Renegade was forced to stop when he met his path blocked by a massive door lined with reinforced steel. He stared at it for a few seconds but before he could think of what to do he heard something coming from the other side. He snapped to the side and shrank back with his back against the wall, hiding.

A few seconds later the reinforced steel defense system opened noisily and a female scientist emerged from it. The Talon's lips thinned but he decided to let her live, despite the fact that he knew she was aware of Cadmus' real intentions and that she was voluntarily helping them. He did not kill her because she would probably have had to report to the other Cadmus officers and if she did not show up they would have become suspicious and sent someone to investigate.

He waited about two seconds and when her back was now turned he silently ran forward, slipping to the other side of the door which closed again as soon as he had crossed the threshold. Renegade fumbled with his holographic glove and within seconds managed to block the door, locking himself inside.

"Good luck opening that door." Renegade chuckled mischievously, knowing that only pure brute force (and Dick himself since he knew how to reopen it thanks to his world's best hacking skills) could open it.

The acrobat turned and walked to the control console. He pressed a button and the shrine in front of him lit up, revealing Project Kr contained within it.

Dick stared at him, examining the Superman clone's young face and felt something move in his stomach.

It was so wrong to keep a kid locked up in a containment capsule, even if he was a clone.

Just because he was a clone that did not mean he was not a person.

Dick would help Project Kr -he should come up with a better name- to the best of his ability: if he would see that the clone behaved like a real human being, autonomous, reasonable, who could think and feel emotions then he would release him.

Most likely the acrobat would have freed him anyway.

This because Dick knew exactly what it felt like to be a weapon, a tool without free will in the service of bastards.

Dick connected his holographic glove to the mother console, stealing any useful information.

Apparently Cadmus had renamed Project Kr also as Superboy.

Very original. Dick emitted a derisive snort as he continued to read all the information he was stealing.

Superboy -which was still a better name than Project Kr- was only 16 weeks old and, as Slade had informed him, was being educated telepathically by the G-Gnomes contained above him.

Renegade finished stealing all the information, storing it on his holographic glove. He disconnected it from the mother console and cast a glance at the contained boy.

"Now I'm going to set you free. Don't mess around, buddy." Renegade warned him even though rationally he knew Superboy could not hear him.

He quickly typed on his holographic glove and within seconds the containment capsule disappeared. He waited with bated breath and stiffened when Superboy clenched his right fist.

Stay calm, buddy.

Superboy's eyes snapped open and immediately focused on Renegade who returned the gaze. For a moment there was silence and the two simply stared at each other.

Just before Dick could tell him that he was on his side, it happened.

Superboy quickly launched himself at him.

Renegade's reflexes were faster and he moved to the side, dodging the punch. "Dude, I'm on your side!" he said, easily dodging each of Superboy's blows.

Although Superboy was unquestionably fast it was obvious that he had little knowledge of hand-to-hand combat. So for a mercenary of Renegade's caliber, a meta-human enhanced in all physical abilities, it was easy for him to simply dodge every blow.

As he continued to dodge, Renegade noticed how Superboy made use of neither heat vision nor flight or God forbid his ice breath to attempt to hit him.

Slade's words came back to him when he told him that Project Kr was not as strong as Superman nor did he possess all his own powers. Deciding to take a chance, Renegade ducked under a punch and hit Superboy with a vicious uppercut.

Instead of breaking his hand, as he expected, Superboy was thrown yards away with his legs in the air and the clone fell to the ground with a slight groan of pain. Renegade mentally exulted, pleased and satisfied that his line of thinking was correct, and stared at Superboy who got back up massaging his sore chin.

"Listen to me Superboy: I am on your side. I-"

"You're not from Cadmus, so you're not on my side!" growled Superboy who once again launched himself at the acrobat.

Renegade grabbed him and flipped him violently to the ground, creating a small earthquake and a crater on the floor. The mercenary did a backflip moving a little away from the clone and stared at him, narrowing his gaze menacingly.

"Interrupt me one more time and you will know true suffering." declared Renegade coldly. Superboy got back up and stared at him grimly but probably noticed the threatening and dangerous aura of his opponent as he remained still and silent, so the Talon continued. "I know you are feeling confused and lost right now. I know this because I know what you are going through.

"I know what it means to be raised as a weapon, as a tool. I know what it means to be treated as an object. I know what it means to live without free will, without the possibility of being your own person. This is because I was trained and tortured for the purpose of becoming the most dangerous weapon in the world. That is because I was molded, just like you."

Superboy remained silent and stared at him with a frown. "Are you a clone too?"

Renegade snorted in amusement. "No, I'm not. That hasn't stopped some assholes from... well, you don't really want to know, though." he diverted, waving a hand dismissively. "What you do need to know is that I know exactly what you're feeling. Because I have personally experienced it myself in the most violent, brutal and inhumane way possible."

The clone's frown increased a little. "This is why you freed me?"

"That's right." the mercenary nodded. "I want you to be free, to be your own person. Have you ever wondered who you really are?"

"I am Superboy, a genomorph, a clone created with Superman's DNA to replace him if he dies and destroy him if he strays from the light." Superboy recited in a flat, emotionless voice.

Dick wondered briefly if this was how he himself appeared when he robotically recited the Court of Owls nursery rhyme from memory years ago. He also did not miss the pun with Light and secretly found it rather nice.

Not that he would ever admit it out loud, of course.

"Very noble goal but is that what you really want?" asked Renegade. "Do you really want to continue living inside a containment capsule for the rest of your life?" the clone remained silent and he pressed more. "Have you ever seen the sun, the sky, the moon?"

"The images are implanted in my mind but no, I have never seen them."

Damn.

Dick should have expected this but it was still very sad and depressing as a thing. He swallowed his anger at Cadmus and Light and sent a gentle smile to Superboy.

"I can show them to you. I could even find a way for you to meet Superman." he stated, smiling inwardly as he noticed the obvious childlike interest and excitement cross Superboy's features. Renegade extended a hand, continuing to smile. "So, what do you say? Friends or foes?"

Superboy first stared at Renegade's hand, then at his masked face and finally at his hand again. He extended his hand and shook Renegade's firmly. "We will be allies for now." he declared as he squeezed his new ally's hand tightly, opening his eyes wide when he heard his bones give way with a sickening crunch.

Renegade did not even wince when he felt the bones in his hand snap and sighed wearily. "I should have guessed." he grumbled.

"Did I just break your hand?" asked Superboy surprised. Renegade nodded and the clone quickly let go of his hand. "And you didn't even show any signs of pain?"

"My pain tolerance is almost infinite." stated Renegade with an eerie smirk. "You will have to learn to control your strength in order to act like a normal human being out there."

The other nodded but suddenly froze. "You don't even have a heartbeat!" the clone realized horrified, staring at him shocked.

"You are a Superman clone: is this really the most shocking and strange thing for you?" the acrobat asked bluntly.

Superby hesitated before huffing. "Point taken." he conceded. "Who are you anyway?"

With his other hand Renegade dramatically tapped his forehead. "How rude of me! I'm Renegade, it's a pleasure to meet you." he assumed a serious look. "But as long as we're in here, you can't call me that. The Cadmus officers must not know that I am here."

"And if they see you, what will you do to them?"

"I will kill them." Superboy opened his eyes wide. "Yes, I know killing is wrong and all that but I only kill people who deserve it. You know too that Cadmus agents fall into this category."

"All right." Superboy nodded without even questioning him, although he still presented some suspicion. "What are we supposed to do now? Get out of Cadmus?"

"Not yet." Renegade shook his head. "You may not know it but there is another clone of Superman."

"Another one?" asked Superboy surprised.

"Project Match. He was the first attempt to clone Superman with a whole Kryptonian DNA but the great difficulty in recreating him and his incompleteness led him to be unstable and uncontrollable to the point that he was sidelined."

Superboy opened his mouth but he opened his eyes wide. "The bones in your hand are repairing themselves!"

"Extremely fast and efficient healing factor. What were you asking?"

The clone blinked and shook his head, not questioning it. "What do you mean by whole Kryptonian DNA?"

Renegade tilted his head and stared at him. "Don't you know?"

"Know what?" growled Superboy, clenching his fists and glaring at him.

"You were created with half-Kryptonian half-human DNA." silence was the only response the Talon received. "Didn't... didn't you know that?"

"You are lying." the clone declared bluntly.

"Why should I-"

"You're lying!" repeated Superboy in a snarl as he turned to punch the wall, shaking the entire structure.

"Are you able to fly? Do you possess heat vision? Or the ice breath? Or the skin of steel?"

Superboy remained silent and after about ten seconds emitted another growl. He tried to fly but instead discovered that he was able to make very long leaps.

Renegade watched him jump to the completely opposite side from where he was standing with a single jump. "The super jump is still cool."

Superboy turned and walked toward him with a deep frown. "I can't fly, I don't have heat vision or ice breath or steel skin." he paused in front of Renegade and his shoulders slumped in defeat. "I suppose you are right," he sighed. "Do you know who my... human DNA donor is?"

"Yes. You want to know?" a nod. "Lex Luthor, Superman's arch-enemy."

Superboy's eyes went wide in shock before fixing him with a flat stare. "You've got to be kidding me."

"Nope. I have proof. Do you want to see it?"

After about ten seconds of silence, the clone shook his head. "...I trust you."

The acrobat smiled. "Good. Thank you for the vote of confidence." he sent him a nod. "Ready to meet your older brother?"

He glared at him. "Don't call him that." the assassin merely shrugged with a smirk and the youngest rolled his eyes. "Lead the way."

"Yeah well, about that, the other clone is right over there." Renegade affirmed pointing his thumb behind him toward a wall. Superboy stared at it skeptically and the mercenary walked over to the wall and easily tore off its covering, revealing a steel-clad doorway. "Surprise!"

"I don't even want to know how you knew that." the clone huffed and joined him.

Renegade stepped aside, smiling. "Open it, big guy."

Superboy gave him another hard look. "Don't tell me what to do." he growled before putting his hands in the middle of the doorway and easily opening it with all his strength.

The Talon rolled his eyes at his temper and headed for the new room, accompanied by his new ally. They froze when they saw hundreds of display cases containing projects and genomorphs.

"So many brothers, huh?" Renegade chuckled, elbowing Superboy's side.

Dick was briefly grateful that Superboy did not have heat vision because he was certain that given the intensity of his glare now he would already be dust.

"Well, let's go see your brother we're interested in." the acrobat stated smilingly as he advanced.

Behind him Superboy narrowed his eyes in irritation but followed him anyway.