Alright folks, chapter two is here!
I may have been a little delayed in writing this one, but hopefully that translated into the quality of the chapter.
First off, let me express how happy I am at the positive reception to the sequel so far. It really does make me feel so elated to know that you guys liked it as much as you did. Hopefully the rest of the fic continues to do likewise. I have a lot of great ideas and exciting chapters coming for you in the near future, so lets keep the hype train going!
As always, time to answer some questions left by reviews:
CRUDEN: Y'know, I really could have, but I opted to go with Barry instead. Mostly because Wally isn't married to Linda in this continuity I have established. Also because I thought Barry was just the easier work-around.
RHatch89: Heh, oh are you now?
VladImpaler: Glad to hear you're a part of the hype train
Lucian Naruto: Nice to see you here for the sequel my friend. And yeah, I totally agree. Speedy is a total asshole. Unfortunately it's gonna get worse before it gets any better.
Dion ComicWiz: As always, I continued to enjoy every review you leave me my friend, and I'm glad to see that you're enjoying this story so far. I of course had to include mentions to some of the more obscure DC characters, they're just so fun at times. And I love Extraño right now, the Rebirth comics have made him such a badass. I also agree with you about poor Victor Fries. His characterization in this series just wasn't done any justice. Hopefully I'll be able to rectify that. The Endless will definitely continue to appear. Season of Infamy might be a partial inspiration for a chapter, but I'll leave that under wraps for now. It still has to be reworked a but to fit the continuity, but I would love to do something with it. Conner having the telekinesis will not be happening. It might be cool, but a lot of his character growth and development comes from not having all of his powers. The Incredible Muffin's works will have partial inspirations for this story, but not a lot. Mostly in terms of how I will be expanding the roster of the team. It won't be as big as the roster Muffin made though. Other than that, I won't be taking nearly that much. Same goes for the original comic. Not much inspiration will be drawn from there either, unfortunately.
cabrera1234: Spidey will be sure to visit in the future. As for his own story... it's a definite maybe.
darthwolf: Miles will not be joining the team. Neither will any of the other young Marvel heroes. They have their own stuff to deal with.
Thanks again for all of the reviews! I love receiving them!
Now, onto the main event: the second chapter. Hopefully it lives up to the previous one. But first, a disclaimer:
I own nothing in this fic except for the initial idea and maybe a future OC (*wink-wink*). Keemia Marko, Sandman, and all related characters are owned by Marvel and Disney. Young Justice, the Justice League, and all related characters are owned by DC and Warner Bros. Please support the official releases.
An away we go!
Deep within the sub-levels of Project Prometheus, otherwise known by its real name of Project CADMUS, Dr. Desmond was pacing nervously. Only minutes before, several teenaged heroes had broken in and uncovered a few unsavoury secrets about the true intention of this installation. In addition to this, they'd learned about their most tightly held, and dangerous secret; Project Kr, the Superboy.
As a result, the Superboy had been used to detain the four after they had managed to escape from Guardian and the genomorphs several times beforehand. They were summarily defeated and captured within the very walls of Project Kr itself. With the four intruders captured, they had to move quickly, for fear of the Justice League discovering the location of their sidekicks.
It wasn't the looming threat of the League that had Desmond nervous though. Rather it was the reaction of his rather dangerous employers. He couldn't imagine that they'd be too lenient with him, upon discovery of the break in. Finally, after several minutes of debating, wherein his G-Gnome watched from its perch on the desk curiously, he finally managed to drum up the courage to call his employers. He stepped forward into a circle of light, as seven television monitors descended and encircled him. Each of the monitors flashed the CADMUS logo briefly, before they each showed a unique silhouette. These seven were the CADMUS board of directors, and the ones who had the final say over Desmond's career and well-being.
One of the figures spoke, his voice refined and yet gravelly, an undisguised mirth within its speech. "Doctor Desmond, you required an audience with the Light?"
"Yes" the scientist said with a nod. "Very sorry to disturb you at this late hour-"
"Just get to the point!" another of the figures interrupted impatiently.
"Of course" Desmond said weakly, before clearing his throat, and taking another moment to calm himself. "Well, we had a small fire here at Project Prometheus and the origin of the incident is still unclear but it seems to have attracted some… unwanted attention" He paused, watching them carefully. "Four sidekicks: Robin, Aqualad, Djinn, and Kid Flash breached security. They found and released the weapon, the Superboy. Of course the clone was under our telepathic control, and as ordered turned against his would-be liberators. The four are contained, and we don't believe the League knows they're here" he reported to them, before suddenly looking more confused and unsure. "Uh… what should I do with them?"
There was a drawn out pause before one of the figures answered him. "Clone them"
"The substitutes will serve the Light, and only the Light" the gravelly-voiced one continued. But his monitor's position alone, he appeared to be the head of this cabal.
"And… the originals?" Desmond pressed carefully.
"Dispose of them. Leave no trace" The leader answered without hesitation, as Desmond suddenly gained a sick, gleeful smile.
Washington D.C. – July 5, 00:01 EDT
All throughout the city, the celebrations continued long into the night. Fireworks continued to be launched into the sky, where they detonated in a bright display of colours, while on the ground below, numerous people cheered and partied to their hearts' content.
Below ground, however, it was a different story entirely. Far below in sub-level 42, locked away by restraints within large glass tubes, were the unconscious forms of Robin, Djinn, Kid Flash, and Aqualad. They hung, almost in suspended animation, before a voice started to ring out in all of their minds.
'Time runs short… you must awaken… you must awaken, NOW!'
Kid Flash's eyes shot opened with a start as he gasped for air, looking around at his surroundings in confusion. What he found were his friends, they themselves having been abruptly awakened by the same voice. His eyes finally settled ahead of him, seeing the clone staring at him impassively, his brows furrowed in a glare.
"Well at least this isn't the strangest place I've woken up in" Keemia muttered, as Flash sneered at the clone.
"What?! What… what do you want?" the speedster yelled indignantly, as the clone's eyebrow quirked, almost in disbelief. "Quit staring, you're creeping me out!"
"Uh, KF? How about we not tick off the guy who can fry us with a look?" Robin suggested.
"I'm with the Pigeon here. These are not my fire-proof clothes" Keemia said, nodding hastily.
"Prepare the cloning Procedure for the new 'Project Sidekick' now" Desmond ordered the scientist, the same woman that Kid Flash had tripped earlier, as she walked off with a nod. Guardian was overseeing the repairs to the Project Kr laboratory, and turned to look at Desmond once he noticed the scientist stopping alongside him.
"Almost done here Doc" Guardian reported, as Desmond continued walking towards the door, seeing one of the G-Trolls holding it open, while another genomorph carefully welded the metal.
However, Desmond stopped dead in his tracks upon looking inside to see the room empty, the clone nowhere to be found. "Where's the weapon?" he asked, his teeth gritted in anger.
"Superboy? He carried the intruders to the cloning chamber" Guardian explained, almost as though it were obvious.
"We have genomorphs for that!" Desmond spat back, enraged. "Get the weapon back in its pod, now!"
"I don't see the harm in letting the kid stretch his legs" Guardian frowned.
"Don't you now?" Desmond asked with a condescending sneer as the G-Gnome on his shoulder started pressing its telepathic control on the hero.
The G-Gnome on Guardian's shoulder relayed the message as the armoured hero's attitude suddenly shifted. "That clone belongs in a cage!" he growled before storming off as Desmond watched with a satisfied smirk. Telepathy could be so useful at times.
"We only sought to help you" Aqualad sighed, his voice clearly placating.
"Yeah, we free you, and you turn on us" Kid Flash added snidely. "How's that for grat-"
"Kid, please, be quiet now" Aqualad chastised him.
"Seriously Kid, if you don't take that foot out of your mouth I will kick it out, alongside your teeth!" Keemia scowled before Aqualad sent her a look to calm her down.
"I believe our new friend was not in control of his actions" the Atlantean surmised.
"You might have a point there. In a lab like this, there's no telling what kind of control they have over him" Keemia nodded. Unbeknownst to them, Robin flicked his fingers before retrieving a lock pick.
"What if I… what if I wasn't?" the clone asked, speaking in a voice that was being used for the first time in his life. It was weak and hoarse, but it cleared quickly.
"He can talk?!" Kid Flash asked in surprise.
"Yes, he can" Superboy scowled in response, his fist clenching tightly with an audible crack.
Kid Flash looked at his less than impressed team mates sheepishly before speaking again. "Not like I said 'it'"
"Kid, remember what we discussed about feet in mouths?" Keemia asked him before Kaldur took over.
"The genomorphs taught you, telepathically" he said as Superboy nodded.
"They taught me much. I can read, write. I know the names of things"
"But have you seen them?" Robin asked. "Have they ever actually let you see the sky? Or the sun?"
"Images are implanted in my mind, but no, I have not seen them" he admitted.
"Do you know what you are? Who you are?" Aqualad asked.
"I am the Superboy" the clone said proudly. "A genomorph, a clone created from the DNA of the Superman. Created to replace him should he perish, destroy him should he turn from the Light"
The others seemed to reel a little from this revelation, but Aqualad continued. "To be like Superman is a worthy aspiration. But like Superman you deserve a life of your own. Beyond that solar suit, beyond your pod. Beyond CADMUS"
"I live because of CADMUS! It is my home!" the clone barked.
"Your home is a test tube" Robin reasoned. "We can show you the sun"
"Uh, pretty sure it's after midnight. But we can show you the moon" Kid Flash corrected.
"We can show you, introduce you, to Superman" Aqualad smiled as the clone looked at him in surprise.
"He plays poker with my dad sometimes, so it wouldn't be too hard" Keemia grinned before the door opened.
"No, they can't" Desmond said, entering the lab alongside Guardian and the female scientist. "They'll be otherwise occupied. Activate the cloning process" he ordered.
"Pass, Batcave's crowded enough" Robin snarked.
Desmond seemed unperturbed as he looked to guardian with a scowl. "And get the weapon back in its pod!"
"Hey, how come he gets to call Supey an 'it'?" KF asked indignantly.
Guardian walked up to stand next to Superboy before placing a firm hand on his shoulder. The clone turned to look at the trapped heroes, unsure. Keemia stared back at him, her eyes filled with worry and determination. "Help us" she asked quietly.
Before guardian could get the clone to start moving, Superboy shook his hand off easily, flashing the hero a defiant glare.
"Don't start thinking now" Desmond chided as a G-Gnome leapt from the scientist's shoulder and onto Superboy, its telepathy being pressed on him in full force. Superboy tried to resist at first, but slowly the control won over him.
"See you're not a real boy, you're a weapon. And you belong to me!" Desmond said tersely, standing in front of the clone. He seemed to pause at that, frowning a little. "Well to CADMUS. Same thing. Now get back to your pod!" he ordered, as the clone turned and left the laboratory. The large door slowly slid closed behind him, before Desmond turned to the female scientist who was busy typing away at the keypad. They shared a look before Desmond nodded and she initiated the cloning procedure.
Immediately several probes tipped with needles emerged from their pods before stabbing into the heroes' torsos to begin extracting their DNA. Kid Flash was first, followed soon after by Robin and Aqualad, as Keemia looked to hers fearfully. "Oh I so don't want to be next" she muttered before they stabbed her too. All four heroes screamed and convulsed in pain as blood and other tissues were ripped from their bodies.
Desmond watched the procedure before frowning to himself. "Where's Dubbilex?" he asked, turning around only to see the genomorph scientist waiting behind him expectantly, startling himself. "Oh! Lurking as usual. Get the G-Gnomes downloading their memories. When that's done, delete the source material"
Amidst their screams of pain, Aqualad slowly forced himself to speak. "Superboy… you live…" he whispered in a hushed tone, knowing that the Kryptonian's hearing could detect him. "That gives you the right to follow your own path… a weapon… or a person…"
Further down the hall from the lab, Superboy continued marching back to his pod, the G-Gnome still perched on his shoulder as it fed him commands. However, he was able to pick up Aqualad's voice as it slowly broke through the G-Gnome's control.
"The choice is yours, but ask yourself… what would Superman do?" Kaldur finished, causing the clone to halt in his tracks.
Superboy's eyes became focused on the floor, his thoughts returning to what Kaldur had just told him. What would Superman do? He debated this internally for only a second before looking up, his eyes narrowed in determination.
He had made his choice.
Superman's choice.
The cloning procedure would suddenly be interrupted as the door to the laboratory was torn off of the wall, and lifted into the air by Superboy. This startled the scientists enough for them to halt the extraction, the needles removing themselves from the heroes.
"Oh thank god" Keemia gasped before inspecting her wounded chest. "Laeh ruo sdnuow!"
In a second, the bleeding punctures in their chests were closed as Aqualad looked up with a thankful smile to see Superboy tossing away the massive door.
Desmond scowled before rushing over to the clone, with Dubbilex and Guardian doing the same. "I told you to get back to your-"
Superboy cut him off by simply tossing the three aside with minimal effort, causing them to collide with the walls of the lab and slump to the floor. "Don't give me orders" the clone snarled before continuing to the trapped heroes.
"You gonna help us, or fry us?" Kid Flash asked curiously, while Superboy simply fixed him with a look.
"Huh, I don't seem to have heat-vision, so I suppose helping is my only option" he smirked, silencing the speedster as Keemia laughed.
"Ooh, I like him already" the young sorceress grinned before a brief hissing of air announced to everyone that Robin had managed to get free of his shackles, dropping to the floor before he rubbed his sore wrists.
"Ugh, finally! Lucky Batman isn't here, he'd have my head for taking so long" the boy wonder groaned while Kid Flash simply glared at him.
"Seriously, that's what you're worried about? The whole League will have our heads after tonight!" the speedster chastised him, before Robin ran to the control panel and opened their pods.
"Free Djinn and Aqualad! I'll get Kid Mouth" Robin said before Superboy scowled at him too.
"Don't you give me orders either!" the clone declared before jumping up to the pods and shattering Aqualad's restraints, catching his body as he fell.
"Thank you" Aqualad nodded with a smile, before dropping to the floor as Superboy freed Keemia and carried her to the ground bridal-style.
"Thanks for the lift" She smiled before stepping down and summoning magic circles to her hands. "Evig em ym ffats!" she cast before putting her palms together, and pulling them apart to retrieve her staff from elsewhere in the base. "Much better"
Robin simply picked the locks on Kid Flash's restraints before he too was freed, and the five teens ran towards the exit. Desmond slowly looked up, groaning in pain. "You… you'll never get out of here! I'll have you all back in pods before morning!"
As the five escaped, Robin stopped to throw several explosive discs at the domes which held their stolen genetic material. "That guy is not whelmed. Not whelmed at all"
"What is it with you and this whelmed thing?" Kid Flash asked as the two of them followed after their friends. Once they had left, the discs connected with the glass domes before exploding, destroying their portion of the lab. Desmond watched the destruction in anger before turning to the door as his G-Gnome leapt onto his shoulder.
"Activate every genomorph in CADMUS" he ordered angrily. Immediately, his G-Gnome gave the command. All throughout the halls and sub-levels, large egg sacs along the walls and ceilings would suddenly glow a dull orange, as the genomorphs inside quickly hatched and emerged from the eggs, before beginning their own pursuit of the heroes.
"We are still 42 levels below ground" Kaldur pointed out to his allies as they ran through the halls. They had managed to make some decent headway after escaping the lab, but none of them wanted to slow down for fear of the forces that continued to pursue them. "But, if we can make the elevator…"
His sentence slowly trailed off as from around the corner up ahead, several large G-Trolls emerged, blocking their path to the elevator. The five stopped quickly, turning around to see several of the eggs along the walls hatching to reveal more genomorphs.
One of the G-Trolls caught up to them, before raising its arms above its head, prepared to smash them. The teenagers nimbly dodged out of the way. Robin and Kid Flash used their greater agility to leap over the G-Trolls, while Aqualad muscled his way through. Keemia simply used her magic to fly over them.
Superboy, had a different plan. He gave a battle cry before leaping into the air and punching one of the G-Trolls away into the wall. He was quickly met by the fist of another that punched him into the floor. He quickly stood back up however, and retaliated with several vicious blows of his own. His miniature rampage was halted by Aqualad.
"Superboy! The goal is escape, not to bury ourselves here" the Atlantean called, as Superboy turned to look at them with a wild look in his eyes.
"You want escape?" He yelled, before grasped one of the downed G-Trolls and throwing it into its compatriots, who were attempting to pursue them. Afterwards, he caught up with the others at the elevator door, where Aqualad had wrenched it open with his super-strength.
Kid Flash jumped into one of the side railings inside before Keemia conjured a quick platform for him and herself to ascend through the shaft Robin used his grapple to quickly follow after them, while Superboy grasped Aqualad before leaping up after them, barely escaping the massive fist of another G-Troll.
He sailed through the air, rapidly gaining height before the unexpected happened. He reached the peak of his arc, before his ascent ended. "I… I'm falling…" he said in shock as the two were suddenly sent hurtling down the elevator shaft by gravity. Robin saw their fall and quickly threw a batarang into the wall of the shaft, which Aqualad quickly grasped to save themselves.
"Superman can fly… why can't I fly?" Superboy asked in a whisper, almost heartbroken by the revelation, before Keemia's platform met up with him and Aqualad.
"Don't know" mused Kid Flash. "But it looks like you can leap tall buildings in a single bound. Still cool"
He nodded solemnly before looking at Keemia. "Thank you"
"Guys, this'll have to be our exit!" Robin called, as he pointed up to a rapidly descending elevator bearing down on them.
Aqualad and Superboy used their combine strength to punch through the door, as they and their friends quickly leapt into sublevel-15, avoiding the elevator my mere seconds. They didn't have very long to catch their breath, as several genomorphs charged towards them from down the hall. They quickly turned down the hallway to their immediate left as the made their escape, however it was obvious they were running blind, without any idea of where they were heading.
'Turn left brother' a voice called out to Superboy. His eyes widened in surprise at first, unsure of what to make of the command. However, he decided that this help was better than no help at all.
"Go left! Left!" the clone ordered as the four heroes followed his directions.
'Turn right' the voice repeated, as Superboy gave a small nod.
"Right!" the clone called out. Again the four obeyed him, only for the group to suddenly find themselves at a dead end.
"Great directions Supey, you trying to get us re-podded?" Kid Flash asked with as cowl as Superboy's shoulders deflated.
"No. I… I don't understand" he admitted as the others caught up to them.
"Don't apologize, this is perfect!" Robin said with a grin, before pointing to the vent high on the wall above them. The genomorphs in pursuit would soon find an empty corner with the grate of the air vent discarded on the floor.
Inside the vent, it was rather cramped, but there was still room enough for the five teenagers to crawl through. Robin was in lead, a confident smirk on his face as he led them through with his digital blue prints.
"Y'know, the view isn't so bad from here" Kid Flash joked with a small smirk. Keemia, who was right in front of him, sent a dangerous glare that sent shivers down his spine.
"You'd better enjoy it then, because after this you won't have the eyes to see anything else" she scowled.
The speedster seemed to shiver slightly before they continued their path through the vents. However, their slow progress wore on his nerves greatly. "At this rate, we'll never get out" he grumbled before Superboy suddenly stopped.
"Shh, listen" the clone urged, before turning his head to looks behind them. Barely a hundred feet back, and quickly in pursuit were several of the smaller genomorphs that could fit in the vent after them, and they were bearing down on the heroes rapidly.
In the halls outside, Desmond the lead the charge, holding some sort of computer tracker in his hand. Alongside him were Guardian, Dubbilex, and some more genomorphs as they quickly followed in the hallways alongside the vents.
"Someone, Robin I'd wager, hacked our systems, deactivating internal security cameras. But he neglected the motion sensors" he smirked as he looked at his tracker, seeing five signatures moving rapidly around the corner to an exit in the vents.
The group rounded the corner, coming upon the men's washroom. "The genomorphs are closing in, they're all coming out in here!" he said confidently, barging inside before waiting under the vent expectantly. "We have them cornered!"
The signatures on the tracker were rapidly approaching their location, and Desmond gave a cocky smirk as the signatures finally came to the bathroom vent. However, his smirk soon vanished after the vent crashed open and five genomorph fell out, having lost track of the escaped teens.
They fell onto the assembled group before Desmond quickly stood up, throwing genomorphs off of him with a scowl. "He hacked the motion sensors" the doctor seethed angrily.
"I hacked the motion sensors" Robin smirked, the five having emerged from the vents elsewhere long ago.
"Sweet!" Barry grinned before Robin shook his head slightly, standing up.
"Still plenty of them between us and out" Robin reminded him.
"But I've finally got room to move" Barry smirked, as he pulled his goggles on and opened the door to an adjacent emergency staircase. With little preamble, he immediately took off running up the multiple flights.
As he quickly sped on up, a small pack of genomorphs were descending the stairs after the heroes, ready to pounce on them when they got close. Barry simply sped up before ploughing through them all, leaving their unconscious forms littered along the landing for the sixth sub-level. The other heroes followed behind him as Robin brought his holoscreen up to check the motion sensors.
"More behind us!" he called as Superboy turned to see them scrambled up the stairs in pursuit. He raised one foot before stomping down on the top step of the staircase, causing it to come loose and fall to the landing below, preventing the genomorphs from pursuing any further.
Inside one of the many service elevators, Desmond was impatiently watching the numbers slowly decrease as they ascended to the top floor. "We'll cut them off at sublevel-one" Guardian assured the frenzied scientist as Desmond gave a weak nod of recognition.
"We'd better, or the board will have our heads… my head" he grimaced at the thought, before suddenly pressing the emergency stop button on their elevator, allowing him off at sub-level six.
"I need to get something from Project Blockbuster, just in case. Meet you at sub-level one!" the scientist said before rushing out. Dubbilex watched him run out of the elevator impassively, while Guardian stared at Desmond with undisguised suspicion.
Kid Flash finally ran up the final staircase, emerging on sub-level one, as he sped off down a large expanse of hallway. Up ahead though, alarms started blaring as a massive blast door came down. Blocking off the exit.
"Oh crud" he muttered, trying to skid to a stop, but eventually colliding with the door instead.
"We're cut off from the street" Aqualad grimaced.
"Thanks, my head hadn't noticed" the speedster snarked as Superboy approached the door, a determined look on his face.
With a loud grunt of exertion he punched the door, before attempting to use his strength to pull it open. Aqualad joined him, but even with his added strength the door wouldn't budge.
"Let me try" Keemia said, motioning the two out of the way. "Yortsed eht rood!" she cast, before launching a deep black tendril of magic energy at the door. However, the energy simply fizzled out once it made contact with the metal. "Ugh, Nth metal. Whoever made this place spared no expense" she groaned.
'You need destruction… you desire destruction…' a sultry voice echoed in her head, before she frowned. "Let me try again" she mused, the same black energy surrounding her hands.
"No time. Can't hack this fast enough!" Robin called out, typing from his holoscreen before the sudden approach of several G-Trolls caught their attention.
"This way!" Robin said quickly, kicking open a side door as the five dashed through to escape the G-Trolls, only to find themselves in front of a large crowd of genomorphs. Leading them all, with an impassive look on his face, was Guardian.
Behind them, another crowd of genomorphs approached, led by a rather large G-Troll. The five saw they were surrounded and got into battle stances, ready for combat. However, the numerous G-Gnomes in the room combined their telepathy to knock them out as the heroes fell to floor, with Superboy having enough balance to fall to his knees.
"Perhaps, for the sake of all genomorphs our brother Superboy should make up his own mind" Dubbilex said, suddenly arriving as the other genomorphs appeared to listen to him.
Superboy's eyes widened in surprise, hearing Dubbilex's voice inside his mind as well, as he turned to look at the scientist. He immediately recognized his voice as the one that guided them to the vent. "It was you!"
"Yes brother. I set the fire and led your new friends down into CADMUS, woke them when they were in danger…" Dubbilex explained.
"And guided me" Superboy continued. "Why?"
"Because you are our hope; the genomorph hero. You will blaze a trail for all our brothers, showing us the way to freedom" Dubbilex said, all of the genomorphs now looking at Superboy placidly.
After he spoke, the G-Gnome on Guardian's shoulder suddenly ceased its control over the hero before leaping off. Guardian groaned as he regained his mind. "What's going on?" he asked, as the other heroes around Superboy started to wake up.
Superboy stood tall, looking at Dubbilex, unsure of what to do. "What is your choice brother?" the scientist asked.
"I choose… freedom" Superboy decided as Dubbilex gave the slightest of nods.
"Feels like fog lifting" Guardian said, sighing in relief as the heroes all stood up, looking at him warily.
"Guardian?" Aqualad asked carefully, not sure if the control over the man had been completely broken once the G-Gnome jumped off of him.
"Go" the older hero said. "I'll deal with Desmond"
"I think not" Desmond said with a scowl, as the genomorphs all stepped out of the way to give the heroes a clear view of the enraged scientist. Desmond looked at the heroes in front of him before raising a small glass test tube. "Project Blockbuster will give me the power to restore order to CADMUS" he declared before suddenly drinking the concoction.
Guardian stepped back towards the teens as Desmond groaned painfully, his body convulsing and contorting before the man fell forward on the ground with a cry of pain. He gave a deep guttural growl as his muscles tripled in mass, tearing through his clothes, and his skin quite literally ripped off of his body.
"I think I'm gonna be sick" Keemia grimaced as Desmond's new hulking form stood above them. The last shreds of his skin falling from a now eight feet tall, stone skinned body, save for the ragged chunks of flesh still attached to his face alongside what remained of his hair. The monster roared aggressively before fixing the heroes with a feral grin.
"Everyone, back!" Guardian ordered, as the older hero ran forward to engage Blockbuster.
Blockbuster was far faster however, as he used his greater strength to backhand the hero into a wall, easily knocking him out.
"Well that was quick" Keemia dead-panned before Superboy leapt forward to engage him, punching the beast square in the jaw. Blockbuster stumbled back before slamming the clone into the floor, however Superboy was back on his feet within seconds, delivering two wicked blows to Blockbusters face. The hulking brute gave another roar before punching Superboy across the room. Superboy growled in response before leaping high into the air, hoping to bring both fists down onto the monster, but Blockbuster leapt after him, grabbing the clone as both suddenly burst through the ceiling to the ground floor of CADMUS; the original Prometheus façade.
"Okay that's… one way to bust through the ceiling" Robin said before firing his grapple through the hole.
"You think lab coat planned that?" Kid Flash asked as Robin grabbed his hand, using the grapple to pull them both up to the ground floor.
"I doubt he is planning anything anymore" Aqualad said, shaking his head.
"You and me both Kal" Keemia added before the two joined their allies. Aqualad leapt up to the next floor while Keemia floated in on her staff.
Once outside, they found Superboy being clutched tightly by Blockbuster before he suddenly burst free of the monster's grip. Blockbuster simply grasped his calves before throwing him backwards where he crashed into Aqualad and Djinn, sending all three heroes skidding across the floor roughly.
Kid Flash and Robin quickly ran after to check on their friends, with Robin helping up Djinn and Superboy, while Kid Flash helped with Aqualad. All five looked up at Blockbuster, who gave another feral roar before charging them. The heroes followed suit, with Kid Flash rushing ahead with his great speed. He slid between the monster's legs, easily dodging a punch before crouching behind him. Blockbuster was left wide open for Superboy and Aqualad to each deliver a vicious punch to his face. The monster stumbled back from the blow, and Kid Flash suddenly jerked upwards, causing the monster to lose its footing and fall to the floor.
"Learned that one in kindergarten" Barry smirked as Robin leapt over his head, throwing two batarangs at the creature.
Blockbuster batted them aside with his arm, however that left him open for Djinn, who reached into the pouch on her belt, retrieving a handful of sand. "Gnirettab mar!" she shouted, as the handful of sand suddenly gained several tons of mass, before forming into a massive column and slamming into Blockbuster. The monster rolled across the floor before attempting to stand, seeing Superboy standing in front of it ready to attack.
Blockbuster stood before rushing the young hero, grasping his sides roughly and rushing forward, slamming Superboy into one of the large stone pillars. The pillar cracked and crumbled under the force of the impact, as Superboy threw two punches at the creature. Blockbuster retaliated with two of his own punches, further forcing the clone through the stone of the pillar before his fist was caught by a tendril of water.
He turned, seeing Aqualad rushing him, the Atlantean kicked the creature in the face before perching on the pillar above Superboy, turning the water from the tendril into a mace. Blockbuster caught the mace as he swung it before tossing the Atlantean into the floor painfully. Superboy was then flung into an adjacent pillar which buckled under the force of the impact, before the clone fell to the floor.
Kid Flash raced past the downed Superboy, accelerating towards Blockbuster, who was attempting to stomp on the young Atlantean. Kaldur rolled out of the way, as Kid Flash tried to launch his own attack. He was easily caught by the monster and flung into the air before being grabbed by the wrist and getting tossed into Kaldur, who was attempting to counterattack with another mace.
"Alright, time for one of Z's favourites: Roolf emoceb sruasonid!" Djinn called out, magic swirling around her fingers before the stone floor in front of her was transformed into a multitude of raptors, and one very irate Triceratops.
The raptors charged Blockbuster immediately, their speed and claws inflicting several shallow yet scathing wounds. Blockbuster simply grasped the tail of one before using it as a flail to crush its compatriots. The dinosaur in his hand soon crumbled away, before the Triceratops charged into him, both hulking brutes impacting the wall. Blockbuster grunted before savagely punching the dinosaur's face, completely destroying the stone that made it.
"Hctirdle tsalb!" Keemia cast, firing two massive beams if arcane energy at Blockbuster, forcing him back into the wall. However, it used its arms to shelter its face as it slowly advanced on the young sorceress. Keemia's eyes widened and she tried to pump more energy into the attack, however it proved in vain as the monster suddenly punched her in the ribs where she landed next to Kaldur.
The Atlantean shot her a brief look of worry before Blockbuster rounded on him again, punching the Atlantean through a nearby pillar, and then into another. Robin watched as every single blow that Blockbuster made shook the very foundation of the building itself as a plan started to form in his mind.
"Of course!" he exclaimed before bringing up his holoscreen. "KF, get over here!" he called, as the speedster got to his feet before rushing over to meet him.
Aqualad used one of his water bearers to form a small shield, protecting against Blockbuster's punches as Superboy got back up. The clone punched Blockbuster twice in the knees before jumping on his back and attempting to put him into a chokehold. Blockbuster tossed Aqualad aside before he threw Superboy into the remains of the pillar, thoroughly destroying it.
The new damage registered on Robin's holoscreen, displaying a loss of structural integrity. "Got it?" Robin asked Kid Flash, who looked at the diagram before nodding.
"Got it!" the speedster grinned before Robin looked back to Blockbuster.
"Go!"
On Robin's command, Kid Flash ran towards the monster, who was grasping the downed Superboy, before stopping and leaping into Blockbuster's face. His blow seemed to glance off of the creature before he rolled away along the floor, noticing what he now clutched in his hand.
"Got your nose!" Kid Flash taunted, holding up the last remains of the skin from Blockbuster's face, as the monster gave an angry roar before charging at the speedster, completely forgetting about the clone as he pursued his new target.
"Ugh, that hurt" Keemia groaned as Aqualad helped her up, both heroes standing alongside Superboy.
"Superboy, Djinn, Aqualad!" Robin called, before showing them the same plan he showed to Kid Flash.
"Come and get me you incredible Bulk!" Barry taunted before nimbly dodging a punch from Blockbuster, who instead struck the pillar behind it, easily destroying most of the stonework. However, he had to dodge another attack from the monster, who attempted to jump on him. When that failed, the monster swung its fist out, striking Kid Flash in the back and knocking him across the room.
"I know someone who could have an interesting discussion about copyright with Barry" Keemia mused, clutching her ribs gently as Robin pointed to three pillars.
"This one, and those ones!" the boy wonder ordered as Superboy, Djinn, and Aqualad took off and set to work destroying them. Superboy simply punched through his, while Aqualad made a large sledgehammer to attack his pillar. Djinn used to magic to easily decimate her own, while Robin threw several explosive discs.
Blockbuster continued his attempt to attack Barry, however each successive punch ended up being one failure after another for the former scientist. "Sorry, try again" he grinned, easily dodging another punch from Blockbuster before speeding off to try luring it to another pillar.
Robin meanwhile, pulled out some chalk before drawing a massive 'X' in the floor, right in the center of the room. Aqualad followed up by using his water bearers to coat the floor with a thin sheet of water. Kid Flash then speed through, spreading the water even further, with Blockbuster in hot pursuit. Superboy was ready however, and jumped in the air before punching the monster, sending it crashing to the floor in the water.
Blockbuster attempted to get up, but Djinn made was ready as magic once again swirled around her fingers. "Dlem sih niks ot eht roolf!" she spoke, as Blockbuster suddenly found himself unable to get up, his back quite literally stuck to the ground.
With their plan realized, Aqualad smirked before sending a massive burst of electricity through the water, shocking Blockbuster painfully as the monster finally managed to tear himself free from where Djinn had trapped him. The electricity ensured that he wouldn't be moving however, as Robin quickly turned to the others.
"Move!" he urged, as the explosive discs on the remaining pillars all suddenly activated, before detonating and destroying the remaining pillars that held up the building. Almost immediately the entire foundation shook as the roof caved in, burying the surprised Blockbuster under several tons of stone and rubble.
The rest of the building soon followed suit as Superboy and Aqualad quickly moved to cover their more vulnerable teammates, shielding them from the debris. The surrounding blocks shook as the remains of Project Prometheus collapsed into the ground, sending a large column of dust into the sky, and cracking the pavement all along the street from the stress of the impact.
As the dust settled around the rubble, Superboy punched his arm free, before moving the large piece of stone that covered him in order to free his teammates.
Aqualad panted heavily, his shirt torn slightly as he turned to look at Robin and Kid Flash. "We… did it" he said with a tired smile.
"Was there… ever any doubt?" Robin asked, his own tired smile broad across his face before he and Kid Flash hi-fived, and immediately regretted it due to the pain it caused their aching bodies.
"That… was tiring" Keemia grimaced still clutching her bruises. "Next time you want to sneak out like this Pigeon, can we at least bring some semblance of a plan?"
Superboy walked past them, before stopping at the sight of the downed Blockbuster. The villain was firmly trapped under the rubble, and very clearly unconscious. He wouldn't be causing them any trouble for quite a while. His attention would soon be called back by Kid Flash.
"See?" the speedster called before directing Superboy's attention to the sky behind them. "The moon!"
Superboy looked up at the full moon in awe, finally seeing what he had up to this point only been told about. A familiar silhouette soon appeared from the moon however, revealing itself to be Superman, as the man of steel quickly flew onto the scene.
"Oh, and Superman. Do we keep our promises or what?" Kid Flash grinned as Superboy's eyes only opened wider at the new arrival.
"Uh… Barry?" Keemia said nervously before other heroes suddenly came into view. At first, it was only Martian Manhunter, Zatanna, Shazam, and Red Tornado. But the young heroes soon noticed as more and more of the League showed up. Keemia in particular noticed her dad fixing her with a conflicted face. It was almost like he couldn't decide whether he was disappointed, worried, or proud.
Finally, once almost thirty members of the League were assembled, Batman walked up behind Superman, both heroes looking at the teens expectantly. Superboy stepped forwards, stopping in front of Superman who eyed him carefully. After taking a moment, he lifted up the torn front of his solar suit to reveal the crest of the House of El, a small smile on his face.
Seeing that symbol on his suit shook Superman to his very core, as Batman's own eyes narrowed. "Is that what I think it is?" the dark knight asked, almost rhetorically.
"He doesn't like being called an it" Kid Flash muttered.
"I'm Superman's clone" Superboy announced, as the entire League suddenly looked among themselves in surprise. However, none of the young heroes could determine if the surprise was out of wonder… or fear.
Batman's eyes narrowed even further if possible. "Start talking"
Once Blockbuster was retrieved, a small group of Leaguers went to deliver the monster to prison. Blockbuster itself was being held firmly inside a bubble generated by John Stewart, the lantern on duty for the night.
Further back, Guardian had managed to escape the rubble and was conversing with Batman and some of the other remaining Leaguers about the situation, while Keemia was pulled away by her dad and Zatanna.
"Dad, trust me I'm fine!" she assured her father, who only raised his eyebrow skeptically in response.
"Oh yeah? Then why you clutching your ribs like that?" Flint asked, folding his arms.
Keemia only huffed in response before Zatanna rolled her eyes. "Dnem reh nekorb bsir" the older sorceress spoke, before there was a sudden crunch of bone. Keemia screamed in surprise at the brief flash of pain before gingerly touching where the bones had now been completely healed.
"Your magic will heal it the rest of the way. But make no mistake, when you get home you're so grounded" Zatanna said seriously.
"Crap" Keemia sighed before nodding and going back to where her friends were standing, as her parents continued to watch her, clearly still worried.
Superboy nodded as she returned before turning back to where Superman was talking with Wonder Woman and Martian Manhunter. J'onn took notice before nudging Superman and pointing him towards his clone.
There was a brief pause as Clark seemed to sigh before he walked over to where Superboy was standing. "We'll uh… we'll figure something out for you. The League will, I mean. For now I… better make sure they get that Blockbuster creature squared away" he said before bidding a hasty retreat as he flew off after Green Lantern and the others on prison transport.
Superboy watched after him, disappointment clear on his voice. However, he didn't have long to dwell on it before Batman approached with Flash, Aquaman, and Sandman.
"Prometheus will be investigated. All 52 levels" Batman said in his usual monotone. "But let's make one thing clear-"
"You should have called!" Flash interrupted, Batman giving him a small glare before he continued.
"End results aside, we are not happy. You hacked Justice League systems, disobeyed direct orders, and endangered lives. You will not be doing this again"
"I am sorry, but we will" Aqualad said defiantly.
"Aqualad, stand down" Aquaman ordered.
"Apologies my King, but no" he said, shaking his head. Aquaman looked at him, surprise very clearly evident on his face at being disobeyed. "We did good work here tonight, the work you trained us to do. Together, on our own we forged something powerful, important"
"If this is about your treatment at the hall, the four of you-" Flash started before being interrupted.
"The five of us" Kid Flash corrected. "And it's not"
"Batman, we're ready to use what you taught us. Or why teach us at all?" Robin asked.
"Besides, we did more tonight than you did on this case. Like did you know that Project Prometheus was only a front?" Keemia asked as the Leaguers looked at her in surprise. "Yeah, it is. The real facility underground? It's a revived Project CADMUS"
At that, the four Leaguers were immediately on red alert, each one looking incredibly unnerved.
"I thought we disposed of them for good? No way Waller knows about this one Bats" Flint mused, still reeling from the surprise.
"So yeah, we investigated this, and took care of it for you. And we will be doing this again" she continued.
"Why let them tell us what to do?" Superboy asked, clearly annoyed. "It's simple. Get on board, or get out of the way"
All five teenagers stood together defiantly in front of the League, as each of the present senior heroes seemed unsure how to proceed. Batman's eyes narrowed into the bat-glare, as he very clearly processed what was just revealed, as well as the intent of the younger heroes. Finally, he came to the only possible conclusion.
Mount Justice – July 8th, 08:04 EDT
"This cave was one of many backup bases of the Justice League that had since been used for general storage purposes. We're calling it into service again, since you five are determined to stay together and fight the good fight. You'll do it in League terms" Batman explained, standing in front of the five teens who had all since changed into their civilian wear. Kaldur was in a turtleneck jacket, zipped up all the way to cover his gills, as well as dark blue track pants. Superboy had a black t-shirt with the House of El crest in red, as well as blue jeans. Tim had an orange hoodie with a black jacket over top, and black skinny jeans. In addition he had a pair of black sunglasses which he apparently wore at all times in public when not on duty. Barry was in a long sleeved white shirt, with an open short-sleeved blue shirt over top as well as khaki pants. Keemia was in a blue jean-jacket, with a plain green shirt underneath. She had black skinny jeans, and a green beanie worn loosely on her head. She also put her piercings back in, with a stud in one ear, and two hoops in the other.
The cave itself laid inside a mountain right next to the small coastal town of Happy Harbour. The town's small size and remote location made it the perfect retreat for the Justice if worst came to worst, and hopefully the same peace would translate over for the team during their stay.
As the teens gave nods to show they understood, Batman continued, gesturing to two of the Leaguers who were also present. "Red Tornado volunteered to live here and be your supervisor. Black Canary's in charge of training. I will deploy you on missions"
"Real missions?" Tim asked hopefully.
"Yes, but covert" Batman nodded.
"The League will still handle the obvious stuff" Flash continued. "There's a reason we have these big targets on our chests"
"But CADMUS proves the bad guys are getting smarter. Batman needs a team that can operate on the sly" Aquaman said with a small smirk.
"And trust us, with stuff like that Blockbuster guy sneaking around, we're gonna need you on the sly" Flint said, adding his two cents.
"The six of you will be that team" Batman finished.
"Cool!" Tim grinned before realising what he said. "Wait, six?"
Batman looked past them, garnering their attention, as they saw Martian Manhunter arrive, with what was unmistakably a younger, female green martian. "This is the Martian Manhunter's niece; Miss Martian"
"Hi" she greeted, albeit shyly.
"Liking this gig more every minute" Barry grinned before rushing forward to introduce himself. "Uh, welcome aboard! I'm Kid Flash. That's Robin, Djinn, Aqualad. It's cool if you forget their names"
Keemia rolled her eyes as he made his introductions. "Ugh, what a pig" she muttered, although no one seemed to hear her.
"I'm honoured to be included" she smiled as the other walked forwards to introduce themselves.
"I'm just glad I'm no longer the only girl on the team" Keemia smiled as she shook Miss Martian's hand.
"I'm sure we'll be good friends" the martian smiled kindly, while Tim turned to see Superboy hanging back.
"Hey Superboy, come meet Miss M" the boy wonder suggested, as the clone made his way forward, unsure at first.
She looked at him with a soft smile before her shirt changed colour before their eyes from white to black to match Superboy's. "I like your t-shirt" she said shyly. Superboy gave a small smile of his own at that, while Tim nudged him playfully and Barry ran around to put an arm around his shoulder with a grin. Keemia simply shook her head at their antics before standing next to Kaldur.
Kaldur seemed to regard them all carefully, his hands on his hips before he gave a wide smile. "Today is the day"
Far from the new base that was being constructed for the young heroes, a woman found herself lost in thought, a frown etched on her face. Amanda Waller was not easily shaken, but when one of her operatives informed her that not only was CADMUS still around, but still conducting illegal genetic experiments, she was suddenly very alarmed.
She knew that the League had to be informed immediately, but she figured that with the construction of the Project Prometheus building, which was being used as a front for the new CADMUS, they probably already knew. Still, she at least needed to talk to Batman, and let him know that she had no part in this operation.
The League still didn't trust her completely, but they at the very least are willing to give her the benefit of the doubt now. And the Question no longer flinches when she enters the same room as him, so she supposed that was a bonus.
She took a long sip of her brandy before pondering another piece of information given to her. Apparently, the League was seeing fit to make a team for their sidekicks, almost like a Junior Justice League. She chuckled at the thought. However, using a team to train these new heroes would probably be for the best. It would help them immeasurably. It could help her immeasurably…
"Miss Waller? Is everything okay?" a voice suddenly asked. Amanda, blinked once, coming back to the real world turning to the course of the voice.
"Yes, everything is okay child. And please, I've told you to call me Amanda" she said, chastising the girl lightly.
"I know… but I could hear some of your thoughts. I didn't mean to…" the girl said shyly.
"It's okay. I know you didn't mean it" Waller said before setting her glass down and stand up out of her armchair to look out her living room window briefly. A thought flashed through her mind before she nodded. It would do the girl some good to be around kids her own age.
"Miss W… er…. Amanda?" the girl asked. "Did you need something?"
Waller thought for a moment, making a final judgement call before nodding. "Yes, as a matter of fact, I do" she said before turning to face the girl, a small smile tugging at her cheeks. "How would you like to join a team of heroes your own age?"
Back in the ruins of the old Project Prometheus, construction crews were working hard to remove the rubble. Underground however, Guardian had called a meeting with Dubbilex and the other scientists. "CADMUS changes today" he announced seriously. "With Desmond out of the way the board has put me in charge. Dr. Spence, you're acting chief scientist. No more G-Gnomes suppressing our wills. No more secret breeding projects. We need to move past our destructive nature that almost killed the Justice League all those years ago. This is a kinder, gentler CADMUS"
"Then I will of course help in any way I can brother" Dubbilex added.
This conversation was secretly being watched by the seven figures on the monitor who had met with Desmond earlier. None of them were particularly pleased with the turn of events.
"Can the light afford to leave Guardian in charge without the G-Gnomes?" one asked
"We have subtler means of control" another added. "What concerns me, is the children. We now know the League is willing to employ young heroes to do their dirty work" he continued, bringing up an image of the five teens escaping the laboratory.
"That's a dark twist" the first figure said, chuckled lightly.
"Yes, but one that can be played to our advantage. Even the temporary loss of the weapon may prove useful" Their leader said seriously. "Eventually, everyone sees the Light"
And another chapter is done! With the team having officially formed!
A little shorter than the last one maybe, but hopefully future ones will be longer.
Some original stuff here as well, namely the reveal of CADMUS having been revived. As well as Amanda Waller's cameo. She will have a significant part to play in this, as well as with another new member of the team. In fact, this new member was seen talking to her here! Can you guess who she is? (Anyone who guesses correctly will have my serious respect and awe)
Hopefully this chapter helped to flesh out more of Keemia's personality, as well as how she'll interact with the team. Since in the normal Marvel canon she hasn't really been used, she's practically a blank slate for me. Her civilian clothes were also inspired by her appearance in the recent Marvel Spider-Man cartoon. The show itself sucks... it REALLY sucks. But seeing Keemia in it was honestly kind of awesome. Not sure how to feel about what they've done with her, and I really hope she shows up again. But her look was great, so I went with that sort of aesthetic for Keemia. She's more skater punk after all.
But next time, the team will face their first (sort of) mission! And it'll be right there in their hometown. But what will Amanda Waller have to do with it?
Find out next time!
As always, be sure to review. I love reading through them all.
Ciao for now!
~WafflesTheApprentice