Damn... I'm on fire with this story, aren't I? Well, like I said before, reviews, so long as they are constructive and well-meaning, are welcome! happy reading!
The Superboy stared at the three teens as they were held suspended in their pods. As per Guardian's orders, the clone had moved them all to the replicating chambers- he had a little trouble with the fourth teen, however; when he had gone back to drag the last one, the one with wings, horns, a tail, and scales, the clone was shocked to find that they had been replaced with a giant lizard with wings, much larger horns and a tail, and a sharper, longer fangs than the strange winged boy had. Remembering what the genomes had taught him, Superboy was startled to realize that this teen was a dragon.
But those were mythical creatures, beings that shouldn't exist…
Right?
Regardless, Guardian had instead ordered the dragon to be chained in a specialized, separate, larger containment that was in the same room as the other three, large shackles on its forelegs and hindlegs, as well as a muzzle and chains around its wings and tail to keep it from flailing about.
Shifting his gaze from glaring at the three teens to the large creature laying on its side, Superboy assessed the confinement warily. Set behind a massive pane of glass and adamantine steel, not even Superman could break through that barrier without breaking a huge sweat.
Then, with a sudden intake of air, the dragon woke up along with the three other teens.
Jolting in its chains and shackles, the beast growled and let smoke trail from the gaps of its muzzle, but it stilled when it laid eyes on Superboy, who had unconsciously taken a step closer to it, wanting to see what it would do.
"Huh…" it rumbled sleepily. "You're a lot smaller than I thought you'd be." The clone stared, his gaze sharpening. HE was a clone of Superman, and this thing called him small? The dragon blinked its large eye slowly before it widened. "Wait, KF? Aqualad?! Robin?! Where are they?!" the dragon struggled to stand, favoring it's left leg rather obviously, and letting the wing that Superboy dislocated lay limp on the ground under the weight of the chains.
"We're over here, Sky!"
Superboy glared over at the boy in yellow, the one who spoke, and the other glared right back, defiance in his gaze. "What? What do you want from us?!" the clone narrowed his eyes but didn't respond. The sound of snapping and liquid raised some alarm in Superboy, and he spun around to see the teen from before staggering out of the restraints used to hold the dragon, making Superboy's eyes widen in shock.
A shapeshifter?
The teen winced in pain and limped towards the glass, ignoring the protests of his companions, and leaned against it, sliding down the surface until he was sitting comfortably with his injured leg and wing stretched out. "Dude," the black-haired boy, Robin, said in concern. "Are you gonna be alright?" the dragon, Sky was apparently his name, waved Robin off, breathing in controlled, measured breaths as he catalogued the pain of his wing and his leg. "No different than being shot with an arrow, Robin," he said. "I'll be alright."
Superboy's brow scrunched lightly in confusion when green eyes turned up to look at him, a reassuring smile on the dragon's lips.
"More to the point," the yellow-dressed boy, Kid Flash, said. "Why did you attack us? We freed you and you turn on us!"
"Kid, that's enough." Aqualad said firmly. "I'm sure our new friend here wasn't in his right mind." Superboy thought on that- they had a point; when he woke up, everything felt… blurry. The only thing he could remember clearly was that he felt angry, seeing those strange faces around him- it had lessened when his gaze met green, a vivid, ever-shifting green that he hadn't before seen in the Genome's influx of knowledge, hadn't even known it was possible to see that many shades in one spot before, but it was overrun by the feelings of rage and violence, tinting everything in an unnatural red.
"What if…" talking hurt a little- he never had need to speak before now. "What if I wasn't?"
Skyking stilled when he heard the new voice. Rough, scratchy as if it hadn't been used in a long time, his ears twitched and zeroed in on the user- Superboy. The dragon relaxed slightly, sending a lopsided smile his way.
"Well, it's good to know you can speak," Skyking said softly.
"He can talk?!" KF asked incredulously.
Superboy scowled, glaring at the speedster. "Yes, he, can!" Skyking sighed, shaking his head at the yellow-dressed comrade with disapproval, making KF roll his eyes. "Not like I said 'it'," he muttered. Aqualad glowered disapprovingly at the speedster before turning back to the clone. "The Genomorphs taught you telepathically, yes?" Superboy nodded. "They taught me much," he said. "I can read, write… I- I know the names of things." (= AN: My resume in a nutshell lol) Skyking frowned, working wing twitching with his own question. "But… you haven't seen them, have you?" the clone looked back down at the dragon, and Robin decided to elaborate for his companion. "Have you seen the sun, felt the wind?" Superboy's brow furrowed slightly before shaking his head.
"Images have been implanted in my mind, but… no. I haven't seen or felt any of that." Skyking clenched his fist. "To never have touched the clouds or felt the rain on your skin at all… that's a horrible way to live," the dragon murmured. "Never getting that kind of joy, to not feel what people get to take for granted… I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemies." Superboy's gaze was fixed on the dragon boy before Aqualad continued the questioning. "Do you know who and what you are?"
At that, Superboy seemed to straighten with a hint of pride in his tone. "I am the Superboy. A Genomorph and clone created from the Superman to replace the Superman should he perish… or to destroy him, should he turn from the light." Skyking stood, bracing his weight on the glass wall. "Well, to be like Superman is an honor… he's a little too 'by the rules' for me, but he has a good sense of morality and humility. However," the dragon tilted his head, narrowing his eyes at the clone. "You've never really met him." Aqualad nodded in agreement.
"Yes. Like Superman, you deserve a chance to be free," the Atlantean said. "To live beyond that solar suit, these walls, Cadmus itself." Superboy scowled. "I live because of Cadmus! It is what I call home!"
Skyking shook his head. "A home is a place with warmth, light, and laughter. Hopes and dreams make up its foundation… look around you!" for once, the Dragon pounded a fist on the glass of his enclosure, making the clone's attention focus on him once again in shock from the sudden violent action. "This place is made of chemicals and metal- it's cold, unfeeling, I can smell fear in the air from everything I've met so far!" the three teens suspended in their pods blinked in surprise- they didn't know Skyking's senses were that refined.
"This isn't a home, Superboy. It's a pit of suffering and enslavement. Superman would never condone this place."
"We can show you the sun," Robin said. KF spoke up, chuckling nervously. "Well, it's nighttime by now, but we can show you the moon instead!" Aqualad nodded. "We can even introduce you to Superman." Skyking opened his mouth to agree when his ears twitched, and a low rumble ripped through his chest just as the doors in the back of the room opened. "No, they can't." a man said. The woman that Skyking almost crushed, Guardian, and a man with greying sideburns and a ponytail, all three with those little trolls on their shoulders, came striding into the room.
"They'll be otherwise… occupied." Glancing over at Skyking walking free in his enclosure, the man's gaze sharpened. The look Skyking received made the dragon snarl in revulsion, flaring his wings and tailfins, rattling his scales instinctively as a threat display. 'This man is dangerous,' the dragon thought. Desmond smirked and turned to the woman. "Activate the cloning process," he ordered, and the moved to do as told. "And get the weapon back in it's pod!" Skyking bristled, indignant on Superboy's behalf at being called it.
The clone glanced down at the dragon before looking at the Atlantean. Aqualad's brows furrowed.
"Help us." The teen pleaded.
Guardian placed a hand on Superboy's shoulder only for the clone to shrug him off. Desmond scowled, coming around Superboy's front. "Oh, don't start thinking now!" the little troll on Desmon's shoulder made a jump for Superboy's horns glowing and instantly putting the clone under it's control. Skyking hissed, fire dancing up and down his scales and tail.
"See, you're not a real boy. You are a weapon that belongs to ME! You will do what I say, when I say it, without question! That is all you are meant to be- Mine. Well, Cadmus'… Same thing!" the doctor pointed to the door behind them. "Now get back to your-!"
"How dare you…!" the doctor's words were choked before he could issue the order to the clone. Everything seemed to freeze as the temperature in the room rose and the air became charged with electricity. Everyone, except Superboy, turned to look at Skyking, who was bristling with barely restrained rage. His body was contorting, struggling to keep the skin of his smaller form over his true form.
"How dare you!" the dragon repeated, and with that last word, his form exploded. The massive dragon that had originally been chained up disregarded his injuries to batter against the glass. "Superboy is not a thing, you filthy mongrel!" Skyking roared. Robin, Kid Flash, and Aqualad felt a shiver of fear run down their spines- thus far, the dragon had been easygoing, easy to get along with though he did have his moments where he acted like a scolding older sibling… but right now, it was clear that Skyking was not a being to gain the ire of.
Brilliant green eyes with slit pupils in catlike, impossibly thin slits zeroes in on Desmond, making the Scientist's knees shake slightly. "He can think, feel, speak! Superboy has a heartbeat! He is a living being just like everyone else in this room!" the dragon's maw snapped angrily, his horns scratching the glass and making Guardian flinch. Hurling himself at the pane like a battering ram, Skyking made a web of cracks form when his horn ornaments collided, rage fueling his strength. "Everyone, except for you." fire poured from the dragon's mouth, scorching the glass. "You had better hope to whatever pathetic gods you beliee in that you can keep me caged," Skyking continued, scoring his claws against the cracks, making another line of scratches form. "Because when I get out, I will make you rue the day you crossed paths with me! The only thing I can see in this room," Skyking trailed off, scaled nostrils flaring and unleashing smoke. "Is you. You're no more of a human that the dirt stuck in the cuticles of my talons."
Desmon's eyes lit up from fear to sudden rage. Turning to the woman at the console, he gave her a gesture of the hand. "Begin the process now!" he turned back to Skyking with a sneer. "And make this one scream. No one disrespects me, the creator of life, the head of Cadmus! No one."
Skyking snarled as the arms came up from the flooring of his containment, following the same movements as those in the pods of his comrades. Unlike their containments, however, three large clasps lowered from the roof of the dragon's cage and slammed down on Skyking's neck, midsection, and tail, effectively trapping his body from moving. The smaller arms separated, showing needles that glowed with a cold blue light, and the dragon's eyes widened, fear filtering into his gaze. Then the needles slammed down on him, slipping through the chinks in his armor of scales, and jabbing into the soft, unprotected skin underneath.
A moment later, pain-filled screeches that shook the cavern and the screams of his companions filled the air.
Everything was… muddled. Superboy was walking down the hallway, back to his pod- he liked his pod; it was warm, quiet. In the back of his mind, he could hear a voice, telling him that something wasn't right, that this, right now, wasn't right.
He couldn't remember what it was, though… was it important?
Green.
A flash of green made his fists clench. He had seen that color many times in his sleep… but why did it hold any meaning now? "Superboy…!" the voice ground out. "You- you live." The sounds of screaming and howling filtered through the empowered teen's ears. "That means… you have a right to choose!"
A deeper voice, the one who had been howling, cut through. "You… have a… heart- heartbeat! You think… and speak for yourself!" "Do you want to live in this pit as a weapon?!" the first voice asked. "Or do you want to see the sky? Ask yourself… what would Superman choose?!"
The clone stopped in the hallway, brow furrowing with concentration as he looked up. The voice of the boy with those green, green eyes cut into his mind. "This isn't a home, Superboy. It's a pit of suffering and enslavement. Superman would never condone this place." And then, Superboy chose.
Suddenly, the door shrieked as it was ripped off its foundation, showing the white-clad clone holding it aloft before he tossed it aside. The electricity and extraction halted and the four in their containments went silent. Skyking panted, tongue lolling as he laid on his belly trying to catch his breath and work through the pain.
"I told you to get back in your pod!" Desmond raged as he, the woman, and Guardian rushed him. Skyking coughed a laugh when Superboy merely pushed them out of the way, sending them flying.
"Don't give me orders." The clone growled.
Skyking watched as the clone approached and looked up at him. "What? You gonna help us or fry us?" Kid Flash asked. Superboy narrowed his eyes at the speedster before answering. "Well, I don't seem to have heat-vision, so helping's my only option." A huff was all Skyking could muster for laughter- his throat hurt like Hades.
"Finally!"
Robin let out a groan as he finally unlocked the cuffs that held him. "Batman would've had my head at how long that took me." Kid Flash and Skyking shot the Boy Wonder incredulous looks. "Dude the whole League will have our heads after tonight, and Batman is who you're worried about?!" Robin shared a look with his comrades before looking at the speedster with a face that said I can't believe you asked that. Leaning over the console Robin pressed a button and opened the pods. "You free Skyking and Aqualad while I get Kid Mouth."
Superboy scowled. "Don't you give me orders either!"
Leaping for the Atlantean first, the clone crushed the cuffs keeping him held up and caught him before he could topple over. Aqualad shared a look with their new friend and gave a small smile filled with relief. "Thank you," he murmured. Superboy nodded before jumping down and cautiously approaching the containment that held Skyking. Punching through the glass, Superboy ducked to get through the hole and began to rip off the arms still holding the dragon down.
Skyking huffed at the scent of rain and sandalwood, rolling his large head towards the origin before his snout was stopped by a steady hand. Opening his eyes, the dragon's gaze locked with sky blue. "Glad to know… you came through, Superboy." The dragon panted. The clone stepped back as Skyking struggled to stand, his old gunshot wound having opened again. Superboy's gaze immediately snapped to the steady drip sound of blood and his eyes widened in alarm.
"Hey, I think he needs some medical attention!" the clone called. Robin, having freed Kid Flash, jogged over, and knelt to inspect the wound. "He's too big for me to check it out properly," the Boy Wonder said, worry coloring his tone. "Skyking, can you change yourself again?" the dragon rumbled before huffing. "Yeah, just give me a moment."
For a second, nothing happened, then Superboy stepped back in surprise when he saw the change happen- it was as if the dragon was being sucked into a smaller body- it explained the reason when the teen jumped him when Superboy attacked the team- he was heavier than the smaller body revealed.
"Thanks," Robin said. "Okay… huh. You have a healing factor?" Phrased like a question, Skyking nodded in leu of an answer. "Yes- I heal faster if I can sit in a fire for a little bit, I can even heal myself." "Then why don't you?" Superboy asked, frowning. "Because," Skyking said. "That takes a bit more energy which could be better used for the fights to come… but since we don't have any of that right now, and everything's calmed a bit, it's slowed, and I can do that in a little bit." The Boy Wonder hummed, pulling out some medical linens before tying it around and off. "We'll make sure you get treated when we go back to the Hall. For now, try not to overdo it."
Skyking smirked. "No promises."
Pushing himself up, the dragon prince hobbled over to a wall and leaned against it. He didn't have time to have his wing looked at, so he'd have to fix it himself. Aqualad's eyes widened when he realized what the dragon was about to do. "Wait-!" gritting his teeth, Skyking shoved his back against the wall, an audible Pop snapping through the air and making Kid Flash's face turn slightly green. "Dude, hardcore." The speedster said shakily.
Skyking rotated the wing, testing the range of movement, before nodding. No more pain, and he could probably fly, so good enough for him.
"Hardcore," the dragon said. "But it did the job!" dropping down on all fours to spare his leg any unneeded pressure, Skyking made for the exit. "Now let's get out of here!" the five teens raced out the door, but not before Skyking turned and, with a blast of lightning and fire from his mouth, destroying the cloning machines and relishing in Desmond's enraged yelling.
"We're still forty-two levels below ground," Aqualad said. "But if we can make the elevator-!" Skyking's pupils slit as the rancid smell of the giant trolls ripped the air apart. "Trolls incoming!" the dragon barked, picking up speed. Another shift so soon would aggravate his wound, but there was so many thumping into view that there wasn't another choice.
His true body exploded outwards, and Skyking rose on his hind legs, catching the two fists of one troll as it threatened to crush the dragon's friends in his talons. Steam and fire billowed from Skyking's mouth as he snorted before roaring at the troll, who responded in kind. Lunging forward, the dragon head-butted the troll, horns locking with tusks before a savage jerk tossed the troll away and into the other larger monsters.
Another troll came from the side, knocking Skyking off his feet, but before it could raise its fist to strike a blur of white sent the troll flying. The dragon chuckled when he saw Superboy standing in front of him, watching his back. "Thanks for that," the dragon rumbled. The clone didn't answer, instead leaping for the next troll.
Skyking rolled onto his feet again, backing up to where the other three stood. "Superboy!" Aqualad barked. "The goal is to escape, not to bury ourselves here!"
The clone turned to the Atlantean, snarling.
"YOU WANT ESCAPE!?" he screamed, throwing another troll into his comrades. Skyking laughed. "I like him- he feels like a dragon!" Kid Flash harrumphed. "Of course, you'd say that!" he said, crossing his arms. The dragon snorted, turning, and punching the door to the elevator in with his claws. "Superboy, come on! We got our exit!"
Robin grappled to the upper level wall and swung over, KF made a jump, and Skyking ferried Aqualad over. Superboy made to fly, leaping upwards and following the others as they latched onto Robin's rope or Skyking flew them. But, at level thirty-five… he began to fall. The teen's eyes widened as he felt gravity take hold, and he fell several meters before a strong, clawed hand grip his arm. "Don't worry," Skyking said. "I got ya."
Setting him down on Sub-Level 35, Skyking made sure he was okay before turning to the others to make sure they made it.
"I… I can't fly?" Superboy asked in a daze. "But Superman can fly… why can't I fly?" Kid Flash shrugged. "Well, even if you can't fly, you can still leap tall buildings in a single bound. Still cool in my book." Skyking jumped when the sound of the elevator turned on, bringing a car down on their heads. "This'll have to be our floor, guys!" the dragon said, punching the door down with a flaming fist. "Let's go!" Kid Flash shouted. The group of five raced down the halls with no idea where to go when Superboy suddenly shouted. "Left!" With no time to argue they went left. "Right!" skidding around a corner they came to a dead end.
"Great job, Supey! What, you trying to get us killed?!"
Skyking smacked the speedster upside the head and gave him a scolding look. "Not the time to point fingers, Kid! I don't see you giving… us… directions…!" the clone tried to apologize but Robin declined said apology, Skyking slowly catching on. "Why are you sorry?! This is perfect!" grinned and jumped up, prying the grate of the air duct away before climbing inside. "Let's go, let's go!" the dragon said jokingly. "I wanna get back and have a bite before the League takes our heads!"
Robin's fingers flew as the small cameras inside the ducts drooped and powered down. "Cameras are out! Let's go!"
"Wait, you hear that?" Superboy and Skyking looked down the duct pathway, their superior hearing catching the sound of the Genomorphs after them. "They're inside the AC," Skyking said quietly. "Crawl for it!" the scuttled through the vents, taking turns as per Robin's instructions, before breaking out at a stairwell and tumbling out. Pressed against the wall with bated breath, the two with the best hearing listened as the Genomorphs after them went… the wrong way?
"Not that I'm ungrateful," Skyking panted as he lit his hand and pressed it to his gunshot wound. The energy and heat sped up the healing process, and he could visibly see the wound stitching closed, the bullet being forced out. "But why are they going that way?"
Robin smirked, twirling the chord of his gauntlet smugly. "I hacked the motion sensors~!" the Boy Wonder crowed. Aqualad nodded. "Good work, but we're still no closer to the surface." KF looked around and grinned. "That's no trouble at all," he said. "I finally have room to move!"
The speedster slipped his goggles on and raced up the stairs. With a clatter of metal, the bullet fell out of Skyking's wound and the last of it sealed shut, leaving only a small scar. Standing and rolling his shoulders, the dragon flashed his friends a grin and shifted, roaring triumphantly. "Everyone not a speedster, hop on and hold on tight!" With Superboy in the front, Robin in the middle, and Aqualad at the back, Skyking surged forwards, climbing up the center of the stairwell with ease. Debris and bust rained down due to his massive size, the walls shaking and thundering with his ascent. Any gen0morphs in the way were either trampled or knocked out of the way by Kid Flash's charge or Skyking's talons.
Finally bursting from the doors of Sub-Level 1, Skyking could taste the fresh air of midnight skies, but instead of a free path, they came face-to-face with an army of Genomorphs. The dragon snarled, pips pulled back to reveal, razor-sharp teeth, and fire dripped like oil from his fangs. Lightning crackled down his spine when the other slid from his back and prepared for a fight. Then, a feeling like a heavy haze shoved what consciousness the teens had down, and Skyking's form made the ground jump when he fell to his side, dead to the world.
It only felt like moments later when they woke up, and Skyking felt the air had changed. No one had moved, and the dragon pushed himself to his feet warily. "What'd I miss?" he asked, shaking his head. "Go," Guardian said, his eyes clear of mind control. "I'll handle Desmond."
"No, you won't." A rage-filled voice made everyone move back, staring at the enraged doctor as he glared at the intruding teens. They had ruined everything.
Everyone was looking at Desmond as he held a vial of glowing blue liquid; Skyking's scales on his nape stood on end, and he stepped forwards to place a protective leg in front of his teammates. "Project Blockbuster will give me what I need to restore order to Cadmus!" Skyking felt the danger rise in the air when the scientist downed the strange glowing liquid. Immediately, Desmond fell to his knees groaning in pain.
His skin split and ripped, and soon, a monster took his place. "EVERYONE GET BACK!" Guardian ran at the monster but was backhanded, flying into a wall and being knocked unconscious. Skyking inhaled and blew a concentrated stream of fire at the monster, knocking it back when it raised its arms in an 'X' to block the superheated flames. Superboy reacted next, jumping at Blockbuster, and punching him only to he smacked away himself.
The clone recovered and leapt again, only to get caught mid-flight and bust through the ceiling by the mutated doctor.
Skyking shifted back into his more compact form, hissing at the hole in the ceiling
"Shit." He growled, flying through the hole. A quick scan of the area and Skyking jumped to assist Superboy, leaping onto Blockbuster and clawing at the monster's back. Skyking used his tail to smack the abomination away from the clone, making him stumble back and fall. Superboy gave him a nod of thanks as they turned to face the rabid creature.
Superboy jumped at him, but Desmond grabbed his legs and swung him at the emerging other three teens, slamming him into Aqualad and sending both rolling and skidding along the floor.
"Looks like you've proved me right, Desmond," the dragon prince snarled. "You really aren't human anymore. You're nothing but a rabid dog playing at being a GOD!" Skyking emphasized the last word with a roar, his starry marking flashing in warning before he clenched his talons and swung a right hook at the monster, the fist covered in fire and lightning.
Blockbuster roared as his jaw was slammed and he staggered away, giving Skyking time to curl around his team mates to protect them while they got their bearings. After a moment they charged as one at Blockbuster; Kid Flash slid under the monster while Aqualad and Superboy swung at him, knocking him back. Using his body, Kid Flash tripped the staggering creature and it fell.
"Hah! Learned that one in elementary school!" the speedster crowed smugly.
Skyking used the flat of his tail to launch Robin at Blockbuster and the Boy Wonder chucked two Birdarangs at it. They were batted away, rendered ineffective, and the blue behemoth and lunged at Superboy, knocking him into a pillar and pinning him there. Throwing punches, the clone tried to get him off but a good couple of blows dazed Superboy when his had nearly no effect on Desmond. Skyking lowered his head and charged, ramming Blockbuster away, sending the two rolling.
The dragon prince buffeted the monster with his wings, smacked him with his tail, clawed him with his talons and bit at him with his teeth, all leaving some amounts of damage before the creature had had enough. Gripping Skyking's neck, the claws dug into the chinks in his scales and began to squeeze, making Skyking choke for a moment.
A streak of white slammed into Blockbuster, knocking him off the dragon boy and freeing him from being strangled. Skyking stood shakily, hacking and coughing. "You alright?" Aqualad asked. Breathing deeply, Skyking gave a thumbs up, but glanced back at the fight. "We're not going to be able to pin him down at this rate," the dragon said through his panting. "We need a plan."
A bour of blue smacked the dragon away, and a moment later Aqualad was grabbed and slammed into a pillar, the sound of cracking cement echoing as the building shook. Superboy came to assist but he was backhanded into another pillar, and when KF tried he met the same fate.
Skyking shifted, his real body filling half the space of the fight and roared a challenge at the blue monster. Even though Skyking's dragon form towered twice over the mutated Desmond, the monster didn't hesitate to roar in kind and drop the Atlantean, squaring off against the dragon. After a beat, the two charged, the shockwave making Cadmus tremble under the force of the two behemoths.
Skyking's challenge gave the others time to catch their breath and regroup, Aqualad breathing heavily. "Skyking was right," the Atlantean said. "We aren't getting anywhere without a plan." "Well, what do we do then?" KF asked, flinching as another tremor ripped through the building. The doctor had somehow grabbed Skyking by the foreleg and swung him around, slamming him into a pillar and cracking the concrete. Chunks of stone and cement rained from above as Blockbuster threw another punch.
Robin's eyes widened.
"Of course!"
Skyking launched himself at Blockbuster and breathed a cone of fire at the monster, the force knocking it into a wall and its skin burn. With as roar it ripped a pillar from the ground and slammed it into Skyking's back, flinging him into Aqualad who was coming to help despite the fire. "Skyking!" Aqualad called, making the dragon pause. "We need to lure him into taking out the pillars!" KF raced up to him as Aqualad started back at the monster. "You get the right and I'll get the left!" with a nod they all started a game of cat and mouse, getting Blockbuster madder and madder until he made an error. Robin drew an 'X' on the ground and after Aqualad sprayed it with water, he and Skyking electrified it while Blockbuster stood in the puddle, making the monster howl in pain.
"EVERYONE MOVE!" Robin shouted.
Skyking raced away with Superboy and Kid Flash by his sides, though Kid Flash moved much slower than normal due to low energy, making Skyking and Robin double back to help. Moments later, the whole place blew and came crumbling down.
With no time left to escape, Skyking shoved KF and the Boy Wonder under his larger bulk, out of the way of the falling pieces of building, concrete, rebar, and metal. A sudden shock went through Skyking's body as he felt something slam down into his side, making him screech before falling silent by gritting his teeth and planting his feet firmly. The clatter of the building coming down continued for several minutes before all was still.
The dust settled before a fist burst through a slab of concrete, revealing Superboy and Aqualad standing from the rubble. "Kid? Robin? Skyking?" the Atlantean called, worry coloring his breathless tone as he searched for their comrades.
"We're over here!"
Superboy's head jerked to behind them and he climbed over the debris to a large rise. "They're under here!" the clone said urgently. Hurrying to assist, Aqualad and Superboy quickly unburied the last three of their group, but when they moved to lift the larger piece enough to free Skyking, the Speedster stopped them. "Skyking's hurt," the speedster said, and Aqualad could see the teen's skin had turned pale. "Lifting that last piece will make him bleed out." Superboy's eyebrows raised in concern, and he slid into the space they dug up, intent to assess the damage himself. He came to the sight of Robin muttering lowly and insistently to the weakened dragon while Kid Flash ripped parts of the Boy Wonder's cape.
"That… that wasn't very smart of me, huh?" the dragon asked, chuckling weakly. Aqualad's eyes widened at the growing puddle of red streaming down a line exiting Skyking's right lower torso. "Holy Poseidon," the Atlantean said. Robin smacked the Dragon's snout as the green eyes started to close wearily. "Don't go to sleep! You said you could have used the energy from healing your wounds faster to fight- why didn't you?!"
Ever-shifting green eyes sharpened from their pain induced haze. "Because, as an Amazonian and a dragon, it's against who I am to leave others to fight alone when I can still lift my claws to help." The dragon flashed his friends a smile on scale lizard lips. "I'll be alright- smells like the League will be here soon, so go flag them down." Skyking's eyes looked through the hole Superboy and Aqualad made to dig him, Robin, and KF out.
"I got a nice view of the moon here anyways- lemme look at it for a while before sicking my mother on me, yeah?" Superboy stared up at the silver disk when it was mentioned, eyes widening in wonder briefly. "Stay with him," Robin said as the others moved to the entry of the hole they made. Superboy scowled and he opened his mouth to refute what he thought was an order, but Robin spoke again. "It's not an order, but… please?" the Boy Wonder nodded to Aqualad and Kid Flash. "We haven't known him long, but he's really cool, and I can tell he tends to worry about others more than himself, so…just make sure he stays awake, okay?"
At that, the clone pauses before nodding, moving to the side so he could stand next to the immobile dragon.
"Pretty, isn't it?" Skyking asked the clone softly as Aqualad, Robin, and Kid Flash crawled out of the hole to meet their mentors. "You deserve to see that, you know. That, and many, many other things in the World of Man." Superboy cocked his head, careful to keep an eyes on the wound Skyking had and the level of awareness he exhibited. "World of Man?" the clone asked. 'Keep him awake,' Robin had said.
"I was raised by Wonder Woman on the Island of Amazons- this was my first time ever seeing the world outside the island. I have to say, it's rather exciting." The dragon laughed before growling in pain.
"Skyking?!"
The dragon huffed, smoke bursting from his nostrils as his head drooped. "and that would… be my mother, Princess Diana, Wonder Woman herself… Zeus have Mercy, I'll be flayed alive by her tongue."
The Boy of Steel lurched forwards when the dragon's eyes fluttered, lunging under him to catch the creature before he could collapse. "He's under here!" the clone shouted. The dragon's lips twitched into a smile before he went limp, knowing that everything was alright now that the League, and his mother was there.
They had done it.
All was well.