A/N: I own nothing you recognize.
I wasn't planning on posting another chapter until I had posted another chapter on my Avatar: The Last Airbender story, but I just hit a block and couldn't figure out how I wanted the next ATLA chapter to proceed, so I decided to just publish the second YJ chapter anyway.
This chapter is about half the length of the first chapter, but I think it's still slightly longer than the average chapter in the previous Naomi stories, and you will see that trend continue in future chapters as well. As I said before, I don't plan on splitting episodes/comics between chapters. So I hope you like long chapters! If not...well, let me know in a comment, and I can see what I can do for ya.
Thank you to those who have already followed, favorited, and/or commented. It really does mean the world to me to see that others are interested in this character that has lived in my head in one version or another for the past six-ish years.
Here's chapter two, where you are introduced to a new, original villain for Lark.
2.0 - Fireworks
Location: Unknown
Date: Monday, July 05, 2010
Time: 1149 local
Beep-beep. Beep-beep.
A regal-looking woman in a sharp pant suit glanced at her phone, a slight frown gracing her soft features.
{Excuse me, love,} she sighed, addressing her husband. {My board is being summoned.}
She stood and after buttoning her suit jacket, walked toward the hidden entrance in her husband's office, the carpet muffling the purposeful click-clack of her heels. An invisible scan verified her identity before it allowed her into the secret room where she could conduct the true business behind her husband's enterprise.
Once the door had slid shut behind her, the room darkened and eight screens lowered from the ceiling, all but one glowing pale blue with white silhouettes in the center.
The last screen showed a middle-aged man with brown hair graying at the temples pulled away from his face in a low ponytail. He adjusted his dark-framed glasses nervously as he waited to be addressed.
"Doctor Desmond," L-1's deep voice spoke up, "you require an audience with the Light?"
"Yes," the good doctor said, a little fearfully. "Very sorry to disturb you at this late hour—"
"Working hours, for some," the woman interrupted dryly. It was the first time Desmond had heard the screen labeled L-3 speak, and he noted she spoke with a moderate accent, which he was fairly certain was East Asian. The second thing he took note of was her thinly veiled frustration, and he shivered a little at the tone.
"Just make your report," L-4 cut in.
"Of course!" Doctor Desmond exclaimed. He cleared his throat and began his story. "Well, we had a small fire here at Project Cadmus. The origin of the incident is still unclear," he admitted, "but it seems to have attracted some...unwanted attention.
"Four sidekicks—Lark, Robin, Kid Flash, and Aqualad—breached security," he explained. "They found and released the weapon, the Superboy. Of course, the clone is under our telepathic control," he reassured hastily, "and, as ordered, turned against his would-be liberators. The four are contained and we don't believe the League knows they're here."
After a pause, Doctor Desmond asked uncertainly, "Uh...what should I do with them?"
"Clone them," L-4 said immediately.
"All but the girl," L-3 spoke up firmly. "If I discover there is a duplicate," she added with a growl, "I cannot ensure your safety or the safety of those closest to you."
Doctor Desmond swallowed nervously at the dark edge in her tone but nodded.
"The substitutes will serve the Light, and only the Light," L-1 continued.
"And the originals?" Doctor Desmond asked, though he got the feeling he already knew the answer.
"Dispose of all but the girl," L-3 said again. "I expect there to be only one when you're through."
"May I ask why?" Doctor Desmond questioned hesitantly.
"You may," she drawled. "But that does not guarantee my answer." The doctor swallowed again at the menacing tone in the woman's voice, and he nodded quickly in understanding. "Good," she said. "Leave no trace."
A smirk crossed Doctor Desmond's face; that, he could certainly do.
Halfway around the world, the well-dressed woman in the dark room began plotting her next move. That next move, which had been primed years before, was an important one, and while highly risky, also promised to be very high reward.
She swept back into her husband's office and said simply, {It's time.}
Location: Project Cadmus, Washington, D.C.
Date: Monday, July 05, 2010
Time: 0001 EDT
{Time runs short. You must awaken. You must awaken now!}
Lark's eyes snapped open and it took her a moment to remember where she was. She was reminded when her entire body began to ache and she groaned softly as she took stock her main injuries: an uncomfortable, warm tingling sensation enveloping her throat courtesy of the Superboy's fist and a slight burning in her upper arm where the genomorph had dug its claws into her.
Forcing the pain to the back of her mind, Lark glanced around to gain her bearings. She was prone like a starfish, her wrists and ankles shackled to the back of the box in which she was suspended, and upon closer inspection, she saw it was similar to Superboy's own pod. Glancing her left, she saw Robin, who was in an identical casing as hers.
She blinked her eyes to clear the fuzziness from her vision and saw Superboy standing in front of them, his brows furrowed as he observed them.
"What?" Lark heard Kid Flash snap beyond Robin. "Wha-what do you want?" Superboy remained silent. "Quit staring," the speedster demanded. "You're creeping me out."
"Uh, K.F.," Robin said, "how about we not tick off the guy who can fry us with a look."
"We only sought to help you," Aqualad spoke up, his voice the most distant from Lark.
"Yeah," Kid Flash said angrily. "We free you, and you turn on us! How's that for grat—"
"Kid," Lark cut in sharply, "if you don't shut your mouth, I swear—"
She was in turn interrupted by Aqualad. "I believe our new friend was not in full control of his actions," he said evenly, sparing Lark and Kid Flash a disgruntled look the best he could from his pod before returning his full attention to the clone.
"Wha-what if I...what if I wasn't?" Superboy said finally, his voice a little rough from lack of use.
"He can talk?" Kid Flash exclaimed, clearly surprised.
"Yes, he can," Superboy snapped, clenching his hands into fists and glaring at Kid Flash.
Lark couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Duh," she said. "The Boy Scout can, why shouldn't he be able to?"
"Not like I said 'it,'" the speedster said defensively.
"The genomorphs taught you telepathically," Aqualad prompted, turning Superboy's attention away from the bumbling Kid Flash.
"They taught me much," Superboy confirmed slowly. "I can read, write. I-I know the names of things."
"But have you ever seen them in person?" Lark asked softly.
"Have they ever actually let you see the sky? Or the sun?" Robin added.
"Images are implanted in my mind," Superboy explained. "But, no," he admitted slowly, glancing down with a slight frown. "I have not seen them."
"Do you know what you are, who you are?" Aqualad asked.
"I am the Superboy," he replied immediately, staring up at them confidently, "a genomorph, a clone from the DNA of the Superman, created to replace him should he perish, to destroy him should he turn from the light."
His response sounded rehearsed, and Lark found herself wondering how many times that mantra had been shoved down his throat. The prospect was terrifying, of course, and one of the reasons she had been skeptical to release Superboy in the first place, but now that he was awake and she was able to look into his eyes, she could only feel sorry for him. His entire existence was built on a lie, and he was about to be thrust, quite rudely, into reality.
"To be like Superman is a worthy aspiration," Aqualad replied levelly, snapping Lark out of her thoughts. "But like Superman, you deserve a life of your own. Beyond that solar suit, beyond your pod. Beyond Cadmus."
"I live because of Cadmus!" Superboy defended angrily, glaring at Aqualad. "It is my home!"
"Your home is a pod," Lark said patiently. "And that pod is a prison," she corrected after a beat. She searched imploringly for Superboy's gaze, and when he finally met her stare, he seemed to deflate a little.
"We can show you the sun," Robin promised.
"Uh, pretty sure it's after midnight," Kid Flash corrected unhelpfully. "But we can show you the moon!" he added quickly.
"We can show you, introduce you, to Superman," Aqualad finished, and Lark read the look in Superboy's eyes; they had him.
Suddenly, a voice called out, "No, they can't!"
Lark's gaze snapped to the voice and she saw three figures enter the room: Guardian and two people, a man and a woman, in lab coats. All three had a little genomorph on their shoulder.
"They'll be otherwise occupied." It was the man in the middle who spoke, somewhat savagely. He turned to the woman on his left. "Activate the cloning process," he commanded.
"Pass!" Robin called as Lark barked out a laugh to hide the sudden uneasiness that bubbled in her stomach at the prospect of being cloned. "Batcave's crowded enough."
"And get the weapon back in its pod!" the man shouted at Guardian, ignoring Robin completely.
"Hey, how come he gets to call Supey an 'it'?" Kid Flash asked out loud as Guardian marched up behind Superboy.
"Not the priority, Kid," Lark snapped, more harshly than she intended, her heartbeat loud and fast in her ears.
The blue-garbed head of security placed a hand on the clone's shoulder, and Superboy glanced briefly at Lark, then Aqualad.
"Help us," the Atlantean appealed to the clone softly.
Guardian started to pull Superboy backward, but he shrugged off the man's hand and refused to move.
"Don't start thinking now!" the man in the lab coat exclaimed, sounding exasperated. As he passed Superboy and Guardian, the genomorph perched on his shoulder leapt off and landed lightly on Superboy's. Its horns started to glow, and Lark felt her stomach sink.
"See, you're not a real boy," the man explained in a patronizing way, facing Superboy. "You're a weapon, and you belong to me! Well, to Cadmus," he admitted, sounding annoyed at the fact, but he quickly added, "Same thing. Now get back to your pod!"
Obediently, Superboy turned and started walking toward the door. Lark was left to stare desperately after him before he disappeared from sight.
After a nod from the man, the woman started pressing buttons on the controls off to the side. Nothing happened in Lark's pod, but she startled when her campions began to scream in pain. Her eyes widened and her heart clenched.
"What are you doing to them?!" she demanded, starting to strain against her restraints in vain, the pain of her injuries forgotten. "Stop it! Stop!"
The man looked completely unfazed by her screeching curses or the others' pained cries, but Lark noticed the woman at the controls flinch as she stared resolutely at the panel in front of her.
"How can you be okay with this?" Lark yelled at the woman, hoping she would come to her senses and stop whatever it was that was happening to her brother and their companions. The woman shut her eyes, but the little genomorph on her shoulder seemed to sense her wavering. Its horns glowed, and the conflict in her knitted eyebrows eased.
Rage began to boil in Lark's blood. Her lip twitched upward in a snarl as black began to creep into her vision. She glared venomously at the man in charge, with his smug smirk and stupid ponytail. Her fists clenched and the lights flickered.
The man's eyes widened in surprise as he looked frantically for the source. His mouth then dropped in shock when he realized that the shadows that had previously lay flat and still around the cavernous space were starting to twitch and pulse.
He rushed to the controls and shoved aside the woman. He slammed his hand down on the controls and two arms shot out from the bottom of Lark's pod, four probes springing out of each. They dug themselves into her chest and suddenly, Lark was only aware of the pain.
The shadows stilled and became inanimate once more, and the woman looked around nervously. "What was that?" she asked timidly.
"That, Doctor Spence," Doctor Mark Desmond said with a growing smirk, "is enough reason to disobey orders." He watched greedily as blood began to fill the glass globe beneath Lark's pod, and continued, "Clone them all, then dispose of the boys. The Light can have the clone of the girl while we study the original."
Normally, he wouldn't dare double-cross his employers, but L-3 had been so interested in keeping the girl a unique specimen. Like a child, what Mark Desmond couldn't have, he wanted the most. He could usually keep his impulses under control, but this girl...there was something special about this girl, and he wanted to know exactly what it was.
He stared on as the children screamed and writhed in pain. A vicious gleam glossed over the dark eyes of Doctor Desmond as he stared up at Lark, his gaze that of a man eyeing some prize catch. Had Lark been aware of the eyes that settled on her, she would have shuddered. Instead, her sole focus was the pain that had become her whole world.
After what felt like a century, the probes suddenly left her flesh and Lark peeled her eyes open (when had they closed?) to see Superboy at the end of the room, the door over his head. She sighed in relief and began working on the cuffs around her wrist, wincing at the aftershocks that caused an occasional spasm through her body.
Desmond, Spence, and Guardian rushed forward to stop Superboy's advance. "I told you to get back to your—" Desmond was cut off when he was shoved aside, quite easily on Superboy's part.
"Don't give me orders," Superboy said lowly, glaring down at Desmond. Then he turned to the pods.
"You here to help us or fry us?" Kid Flash challenged, glaring at Superboy, and Lark was too busy trying to keep her hand steady as she picked the locks around her wrists to scold the speedster for unnecessarily antagonizing the person who had just saved them from being cloned and disposed like yesterday's garbage.
Superboy narrowed his eyes in concentration, almost as if he was testing to see if he had the ability to fry them. He finally relaxed and said, "Huh. I don't seem to have heat vision, so I suppose helping is my only option."
There was a hiss as Lark's pod opened and she dropped to the ground a moment before Robin, taking a shaky breath as her knees gave out. She slowly pushed herself to her feet, combing her fingers through her hair to unstick it from her sweaty skin.
"Ahh, finally!" Robin exclaimed, rubbing his wrists. "Lucky Batman isn't here. He'd have our heads for taking so long!"
"Seriously?" Kid Flash deadpanned from above them.
"Not the priority," Lark groaned again, rotating her injured arm gingerly to test her range of motion.
"That's what you're worried about?" the speedster went on. "The whole League will have our heads after tonight!" he yelled.
Lark pressed a button on the controls, causing the probes to disappear and the cases to open for Kid Flash and Aqualad.
"Free Aqualad," Robin told Superboy. "I'll get Kid Mouth."
"Don't you give me orders either," Superboy said sharply, glaring at the Boy Wonder.
"Ya, we can discuss this later," Lark said sharply, stepping between the two. "Right now, let's focus on getting out of here, preferably alive and un-cloned." Superboy didn't say anything but he jumped to Aqualad's side all the same. He easily ripped off the cuffs and caught the Atlantean as he slumped forward.
Once Robin had freed Kid Flash, the five dashed for the gaping hole created by Superboy when he had ripped out the giant mechanical door.
"You-you'll never get out of here!" Desmond called behind them, still on the floor. "I'll have you back in pods before morning!"
Lark shook her head and tsked. "Don't make promises you can't keep," she sneered down at him as she stopped at the entrance.
"This guy is not whelmed, not whelmed at all," Robin said, reaching into his utility belt and throwing four exploding disks at the globes beneath each of their holding cells, globes Lark realized contained their blood.
"What is it with you and this 'whelmed' thing?" Kid Flash asked.
"You better get used to it," Lark said with a little chuckle as she took off down the hall, Robin and Kid Flash right behind her. "I get the feeling this is the beginning of a trend." From the depths of the room, she heard explosions and crashes, and she knew Cadmus wouldn't be getting their DNA any time soon.
"We are still forty-two levels below ground," Aqualad pointed out as they ran through the strange-looking halls. "But if we can make it to the elevator..."
He trailed off as their path became blocked by the same type of large genomorphs from before. Behind them, the bulbous things attached to the walls began glowing red, and a moment later, their skins burst to reveal more of the small genomorphs.
Aqualad, Lark, Robin, and Kid Flash started weaving their way through the large genomorphs. They were clear of the giant creatures when Lark heard Superboy yelling and felt the floor rumble.
"Superboy!" Aqualad yelled. "The goal is escape, not to bury ourselves here!"
"You want escape?!" Superboy roared. He single-handedly took down the elephant-sized genomorphs, finishing them off by picking up one of the fallen and hurling it at the last two standing creatures.
They finally reached the elevator bank and Aqualad pried open the doors again. Lark glanced up and felt dismayed at the number of floors they had to climb.
Kid Flash began hopping the narrow ledges that lined the elevator shaft, and Lark, having lost her grapple gun, wrapped her arm around Robin's shoulder as he rappelled them upward. Superboy grabbed Aqualad just as the large genomorphs began to approach, and he leapt into the air to fly. But several seconds later, they slowed as gravity started to take hold.
"I-I'm falling," Superboy called in disbelief.
In a flash, a birdarang sailed through the air and landed with a shink! into the elevator shaft's wall. Aqualad managed to grab onto the sleek dark purple projectile, holding his and Superboy's weight.
"Superman can fly," the clone muttered. "Why can't I fly?"
"Dunno," Kid Flash shrugged as he, Lark, and Robin dropped onto the little ledge that ringed the walls. "But it looks like you can leap tall buildings in a single bound. Still cool," he added quickly.
Aqualad managed to yank the purple birdarang out of the wall before dropping onto the ledge with the rest of the young heroes and he passed it to Lark.
"Thanks," she said. He gave her a small smile in response.
"Guys, this'll have to be our exit!" Robin warned. Lark glanced up and saw an elevator was on its way down. Quickly, Superboy busted the doors and they stumbled into a (thankfully) normal-looking hallway, just in time.
Their good luck ran out almost immediately, as genomorphs appeared in front of them. They quickly took the left hall and began running.
"Go left! Left!" Superboy suddenly called from the front of the pack and everyone followed blindly. "Right!" he instructed next.
"Great directions, Supey!" Kid Flash exclaimed angrily as they skidded to a stop at the dead end. "You trying to get us re-podded?"
"No. I-I don't understand," Superboy said, his eyes wide in surprise.
"Don't apologize!" Robin exclaimed gleefully from beside Lark. "This is perfect!"
Lark followed his gaze and grinned: the air vents. She had long ago learned how to travel through air vents silently, and since then, Batman had designated her to air vent duty.
Robin shot his grapple at the vent and gave the cord a tug, causing the metal cover to pop off. Superboy helped each of them in, Robin first, then Aqualad, and Kid Flash. Lark smiled in thanks as she was helped up and Superboy gave her a small one in return.
With a little maneuvering, Lark let Superboy pass in front of her before leaning out of the vent. Using the grapple gun Robin had passed off, she used it to snag the vent cover and pull it flush in its original position, making sure to cover their tracks.
Confident it would hold, Lark hurried to join the others.
"Ah, at this rate, we'll never get out," Kid Flash grumbled after they had crawled several hundred feet.
"Shh!" Superboy said quickly. "Listen," he whispered.
"Keep going," Lark hissed from the rear. "We'll just get caught if we stop."
"This way," Robin motioned, and the five started off again.
They crawled for several more yards before Robin brought everyone to a halt. He fiddled with his computer and a moment later, he said with a grin, "I hacked the motion sensors!" He sounded quite pleased with himself.
"Sweet," Kid Flash grinned.
"There are still plenty of them between us and out," Lark pointed out with a raised eyebrow.
"But I've finally got room to move!" he declared. The speedster pulled his goggles over his eyes and then burst through the door leading to a stairwell and raced up the stairs. He met the smaller genomorphs first and easily plowed through them, leaving the way open for Aqualad, Lark, Robin, and Superboy.
"More behind us!" Robin warned after consulting his holo-computer. Superboy let the others pass before stopping and stomping his foot on the top step of the staircase. It crumbled, taking the genomorphs with it.
They finally made it to the top of the stairs, and Kid Flash raced ahead again. Alarms were blaring once more and red lights pulsed, and Lark knew before she saw the speedster sprawled on the floor that their way had been blocked.
"We're cut off from the street," Aqualad proclaimed, coming up behind Kid Flash.
"Thanks," the redhead said sarcastically, rubbing his forehead. "My head hadn't noticed."
Superboy stepped forward and tried punching through the doors, but that didn't even put a dent in them. Aqualad hurried toward him to help, but to no avail.
"Can't hack fast enough," Robin huffed, his fingers flying across his holographic keyboard.
Behind them, the larger genomorphs appeared. "This way!" Lark called, kicking open a door to her right. Everyone hurried through.
However, before they got very far, they were stopped by Guardian and a whole troop of genomorphs of all sizes.
Lark glared at the so-called hero, pulling out several birdarangs as she did, getting ready for a fight.
The next thing she knew, though, she was waking up with a killer headache on the ground beside Aqualad, Robin, and Kid Flash, wondering how the hell she had gotten there. Superboy stood above them, facing the tall, slender genomorph they had seen in the bizarre-looking hallway. Lark got to her feet unsteadily, though her eyes narrowed as she prepared herself for whatever came next.
"Guardian?" Aqualad asked hesitantly, turning to the helmeted man when he winced and rubbed his forehead.
"Go," he said, his eyes narrowing. "I'll deal with Desmond." A certain bitterness colored his tone.
"I think not." Guardian and the genomorphs turned, Desmond coming into view. He glared at all of them, the fire in his eyes intense. "Project Blockbuster will give me the power to restore order to Cadmus," he declared with a growl, lifting a test tube filled with light blue liquid. Before any of them could react, he threw back his head and swallowed the thing in one gulp.
Lark watched, horrified, as Desmond fell to his knees and then began to expand, shredding his shirt and lab coat to ribbons. His eyes became black and red, and his skin began to peel away from his flesh, revealing a new blue skin underneath.
The Blockbuster monster straightened with a roar, and everyone waited, watching as he scanned them.
"Everyone back!" Guardian called, facing Blockbuster and throwing his arm to the side to keep any of the teens from rushing forward. Guardian launched himself at the monster, but he was easily swatted away like an annoying insect.
Superboy leapt at Blockbuster and got in a solid punch but was as easily knocked down as Guardian. After several more punches, Superboy jumped in the air and Blockbuster met him halfway, sending the two of them through the ceiling.
"Okay," Robin said as they gathered under the hole. "That's one way to bust through the ceiling."
"You think Lab Coat planned that?" Kid Flash asked, reaching up to grab Robin's utility belt as the young bird rappelled himself upward.
"I doubt he is planning anything anymore," Aqualad said gravely.
"Mind giving me a lift?" Lark asked, and he nodded before wrapping an arm around her waist and jumping them through the hole. She caught sight of the battle between Superboy and Blockbuster while they were airborne, and as soon as their feet touched the ground, she yelled, "Get down!" She tackled Aqualad to the ground as Superboy got tossed their way, and they watched as he sailed over their heads.
"Thanks," Aqualad said, a little surprised that Lark had been able to get them down in time.
"No worries," she said with a small smile, jumping to her feet first and then helping Aqualad stand as Robin and Kid Flash rushed to Superboy's side.
Blockbuster roared at the gathered young heroes as they stood ready to fight. Lark waited in anticipation, getting the sense Blockbuster would make the first move, and making the first move was always a no-no.
Her hunch proved correct as Blockbuster charged them. Kid Flash raced ahead and slid between Blockbuster's legs, who turned in confusion when the yellow blur disappeared from his line of sight. When he turned to the front again. he got a face-full of Kryptonian-Atlantean fists.
The force of the combined punches sent Blockbuster reeling back, and Kid Flash provided the (literal) bump necessary to knock Blockbuster completely onto his back.
"Learned that one in kindergarten," he smirked as he stood from his kneeling position.
Robin flipped over the speedster's head as Lark used her partner's grapple to swing above everyone, and both birds launched their birdarangs at the monstrous blue figure as he lay prone on his back, only for him to knock them aside easily.
Superboy rushed up to Blockbuster, which seemed to enrage him, and he leapt to his feet, grabbing the clone before he could react. Blockbuster rushed at a pillar, slamming Superboy against it. It dented under the force and sent spiderweb fractures throughout the structure.
Superboy managed a few punches of his own before getting hit by Blockbuster again, but before the former Doctor Desmond could get in a second hit, a water whip appeared and coiled around his arm. Aqualad let Blockbuster carry him forward, kneeing him in the face as he passed.
The whip morphed into a mace as Aqualad prepared a second assault, but Blockbuster grabbed the spiked weapon and tossed the Atlantean away.
As the battle raged on, Lark joined Robin and raised her wrist. "Computer," she commanded, "scan the building's structure."
"Scanning initiated," the computer replied, and the lark and the robin watched as their surroundings were translated into a smaller, digital form.
As they waited for the rendering to be complete, the foundation shook as Blockbuster sent another young hero into a column.
"Of course!" Robin realized as the computer finished its scan. "K.F., get over here!" he yelled.
"The entire building's structure weakens every time Blockbuster takes out, or even damages, one of these columns," Lark explained once Kid Flash joined them.
"If we can speed the process along, we might be able to bring the building down on top of Blockbuster," Robin said.
"That means any column that appears on this scan needs to be taken down," Lark said. "By any means necessary." Just as she said that, another column lit up red, indicating the damage done to the support.
"Got it?" Robin asked.
"Got it," Kid Flash confirmed before speeding off.
"You tell Aqualad and Superboy," Lark said to Robin. "I'll set the explosives."
"On it," he said before they split.
After double-checking her map, Lark pulled out every explosive birdarang she and Robin had on them. She activated the purple and red explosives to go off on her command and began throwing them at the columns that weren't being taken care of by the others.
She finished as Robin completed drawing a large white X in the middle of the room and Aqualad used his water-bearers to pour water onto the mark. Kid Flash sped through the puddle that had formed, Blockbuster on his tail.
Before the blue creature could reach Kid Flash, who had stopped over the X, Superboy came out from the wings and punched Blockbuster, the surprise attack knocking him down. The speedster side-stepped out of the way and out of the water as Blockbuster crashed to the ground, and Aqualad, activating his eel tattoos, placed his hands in the water and sent an electric current through it.
Blockbuster roared as the electricity reached him, but Lark was already on the move, Robin yelling for the others to follow as he fell into step with Lark.
"Detonating now!" she warned, pressing the button on the holographic screen emanating from her wrist. She ducked her head as she picked up the pace, flinching a little every time a large chunk of building crashed around them.
"We're not going to make it!" Kid Flash called out in alarm, and Lark spared a glance with Robin, who nodded once.
Lark threw up her hands, palms up, and a black shifting shield materialized around their rag-tag team, bringing everyone to a halt. She grunted as rubble piled on top of the protective shield, her knees buckling under the weight as she struggled to maintain the shield. Beside her, Robin looked on worriedly, unsure how he could help his sister.
Eventually, the debris settled and with great effort, Lark expanded the bubble, throwing off the large chunks of Cadmus and letting the pale moonlight wash over them.
Once certain they were in the clear, Lark finally collapsed, her limbs shaking from the exertion. Robin immediately knelt beside her, his hands fluttering around her shoulders as he tried to figure out the best way to support her, physically or otherwise. "You good?" he asked.
"Yeah, I'm good," she sighed, accepting his help as she got unsteadily to her feet. She pushed her hair out of her face, and the part of her mind that wasn't taken over by exhaustion or pain wondered grumpily why she didn't pin it back to keep it off her face.
"L, what was that?" Kid Flash gaped, pulling her sluggishly from her thoughts. "Since when could you do that?!"
"They're a...recent development," Lark said after sharing another look with Robin. "Bats wanted to keep it under wraps until we got a full understanding of my...abilities. You know how he is."
"Sweet!" the speedster grinned, and Lark chuckled tiredly at his enthusiasm.
"We...did it," Aqualad said, breathing heavily and looking at the other teens, Lark's sudden powers clearly not the most prevalent thought on his mind.
"Was there ever any doubt?" Robin joked, a grin stretched across his and Kid Flash's faces. They high-fived only to immediately wince in pain, and Lark shook her head but smiled amusedly anyway.
Superboy was the first of them to leave their little circle and Lark's eyes followed him as he walked to Blockbuster, who was crushed beneath a slab of the building and was unconscious for the moment.
"See?" Kid Flash said, appearing behind the clone. Superboy turned and the speedster pointed up. "The moon," he clarified. Lark turned to the sky and saw a black dot begin to grow on the glowing surface of the full moon. "Oh. And Superman," he added. "Do we keep our promises or what?"
Behind Superman, the other members of the Justice League came into view, and Lark winced. This is not going to be pretty, she thought grimly as she shared an uncertain look with Robin.
The Man of Steel landed in front of the five teenagers as the rest of the League formed a perimeter around them, and Superboy stepped forward. Superman's eyes narrowed as the clone approached, but he lifted the flap of cloth that covered the red S on his chest. Superman's eyes looked confused for a moment but then his mouth gaped slightly in surprise. He quickly smoothed his features into a stern glare.
"Is that what I think it is?" Batman asked quietly from behind Superman. Lark winced again, her mentor's anger carefully masked but very obvious to her and Robin.
They shared an uneasy glance before Kid Flash stepped forward and said from behind his hand, "He doesn't like being called an 'it.'"
"I'm Superman's clone," Superboy spoke up, his voice clear and unhesitant. Behind Superman, the other Leaguers glanced at each other, shocked and confused.
The whites of Batman's mask narrowed. "Start talking," he commanded quietly.
The five teens glanced at each other. Lark opened her mouth to start explaining to Batman why they had disobeyed orders, but before she could get a word out, Aqualad stepped forward. She glanced at him but closed her mouth and let him speak. He recounted their unsponsored mission into Cadmus, from leaving the Hall of Justice to the spontaneous demolition of the building.
Batman was silent for a moment before he turned his back completely to them. He instructed the two Green Lanterns, the two Hawks, and Captain Atom to take Blockbuster to a holding cell for the time being before stepping away from the teens altogether.
The remaining members of the Justice League broke into two groups. Lark saw Superman approach out of the corner of her eye and she moved away from Superboy to give the clone and the Man of Steel some privacy and the others followed suit.
"So, how much trouble are we in?" Kid Flash worried quietly.
"Well, considering we disobeyed Batman's direct order, I wouldn't be surprised if he took away our masks," Lark muttered. Robin's eyes widened and he gulped nervously.
"But that surely won't fall on us," the speedster laughed uncertainly, gesturing between himself and Aqualad.
Lark scowled in his direction. "Do you really think he couldn't convince Flash and Aquaman to bench you guys too?"
"Yeah, we're not going down alone," Robin hissed in agreement.
The Dark Knight finally approached them, the other Leaguers behind him, and Kid Flash breathed a quiet sigh of relief to no longer be on the end of not one, but two Batglares.
"Cadmus will be investigated," Batman informed them. "All fifty-two levels. But let's make one thing clear—"
"You should have called," Flash interrupted, appearing behind Batman.
The Bat spared the brightly dressed hero a disgruntled glare before turning back to the teens. "End results aside, we are not happy. You hacked Justice League systems, disobeyed direct orders, and endangered lives. You will not be doing this again," he ended severely.
"I am sorry." Aqualad spoke up for the first time since he had brought the older heroes up to speed on their little adventure, and Lark was a little surprised it was the soft-spoken, rules-following Atlantean who was speaking on their behalf once more. "But we will."
"Aqualad, stand down," the king of Atlantis commanded.
"Apologies, my King, but no," the young Atlantean said. "We did good work here tonight. The work you trained us to do. Together, on our own, we forged something powerful," he continued. "Important."
"If this is about your treatment at the Hall, the four of you—"
Kid Flash cut off his mentor as he angrily corrected, "The five of us. And it's not."
"Batman, we're ready to use what you taught us," Robin said softly, stepping forward. "Or why teach us at all?"
"Give us a chance to prove to you we can be more than just your sidekicks," Lark said. "There's good work we could be doing."
"Why let them tell us what to do?" Superboy said suddenly, glaring at his feet. "It's simple," he said, stepping forward boldly. "Get on board or get out of the way." He glared at Batman, and the others followed his lead, though probably less venomously.
For a long moment, an uneasy tension began to fill the space between them and the League, a space that seemed to get longer and heavier each passing second. Batman narrowed his eyes, and finally gave a small nod of his head.
Lark gave a quiet sigh of relief; he would think about it.
A/N: I hope I piqued your interest in the new villain! I definitely plan to include more original scenes regarding Lark and the new villain, so stay tuned for that!
I would love to hear what you think, the good, the bad, or the critical.
Until next time.