Meji

Project Cadmus

July 4th; 14:10 EDT

Atop the second story of Cadmus Labs, two scientists yelp for the firefighters to get them down. The firefighters tell them to stay put so they can rescue them. But, an explosion forces them out of the window.

Kid Flash scales the building wall, seizing the two in a flash. It seems he slipped up, as after he put the scientists on the roof of the building, he's left hanging off the window.

The firefighter then yells, with confidence, "It's, what's his name, Flash Boy!"

"Kid Flash!" he yells back. "Why is that so hard?"

Robin's teasing tone reveals a hint of pride.

The Atlantean adds, "Do those two always have to run ahead? We need a plan, we—Robin?" He looks around to realize Robin has run ahead as well.

He chuckles. He springs onto the firetruck and deploys a grappling hook to ascend. He then helps Kid Flash up, and I teleport inside the building.

With water's help, Aqualad scales the building. He gets the two scientists onto the ground. He then hops inside with us. Kid Flash looks through files. Robin does some hacking. I'm shadowboxing. Aqualad's voice drips with sarcasm as he says, "I appreciate the help."

"Oooh, the fishman knows sarcasm," I joke, not bothering to question if that was racist. It, uh, probably was...

Aqualad turns to me and glares, while the speedster elbows me. "Heehee, my bad." I grin, retreating into the hallway with reverse steps. I swear I saw someone in the corner of my eye, but I knew for sure something was using an elevator. "Hey... someone's using that elevator!" I yell. "It didn't even look human."

The yellow speedster appears next to me. "I can't believe I'm on a team with someone who hates other species."

I immediately get defensive: "Not what I meant."

Robin then approaches the elevator, slipping past us and pulling up a screen on his gauntlet. "Where can I get one of those?" I ask.

"Nunya." Says Robin, as he pulls up a Silver Slip Express Elevator on said screen. Ignoring him, I look at the screen.

"This is a high-speed express elevator—"

"Duh."

"-which doesn't belong in a two-story building."

I flush. I decide to let the pro have a crack at it. Instead, I try to force open the doors. I opened them with little struggle and looked down. Jeez, at least twenty floors. "So much for a two-story building..." I mumble.

Robin launches his grappling hook towards the ceiling with precision. With a burst of agility, he leaps into the air. He hangs there for a moment before plummeting down. I glance at the floor indicators flashing by, and to my surprise, my initial calculation was way off. Robin appears to have released his grip on the rope at floor 26, just like the others, and I follow suit, doing the same. "Bypassing security..." He mutters. He pauses for a few tense seconds. His skilled fingers then danced across his device. He hacked the robust security system. "There. Go," he says finally, with a hint of satisfaction, as the digital barriers come crashing down.

"Welcome to Project Cadmus," Robin announces, his voice echoing. Kid Flash smiles and bolts down the hallway.

"Kid, wait!" Aqualad yells in vain. The yellow speedster runs into a pack of... gorillas? Hell beasts? Whatever you call gilled beasts with horns and many eyes. They growl at Kid Flash, but continue moving regardless. One of the smaller beasts' horns glows red for a moment. I decide to exploit it, assuming a hive mind connects them.

Aqualad's voice drips with sarcasm: "No, nothing unusual is happening here."

I add, "Hunnid bucks say we get captured here. Each."

"Daring, aren't you?" Robin turns to me. "I'm in."

Kid Flash chuckles. "Sure."

. . .

As we open another door, Robin announces, "Okay, I'm officially whelmed."

In this room, countless insect-like creatures pulse with electricity. They seem to generate energy. "This is how they hide this massive underground facility from the world," Kid Flash realizes.

"Cadmus makes its energy, huh?" I finish his thought. It's fun doing that. "All these creatures might be created just to provide energy for the generator. I'd love to see what would happen if I tore this thing apart."

Aqualad adds, "Even the name is a clue. The Cadmus of myth created a new race by sowing dragon's teeth into the earth."

The Boy Wonder, stepping up to the computer, agrees, "Cadmus also creates new life. Let's find out why." As he connects his gauntlet to the large monitor, he says, "They call them Genomorphs. Whoa! Look at the stats on these things—strength, telepathy, razor claws. These are living weapons."

Hm. He's correct. Even if the wondrous, undefeated, remarkable Rocky can do that and more, he truly impresses.

A man's voice yells, "Don't move." My short attention span returns to reality. Then, the Genomorphs described follow him, growling. "Wait. Robin, Aqualad, Kid Flash? And—sorry, who are you?"

Must be talking about me. "Call me... Sun. You might not have heard of me, kind of an up-and-coming superhero."

I decided to keep up the conversation while Robin works on whatever he's doing behind us. "Nice to meet you, then."

"Yeah." I agree, starting to approach him. I hear Robin's device beep, and then ask Guardian, "Nice pet. What's it do?"

The pet growls at me before its red horns glow again. Guardian grunts whilst holding his head before commanding, "Take them down, hard! No mercy."

Robin drops a smoke bomb. It creates a thick fog. He uses his agility to swing up onto a high support beam and escape danger. Meanwhile, Kid Flash dodges a flurry of swift strikes from a Genomorph. Its sharp claws swipe through the air, inches from his face. Kid Flash, not one to back down, tackles a few creatures. He uses his superhuman speed to overwhelm them. He even has a playful roughhousing session with a couple of others.

As I watch the chaos unfold, I can't help but chuckle to myself. "At this rate, I'll be up 300," I think, bragging about my own skills. I seize the chance to sneak up behind Guardian. I catch him off guard with a sucker punch to the back of his head. The element of surprise gives me the upper hand, and we quickly make our escape. Flash speeds down the hallway, a blur of red and gold, while I teleport to Robin's side, reappearing in an instant. The alarm erupts into a deafening blare, its loud siren piercing the air. And, of course, there are the Genomorphs, closing in on us, their eyes fixed on their next targets.

"Way to be a team player, ROB!" the yellow speedster says in an accusing tone, glaring at Robin, who hacked away without care.

I chuckle, "Weren't you right behind us?"

We all dive into the elevator, and Aqualad expresses some disdain. "We're headed down?"

"Dude, out is up!" KF adds, pointing upwards.

"Excuse me?" asks Robin. "Project Kr, it's down on Sub-Level 52."

Aqualad physically gets in between their conversation, "This is out of control... Perhaps we should contact the League."

But nothing comes of it. After all, the doors open, and we aren't met with a fight. Just... hallways that look like flesh, red walls with purple accents, the dark tunnels, and the stagnant air. Great.

"We are already here." Flash comments, speeding out with Robin. "Meh." I shrug, teleporting with them.

"Which way?" Aqualad asks as we are met with a crossroads. The tenseness in his voice being, well, evident.

"Halt!" an anthropoid directs. With glowing red horns, he lifts cans with telekinesis and launches them at us. Scorching hot cans shatter violently, triggering a reaction. I throw my palms up, and a mighty beam of steam bursts forth, jetting out with incredible force. At the beam's outer edges, vibrant white flames fan out. They blaze with an almost blinding intensity. The fiery tendrils swirl and writhe, casting a nice glow in the surrounding area. We go down hallway 2, and I turn back to see Guardian and the Genomorphs chasing us.

KF gets there first, and he props the door open with a cylindrical object. I teleport inside, and the others hop in.

My eyes lock onto a stasis pod dominating the room's center. Inside, a towering figure slumbers. His chest bears a crimson S. The pod has Krypton's mark, hinting at a link to the Man of Steel. I hesitate, then break the silence: "Uh... guys?"

"Big K, Little r... the atomic symbol for Krypton," KF turns toward the other two.

"Robin. Hack," Aqualad commands. Almost like he forgot what he was useful for. He then plugs in his gauntlet and gets to hacking.

The Boy Wonder narrates, "Weapon Designation Superboy, a clone force-grown in... sixteen weeks?! From DNA acquired from Superman."

"Stolen from Superman," Aqualad corrects.

"No way he knows about this." Agrees Kid Flash.

Robin continues, "Solar Suit allows him to absorb yellow-sun radiation 24/7... Genomorph Gnomes, telepaths to force-feed him an education..."

"Yeah, and probably indoctrinating Superman's offspring into... evil."

"Now we contact the League." Says Aqualad, and I have to say that's not looking like too bad of an idea. KF taps his Lightning Bolt symbols on his head. Aqualad taps his emblem. Robin taps his glove. I shake my watch. Nothing. I know I charged it, sooo...

"No signal," Robin sighs.

"We're in too deep, literally," Kid Flash says.

. . .

After a little debating, we all came to the consensus to free the guy. Robin gets to hacking, letting the doors to the pod open up. Instantly, he balls his hands into fists, and the Genomorphs atop his head glow. Not good; they're probably communicating with Guardian, or even worse.

He quickly attacks Aqualad, overpowering him. Meanwhile, Kid Flash and Robin try to hold him back. Yet, the clone in white punches Kid Flash, sending him into a display case that shatters. "I don't want to do this!" Robin says, throwing gas into the clone's face while Aqualad kicks him off. Robin then uses a taser on the clone, who grabs Robin and throws him onto the ground.

I step up and crack my knuckles. Then, I create and lob a superheated sphere of deep blue water at him. It leaves steam rising from his face and grabs his attention. I quickly teleport in range before kicking him in the gut, sending him skidding back a fair distance. After that, I bend my back so that Aqualad can leap off it and bring down a hammer made of water on the enemy.

"Yo. We're here to help, ya know?" I say, putting my palms up. He's not hearing it. The Super clone drives a fist into the ground, cracking it. I reappear nearby, and Aqualad dodges.

Aqualad tackles him into a wall. But the enemy catches his fist as the Atlantean tries to hit him with a right cross.

Aqualad and I swap once more. One stomp to his head leaves the clone growling, and I swap once more with a cheeky grin.

The two then engage in close combat, which of course I meddle in. Aqualad seems to have the upper hand. He parries each blow with ease, then strikes back forcefully. This shocks the Super clone from behind. However, he throws him and Aqualad into the ceiling. Aqualad withstands it once, but the second time around, he's down for the count.

I swap locations with Aqualad. I get low to the ground and twirl to kick the clone in the head, knocking him down. I seize the moment, launching my right leg up and then down in a powerful arc. "...!" I exclaim in shock, the tank catching my leg without even flinching. I should do leg day if we get out of this alive.

He then squeezes my leg; ouch, can't recommend it, because it might've been the worst pain of my life.

I retaliated. I stomped on the Super Clone's neck with my left leg. Beautiful white flames coated it, making it hurt more. The clone let go of both of my legs, thankfully, but instead he had a much stronger punch ready for me. In pure instinct, I teleported.

Why? I don't know why I ran.