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Calm Before the Storm—Path to Redemption
Location: a meeting with Jay Garrick
Match looked calm and collected, as always. In truth, he was tense. He hated it here; this place brought back memories of times he would like to forget. If it hadn't been for a request from Jay Garrick, he would never have come here again.
Match hated the prison for supervillains known as the Slab.
"Thank you for coming, Match," Jay Garrick said.
"I'll do what I can," he replied.
Location: the Slab
Superboy and Kid Flash looked on. Bart had gotten dragged along by Jay, while Kon had come at the request of Match.
"Do you have any idea what's going on?" Kon asked. "Match didn't want to talk about it."
"It has something to do with Inertia," Kid Flash said. "Jay wants Match to talk to him. He hopes that having someone with a lot in common will reform him. I'm not sure Inertia's capable of that, though."
"People can change. Match is living proof of that."
Location: in the corridors of the Slab
A voice called out, "I knew I'd see you again, Match. I didn't think it'd be in this manner, though."
Match stopped and turned to the approaching man. "Hello, warden."
Jay gave Match a quick look. The warden's words told him that he didn't like the one-time inmate. Match projected an attitude of calmness. Jay knew that this wasn't how he was really feeling and regretted that he brought Match to a place that made him uncomfortable. However, he was the best person he could think of to talk to and reach Inertia.
"You don't really think Inertia can be rehabilitated, do you?" the warden asked. "It's impossible."
"Very little in the world is impossible," Match replied.
"It's worth a shot," Jay said. "All I want you to do is to talk to him. If there's any chance at turning him away from his current path, I think it's worth it."
"I'll let you try, but I doubt anything will come of it," the warden said.
Location: the Slab's control room
Superboy and Kid Flash were left in the control room to observe via the security system. It was also because the presence of the two would have incited the inmates; they had been instrumental in putting away a good number of them, whether by themselves or with the Titans.
"So, who is Inertia?" Kon asked. "I know he worked with Deathstroke, but I don't really know anything about him beyond that."
There was a pause before Kid Flash began. "He's my Match. He's a clone of me created by my grandpa in the future. He came back to take my place."
"Did you ever talk to him when you fought? How'd he feel about you?"
"He always seemed very angry. He was always like 'blah blah I'm so superior to you' and stuff like that. He got really pissed off at the people who made him, though."
"Match used to go on about how he was an improved model of me. One of the advantages of him going good is that he doesn't say stuff like that anymore. It used to really piss me off."
"You really think Inertia can go good?"
Kon put his hand on Bart's shoulder. "A year ago, if you had asked me whether I thought Match could go good, I would have said that he couldn't. I'm glad I was wrong about that. I'm not saying Inertia is going to reform, but it's got to be possible."
Location: the Slab, a visiting room
Match had Inertia's file before the incarcerated clone was brought to talk to him. It gave him some hope because Inertia didn't have any disciplinary problems or reported incidents. He was a model prisoner.
When Inertia came into the room, Match's eyes narrowed. He raised his hand to get the warden's attention.
The warden came over with a sour look on his face. "What is it?"
"I want you to place Inertia in a protected section," Match demanded.
"You haven't even talked to him yet. He doesn't need it."
Match's voice became very chilly. "I don't need to talk to him to see that he's been injured. If you really think that a teenager who bears a strong resemblance to a superhero does not need extra protection here, then you're incompetent."
The warden was angry. "I don't take orders from you!"
"Then get me Waller. She'll back me up."
The warden frowned and took out a phone. He punched in a number and waited.
"This is the Slab," he said. "I have a request by Match to speak with the Wall."
He offered Match the phone. He took it.
"Waller, this is Match. I'm calling about the conditions for Inertia. He's been put in the general population without any additional protection. In my experience, that's a mistake."
He listened to the response and handed it over to the warden. "She wants to talk to you."
Match didn't need his enhanced hearing to make out what Amanda Waller was saying; she was shouting loud enough for anyone in the room to hear. The warden paled and nodded, forgetting that she couldn't see that over the line.
"Yes, ma'am," he said. "I'll make the arrangements at once."
He shot Match a dark look before heading off. Match remained impassive. Inertia stared at him. A moment passed.
"Why'd you do that?" Inertia asked. "What's in it for you?"
"I can see that you're hurt," Match replied. "I've been in a similar situation, and I don't think anyone should have to deal with it."
Inertia looked at him warily and waited for him to speak.
"I'm Match," he said, belatedly introducing himself. "What do you prefer to be called?"
"You aren't just going to call me Inertia?" he said in a tone that hinted of challenge.
"If that's what you prefer, I will call you that. You have a given name as well. If you prefer to be called that, I'll use it instead. What is your preference?"
"Thaddeus."
"Very well. Thaddeus, I'm here because it was thought that our similar backgrounds would provide a basis for me to evaluate you."
"Exactly what is this evaluation? I doubt your background is anything like mine; you're Superboy's brother."
"That's technically incorrect. I'm Superboy's clone, created by the Agenda. I was given an enhanced set of skills that allow me to use our shared powers in more advanced applications."
Thaddeus stared intently at Match. "You're like me, then. You're an improvement on Superboy like I'm an improvement on Kid Flash."
Match frowned. "I have different talents and interests than Superboy, but that does not make me an improvement. I suggest you not think of yourself that way because it will always remind you that you're a clone. I am myself first and a clone second."
"That makes no sense. Why can't you just admit that you're a clone and not indulge in the delusion that you're not?"
"I know that I'm a clone, and I admit it. I have just stopped defining myself as one. It allowed me to stop comparing myself to Superboy and to move on and grow."
Comprehension dawned on Thaddeus' face. "I see what you're getting at. You're saying that I shouldn't limit myself by being Kid Flash's clone. Doing so has inhibited me. However...I've been conditioned to want to destroy him."
"Conditioning can be removed. I used to be conditioned to follow the Agenda. You can overcome limits that were placed on you."
Location: the Slab's control room
Kon and Kid Flash watched the conversation between their clones. Kon felt a little uncomfortable. He realized that this conversation was bringing up a lot of things that Match had chosen to not discuss with him. Kon had gone through his own period of wondering who he really was, but he never had to deal with being a direct copy of another.
Kon noticed Bart looking pensive. That was very unusual for him.
"What's up?" he asked.
A guilty look flashed across Bart's face. "Nothing."
"You need a better poker face than that if you want to fool me."
"I see how you and Match have become really close, but I'm not sure if Inertia and I will ever get along, much less be like brothers. I'm not sure if I'm as forgiving as you."
Kon looked around to make sure no one was listening to them. "If you want the truth, it wasn't easy. He had to save my life before I stopped getting angry at the sight of him. It can still be very difficult to live with him. I think that's just something you can put up with for family."
"When did you get to be this wise?"
"I've been a big brother for a while now. You'll get this sort of wisdom too."
Location: the Slab
Thaddeus agreed to allow the Martian Manhunter to perform a telepathic probe on him to see what could be done about the conditioning. Match scheduled another visit to see him. Inertia looked grateful for that.
As they were heading out of the Slab, the warden approached them. "Do you really think that this is going to work? You can't possibly believe that he can be reformed!"
"That's up to him," Jay Garrick said.
"I don't believe this one has been rehabilitated," the warden said, pointing at Match. "I still have his cell and power nullifier ready."
"You'll never need that," Kon told him.
Match ignored the warden and continued on his way out.
When they reached the outside, Kid Flash asked, "Do you think he's ready to reform?"
Match paused before answering. "No, not yet. I think he may in the future, but it's too early for him at this moment. With time and further discussion, he may. I will allow myself to be cautiously optimistic."
"Why'd you do all that to help him if you don't think he's ready yet?" Jay Garrick asked.
"I've been in his position, only with the skills and will to survive. He would have been mistreated by the inmates. I would have been, except I..."
Knowing his brother, Kon said, "You put the fear of God into them, right?"
"I put the fear of Match into them."
"What did you do?" Kid Flash asked.
"I broke someone's arm."
"You did what?" Jay shouted, outraged.
"I was attacked," Match explained. "I made sure that no one would mistake me for an easy target. I needed an edge, and doing that in front of the other prisoners gave me one. It earned me a week in solitary confinement and brought me to the attention of the Groups."
"Maybe I shouldn't have asked for your help."
"Inertia is apparently not trained in combat outside of the use of his powers. He needed to be placed in a safe area before permanent damage was done. I'll talk with him further, and I'll see how he progresses."
"Is it hard?" Kon asked.
"What do you mean?" Match asked.
"Is it hard to see someone with circumstances so similar to what yours were?"
Match paused before nodding. "I know what he's starting to go through. It wasn't easy for me, and it won't be easy for him. With someone to help him, it can be easier for him to redeem himself, if that's the path he chooses."
"I'm here for you too," Kon said. "You don't just have to be there for him."
Match smiled. "Thank you."
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