AN: Welcome Back to chapter three! I'm not sure if I got Superboy and Hawkman right, but I refuse to delay this chapter any longer. Now, onto the reviews:

Huntsman23: I understand your feelings, but I was not a fan of most of the names in the first place.

RedOrca: Glad to hear that you enjoy my story.

TorinoWint: Thanks for the compliments on the characterization. It took me a lot of effort to make it work. In response to your question, there are plans for an Antitrix wielder at the very least.

johnymike98: Hey, I have lots of surprises in store. Just wait till you see the Martian form.

collinsjr: There is a relationship planned and the girl (not naming names) will appear in the Downtime equivalent. However, Chimera won't be getting other powers like Magic (he doesn't want to learn) or Anodite powers (He's from our universe, he literally can't get them)

Jay: He's a teenager and teenagers can be bitches at times, even for good reasons.

S.T.A.R Labs Taos

July 4th, 2010 16:30 MDT

An annoyed "Why are we doing this?" rings in my ears while I read a book in S.T.A.R Labs Taos' Zeta scanning office.

Turning away from a S.T.A.R Labs provided copy of Altered Egos: The Mystery Men of World War II by John Law, I look at Superboy who is currently surrounded by scientists using various pieces of lab equipment.

"Well, you need access to use the Zeta tubes, so S.T.A.R Labs is scanning you to make sure they can register you into the directory without a problem."

I get an annoyed "Isn't there a more private location to do this?" as a response.

"The only other location I know of is the Batcave, and given Batman's justified concerns, you're not allowed inside. I was only allowed access to it due to the circumstances at the time."

It's at this point I hear a random scientist go "You got access to Batman's secret base?!".

As soon as that scientist says that out loud, I get flooded by scientists who ask me various questions about the Batcave. Trying to stop them by going "Hey, Hey! Calm down! I can only say that it was very cavey and filled with all of Batman's tools." fails despite my best efforts.

Just as I nearly drown in a sea of scientists, A harsh "Enough! We are members of the Erdel Initiative, so act befitting your position or else you will be suspended for unprofessional conduct!" is projected throughout the room and the scientists stop and head back to their stations.

Turning to the presumed direction of the voice, I see a middle aged man of Hispanic descent, about 5"8' with black hair, a black goatee and brown eyes. He turns to Superboy and I, greeting us with "Hello, Chimera and Superboy. I am Doctor Eduardo Dorado, the Director of the Erdel Initative. I would like to apologize for the behavior of my fellow staffmembers as they can get a bit passionate about the Batcave Zeta Tube."

I respond with a courteous "It's no problem at all. After all, Batman is known for his paranoia."

Superboy, with curiousity expressed through his left eyebrow rising, asks "Really?" to which I respond with a sincere "Really."

With a surprised "Huh." Superboy (who I should try getting into accepting Connor as a name) asks, "How long are these scans going to take? I feel a bit of a growling going on in my stomach."

Director Dorrado replies with "We just finished our scans. Give us a few minutes to put it in the Zeta database, and you'll be able to use the Zeta Network."

I respond with a polite "Nice. Now, where's the cafeteria? I'm feeling a bit peckish as well."

"It's the only room on the first floor with double doors. You can't miss it."

Upon hearing the response, I reply with "Thank you for letting us know. Now, where can I return this fascinating read?"

"You can give the book to me and I'll make sure it heads to the owner."

"Thank you."

After I return the book to Director Dorrance, Superboy and I decide to exit the room and use the elevator to enter the first floor. While inside, Superboy sighs and asks me "Do you know why Superman was so harsh towards me? I don't know much about the Justice League beyond 'Once they interfere with Cadmus, they must die.', 'They are the world's greatest heroes and as such, a threat to our plans', their resources, capabilites, and psychological assessments done by Dr. Odessa Vexman."

I ponder his question and respond with "Well, I think it's because of how he feels violated. He essentially discovered he had a kid without his consent, and as such acts hostile due to the kid (which is you) due to representing bad experiences towards him." Thank god I learned about that sort of stuff months before I got here, otherwise that would have turned out a lot differently.

As the elevator dings and the door opens, Superboy responds with a "That's what I was wondering about. Thank you, Chimera."

"You're welcome."

We walk down the stark white halls of S.T.A.R Labs Taos and find open double doors. Right next to those double doors is one of those collapsable chalkboards with various foodstuffs appropriate to the region written on it in chalk.

I look at it and go "I'm thinking of going with some Tamales. You?"

Superboy suddenly looks like he made his decision."I'm going with a Chorizo."

A polite "Alright, let's go get our food." from me is all we need to enter the double doors.

Inside we see a standard cafeteria: One wall has foodstuffs in trays behind glass with chefs serving it to scientists and other staff holding trays on metal rails and the other walls are surrounded by those tables where it's one long thin piece of plastic as a table with two narrow pieces of plastic acting as seats. Superboy and I stand in line and we get our food and drinks. After I pay the cashier in cash, we sit down at one of the available tables and eat our food. While doing so, we hear a "Hello there." from a redheaded female scientist wearing a lab coat, black shirt, blue jeans and a necklace. "I'm Dr. Jenet Klyburn, head of S.T.A.R Labs Taos' department of Zetabiology. Can I ask you something, Chimera?"

I flash a smile at her. "First, can I ask a question?"

Her face beams up in interest as she goes "Sure! What is it?"

"What is Zetabiology?"

A confused expression appears on Doctor Klyburn's face. "How do you not know what Zetabiology is? You came to this universe through a wormhole breaching the multiverse."

Time for the 'discrepancy in the origin story' excuse. "That was an accident. My universe is decadesbehind in regards to most fields of science that isn't related to Zeta tubes. Not to mention, I was merely an intern in college working on his IT Tech major doing some minor data checking for cash and good records before my arrival here."

A pout that could be interpreted at disappointment for not being able to get knowledge from an alternate universe crosses Dr. Klyburn's face. "Ah. That's a shame. To answer your question, Zetabiology is the study of biological reactions to Zeta Radiation."

"Interesting. You can go ahead and ask your question, by the way."

"Is it possible for us to get scans of your alien forms so that you don't have to detransform to access the Zeta Network?"

Thinking over it, I go "Sure, but not today. I promised Superboy here that I would take him to my home to stay for a bit and I don't want him to get impatient."

"I see. Are there any methods that I can use to contact you?"

"Well, I'm told by Green Lantern-the one that founded the Justice League and my mentor- that if anybody needs to contact a member of the League or their associates-for example, me- they are to call this number. Do you have a pen so I can write it down?"

Doctor Klyburn goes into her lab coat pocket, grabs something, and she gives me one of those pens where you twist the top to write. I grab a nearby napkin and write down the number used to contact the League hotline and hand it over to her. "Here. Use this to contact the person answering the line, and by extension me when you have a possible alternative date."

She takes the napkin and replies with a "Thank you." before walking away and heading somewhere else in the building. With that done, Superboy asks me "Did you really give her the number you said you were going to give her?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't I?"

"I imagined that you would give her a dead number to discourage her from calling you."

My face briefly spurts out a confused and shocked expression. "That would be rude. I gave her the number of the League hotline so that I wouldn't have to risk my identity for whatever reason she called me, whether it be for a date or if she actually wanted to scan my forms into the Zeta database."

"So you gave her the number of the League hotline so that the person answering it would deal with her instead of you?"

"Pretty much."

"Huh. That's a clever idea."

"Glad to hear it. Now, do you want to head to my home once we're done eating?"

"Sure."

We finish our food and once we're done, we decide to head to floor 3 as it is the location of the Zeta Tube. A female scientist of asian descent with black hair, a white lab coat, round glasses and green eyes goes to us and says "Ah, you must be the two sidekicks-." to which Supes replies with "Don't call us sidekicks."

"Sorry about that. You must be the two proteges that requested a scan for the Zeta database."

It's at this point I speak up with "Well, I requested one for him. I already did a scan, and I'm here to keep an eye on this guy to make sure he doesn't do anything too impulsive."

The scientist adjusts her glasses in light of this new info. "Well then, I am Doctor Tracy Simmons. Do you understand how to use the Zeta Network, Superboy?"

"Not really."

"It's very easy. You stand here" here being the front of the tube "and choose where you want to go from the tablet. Once the tube spins, you walk in and you'll arrive at your destination. Any questions?"

"Yeah. How long does transporting us from one location to another take?"

As if this was common fact, Doctor Simmons replies "About a minute overall."

"Thank you."

Doctor Simmons asks "Do you have any other questions?" to which I respond with "Nope." and Superboy responds with "No."

"Alright then. Go ahead and activate the Zeta Tube to head to Coast City."

I turn to Doctor Simmons and I tell her goodbye with "I'll see you around." before turning to Superboy and going "After you."

Without a doubt, Superboy enters the destination in the tablet and we Zeta across several states.

Coast City

July 4th, 2010 16:02 PDT

As we exit the alleyway, I announce "Welcome to Coast City!" before subduing myself. "So, what do you think?"

Superboy takes a moment to look around the street from the alley. "It looks nice. For some reason that I can't explain, it smells of sand and saltwater around the area."

Hmm. Didn't know he developed super senses. I'll have to ask Stewart to do a bioscan when everything's up and running. "Oh, that's because of the nearby beach. If you want, we can spend a few hours there while you're with me. Just don't make it today. It's the Fourth of July and many people are there celebrating the holiday."

"Okay. But I thought we were going to your home?"

"We are. I'm just going somewhere private to change."

Pointing to a rooftop near the alley, Superboy goes "Is that roof okay?"

"It's a bit too close for my purposes, as I don't want people to put two and two together and find out that this alley has a Zeta Tube. If word gets out, then this location is compromised. Besides," I point to a rooftop that I've been using for such purposes, "that rooftop is much better."

"But how will you go there?"

"With one of my forms."

Looking around to see nobody watching, I dial in my Arachnichimp form Spider-Monkey (I couldn't think of a better name) and push down the dial to feel the energy used in the Omnitrix's transformation processes. My eyes become six purely green eyes, my hair becomes similar to that of Beast's from the X-Men, I grow a monkey's tail with two white stripes, and my nose changes shape. While this is all happening, I grow blue fur, I lose two fingers and toes on each hand and foot, and my body changes to become more monkey-like. Once the change is done, I climb up to a nearby rooftop and shoot webs from my tail to stealthly swing to the rooftop that I saved for such purposes before I detransform.

After detransforming, I look around on the ground and comment to myself "As always, this is the perfect spot to change." And it really is! The area in town is mostly isolated, the owners of the building rarely use the roof, and there's even a stairway from the roof down to the alleyway. I pull my half-cowled jacket off and stuff it inside of a gym bag hidden in some panels in the roof of the stairway. The armored T-Shirt I'm wearing is turned inside out into a plain black Shirt with barely a stitch or tag shown, and I switch out my uniform shoes for my civilian shoes kept inside the bag. Once done, I head to the sidewalk and see Superboy there. He takes one good look at me and whispers "Is a simple wardrobe change good enough to fool everybody into thinking you're not as ordinary as you make yourself out to be, Chimera?"

I shrug and go "Apparently so. Granted, I don't have much of a social life outside of my 'job', and I'm not one to easily make friends even back home. Also, call me Ezekial or Zeke when out of costume."

"Huh. Thanks for telling me that, Chi-Ezekial. Speaking of which, is your background true?"

"What do you mean by background?"

"Your origin."

"It's very loosely based on what actually happened, with the truth to the falsifications best kept private."

The official League provided and supported backstory for me is that I came from an alternate universe without any heroes, magic or known alien life and I managed to find the Omnitrix while there, keeping it secret by not using it at all. However, due to an accident at the laboratory I was working at as an intern, I got transported to this universe and was found by Green Lantern 2814-A (Hal Jordan) upon arrival. He would provide the necessities of life in exchange for me learning about the Omnitrix and becoming a hero while under the Green Lanterns.

"Good to know. Now, where's your home?"

"Follow me. We'll spend a few hours there before celebrating Independence Day. Does that sound like a plan?"

"It does."

Casa De Ezekial

July 4th, 2010 18:00 PDT

After the long day we had, I decided that Superboy and I should go out and celebrate the Fourth of July by watching the fireworks while in the park. I check up on Supes, who's now wearing shoes, pants, a shirt and a hoodie from my wardrobe. I ask him "Are you ready?" and I get a tact "Obviously." in response.

"Alright, I got the blanket and the snacks. Let's go!"

We head out of my home and head to nearby Marz Park. Once there, I drop the blanket in a uncrowed section of the park and sit down on it with my companion. About fifteen minutes after we sit down, a fireworks display begins and bathes the sky in rainbow colors.

Seeing as this is Supes' first time seeing fireworks, I ask him "So, what do you think?"

"What do I think about what?"

"The fireworks!"

Superboy shrugs and responds with "I think they're nice, but they're something that Cadmus wouldn't show me if I stayed with them so that makes it a lot better than it actually is."

"Seems like you're happy about it."

"I sure am."

I smile quietly as we watch the fireworks display while eating the snacks I brought. After we get home, both of us decide to sleep the night away after a shower and dinner made by me.

Casa De Ezekial

July 5th, 2010 07:37 PDT

Waking up from my couch turned bed, I head to my bedroom and check on my bed, expecting to see a sleeping alien/human hybrid, only to see the bed untouched. I then check the closet and see a sleeping Superboy. Shaking him awake, I go "Morning!"

"Morning."

"Why are you sleeping in my closet?"

"Not used to sleeping in a bed. Your closet reminds me of my Cadmus Pod, except for the funny smells."

Semi-insulted, I tell him "Hey! I do laundry once a week!"

"The smells are still stuck within the closet."

"I'll put 'aromatherapy' on my to-do list then."

"I don't know what that is, but please do so."

After changing into some casual clothes, I follow Superboy downstairs. Seeing him sit at the dining table, I ask him "So, what do you want for breakfast?"

"Make whatever you feel like."

"Omlettes it is then."

I grab two bowls and lay them on the countertop before grabbing six eggs from the fridge and crack them open, making sure that three egg yolks go into one bowl and the other three go into another bowl. Once done, I mix the yolks and add some garlic salt to the mix. After that, I grab two pans and fill both of them with coconut oil and smother the pans with it before I grab the contents of both bowls and pour them into the pans, one per pan. Turning on the stove, I wait for a few minutes before turning it off once the omlettes are finished. I then grab two sets of silverware and two plates and put one omlette on each of them. I grab my plate and hand Supes his and we both spend the next few minutes eating our breakfast in silence. Once done, I put all of our silverware into the sink to clean for later.

As if he were an experienced food critic, Superboy reviews my omlette with "Hmm. I like the omlette. It's a bit fluid, but the flavour is very delicious even if it is a bit greasy."

"But this is better than what you previously ate, right?"

"It is my first breakfast. Cadmus never really made eat anything outside of the nutrients outside of their IV drops."

I think about what he said and ask "...How did Cadmus get an IV tube into your body? You have Kryptonian DNA and the invunerability that comes with it!"

He pauses and goes "I don't know."

"Huh." After this little talk, I check my mail and I see an envelope with a debit card and a note saying "For Expenses" followed by a little bat icon on the bottom.

"Hey Supes, want to go clothes shopping?"

"It's not like I got anything better to do. What could go wrong?"

I yell at him somewhat disapprovingly. "Don't say that!"

"Why should I not say that?"

Coast City Mall

July 5th, 2010 08:16 PDT

I point to Solomon Grundy while in my Chimera uniform and I tell Superboy (who's now wearing the iconic black shirt with Superman logo and jeans) "That's why you shouldn't say 'what could go wrong?' as a superhero!"

"That's good to know."

So, here's what happened since we went out to the mall: Superboy bought himself seven black T-shirts with a red House of El coat of arms on it as well as seven pairs of jeans, all of which are also identical. We finished paying for the clothes and decided to head back home to see if the clothes fit, only for Solomon Grundy to burst in through the front doors, rampaging like a bull in a bullfight. I then immediately headed to a blindspot in the cameras and changed into my uniform before heading back to where I was previously.

After looking at our rampaging zombie brute, Superboy informs me that he's going in and jumps into the battle before I could inform him about the fact that Solomon Grundy is magic-fuelled and as such, theoretically capable of bypassing a Kryptonian's invunerability.

Looking over the railing, I see an angry half-kryptonian duelling it out with a muscle bound corpse in tuxedo rags. Seeing a moment to attack, I transform into my Segmentasapien form, Construct. I grow 3 feet in height, my body changes its biochemistry from carbon to an organic silicon with quasiorganic polymer skin. My body breaks down into various building blocks that are either red, blue or yellow with black lines preventing the blocks from bonding to each other at a molecular level. Studs adorn my body and the Omnitrix appears on my chest as I develop a hunch from my weight.

As soon as the transformation finishes, I jump down and shift my arms into cannons with rectangular holes and giant building blocks being fed into the cannons. After a few seconds of loading the canons, A rapid burst of organic building blocks are fired at the rampaging zombie. I hear a struggling Superboy ask "Who's this guy?"

"I call him Construct. He's capable of somewhat limited shapeshifting, is super strong and durable compared to humans, not to mention he has a hell of a healing factor."

"Glad-" A punch from Solomon Grundy hits Supes' chin "-to-" Another punch aimed at the chest "-hear-" a punch at the shoulder "-thaaaaat!" A punch from Grundy lands on Superboy's privates, causing him to scream in pain. Seeing that the powerhouse is in no condition to even fight, I make a little basket on my back, put him in it and I shapeshift holes for his arms and legs. Once that's done, I shapeshift one of my arms into a shield and I turn another one of my arms into a hammer, intent on pounding Grundy until help arrives. I rapidly move said hammer arm, repeatedly saying "Gotosleepgotosleepgotosleep!" only to see that Grundy is barely hurt. Deciding to change tactics, I decide to turn myself into a spherical cage to trap Grundy in and I check up on Supes, who seems to have recovered from his groin punch. Moving my head towards him, I go "Hey. How are you doing?"

"A little sore right here," with a finger pointing at his privates "but other than that, I'm fine. How did he negate my invunerability?"

"He's a magic-powered corpse, and magic can bypass a Kryptonian's nigh-invunerability. Now, how do you feel about a rematch with Solomon Grundy?"

A somewhat bloodythirsty smirk crosses Superboy's face. "Count me in."

I open up a little section of my cage big enough for any human to walk in or out. As Superboy walks into the cage, I close up and all of a sudden I hear lots of fists flying and what I presume is Grundy being smacked around. Childing the two brawlers inside, I go "Hey! Keep it down in there, please! The walls are made up of my body, y'know!"

Eventually, a "Done!" from Superboy rings throughout the cage and I shift back into my normal Segmentasapien form before I hit the Omnitrix, transforming back to human.

I see an unawake Grundy and while panting, I go "Well, at least we managed to knock him unconscious."

It's at this point a green bubble forms over Grundy's unconscious body and two shadows go ahead and cover both of us teens. Turning around, I see Superman with his arms crossed and Hal Jordan in his Green Lantern uniform towering over us.

Seeing the mess we made, Green Lantern frowns and goes "How did you two get into trouble already? It's been less than 24 hours since you exposed Cadmus!" before he smirks and congratulates us with "I'm impressed. Not a lot of inexperienced capes manage to knock Grundy unconscious without suffering injuries that make Superboy's minor."

The frown returns on his face as he scolds me with "However, I expect you to see John Stewart and Guy Gardner for training at the usual spot today, Chimera. I won't be able to make it today, so I called up my fellow Lanterns to do the training session this week. John brought the Hawks over so that you can get your Thanagarian form and have some practice with it. Oh, and take Superboy with you. While his powers might be limited under most conditions, John mentions that he and Guy have ideas for a training regimen designed to test what he can and cannot do."

With as much sarcasm as I can muster, I go "Lovely."

"Hey, look on the bright side. At least there were no casualties or hospitalizations required. Now, if you'll excuse us, we're going to secure Grundy."

It's at this point Superboy speaks up with "Wait, before you go, how's Batman doing?"

"Give him time. He'll need two more days to finish working on your problem." His smile turns kind as he goes "Do you have any other questions? If not, I'm done."

Speaking for the both of us, I go "I think I'm good."

"Same."

"Well then, we'll be off!" And just like that, Green Lantern, Superman and the green bubble of light containing Grundy fly off into the distance.

I hear a "Well, that was interesting." from my compatriot who continues vocalizing his thoughts with "Since when do you have a Thanagarian form?"

"I don't have one yet. I guess that tonight's training session is punishment, and they're doing it the most brutal way they can."

As if the universe has a sense of irony, Superboy goes "Lovely."

Chuckling, I respond with "You read my mind."

A look of confusion adorns Superboy's face. "I don't have telepathy."

I promptly do a facepalm. "It's a figure of speech. You know what those are, right?"

"Yes."

"'You read my mind' is a figure of speech."

"I see."

"Well then, do you have any other questions?"

"I don't have any."

Oh, thank god. I didn't realize I'd be dealing with my own superpowered Rook Blonko here. Composing myself, I go "Well, let me know if you have any."

"I'll do so."

The Usual Training Spot

July 5th, 2010 17:10 PDT

After a long walk, I move my hands around the empty field and go "Welcome to my training spot. Any questions?"

"Why didn't you drive us here?"

Scratching my neck, I embaressly mutter "I can't drive. Never learned how to."

"Why?"

"Didn't feel like I needed it back home."

"How old are you?"

"Eighteen, why?"

Before we can continue on my lack of driving capability, the flapping of large winds followed by green light comes from above us. Straining our necks (or at least mine), we see Hawkman followed by Lanterns Gardner and Stewart descend down from the sky. As he lands, Hawkman sees me and mutters "So, you're the Chimera. I heard the horror stories from J'onn J'onzz. What did you do to him?"

In the most monotone voice one can expect to get from me, Hawkman gets the reply of "I used my Martian form." from me.

He scoffs, voicing his disbelief with "You're kidding, right? He went on for some time that you turned into a demon."

As if it were fact, I reply with "A Martian unafraid of fire is like that."

"Do I want to know what you did to him?"

The two lanterns and I respond with "No."

"But J'onn isn't "

"No!"

Sulking, Hawkman goes "Fine." before switching back to a professional tone "Moving on, are you ready for Thanagarian Wingmen training?"

Smirking, I reply with "Despite the fact that it sounds like we're going to support our friends romantically, Born ready."

I hear a "Why does every human make jokes about the name?" under Hawkman's breath before he goes back to being a professional soldier with "Alright. So, how are you going to scan me?"

"Omnitrix, scan uncatalogued DNA."

A beep comes from the Omnitrix and it goes "Affirmative." before all the green circuits turn yellow and a beam of the same color shoots out of the core and moves up and down on Hawkman before disappearing. I then hear "Unknown species scanned. Please identify the name of the species."

God, I hated reprogramming the scan functions to make sure recognition of the names of the species the Omnitrix scanned were accurate, but if Azmuth wants me to use the Omnitrix, then I'll use it like it was meant to be used regardless or not if he knows about me. "An individual of the species is known as Thanagarian."

"Understood."

In the space of a few seconds, all of the yellow circuitry turns back to green and the dial pops up, with the head of my Thanagarian form selected in between my Martian form and my Cerebrocrustacean form, Brainstorm (Once again I couldn't think up of anything really unique, so the canon name stuck).

"Alright, here goes."

I push the dial down and I feel nothing much aside from my skin and bones becoming denser, my sensory organs becoming more finely tuned, and two feathered wings growing out of my back with bones to support them. Once the transformation ends, I look over myself and I see a cuirass with the Omnitrix in the center and a red hawk helmet covering my head. The rest of my body seems to be covered in my Chimera uniform if it was designed as Thanagarian military armor.

Once done, I yell out "Hawkdown!" before asking my esteemed instructor "Alright, how do you want to do this?"

"I was thinking that we would go ahead and spar continuously until one of us backs down or time runs out. After that, I'll train you in Thanagarian military techniques. Am I clear?"

Nodding my head, I respond with "Crystal." and I kick things off with a double flying punch. Unfortunately, Hawkman sees this coming and grabs both of my fists and pushes them away from me. "Nice try, but I'm a captain of the Thanagarian Wingmen. It'll take a lot more than that to put a dent into me."

"Well then, let's see you handle this!" 'This' turns out to be me using Torquasm-Rao to enter the theta state, the state the mind goes through during meditation. And with it, my capacity to feel pain is reduced and the two hemispheres of my brain are more synchronized with one another. Glancing over at Hawkman, I hear "What's 'this' supposed to be?"

Without a second's notice, I do a Taekwondo axe kick followed by a Muay Thai jab and a block to counteract whatever punches he may pull. I smirk for a bit, only for Hawkamn to dodge the kick and the jab and bypasses my block by hitting me in the helmet. Sensing my moment of shock, Hawkman punches me right in the jaw, knocking me down for the count. "Not going to lie, you did good, but you could do better."

I check my jaw for damage. "I know that, that's why you're here. Well, that and to punish me."

A smirk grows on Hawkman's face. "Let's not argue over semantics."

"Are Thanagarians always really thirsty for blood?"

"Not at all, I'm just really in the mood. Now, shall we begin your Wingman training?"

"Let's go!"

Little did I know that those words would become the prelude to some of the worst hours of training I ever had, and that's counting the mishaps with my Martian form and creating a regimen for mastering the Omnitrix and all of its very advanced quirks.

Casa De Ezekial

July 5th, 2010 22:32 PDT

After two and a half hours, I managed to get the basics of Wingmen training down, despite the brutality of the beginner stages. While I thought I went to hell, Superboy went through several. While I was learning basic Wingmen training, Supes was being assessed and trained in martial arts by John Stewart and provoked into anger through the creative use of a Green Lantern Ring by Guy Gardner to teach him to stay calm. By the end of his training, he was a raging, sweating mess.

Currently, we are at my home, both of us clad in Pyjamas and sitting on the couch watching a detective movie from the 1940s titled Nothing Left To Lose, starring famous actor Carver Colman. After the credits roll, I ask my roommate "So, you finally calmed down?"

"Yeah."

"And what did we learn?"

"That Guy Gardner is an obnoxious showboat?"

I frown at my roommate. "Besides that."

"That I should keep my calm to make sure I can use the full extent of my wits?"

"Bingo."

Looking contemplative, Superboy responds with "I'll try my best. I don't think I'll be able to do so, though."

"As long as you can try, that's good enough for me."

"Thank you, Zeke."

"It's no problem. After all, I did help naïve alien youth before, as I'm sure you know." As far as I knew, he didn't but I decided to drop that casually for the hell of it.

Superboy, confused, questions me with a "I didn't know that. Who was the first person who you helped?"

"Miss Martian. She was told to spend some time with me in order to learn some Earth ettiqute. Given the difference before her arrival here and after, I think it's safe to say that she got the lessons I taught her drilled into her head."

"Hmm."

I head to my room upstairs. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be going to sleep."

Turning around, I see Superboy following me. "I guess I better go to sleep as well."

Coast City Beach

July 6th, 2010 10:55 PST

After seeing the warm weather and the forecast for today, I decided that today was going to be a beach day. When I told Supes about my plans, he told me that he wanted to join in. Minutes of packing and one walk later, we arrived at the beach and set up our stuff in a perfect spot, not too far from the water nor to the bathrooms or trash. It's now half an hour since then, and we're now making sandcastles.

While we're in the middle of making one, Supes asks me "Hey Ezekial? Can I ask you something?"

With a wry smile, I go "You just did."

Disappointment appears on his face. "Oh."

"You can still ask me what you wanted to say."

The disappointment on his face turns to enjoyment. "Do you think I'll be a great hero?"

"Undoubtedly." And that's just from what I've seen from the few days we've known each other. From what my metaknowledge tells me, he'll become one hell of a hero and a potential contender of suceeding Superman if all goes well. "Even some of the greatest heroes have their own flaws."

"Thank you for telling me that."

"It's no problem. Now, shall we make sandcastles?"

"Sure."

In the end, we made a somewhat decent sandcastle for our first attempt. I took a picture of it and sent it to M'gann and a group chat that I was invited to by Robin and Kid Flash (with SB's blessing, of course).

A few minutes after the text(s) were sent, I received an 'awwww, so jealous you got to go to the beach!' from M'gann and a few texts filled with injokes and jealousy from a group chat made of me, Robin and Kid Flash. Those texts themselves went something along the lines of:

Thunderstruck (Kid Flash): Hey, how come you got to go to the beach?!

Me: Because I live by myself.

Thunderstruck: How?

Me: Emancipation, a stock portfolio, an 'inheritance', oversimplication of the stock market and a few patents I made for a startup that I'm going to sell.

Thunderstruck: Hold on! Since when did you get a startup running?!

I briefly talk about Wally's odd priorities before replying.

Me: About two weeks from my arrival. I doodle down patents for advanced technologies that I make when I'm Brainstorm and sell the rights to use them to certain companies. Once I deem the worth of the startup to be enough to keep me financially stable for a while, I'll sell it.

Birdbrain (Robin): Who're you selling to?

Me: Two companies who I believe will use the technology positively: Wayne Enterprises or Kord Industries.

Birdbrain: Why those two? I get trust, but why not others like AmerTech, for example?

Me: Given the fact that AmerTech is known primarily for Military Development, I feel that it would be best to go with somebody who isn't interested in weaponization of science. And some of my ideas are certainly lethal if weaponized.

Birdbrain: You're not interested in weaponization?

Me: Why would I? I'm not that kind of guy. I want to help people.

Thunderstruck: At least we know where your priorites are.

After this point, the text conversation degenerated into injokes that I didn't get. Sighing, I put my phone away in my pocket, which attracts the attention of a curious SB.

"What's the sigh for?"

"Just the reaction to a few texts made by two of our mutual friends."

"What did they say?"

"They made a bunch of injokes that I didn't understand."

"That shouldn't result in you feeling left out."

"I'm not in their injokes."

"And that explains it."

"Don't misinterpret what I'm saying. I'm glad that I know some people that I can call my friends, one of them being you."

Somewhat surprised, Superboy replies with "You think that I'm your friend?"

I shrug my shoulders to answer his question. "Well yeah, we did some things that most people would do only with their friends."

"Well, if that's the case, then you're my friend as well."

I smirk at my newly made friend. "I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

"Is that a reference to something?"

"I think it's from Casablanca, a movie made and released in the 1940s. Never watched the movie, though. It is considered one of the greatest movies of all time by many, though I'm not sure why."

"Can we watch it later?"

"If it exists". I ignore Superboy's odd reaction as I continue on with "I'm thinking of having a movie night with the rest of our friends once our social club becomes official." I realize what I just said and backtrack with "Well, as official as our 'benefactor' makes it out to be." with airquotes done on benefactor.

"Is that a problem?"

"Probably. Not sure why."

"That… doesn't exactly fill me with confidence."

"To be fair, I only have two months worth of practical experience. What can I say?"

"You can say a lot."

I mustered up my most stoic face possible."That was a figure of speech."

"How many figures of speech are there?"

"There are quite a lot of them out there in the English language."

"Has anybody managed to list them all?"

"Knowing people, it's not gonna happen. People make up figures of speeches every so often."

"That's a shame. They really are quite useful."

"I know, right?"

"Right. Now, how long will getting set up take?"

"It'll be done tomorrow. Batman's doing a whole speech and everything to officially begin our team."

"Good. While I enjoy your company, I do miss seeing our friends. Should I call them that?"

"I think you should. After all, friends help each other out in tight spots. Not to mention, they are all standup people who would put their own lives on the line to help others. And some of them have already done so multiple times."

With a mixture of bitterness and hope, Superboy responds to my comment with "Sounds like what Superman would do."

In a mentorlike tone, I tell Superboy "Indeed. Superman, after all, is a shining beacon of hope who represents the best values of humanity despite not being human at all except in terms of humanity. Whereas most people save lives as their job and get paid for it, Superman does so without anything other than his own abilities for no reason other than helping others. Not to mention, Superman does other things like public appearances in order to reassure others about him."

"Is that why a lot of people like Superman?"

"I would say that would be the reason why a majority of humanity admires Superman. Don't you agree?"

"I do."

"Glad to hear it. Now let's stop talking about superheroes and enjoy the beach."

"Easy for you to say. How are we going to continue with it?"

"By just clearing our minds and doing nothing at all unless we have to."

"Okay then."

In the end, we spent several hours on the beach before packing up and heading back home at 4 PM. Once there, I made lunch and breakfast for tomorrow. Around 6 PM, both of us fell asleep to make sure we were well rested as we were going to be waking up very early tomorrow.

Casa De Ezekial

July 7th, 2010 4:30 PDT

In clothes one would expect for a casual meeting with friends, I shake a sleeping Superboy awake from his slumber in my closet, which he sleeps in despite my previous attempts at teaching him how to use a bed.

Hiding my tiredness, I tell the Kryptonian clone "Hey, c'mon man! We're gonna be late!"

A grumpy Superboy growls "Late for what?!"

I ask him "Don't you remember? Our meeting with the mentors for the team."

Superboy's mood goes into a total 180 as he recognizes just what exactly am I talking about. "Oh, yeah!"

"Glad to see that you remember. Now, breakfast has already been made for you. It's french toast and a cup of tea, so don't worry about the quality of breakfast. Once we're done, we're going to head to the Zeta tube in the alleyway in our civilian clothes to head to the base, so don't worry about the fact that I'm not wearing my Chimera uniform. After that, you'll be moving into the base full time."

Upon hearing this possible betrayal of trust, an angry yet quiet "Why?" comes from my soon-to-be former roommate.

I put my finger on my roommate's lips and I shush him before continuing with "It wasn't my idea, it was Batman's. Besides, you need to learn certain things and moving into the base makes it easier for you to approach most of those things with ease, as it's located near a high school that we can enroll you in as soon as possible. Not to mention, I have online classes from Coast City University starting this September, so I have that to deal with as well. To make a long story short, living on your own is mutually beneficial to the both of us, as we can divide our attention between our responsibilities without compromising ourselves."

Superboy calms down and nods his head. "Makes sense, but you could have said it a bit better."

"To be fair, socialization is not a strength of mine. Not to mention, I never had to tell somebody that they're moving against their will."

"Okay, I see why you discussed the subject like that."

"Yeah. Now go ahead and eat your breakfast then get changed into your clothes. We have about half an hour before the meeting starts."

"Shouldn't you eat yours as well?"

Smugly, I reply with "I already made mine."

"How did you do that?"

Exasperated, I go "It was just french toast. You just make toast and dump some batter on it." Seriously, French toast is just bread battered in eggs and milk. Why did Cadmus deem the culinary arts and socialization unnecessary parts of Superboy's telepathic education?

"When did you make it?"

"I made it last night after you went to sleep, just so that we can have an easily made breakfast."

"You are crazy to make breakfast at nighttime."

"Craziness is practically a requirement in this job of ours. After all, we're people with extraordinary abilites, training and/or technology helping the law by apprehending various criminals with access to similar resources that police and other mundane law enforcement agencies cannot handle without lots of lives lost, excessive lethal force or violating the laws that they swore to uphold."

A glimmer of understanding? resigned acceptance? appears on Superboy's face, despite having been a superhero for only a few days. "Alright, I guess I can see that."

"Good. Now, eat your breakfast and get changed. We'll head to the Zeta Tube once we're done getting ready. Does that sound good?"

"It does."

"Alright, let's do this!"

Mount Justice

July 7th, 2010 7:45 EDT

"Recognized: Chimera B-0-4, Superboy B-0-6."

After Superboy ate his breakfast and changed into his clothes, we went out and walked to the alleyway containing the Zeta Tube, stopping a mugging along the way. Just now, we entered the Zeta Tube and stepped into what I presume is Mount Justice. In it, we see a metal platform below a very large metal tube which probably has some sort of purpose besides appearance. What attracts my curiosity is the hatch on the roof of the room, presumably an entrance of some kind?

I get distracted from my thoughts when I see Lantern Stewart and Captain Atom fly around with large pieces of equipment, Stewart using his ring and the good Captain using his raw energy enhanced muscles to carry the equipment. Suddenly, out of nowhere childish giggling rings throughout the room followed by a "Feeling the aster yet?" from Robin who suddenly appears from the metal tube along with Batman.

A look of shock mixed with annoyance quickly appears on my face as I hear myself go "How the fuck do you do your stealth thing?"

A harsh "Language!" comes from Batman as a sunglasses wearing Robin goes "A magician never reveals his secrets!"

"I'm pretty sure you could be qualified as one given your stealth capabilities."

"Heh. Good one."

As the computer chimes "Recognized: Aqualad B-0-2, Aquaman 0-6, Miss Martian B-0-5, Martian Manhunter 0-7, Green Lantern A 0-5", all four of us turn to the two Zeta Tubes behind us. The one on the left spews out the two Martians and my mentor who comes up to me and says "Sorry I'm late. Had to help out the Martians with some legal stuff involving Miss Martian back on Mars."

I brush off his worries with "It's OK, I understand. Bureaucracy is nuts and I'm speaking from experience."

"Really? How come?"

"It's a long story."

Before anybody else can question me, Aqualad speaks up suddenly "Let's not discuss any matters that could be personal to Chimera."

Everybody present decides to agree about not forcing me to share something personal, and we all sit in silence for about a minute before I go "So, uh, where's Flash and Kid Flash?"

An expaserated "Both of them are running late. Again." from Green Lantern Jordan is all I get as a response. Seriously, how is a speedster incapable of arriving on time?

Several minutes later, the computer speaks up with "Recognized: Flash 0-4, Kid Flash B-0-3." and everybody not named Batman, Martian Manhunter, Aqualad or Aquaman groans in annoyance at the speedster duo's late arrival. Kid Flash, upon seeing our reactions, goes "Oh come on! How are we always late?!" to which I respond with "That's what I asked!"

A curt "Enough. We have work to do here." sets us straight. He continues with "We will begin once Black Canary arrives." After he finishes speaking, the hatch above us opens as Red Tornado flies down with a… Well, red tornado covering his legs. Joining him from the hatch is Hawkman and Captain Marvel/Shazam. The computer announces in its female tone "Recognized: Black Canary 1-3."

As the adults walk in front of us, Batman kicks things off. "Good to see everybody's here. Now we can begin." Bats pauses for a few seconds presumably to let the adults get into position before continuing with "This cave was the original secret sanctuary of the Justice League before the Joker's assault on it led to our relocation to the Watchtower. We're calling it into service again as your base of operations. Since you six are determined to stay together and fight the good fight you'll do it on League terms." Batman walks from the center of the room before continuing with "Red Tornado volunteered to live here and be your supervisor. Black Canary's in charge of training. I will deploy you on missions."

A gleam of hope comes from Robin's sunglasses-covered eyes as he speaks up with "Real missions?"

Batman respectfully responds with a "Yes, but covert enough to avoid arguments with the rules of our UN Charter."

Flash follows up with "The League will still handle the obvious stuff like international crises and superterroist attacks. There's a reason we run around having these big targets on our chests: to keep hope among the public."

Aquaman continues the conversation "But Cadmus proves that the bad guys are getting smarter and capable enough to hide from the authories. Batman needs a team that can operate on the sly and be the authorities where nobody else can be."

Green Lantern follows up with "And since you showed us what you were capable of during the Cadmus incident, we decided the six of you are worthy of being the founders of that team. Aside from being obligated to send weekly reports to the League and having a few members accept the mission requests we make, you'll have full authority to manage the team as you see fit."

Martian Manhunter speaks up somewhat reluctantly "Just to make sure you understand, you will be sent on missions where League support is usually not an option. One wrong move and it could be the difference between life or death, success or failure. Do you understand the trust we have in you?"

All of us proteges tense up as the words get driven into our skulls but the mood in the room increases as we get the second message from Martian Manhunter: We believe you are just as capable as we are.

After processing this for a bit, Aqualad proudly states to us "Today is the day."

Kid Flash smiles and does a thumbs up. "You said it, brother!"

Miss Martian does an awkward smile and follows it up with a semi-awkward and enthusiastic "Yaaaaaay!"

Robin butchers the English language and shouts out "Let's make sure to stay whelmed, guys."

Superboy, in what can be described as happy apathy, goes "Hooray."

Seeing the mood in the room, I go "Seems like we're gonna change the world." and Kid Flash responds with "You know we are!"