there are two other projects going on here: Project Blockbuster and Project Kr. Blockbuster seems to be a chemistry project. Kr…I'm not sure, even after breaking through the encryptions, they didn't have much. They did have—"
"DON'T MOVE!" a voice demanded and all the teens turned to see a man in a gold helmet and black and grey suit run in with several of the genomorphs. The man paused, blinking as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing. "Wait…Aqualad? Robin? Kid Flash, Emerald Lantern, Bumblebee?"
"I know you," Aqualad said after a moment. "You're Guardian, a hero."
The man relaxed, putting his hands on his hips, "I do my best. But here, I'm Chief of Security. You're trespassing; but we can call the Justice League, figure this out without drastic measures."
"And do you think the League's gonna approve of you breeding weapons?!" Kid Flash snapped, pointing to the pods embedded into the chamber walls.
"Weapons?" Guardian scoffed. "What are you…What have I…" he groaned, holding his head for a moment. His eyes opened, looking back at them all, the previous warmth that had been there gone. "Take them down hard! No mercy!"
The genomorphs by him snarled as they lunged forwards.
Smoke filled the room as Robin slammed a smoke bomb on the ground. Creating a cover for them to escape. Kid Flash rolled back as one of the creatures swung its claws at him, he leapt to the wall, pushing himself off of it and ramming into one of the genomorphs. Springing back to his feet, he raised his fists ready to face the other two when a glowing green hammer, slammed them aside and Emerald landed beside him.
"You alright?"
"Yeah, thanks."
There was a cry of pain from their right and they turned to see Aqualad shocking Guardian. The man stumbled and the Atlantean took the opportunity to throw a punch sending the man flying back. Nodding to his friends, the took off down the hall, eventually catching up with Robin and Bumblebee.
"Way to be a team player guys!" Kid Flash exclaimed.
"Weren't you right behind us?" Robin asked as he continued to type.
The elevator doors slid open and they scrambled to get in as the monsters attacking them came around the corner giving chase. By their side, the armor on Bumblebee's forearm shifted to reveal a blaster. Placing himself between his friends and the creatures, 'Bee opened fire, as the doors started to slowly slide shut; several of the creatures crying out in pain as they were hit.
"Nice aim," Kid Flash said.
"I've had practice."
"Hey, am I the only one wondering why we're going down?!" Emerald exclaimed, pointing at the screen saying what floor they were on.
"Dude! Out is up!"
"And Project Kr is on sublevel fifty-two," Bumblebee countered.
Aqualad groaned, rubbing the back of his neck. "This is out of control. Perhaps we should contact the League."
The others stayed silent at he comment, and were saved from answering as the elevator dinged. The doors creaked as they slid open, revealing a hall just as creepy as they ones they saw earlier. "Well, we're already here, might as well check it out," Emerald said as she floated forwards.
"Which way?" Aqualad grumbled, stepping out from the elevator.
"Yeah," Robin huffed, "Creepy hall one or creepy hall two?"
"HALT!"
Eyes widened as another strange being came around the corner of the first hall. This one looked slightly more humanoid than the other ones had been, and wore white clothes and had a massive pair of horns on his head. His dark eyes and horned glowed red and several boxes floated up into the air and flew at them.
The teens ducked as the crates exploded above them and Robin tossed something at the being, only for it to be stopped midair. As more objects started to lift into the air, the group made a hasty retreat down the other hall, hearing explosions behind them.
Kid Flash raced ahead, making a turn and barreling into a woman. Scrambling back to his feet, he looked to the door she came from and saw the label of Project Kr on it. He looked around for something to hold the slowly closing doors, and was saved by a green light rushing past him.
"I got it!" Emerald called, floating a few feet away, a green construct holding the doors apart.
Seizing their chance, the group of teens raced inside, allowing the doors to seal behind them. "I disabled the door, we're safe," Robin panted.
"We're trapped," Aqualad corrected.
"Guys," Bumblebee interjected. "You need to see this." Pressing a button the lights turned on, revealing a single pod in the room. It was what was inside that shocked them.
A boy, about their age stood within the pod in a white suit with a familiar red S symbol on his chest. He appeared to be unconscious as three little versions of the creatures stood above him.
"Holy shit," Kid Flash muttered approaching the pod. "Big K little R; the atomic symbol for Krypton. Clone?"
"Robin, Bumebelee," Aqualad demanded.
"Right," the Boy Wonder sputtered. Pulling a cord out from his glove he reached to plug it in when Bumblebee stopped him. Nodding to the older teen, they watched as he placed his hand on the pad and data began to flash across various screens.
"Weapon designation: Superboy. A Clone force-grown in sixteen weeks from DNA acquired from Superman."
"More like stolen from Superman," Emerald growled.
"No way the big guy knows about this," Kid Flash agreed.
"The white solar suit allows him to absorb yellow-sun radiation on a twenty-four hour basis."
"And those things?" Aqualad asked, pointing to the littler creatures.
"Genomorph Gnomes. Telepathically force-feeding him an education."
"And who knows what else," Robin muttered.
"Yeah," Emerald nodded, "They're making a slave out of, well, Superman's som."
"Now we contact the League," Aqualad stated.
All five began to try to make contact, tapping their comms and locators. "No signal."
"We're in too deep, literally," Robin said.
"But that doesn't change the fact that this is wrong," Kid Flash reminded.
Robin nodded in agreement, "We can't leave him like this."
"Wasn't planning on it," Emerald replied.
Aqualad stayed silent before nodding in agreement. "Set him free. Do it."
Bumblebee nodded, quickly tapping a few controls.
They all looked as the pod hissed open, the sides retreating into the floor and ceiling. As if aware of his new freedom, the boy's hand flexed into a tight fist and blue eyes snapped open.
Then, without warning, he leapt at them.
Aqualad grunted as what felt like a cannon slammed into him. Rolling along the floor, the Atlantean found himself pinned to the ground as the clone sat on top of him. His fists collided with his face in a powerful succession of blows, and the others raced over.
"Whoa!" Robin exclaimed as he stood with KF and Emerald trying to hold back one of his fists as 'Bee restrained the other arm. "Hold on there Supey."
"We're on your side."
The boy didn't appear to care as he managed to slip his wrist free. A fist collided with Kid Flash's jaw, knocking the speedster back into the lantern. Both went fly across the room, crashing through one of the glass columns before hitting the wall and falling to the floor, unconscious.
"I don't want to do this!" Robin said as he slammed one of his disks onto the clone's chest. He and Bumblebee leapt back as it exploded, a large cloud of gas bursting to life around the teen. Aqualad, took his chance and kicked the teen back, sending him crashing through one of the desks.
He got back to his feet and two wire chords hit his chest and electricity flowed down them as Robin attempted to tase him. Unfortunately, it didn't appear to be working. The Boy Wonder yelped as a hand grabbed the wires and yanked him off his feet. A fist collided with his jaw and Robin felt the air get knocked from his lungs as his back slammed into the ground. Unfortunately, he didn't have much of a chance to recover, as a foot slammed onto his chest with enough force to crack at least a few ribs.
"ENOUGH!" Aqualad shouted, swinging a hammer and hitting the boy across the face.
Superboy flew across the room, slamming into the metal sheet that had been the back of his pod. Aqualad, glanced back at his teammate, watching as Bumblebee quickly moved their comrades out from harms way with practiced efficiency.
Footsteps caught his attention and Aqualad held up a hand, meeting the eyes of the strange boy. "We're trying to help you."
His words didn't appear to change anything as he lunged at him again.
But this time, Aqualad was ready. Dodging to the side, a fist slammed into the spot where'd he'd just been standing, cracks spreading across the floor. Leaping at the clone, Aqualad grunted as he was essentially backhanded into one of the cavern walls. Leaping out, he dodged another punched before managing to get the clone's back to him. Seizing his chance, Aqualad wrapped his arms around the boy's shoulders restraining his movement. "I am sorry to do this, but you leave me no choice." With that apology, his tattoos began glowing and Superboy screamed as electricity arched over his frame.
Suddenly they were airborne and Aqualad felt the air leave his lungs as his back collided with the rocky ceiling. Before he could attempt to catch it, Superboy grabbed the boy from off his back and hurled him into the wall, knocking him out.
Superboy didn't stop to bask in his apparent victory as he turned towards the door. Unfortunately, he forgot about the last hero in the room.
The clone grunted as a powerful blow slammed into his gut and he slammed through the crumpled remains of his pod, glass shattering as the G-gnomes fell to the ground. Growling in anger, the Kryptonian leapt at the armored figure who attacked him.
What he didn't expect was for them to stop his punch with one hand. Cold glowing blue and black eyes regarded him and Superboy grunted as the fist holding his hand began to squeeze. He hadn't felt this kind of pain before, it was like his hand was in a squeezing vice.
Gritting his teeth, the clone attempted to throw another punch only for that hand to be caught too. And then, Bumblebee began to push him back towards the ground. Superboy's eyes began to widen, he was supposed to be strong enough to challenge Superman, but he wasn't aware that there was anything stronger than him. The clone grit his teeth as rage filled him. He couldn't be beaten, he wouldn't.
The ground cracked under his feet as he leapt. Only he didn't get far as the grip on his hands tightened and he was slammed into the ground with enough force to create a crater in the floor. Superboy stumbled to his feet, only for a boot to hit his nose, creating a sickening crack in the room as he was slammed into the door, creating a dent in the metal. He looked up to see a yellow and black blur fly towards him.
He was distinctly aware of the roar of tearing metal around him as he was suddenly flying through the air and slammed on the ground before Dubbilex. A hand helped him to his feet and the other genomorphs around him bristled as the Cybertronian stepped through the ruined door.
"TAKE HIM DOWN!" Dr. Desmond ordered scrambling away from the hero.
Several of the genomorphs rushed at him, and Bumblebee rolled aside as the first one leapt at him. The metal of his armor sparked as claws tried to rake across it, barely even leaving a scratch in the paint. Grabbing the tail of one of the creatures, Bumblebee swung it into one of its comrades, before another one leapt on his back, it's claws trying to dig into the open skin on his face.
Fortunately for him, these things were nowhere near strong enough to break through his skin. He slammed his back into the door, the metal groaning as it was put under forces it probably couldn't take./p
It was then something slammed into his side. His back skidded against the ground as Superboy straddled his chest. A hand reached into his hair and the clone pulled before forcefully slamming his head into the ground, repeatedly until everything went dark.
-.-
Bialya, July 5, UTC 01:23UTC
A cool breeze brushed sand over a tarmac, ruffling the dark hair of a woman as she stepped out of a truck. Her dark, almost lavender colored eyes sweeped over the tarmac, her gaze landing on a large form standing a few meters away with a smaller form with a cape and a larger man standing just a few feet away as a bodyguard.
The tallest of the group turned towards her, the scars crossing his face becoming visible in the moonlight. "Queen Bee," he smiled. "Thank you for hosting this impromptu meeting."
She smiled as the immortal kissed her hand. "It was no problem Savage. But, I do wonder what it is you wish to discuss?"
"As do I," an accented voice spoke as the other man approached, his green cape flaring out behind him in the desert winds. "It is not like you to insist on something without a reason as to why."
"And all will be revealed in time "Ra's," Savage replied. "Where are the others?"
"Luthor is tied up in Metropolis," a robotic voice spoke and they all turned to greet their fellow ally as he rolled up to them, the brain in the clear glass dome on top bobbing lightly as he approached. "As for ze Ocean Master, even if he could make it, I doubt he could handle the hostile desert environment."
"And Klarion?" Ra's questioned.
As if on cue, a red portal opened to their right and a young man jumped out, a tabby in his arms. Seeing them, the horned-haired man gave a wicked grin. "Did someone call?"
"Klarion," Savage greeted.
The chaos lord didn't return the greeting as he walked to them, his cat moving to rest on his shoulders. "So, is it time yet? I've been waiting eons to cause this much chaos."
"Not yet Klarion," Savage answered causing the younger-looking one to pout. "No, I have summoned us here for a different matter. An alliance."
"Our partner?" Queen Bee said narrowing her eyes. "Are they backing out?"
"No, what I propose is a new alliance," the immortal smirked. "One who would be much more powerful than our new partner."
"You have our attention old friend."
"I'm sure you all know of the Autobots?"
"How could we not?" Queen Bee growled. "They've foiled more plans of mine than any other member of the League."
"And I know Luthor is interested in their technology," Ra's commented.
"Yes, and what if I told you we could get access to that technology?" Savage grinned. "Resources and forces unlike anything that we've ever seen."
Klarion snickered, "You really think those goody-two-shoes are going to change sides?"
"Hardly," Savage replied. "But, I have learned that the Autobots are not the only Cybertronians on Earth. And from what my sources tell me, these ones will be more likely to consider an alliance."
"Who are they?"
"I believe you are about to find out."
A strange crackle filled the air, making their hair stand on end. Several meters away from them, a familiar glowing blue vortex opened. From the inside, they could see several tall forms approaching.
From the sidelines, the villains could see their men preparing their weapons, looking wary. However, Savage raised his hand to stop them, and he put his hand behind his back, standing tall as the first figure stepped out. The man was tall, almost as Savage, however, he was thin. Even with the grey and red armor on they could see he was quite skinny. Glowing red eyes locked on them, a scowl forming on the Cybertronian's face.
With a sneer, he turned to face the second one who exited the portal. And, unlike the first one, this one was truly scary. First of all, they couldn't see his face, just a helmet with a dark visor. He was tall too, probably just a smidge taller than Savage, and while he was wry, something about the violet armored man made them uneasy.
Like them, these beings seemed to have brought their own security. However, where their men knew they would be among comrades, these ones were armed to the teeth. Violet armor covered them head to toe, the only thing visible being glowing red eyes.
"Soundwave, are you sure these are the right coordinates?" the lanky man grumbled.
Without a word, the taller one just gave a nod.
The first one huffed in irritation, and the tall heels of his boots clicked against the ground as he stepped towards them. "Tell me humans: Why have you summoned me here?" Razor sharp claws scratched against his chest as a malicious smirk crossed his face. "You better have a good excuse."
"I am Vandal Savage, and these are my partners: Queen Bee, Ra's al Ghul, the Brain, and Klarion Witch Boy. We have invited you here to offer an alliance."
Red eyes narrowed, and glanced between them calculatingly. "And tell me, why should I ally myself and my resources to you? I trust you have something to offer."
"Indeed," Savage answered. He waved his hand and his allies watched as several trucks with large blue crystals rolled in. "Another partner of ours managed to locate this for one of his projects, but, I believe you will have more use for it."
The Cybertronian leader waved his hand, and one of the troopers went over and inspected the truck. Picking up a piece, he strode back over and handed the glowing blue gem to his commander. Red eyes inspected it carefully, before glancing back at them. "And? I trust this wasn't you only offering. We already control more energon mines on this rock than you know. The contents of many far exceed this."
"I know you are no friend of the Autobots. We could help you get rid of them. It would be mutually beneficial."
"Oh, and how do you claim to accomplish such a task?"
"We are currently working on something that will destroy them, and their allies the Justice League. And, we will allow you to serve with us as one of the heads of our operations."
The man seemed to contemplate for a moment, before giving them a grin that could almost make the Joker jealous. "If what you say is true, you can have my support, but, if it isn't…you scratch my paint, I scratch yours."
Queen Bee smiled, this was good. These were enemies of the League, more importantly, they were the same race as some of their biggest powerhouses. Who could tell all the resources they could bring to the table. "We thank you for your support…?"
"Starscream. Commander Starscream."
"Thank you, Commander Starscream," she inclined her head.
Yes, this was the start of a wonderful alliance.
