Timeline: Post Infiltrator for YJ. Post series for justice league.
Notes: Supergirl doesn't have a stated age in the series until her 21st birthday. So I'm going with Clark found her at 18-19 to match up around the college aged Babs.
Catching Icarus
Chapter One: Escape from Crete
Felix Faust was a asshole.
That was Superboy's first thought as he regained consciousness. Groaning, the Kryptonian's head was spinning and his stomach was doing backflips. No amount of invulnerability ever prepared for the harsh sting of magic. He forced himself into a standing position in the midst of a pile of flattened boxes that had acted as his cushion and tried to regain his bearings.
The Team had been working beside the League to investigate the movements of the Felix Faust. The dark sorcerer had broken into multiple museums carrying objects belonging to Morgan Le Faye. They had a planned a sting operation in the Metropolis History Museum when the wizard had appeared, well prepared for the legion of heroes awaiting him.
It had been a tough battle but the combined forces of Superman and Zatara had brought the wizard to his knees. Before the magic blocking collar could be placed on him, the wizard released one final shot aimed at Superman.
Superboy had moved instinctively and pushed the Kryptonian aside. Taking the blow for himself.
Finding himself no longer in the museum, but a empty warehouse instead, he realized the wizard must have transported him away.
He tried to call out for his teammates.
"M'gann, Kid Flash, Artemis, Aqualad, Robin, can anybody hear me?"
Silence.
He was out of range for the mental link at least. He tapped the communicator in his ear and called for his team again but still more silence. He tapped it gain to change the channel to contact the older heroes.
"Batman? Red Tornado? Canary?"
Rewarded with the suddenly deafening sound of static, he frowned. Faust's magic must have messed with his tech..
Walking out of the warehouse, Superboy saw the distant sight of the Daily Planet. Confirming at least that he was still in Metropolis. Leaping into the air, he prepared to leap back to the Museum, when he heard a sharp cry of distress in the distance.
The League could wait a few minutes,. Changing directions, he jumped towards the sound and Superboy found the site of a fire in the middle of a burning two story building. A group of worried bystanders standing in front of it.
"My babies are in there," a woman in the group cried.
Landing roughly in front of the structure, the ground splintering under his feet, Superboy turned on his infrared to search for survivors. Locating two figures huddling in the upper level, he ripped the door open and made his way inside the blaze.
The heat didn't burn the kryptonian but it did sting. Stray flames licking at his T-shirt, making Superboy certain it would join so many of its fallen brethren by the end of the day as he made his way up the stairs. The stairs nearly collapsing under his weight.
Superboy never felt more envious of Superman's ice breath than he did at this moment. As the blaze continued to only get hotter. He managed to make his way up the flight as they collapsed behind him.
Shaking it off, Superboy quickly located the survivors. Two girls no older than six and ten respectively holding each other for dear life.
"It's okay," he said gently, hooking his arms around the children, that instantly wrapped their arms around his neck. "I'm here to help."
"Superman?" The older girl said, pointing to his emblem.
Superboy bit his tongue. His parental issues don't matter at the moment. "Something like that." Locating the closest window, he ordered the children. "Hold tight, okay?"
Kicking the glass out, Superboy leapt out of the building and landed safely into the ground. The inferno exploding behind him.
Giving the children a once over, Superboy let them go to reunite with their mother. He heard the distant sounds of fire trucks and ambulances. The Kryptonian was about to leave when he felt a hand clasp around his own. The younger of the two girls had returned and clasped his hand tightly, as the older led her parent back to him.
"Thank you," the mother of the children said embracing him before he could react, forcing the boy to stiffen instantly from the contact. "You saved my children. I can never thank you enough."
"Look, mommy," the younger girl said, pointing at the emblem again. "Like Superman."
"I'm Superboy," he said gruffly. Doing his best to ignore the warm feeling that was coming from his chest. The praise cleansing him like water. "The ambulances will be here in a few minutes. Get yourself checked out." Superboy turned to the side to see the spectators taking out their phones and recording him.
He sighed.
Batman was going to kill him for this.
The Kryptonian clone was about to leap away when a bracingly cold breeze over took the area. The flames turning brittle as glass as Superman descended gently down.
Superboy looked away instinctively as the Kryptonian landed mere inches away, viewing Superman through his perpherials. He didn't need to see the man give him another harsh glare or chastisement when he did a good deed. Not that the man would care.
"Is everyone alright?" He said jovially. As though he wasn't inches away from his clone. His eyes burning through Superboy as hotly as his heat vision.
"Superboy saved us!" The older girl chirped. The younger nodding furiously in agreement.
"You raised a very fine man," the mother agreed.
Superman still smiling gave a non-committal sound of agreement, causing Superboy to clench his fists. "I'm just going to borrow…Superboy, for a bit if that's alright."
"Of course. Of course! Thank you again." The mother said gratefully heading towards the ambulances and fire trucks finally appearing in the view.
As soon as the family of three were safely away, the joy slipped off Superman like water. Returning him to the man Superboy was used to seeing.
Angry.
Disgusted.
Scared.
"Come with me," Superman ordered, clutching Superboy's shoulder enough to bruise. As though Superboy didn't just moments ago take a blow for him. Yanking him into the sky, with one arm, Superboy was dragged limply behind him.
Clark rarely got exhausted. But the past few weeks were doing its best to challenge that notion.
In the aftermath of Darkseid's invasion, it seemed like a new super villain attack was happening every day. Even with the extended league, it was a rare moment for the kryptonian to catch a breath.
Lex had returned and somehow managed to wheedle his way into a pardon after his part in stopping Darkseid. Lingering effects of the mind control of Brainiac he claimed that he was finally purified of.
And while he was keeping his head down, Clark knew it wouldn't be for long.
After a long day at the planet, Clark was rewarded with a scream. Flying to the site, Superman saw plumes of smoke from a burning building.
He was about to touch down when he felt a tremor.
It was—
It was him.
Younger, surlier. But the boy was him in miniature.
A clone.
Now it wasn't Clark's first time with a clone. Bizarro, Galatea, there were a untold amount of people who would love to recreate their own kryptonian. And lots of opportunities for them to get another sample of his blood.
But seeing one so young felt so wrong. The boy in front of him was younger than Kara when he found her. Fifteen-sixteen, he'd guess. The idea of them weaponizing a child made his stomach recoil.
The boy without blinking ripped the door open and went inside the building to retrieve the pair of children. Recklessly, Clark added mentally. The boy didn't use his ice breath, didn't fly as he helped the children out of the building.
Why was he being so careless when there were lives at stake?
Unable to wait anymore, the Kryptonian started to descend smothering the flames with his ice breath. Making sure to stay close to the boy just in case like Bizarro decided to attack randomly as the boy talked to the civilians he saved.
The boy immediately looked away from him. Not a good first impression. He ignored it momentarily to check if anyone needed help.
"Superboy saved us!" One of the children proclaimed.
"You raised a very fine man."
He grunted in response.
Superboy.
His name was Superboy. The name sounded like a mockery with this child that was far more boy than Super. He stared at the boy—the far too young boy, hoping one of his many visions could unlock what was going on in his head. But the boy seemed determined to not look at him.
After managing to shop the civilians away, he gripped the boy firmly, the same way he used to do Kara, to get the boy to look at him. A sense of unease overcoming him as he saw his eyes on another, younger face.
"We need to talk," he said. Hoping the boy didn't take if as a threat. He dragged the boy to follow him but the boy hung limply from his arms like a sack of potatoes.
How come he didn't fly?
Realization hits him like a bolt from the blue and he descends to the first available rooftop as quickly as possible. The boy hit the ground unceremoniously and he instantly made as much space as he could between himself and Clark.
"Did I hurt you?" He asked sincerely apologetic, taking a small step towards him. The last thing he wanted to do was frighten him. "I didn't mean to. I forgot. I couldn't fly at this age either."
When did he learn to fly again? Sixteen? Seventeen? Kara had taken to it like a fish out of water. But she had been older. He had forgotten. Superboy was about the age his powers first started to develop.
He had merely went into the fire with what little power he did have to help those people.
"You couldn't?" The boy asked in surprise, rubbing his bruising arm. Clark winced as he saw the outline of his hand in the shoulder (his invulnerability wasn't as strong that age either) causing the boy to frown even further.
"Nope," he confirmed
And the boy instantly perked up.
"Really? No one told—I thought—I thought you were born with all your powers." Superboy looked as though someone had told him the secrets to the universe. He whispered the next part to himself, but Clark caught it. "So I'm not defective."
Clark frowned. What exactly had people been telling this kid? Before he could ask who exactly told him that he was, the boy spoke up again.
"Where is everyone? Still at the museum?"
"Where is who?"
"The team," the boy said as though that was obvious. As though Clark would know what team he was was talking about. "My communicator stopped working, Felix Faust's blast shorted it out."
There are so many things Clark wants to ask about in that statement. But his stomach tightens at the mention of the wizard. The lingering sense of unease he felt transforming into full blown dread.
"Felix Faust's dead. Dead for years in fact."
The boy's eyes widen with fervent light. "Impossible. I just fought him. We did."
Clark could feel the boy heating up. And decided to drop this line of questioning. It wasn't the first time one do their enemies came back from the dead. What would one more be?
Best change the subject to something safer.
Stretching his hand out, he introduced himself. "I'm Superman. What's your name?" he asked.
The boy's jaw clenched tightly at that. Hurt replacing anger in his features.
"Y-You don't know me?" He asked.
Clark shook his head.
His expression changed again to one of loss, like Clark had stolen something precious away. He stared intently at him for several moments, as though waiting for Clark to reveal it was a cruel joke.
Whatever fight he has is knocked out of him. And he deflated, hanging his head down in surrender.
"I'm the—I'm Superboy. I'm your clone."
"You brought him here?" Bruce hissed when he arrived at the Watchtower, the boy safely in his arms.
"Do you know me?" Superboy asked the Dark Knight.
"No."
The boy regains the lost look from earlier and Bruce looked away instantly. His instinct for protecting children at war with his paranoia. But Superboy continued on despite the dismissal.
"Where's Robin? Kid Flash? Aqualad? Miss Martian? They'll know me. Let me see them."
Bruce managed to avoid giving away his terror at hearing his sidekick's name to the clone. But Clark could hear his heartbeat pounding a mile in betrayal.
"Put him in the that room," he ordered. "We need to talk."
He doesn't need to elaborate and Clark guided Superboy to the only lab in the watchtower that had red sun lamps. To avoid the poison of kryptonite cutting into him on the off chance he needed surgery. Or the more common event of mind control. The room ran constantly under the red sunlight, as a anti-Superman room.
The room instantly made him wobble as he felt the yellow rays leave him. He turned to see a now very nauseous Superboy and guided him to sit on a spare bed, Clark feeling a stab of guilt as he did so.
Superboy obviously didn't know what red sunlight did to his body. The confusion evident on his face as he looked at the bright red lights. Looking even younger to Clark than he did before. Clark promised himself that he would apologize to him for all this suspicion after this was all cleared up.
"I'll get someone to stay with you."
"Canary?" he asked hopefully.
Of all the names he could have said, he didn't think that heroine to leave the boy's lips. But it was a simple enough wish to make him a little more comfortable. Walking to the intercom, he requested Canary and Shayera for good measure to stay with the boy while he talked to Bruce.
After several minutes, the two heroines arrived. Staring at the boy in the bed puzzlingly.
"I'll be right back," he told the Superboy, who nodded at him cautiously, as though he didn't quite believe him.
"Hey, kid," Canary said cheerfully dropping a deck on his lap. "How good are you at cards?"
"Not very?"
"Well, we can't have that," Shayera added, winking at Clark. "Let's play some poker while Superman takes care of business."
The boy sighed and he collapsed on the bed like sack of potatoes.
"Okay."
The emergency founders' meeting on the first floor of the watch lower was tense and heavy. The six heroes minus Shayera were huddled over a table chatting rapidly between themselves.
"Another clone?" Diana said horrified.
"That Galatea girl was bad enough," Flash adds. "Now there's a baby Supes in the picture?"
"There could be a whole series of clones," Bruce added grimly. "Like the Ultimen. He mentioned several names. Miss Martian, Kid Flash, Aqualad. There maybe more. We'll need to find them as soon as possible."
Clark notices he omits Robin.
Wally's expression turns scandalized. "A baby me?"
"One is too many," John agreed.
"I don't think he wants to hurt anyone." Clark adds, stewing over his short time he had with the kid. "He doesn't seem violent? Galatea enjoyed hurting people. The first thing I saw him do was save some kids from a fire."
"That could be just to get us to lower our guard," Bruce said. "Bizarro started off saving people too and we know how he turned out. At the very least, we have to worry about him being another genetic time bomb like he was."
Clark winced at that. Bizarro was a tragedy, the creature genuinely wanted to be a hero. But his DNA had betrayed him. Seeing the boy devolve into that…
Clark wouldn't let that happen.
"Kara is gone," Diana said gently, placing a hand on Clark's. "They maybe be using this Superboy to get closer to you."
Kara's name was a dull blade. He knew objectively his cousin was thriving in the future. The girl he found became a wonderful woman, heroic, kind and strong. But it was lonely without her around anymore. She was the only one who had understood what it was like to live with their powers. What it was like to be Kryptonian.
"You don't have to worry about that."
"I…" Diana is cut off by J'onn's voice.
"I think it's best if I go through his mind," J'onn said speaking up for the first time. "It's our best bet to find where these other clones are. And who created them."
Bruce gave a nod of agreement.
"Green Lantern, take Vixen, Fire, Ice and Arrow to investigate the surrounding area Superman found Superboy for clues. Rest of us will stay here and interrogate the boy. Dismissed."
As they all filed out, Wally said. "I'm going to see how baby Supes looks before Bats puts the fear of god in him."
He zipped away before Clark could say a word.
"Do you know who I am?" Superboy asked Black Canary as soon as Superman left the lab. The smell of anesthetic was choking and Superboy doubted he'll ever hate a smell more than that of a all too clean lab. Reminding him too much of Cadmus. He adjusted his pillow as He ignored the ache of the bruise Superman had given him. His skin turning a ugly, violent purple. The bright, red room made him dizzier and weaker by the second. Was this what kryptonite felt like?.
She shook her head. Just like everyone else. And Superboy feels a pang of loss as he stared at the blonde woman who trained with him on so many nights.
Was this Felix Faust's curse? Have the world forget he exists? Is that why his communicator stopped working?
Did everyone forget about him?
Batman wouldn't let him see his team. The cold glance he sent him reminded him of their first meeting. When he called him a it.
Superboy didn't like that Batman.
Superman on the other hand was strangely nice. Superman was looking at him. Superman was talking to him.
Superman was being nice to him.
It felt like a eerie dream. All he needed was him was to forget he ever existed to be cordial to him.
And that hurt so much more than the glares ever could.
He just wanted this stupid spell to go away.
"Do you know who I am?" Hawkwoman says, mirroring his question.
"Hawkwoman…Your costume is different."
"Hawkwoman?" Hawkwoman says with a laugh. Her armor and mask traded for a yellow sweat pants and a stomach exposing yellow top. Her mace hanging loosely from her waist. "Well, aren't you a polite boy?"
Superboy is puzzled by her words but remains silent. He had never spoken to the heroine. He had never even seen her away from her husband before.
"This won't stop of us from beating you at cards you know." Hawkwoman said. "And please just call me Shayera. I haven't been Hawkgirl in a long time."
Superboy stared at her bemused.
They played a few rounds of poker. Superboy wa terrible at the game, and they suggest Go Fish for a simpler game.
He still managed to be terrible at it.
"Where's the team?" He asked again, hoping the two women will be more understanding than Batman. "Please, I just want to talk to any of them. They'll know me."
The two shared a look before Black Canary tried to comfort him. At least her kindness remained even if her memories didn't. "Just wait a bit longer. We'll get things cleared up."
He pushed on despite the dismissal.
"Please, Kaldur'ahm, M'gann M'orzz,Wally West, let me see any of them," he said, hoping the intimacy of using their names will prove they were close.
Black Canary gave him a blank look but Shayera's smile transforms into a tight line.
"Wally?" She repeated, reaching for her mace. Superboy inched away from her instinctively. "Where did you hear that name?"
Did she think he wanted to hurt them? He'd never.
"Kid Flash told me," he said, hoping she'll believe him. He doesn't—can't fight the league. "Please let me see him."
"You want to see Wally West?" She repeated again.
"Yes!"
"Who wants to see me?" Flash asks, knocking on the door, waving at the inhabitants. "Canary, Shayera, kid."
"I'm going to see myself out," Canary said, giving him a supportive squeeze as she exited the room. "Looks like you all have a lot to talk about."
"Well looks like you got your chance, kid," Shayera pushed. "Say what you want to say."
He scowled. He didn't want to play a game of telephone with Wally's uncle. He wanted the real article.
"I want to see Wally."
"Right here," said the Flash, pointing at himself. "Wally West. This guy. Me Llamo Wally West."
Superboy clenched his fists. "No, you're not."
Shayera and Flash shared another look.
"Is that so?" Shayera said quietly.
"Why do you think I'm not?" Flash asked.
"Because I know him!" He snapped, hugging his knees. He was tired of these mind games. They might not remember him but he knew them better than he knew himself. "He's sixteen, he has a crush on Miss Martian, he idolizes his uncle so much he gave himself his powers to be like him. Wally eats too much and talks too much and he showed me the moon. He's my friend and he's not you!"
Flash opened and closed his mouth several times, no words coming out. After multiple attempts, the speedster groaned loudly while he palmed his face.
He removed his cowl in one quick movement, letting the clone see his face.
The freckles were gone and the face was older. But Superboy recognized it instantly.
Wally West was staring back at him.
Think this is like about a three-five chapter story? Something actively smaller than All We Know.