Chapter 4! And there's an air of mystery for our lovely Luna! Please enjoy!
The humongous genomorphs advanced on the teens, pounding the ground in front of them. Four of them raced past the creatures, but Superboy, in a moment of extreme rage, fought with the giants.
"Superboy! The goal is to escape! Not to bury ourselves here!" Aqualad called to him.
"You want to escape?" Superboy yelled back in a frenzy.
He threw one of the already down genomorphs into two others descending on him. Aqualad forced the elevator doors open again as they all joined him. Robin pulled out his grappler again and shot up the shaft while Kid Flash jumped to the side. Luna gave herself a running start and jumped off walls in the shaft as she travelled upward. Superboy grabbed Aqualad as the genomorphs got closer and leapt from where they were to try and fly, but when he got higher up into the elevator shaft, he began to fall.
In a snap, Robin and Luna both threw a lifeline that Aqualad clutched to as he held Superboy.
"Superman can fly. Why can't I fly?" Superboy wondered quite childishly.
"Dunno, but it does look like you can leap tall buildings in a single bound. Still cool." Kid Flash tried to reassure him.
KF pulled down Superboy and Aqualad next to him and Luna. "Thank you." the former Cadmus weapon said to Kaldur.
"Guys! This'll have to be our exit!" Robin pointed up to the oncoming elevator.
Superboy smashed the elevator doors to their current floor open and they hastily ran onto the floor, watching the high speed elevator zoom by.
Genomorphs quickly found them and they ran to their left down a hallway.
Luna was deducting which way they'd try to go next when Superboy told them, "Go left!"
They turned left and this time their new companion said, "Now right!"
'Brilliant, what was the point of this?' Luna thought to herself as they came upon a dead end.
"Great job Supey! Are you TRYING to get us repodded?" Kid Flash reprimanded as the others caught up.
"I-I don't under-"
"Don't! This is perfect!" Robin grinned, looking up at the ventilation shaft.
"Excuse me?" Luna raised an eyebrow at him blandly.
"You don't see? Oh man! This is priceless! I finally can see a solution you can't! I gotta savor this!" From his expression, one could tell that the Boy Wonder felt victorious.
"Robin! NOW!" Aqualad ordered, hearing the snarling pursuers approaching.
"Right!"
They crawled through the air vents swiftly and got out on another area of the sub level while Desmond, Guardian, and the genomorphs were preoccupied with a false trail.
"I hacked the motion sensors." Robin said proudly.
"Now's not the time, Robin." Luna told him flatly, giving him a roll of the eyes in the same manner.
Kid Flash pulled his goggles over his eyes and ran through the door to the tower of stairs, plowing through genomorphs as he went. The others followed and Superboy ensured they wouldn't be followed by breaking the stairs behind them as he trailed back.
KF quickly ran onto another floor that glowed red with an alarm system blaring and ran into a closing, totally secure metal door.
"Oof!" Wally grunted as he collided with the door, falling to the ground.
"We're cut off from the street." Aqualad stated grimly.
"Thanks, my head hadn't noticed."
Superboy and Aqualad attempted to bash through the door, but found it to be useless attempts. Giant genomorphs closed in on them.
"This way." Luna broke through a door with her ice shards and lead the way through only to have them cornered by genomorphs, Guardian, and the strange creature, Dubbilex.
"Great! Nice going Luna!" Robin gave a verbal jab as she frowned back at him.
"I did not try to... to..." She didn't get to finish her sentence as she fell unconscious, another subconscious clouding her mind to do so.
"Whoa!" He held her upright. "What the..."
Soon all the others passed out as well, leaving them cornered and defenseless against their threats.
In the midst of her forced dreaming, Luna could see something. Something that actually... frightened her. And her brain couldn't process whether or not it was a memory or some horrible delusion.
Her terrifying vision was, thankfully, interrupted by the subconscious that sent her to sleep, awakening her. She stirred and found herself being held by Robin, who was also awakening.
Perturbed, she forced herself out of his grip and stood up, leaving the Boy Wonder to get up himself awkwardly.
Guardian held his head as the telepathic hold on him was lifted. "Ugh... feels like... fog lifting..."
"Guardian?" Aqualad addressed him cautiously.
He looked at the teens with a determined fire blazing in him. "Go, I'll deal with Desmond."
"I think not!" a voice snarled snappily.
The genomorphs and Guardian looked behind them to see Desmond there with a vial of bright, practically glowing, blue substance.
"This," he showed them the vial. "Will give me the power to take back control over Cadmus!"
He uncorked the vial and quickly drank the contents. His body coiled over in the utmost pain as he changed right before everyone's very eyes. It was almost horrifying to see, his body morphing to be larger and more rock-like, his skin being ripped away to no longer exist upon him.
When the transformation was completed, Blockbuster looked up at them and roared with power.
"Everyone! Back!" Guardian ordered, charging at him first, only to be swatted away into the wall like a fly.
Superboy lunged at him next, battling it out with their strength. He jumped and went to bash Blockbuster over the head, but Blockbuster saw and jumped up at him, blasting them both through the roof of the floor they were on to the street level of Cadmus.
"Okay, that's one way to bust through the ceiling." Robin commented, getting out his grappler and propelling up through the hole with Kid Flash, followed by Luna and Aqualad.
They watched Superboy fight with the creature, then get thrown in their direction. He hit Aqualad and the both of them were forced backwards from the impact. The others ran to help them and they picked each other up, gazing at Blockbuster roaring at them.
Aqualad and Superboy charged at him first as the others broke off to fight from all other sides of the creature. Robin did some calculations on his glove computer and called for Luna.
"What is it?" she inquired calmly as she ran over.
He showed her the plan and she nodded in approval. He eventually got all the others to see it and the set to work, breaking the cement pillars of the level.
Kid Flash lured Blockbuster into falling into the huge puddle of water Aqualad set up over Robin's planned spot of execution and once Kid Flash was out, he electrocuted the water, in turn shocking the intended target.
Blockbuster cried out in agony before dropping like a brick to the ground.
"Guys! Take cover!" Robin told them as his ninja star grenades began going off, embedded in the stone pillars.
They exploded and the entire two-story building was blown to pieces. The dust settled quietly over the now in pieces building/battleground. It seemed that all might have been exterminated. Until a hand pushed a block of ceiling off of itself and its companions. Superboy's solar suit was ripped across the chest as he turned to check on Aqualad and Luna.
Aqualad was in practically perfect condition except for a small tear in his shirt and Luna's mask was ripped along the edges as she struggled to keep it on her face, the side of her halter dress was torn and her arms and legs banged up in places.
"We... did it." Aqualad said with some disbelief.
"Was there... ever any doubt?" Robin asked as he and Kid Flash panted, then high-fived, groaning and holding their sides.
Superboy walked over to see Blockbuster out cold, underneath a large portion of the ceiling as well.
"See?" Kid Flash caught his attention. "The moon!"
He pointed and Superboy looked up at the opaque glowing spectacle. But, upon further inspection, he could see a figure flying in from a distance. It was Superman.
"Oh! And Superman! Do we keep our promises or what?" Kid Flash commented, standing beside the Boy of Steel and looking up as well.
As they stood there, they also watched the incoming of several other members of The League. Including...
"Mother..." Luna mumbled under her breath, all of a sudden have her stomach turn with a strange feeling and every aspect of her skin sweat.
Superboy began his approach first, as Superman eyed him suspiciously. As if reading his mind, Superboy moved his torn piece of solar suit up for his idol t see the emblem on it. THe emblem that WAS Superman's. The Kryptonian's eyes widened in shock at what he realized stood before him.
"Is that what I think it is?" Batman inquired of him lowly.
"He doesn't like being called an 'it'..." Kid FLash told them in a sing-song voice nervously.
"I'm Superman's clone." Superboy told them snappily.
The League members looked at each other in shock and some, questioning terror.
Batman narrowed his eyes at all five of the teens. "Start talking." he demanded.
As Blockbuster was taken away by a group of League members, Superman, Wonder Woman, and Martian Manhunter talked at a small distance away while the teens waited.
Superboy looked over at the three adults and Manhunter noticed, putting a hand on Superman's shoulder, who looked over as well. The teen version of him looked away begrudgingly.
Superman walked over and spoke with him. "We will, uh, figure something out for you. The League will, I mean. For now, I'd... better make sure they get that Blockbuster creature squared away." he told the boy awkwardly.
He turned and flew up and away into the sky.
"Cadmus will be investigated; all fifty-two levels of it." Batman told them as he approached with Flash and Aquaman. Wonder Woman came up and joined them. "But let's make one thing clear, you-"
"You should've called!" Flash interrupted quickly.
Batman disregarded the cut off and continued. "End results aside, we are not happy. You hacked Justice League systems, disobeyed direct orders, and endangered lives. You will notbe doing this again."
Aqualad looked to his friends and they all had the same thought. "I am sorry, but we will."
"Aqualad, stand down." Aquaman ordered.
"Apologies my king, but no."
Aquaman quirked an eyebrow at his protege.
"We did good work here tonight." Aqualad began. "Work you trained us to do. On our own, we forged something powerful. Important."
"If this is about your treatment at the hall, the four of you-" Flash was interrupted by his own sidekick.
"The FIVE of us, and it's not."
"Batman, we're ready to use what you taught us." Robin stepped up to finish. "Or why teach us at all?"
"Why let THEM tell us what to do? It's simple, get on board, or get out of the way." Superboy stepped along side of them.
And beside them as well, was Luna, with every word spoken, though silent in her agreement through words.
Batman gave them a dark look as they stood before him.
Four days later, the five of them gathered at Mount Justice, the headquarters of the first Justice League.
"Dude, Luna, why aren't you in your civilian form?" Kid Flash, now Wally yelled in annoyance.
"Perhaps I don't feel like sharing my identity as easily as you do." Luna told him, calm as ever.
"Hmph, you and Rob both."
They gathered with Batman and Flash for an explanation.
"This cave was the original secret sanctuary of the Justice League. We're calling it into service again, since you five are determined to stay together and fight the good fight." Batman told them, though not bitterly. "You'll do it on League terms. Red Tornado has volunteered to live here and be your supervisor. Black Canary is in charge of your training. I will deploy you on missions."
"REAL missions?" Robin asked,, in civilian form, but wearing dark shades to cover his eyes.
"Yes, but covert."
"The League will still handle the obvious stuff. Why do you think we have these big targets on our chests?" Flash pointed to the emblem on his suit.
"But Cadmus proves the bad guys are getting smarter." Aquaman added. "Batman needs a team that can operate on the sly."
"The seven of you will be that team." Batman told them.
"Cool! Wait, seven?" Robin stopped in realization.
"Hello boys!" a cocky female voice called out before zooming past them in flight.
Unfazed, Luna replied, "Ah, Lantress. It's not surprising to see you at this time."
"I'd hope it wouldn't be!" Lantress laughed as she landed, her uncle, Green Lantern landing beside her.
She was dark-skinned and tall, with muscle on her bones and a glint for the mischievous in her brown eyes. Her brown hair was spiked out in a funky fashion.
"This is Lantress, the Green Lantern's niece. And behind you..." Batman pointed out Martian Manhunter with a girl of his ethnicity. "Is Miss Martian, the Martian Manhunter's niece."
"Nice to meet you all!" Lantress grinned.
"It is an honor to be included." Miss Martian expressed her gratitude.
She looked over and saw Superboy's shirt, and, in a moment of admiration and flirtation, shape-shifted her own shirt to match his. "I like your shirt." she said timidly.
Lantress seemed irked at this and added in, "Yeah! That shirt is totally awesome!" with a big grin.
Luna only rolled her eyes. This was going to be difficult.
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