[03rd December 2010]

[O'Neill Farm, County Cork, Republic of Ireland]

"...and it wasn't intentional, just work got busy Ma" I apologised about failing to reply due to being, well, off-dimension the past two weeks "...and magicky stuff so they didn't want me, or anyone, talking while they kept us all cooped up over in England"

I dislike the lying, but best to avoid getting too into detail about the extent of my work these days. Bad enough explaining to my friends Una and Eoin why I had been radio silence for near three weeks at my 'training programme' thanks all this 'magic business' before the damned Starfish had attacked. One thing about that crisis bringing SHIELD into the light of day had been an easier explanation for what I might be doing for those few who knew about my 'minor' abilities locally. No sooner that I'd returned yesterday, and let it be known I was back, than my neighbour had turned up looking for a fortune to be told for her little Caitlyn from down the road, and Old Mick asking for help with healing one of his cows.

Seems Ma bought that answer as she shook her head in annoyance, but not too much annoyance either, and handed me a slice of the apple tart. She'd waited it seemed till Dad had popped off to fix the neighbours tractor before complaining to me, but then again I was off for a week now on leave...after everything I was bloody glad of it...and that had appeased her somewhat it seemed to me. Sighing I dolloped some cream unto the warm dessert, plonked myself in front of the television with my coffee, and turned on some nice stupid cartoons to watch. It was always good to take advantage of these breaks, certainly hadn't much of them since this whole superhero business, fiasco really, had started.

Unsurprisingly superhero cartoons never really took off on this earth, way more fantasy, historical, and westerns I noted watching as the Ancient Warriors of Destiny came on; stupid out, but I could do with turning my brain off a little while. It was nice, though I had an appointment with the psychiatrist tomorrow up in Limerick and took away from my break a little, to take my mind off all the death and destruction. Plus the work that was going to go hand in hand with all that badness too; but for now I could relax, helped by the fact I was now, strictly speaking, a multi-millionaire and my family's monetary future was secure even if they didn't know about it. Or the fact it was all held in a trust of sorts till I could get it restructured into a better format that didn't lead back to me directly...

'Nope, not thinking on that now' I reminded myself emitting a happy sigh and sitting back into the couch as the sun descended outside '...lets watch these ancient Celts beat up some filthy elves. Tax money put to good use I say"

--

[04th December 2010]

[Fortress of Solitude, North Pole]

It was hard, so very hard, he found staring through the clear glass screen at the younger mirror of himself; it was so wrong, so painful. Cadmus might be defunct, destroyed, gone...but their evil still lingered it seemed, and who was to say it would stop with that organisation; that others would not try again and this agony, this chaos, would return once again. He tried to avoid this till now, to not think about all it meant, nor upon...The Boy...by throwing himself into Duty, or into work in his other life, but it seemed time had crepted by and as ever Bruce and the others were insistent on discussing things. Of course they were, it was only right that they did, and only his own pain was holding him back from even thinking of the right thing.

"Clark"

"I know Bruce" he answered calmly, though he doubted he could hide his internal struggle from Bruce. The man always seemed to pick up on the smallest of things, and he had been standing silent for an eternity after his friends had asked their question "...he is stable, secure as well, but there is no change. Releasing him from the pod is likely to see him descend into a mindless rage, or begin to degenerate physically, according to the medical database of my computers"

"Is there anything that can be done?"

Clark sighed tiredly, turning away from the mirror of misery "In theory? Yes there can Diana, but that is based on access to technology we do not have here...state of the art Kyrptonian medical technology could address the cloning degradation...if it still existed. Which it does not I'm afraid, the Fortress's are merely the basic systems; knowing of the requirements but not possessing them, both John and Hal have sought to discuss matters with the Guardians but..."

She nodded "That could be some time with matters being as they are"

Clark nodded sadly "Yes, they indicated as much to me as well when I discussed it with them..." he turned his head and glanced at the scowling, and concerned, figure in dark armour "...and they confirmed the need to maintain stasis due to the flawed nature of the cloning. Did you have much luck with these...hidden Cadmus records?"

"Nothing more than we have already confirmed in regards Project Match, but there are indications that Match is the elder of Superboy. When considered from the position of what happened to the human members of League, and the planet, during the children's world crisis and the scans we've taken since...it's clear that Superboy is not a true clone of you Clark. Rather he's a hybrid, half-human as best as Stewart can ascertain with other unknown gene sequences appearing as well; all explaining his reaction to the Red Light event in comparison to yourself and Project Match, and his seemingly restricted abilities"

With his friends behind him and his face hidden he screwed his eyes shut a moment, resisting the urge to take a deep breath in frustration, then reopened them after gritting his teeth instead a moment "Yes, that would make sense...there isn't any sign of mental degradation with the...with Superboy?"

"No, nor physical issues as best our scans, and those of the Lanterns, can tell. Though we are continuing to monitor the situation"

A frustrated sigh "Bruce, Clark...Connor is a good boy, a good man, despite everything that has occurred in bringing him into this world, and I think we might need to consider discussing such matters with him. Even if just for the benefit of his own awareness of his health and potential medical needs. Otherwise he will seek out others, especially in the wake of what's coming down the pipeline"

Clark resisted gritting his teeth in frustration; couldn't the world even give a little time to handle this?

He sighed, the irritation gone and just tiredness in its place. Who was he to deny a young man a chance at a life, and a future, due to his shame and pain over this crime done to him; it was hardly the boy's fault in truth "They kept at the paperwork didn't they?"

"Yes, Connor Kent will be a legal citizen of the Republic of Ireland within a week most likely, before Christmas at the latest. They are considering him his age at his current status, sixteen years of age, but they have indicated willingness to concede upon the League appointing a legal guardian. Owing to the speed since august I believe a faction within the United States government has offered them support in providing supporting documentation for the claim"

"I can hardly come forward as Superman to claim him Bruce, you know the difficulties under US laws with our secret identifies and the court system to act as a legal guardian, let alone the issue of cloning. Nor could Clark Kent come forward of course obviously"

"We understand Clark, and I expect the US government are fine with such diplomatic manoeuvres as no one wants to touch the situation with cloning, AI, and citizenship from the last Supreme Court rulings on the them...but something must be done my friend. I hate to bring it up, but you are not the only one suffering such a violation of their privacy"

'Yes, and how bad must I seem that a teenager is handling the problem better than Superman' he thought, then nodding and turning to face his two friends after one last look in the twisted mirror "But your right as always Bruce; how is Speedy...and Red Arrow and Guardian..." he sighed, God that whole situation was a mess of another scale now wasn't it? "...Green Arrow?"

"Physically Speedy has recovered, but he has lost an arm and is emotionally compromised due to this and the nature of his replacement. Black Canary is handling the situation with Green Arrow as best she can I believe, and Red Arrow...is with Jon for help in removing the mental blocks we have found within his mind and Guardian's. Both are emotionally compromised, and there is the added issue of their loss of citizenship..." Bruce replied calmly and coldly as Clark remember the broken look in Green Arrows eyes only a few days ago "...and I have prepared a League safehouse for Red Arrow temporarily, till a more adequate, and permanent, solutions can be put in place. Guardian at least possesses financial wherewithal, unlike Red Arrow, so once his mind his deemed free of potential control can have his future situation discussed in more detail. How to precede is something we must discuss in more detail once we have dealt with this"

"And, what Bruce has not mentioned yet, is how we tell The Team about this situation as now things have begun to return to some semblance of normality they wish to see their friend. Which is why we need to ensure the situation with Connor is dealt with satisfactorily, and promptly. Artemis is already drifting even without Green Arrow having his own issues, and one spark could tear the group...I know we ask much, but if you would claim him as yours the League can put me forward as his Legal Guardian at the very least"

Clark tensed "You Diana?"

She nodded firmly exchanging a look with Bruce who gave a tight nod of his own "I am a member of the Justice League as Wonder Woman, and my identity as Diana Prince is publically known so allowing me to act as yours and Connors representative, and bridge, for official paperwork. Yes they will hide that from public for the boy's sake but we can't risk...we do not know who the human DNA belongs too, and clones can be legally seen as property by the interpretations of this nations rulings do they not"

"Only in the strictest and narrowest definitions of such rulings..." Bruce replied "...but the last thing that can allow is for Superboy to be considered a test subject, or experimented upon further. We shall have enough difficulty resolving the situation with the clones of Roy Harper, and Project Match should we able to truly heal him, without creating a diplomatic and legal problem with a member of the Team. Not when the world needs the Justice League and its allies to be at its best..." Bruce frowned "...I'm sorry Clark"

"You've nothing to be sorry about Bruce, you've been trying to get through to me for months, you too Diana, and I've tried to bury my head in the sand. But no more, the boy needs...deserves a life of his own, and your right; we do have enough troubles without me adding them..."

--

[04th December 2010]

[Bunker, Beneath Temple to the Shrouded Lord, Tropico]

She hummed happily to herself as she prowled around the large open room that was to be her future laboratory and workshop. Her life might have fallen apart at the end of summer, but in the four months since being freed from the League of Shadows the luck of one Doctor Serling Roquette seemed to have finally turned around somewhat. Not exactly to what she'd envisioned before the nightmarish events, but considering she was hiding from a cabal of murderous (maybe dead, but maybe alive) international assassins being the head scientist of a government organisation was certainly a step up.

The facility was still largely empty, and a Church of all things above them, but it had surged into existence with shocking speed over a three month period. In part due to the facility already in existence in the area buried within the ground, but her own contribution of construction nanites, along with magic (actual magic that still befuddled her!) from various co-workers who could actual use such things. A potential doomsday bunker at that judging from the planned size that would take years to complete, but the parts she cared about were now completed and soon to receive state of the art machinery to work with.

'And of course explore the secrets of the so-called supernatural' she mused to herself, heels clicking off the solid concrete and still bare floor as she walked towards the 'dimensional door' into another part of the facility below. One part a prison, but the other an actual living biome, with trees, and sky and sunshine somehow...how the illusion was created but she really wanted to figure out how this Doctor Fate had created it alongside that odd young man whose team had helped her. Just a dozen 'magicians' casting a 'spell' and sudden...boom!...entire area where reality appeared to have been warped from empty cave to bright and beautiful forest glade.

Glancing to her right as she passed down the still unmarked corridor she saw where the 'arcano-technology' workshop was supposed to go under that skull masked boy and the blue-gold clad flying man. More of those fancy symbols, massive ones like those going everywhere on the walls, glittered gold and red on the ground; how those protections work she could only guess at. Shaking her head she decided to grab a coffee first, perhaps she could get the paperwork finished in time to get out to the beach with her bodyguards before it turned to night above them...

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