Chapter 6: Home Invasion

"The subject's name is Theodore Taylor. He agreed to a contract permitting the government to conduct experiments on him."

"Where have I heard that before."

"Don't change the subject. Taylor went rogue during the experimentation process. We believe his mind was altered and he had no memory of who or where he was, resulting in a fight-or-flight reaction that caused him to make a run for it."

"What did you do to him?"

"That's classified."

"If I'm going to be cleaning up your damn mess, Amanda, I need to know what you did."

"Let's just say Task Force X wasn't enough to stop him. Last reports indicated a Kryptonian was headed in Taylor's direction."

"That explains the contents of your supply package."

"All you're doing, Deadeye, is returning a government-sanctioned asset to the government. Perfectly legal."

"Kryptonians are involved, Amanda. Nothing about you is perfectly legal. You're a paranoid, aggrandizing, self-centered bitch."

"Is that any way to treat your aunt?"

"You treated me and my brother far worse when we were ten."

Night had fallen and Deadeye was in Kansas, tracking the young man's telepathic signature. All people put out such a signature, but it was something only gifted telepaths could hone in on. Archie Waller's metahuman gene allowed his mind to harness the Earth's morphogenetic field to access the subconscious and conscious minds of sentient people. The metagene took the power from the field to manifest a vast array of Psionic abilities.

It was a useful talent, one that his aunt, Amanda Waller, has put him through hell to figure out. Nowadays Archie hated being a metahuman. Largely thanks to his metahuman-hating aunt.

Stalking through the fields of wheat as dusk became dark, he adjusted a targeting lense in front of his face to zero in on his target. The farmhouse and barn was silhouetted against an orange-rose sky, reminding Deadeye of a prairie wildfire. Hopefully it wouldn't come to that. He preferred to keep his nose and hands as clean as possible. At least Amanda trusted him enough that she didn't question his methods… too much. His goal was simple: find Theodore Taylor and get him away from the Kryptonians so Amanda's agents could collect him. He wanted to do nothing else. He held no grudges, sought no vengeance, had no personal stake in this. The sooner he wrapped this up, the better.

Clark and Kara pushed back from the dinner table, their bellies full with Ma Kent's famous roast pork. Theo, meanwhile, was on his third helping. "Fantastic as always, Ma." Clark said, patting his stomach.

"Oof, I don't have room for anything else." Kara groaned, suitably stuffed.

"Well, I guess we'll just save my cherry pie for later, then." Ma mused. Kara perked up.

"Oh I'm sure I'll find some room by then." Theo wolfed down more pork and gravy before exhaling contentedly.

"Sorry, Missus Kent. This is so delicious. I really should back off on the helpings." He apologized.

"No worries, no worries! I always make too much for the two of us anyway." Ma replied. "That's how Pa got his spare tire." Ma teased, leaning over to pat her husband's protruding waistline. He gave her a sideways look.

"It's not my fault your cooking is so good."

Theo helped clear the table while Clark and Kara stepped outside. The sun was setting and the sky was growing darker, the faintest of stars forming pinpricks of white light high above. "Great idea to come out here, Kal. I needed this almost as much as Theo did." She commented.

"Nothing quite like coming home. And I'm incredibly grateful I have a home to come back to. I knew my folks would take to Theo, despite his appearance, and it was good for him to experience that. There's no telling if Batman will find a way to disentangle Doomsday's DNA."

Kara looked up with concern in her eyes. "Do you think Batman will find a way?" She wondered, crossing her arms.

"I'd say it's a fifty-fifty chance right now, Kara. He might, he might not."

Kara looked over her shoulder through the dining room window where Theo was still socializing with Ma and Pa Kent. "Do you think we should tell him?"

Clark exhaled. "I'm not sure. I've been struggling with that for the past couple days. We've already promised him we would try to find a cure. If there is no cure to be found, what can we do?"

"But he seems so… hopeful that he can be fixed." Kara noted. "It's gonna wreck him if there's nothing we can do."

"Maybe. We just have to be there for him to prove nothing is wrong with him even if his physical appearance has changed." Clark concluded. "He might feel like his world is ending, we have to show him that it's not." Kara nodded in agreement, exhaling as her shoulders sagged under the invisible weight of responsibility.

Wheat bent, not from a gust of wind. Kara's super-hearing picked up the sound of footsteps somewhere far beyond the farm. She narrowed her eyes, telescopic vision sweeping the fields. "Did you hear that? Sounds like someone-"

"Trying to sneak up on us. I heard it too." Clark affirmed. His x-ray vision cut through the fields of wheat, picking out a sinew-covered skeleton creeping close to the ground to avoid being spotted. He frowned. There was no one else around. "Looks like someone keeping a low profile… maybe two miles away. Stay here."

"No, I'll check it out." Kara countered, hovering off the ground.

"We don't know who this is, Kara. It might be a trap." Clark cautioned.

"Which is why, if they're here for Theo, you're best suited to keep him safe." His cousin responded. "I'm just gonna go check it out and, I promise, I'll only survey things and won't engage." Kara didn't wait for a response and darted off across the fields, homing in on the figure they had jointly discovered. She stopped a few feet away, her eyes narrowing as she subconsciously planned to engage her heat vision. "Hey! I can see you, you know! There's no point in hiding!" She called out, hoping to unnerve the would-be stalker. No one moved. No one responded. Kara glanced to the left and right, sensing something was unquestionably off. There was no wind yet the wheat did not move in any capacity. She listened, hearing the rustle of wheat kernels atop their stalks, the skittering of insects crawling through the field… and the soft slide of metal against metal.

The launcher utilized an electromagnetic system; powered-coils accelerating a singular projectile upwards of Mach 1. Kara only had just enough time to recognize the firing of the launcher before the screw struck her.

Made entirely of chiseled Kryptonite, a quarter of the rifled shard was encased by a jet ring that automatically turned it like a screw boring through a solid substance. In this case that substance was Kara's skin.

Kara cried out and was flung backwards as the screw bored into her flesh, just below her ribcage. The radioactive effect of the Kryptonite kicked in almost instantly, Kara feeling weak and sickly coupled with the crippling pain of being impaled. She fought against the screw, gripping the third still protruding from her in a vain attempt to keep it from burrowing under her flesh. It was then she saw Deadeye stride past her, vaguely picking out his body in the lessening light and not recognizing him from Superman's files.

"Kara!"

A gust of wind bent the wheat around her almost ninety degrees as Clark flew onto the scene. He took one look at Deadeye and one look at Kara before another screw ripped through the air. Clark caught it, almost. It drilled clean through his palm and speared out the back of his hand. Clark fought through the pain to look Deadeye in the optic. "Who are you?"

"Nobody important." Deadeye answered, shouldering the launcher. "This isn't personal. Just business." Clark lunged forward and lifted him up by the collar.

"You've got some nerve to-" He abruptly paused, feeling a heavy sensation overwhelm his mind. Clark felt distorted, sick to his stomach, like his balance had been completely thrown off. The whole world began to sway and churn. He dropped Deadeye and fell to unsteady feet, stumbling, the pain of the Kryptonite in his hand long forgotten.

"You may be physically invincible but your head is a different story. You're an open book, Superman." Deadeye stated. "Your mind is strong, but not that strong." His psionics started wreaking havoc with the Man of Steel. "This won't take long. But I can't let you stop me." He targeted Clark's subconscious, blasting him with enough telepathic power to knock the Kryptonian to the ground in a dazed heap. Kara lost her battle against the screw, a mere inch still protruding from her flesh while the rest of the Kryptonite impaled her. She lay limp on the ground, unable to move as Deadeye started jogging towards the Kent farm.

Clark forced himself up, nearly vomiting from the dizziness as he tried to move. He hovered off the ground, forcing himself to focus on the form of the retreating Deadeye. He started moving, flying, building up speed with every passing second. Clark stretched out his arms to control his flight, barrelling towards Deadeye with no real plan in mind other than to stop him.

All of a sudden, Deadeye whipped around and Clark's mind was awash with Psionic energy again. His balance distorted, he crashed into the ground, digging a trench through the field as Deadeye stood over him. He wordlessly took aim with his launcher and fired another Kryptonite screw, spearing Clark right in the chest. Crying out in pain, Clark fought against the screw as his mind continued to swim. Deadeye refused to let up and blasted Clark with enough Psionic force to knock the Kryptonian out. Satisfied, Deadeye moved on, breaking into a run across the field to the farmhouse.

He made it in record time, the Kryptonite launcher strapped across his back as Deadeye drew a MASS weapons system and loaded a special ammunition into the underslung shotgun attachement. He then reached out with his Psionic powers, touching the minds of the aging Ma and Pa Kent as well as Theo…

Theo was having a perfectly normal time doing the dishes with Ma and chatting with Pa when the two Kents suddenly froze in place. He blinked. He shook his head. He looked around. "M-Mister Kent?" Pa did not move. "Missus Kent?" Neither did Ma.

"Theodore Taylor."

Theo whipped towards the back door. Deadeye stood there, a grim spectre in the Kent home. "Who are you?" Theo demanded, fingers balling into fists. "What did you do to them?"

"They're just fine. But you need to come with me." Deadeye replied. Theo frowned, the bone plates on his forearms reacting as they formed spikes over his hands. His shirt tore as spines protruded from his shoulders and the jeans shredded as spikes erupted up over his knees from the plates in his shins.

"Did they send you?" Theo asked. "I'm not going back."

"Unfortunately, you don't have a say in the matter." Deadeye retorted, lifting his weapon. Theo started moving and Deadeye pulled the trigger on the shotgun attachment. Slug rounds slammed into Theo; specially-engineered nanotech slugs that carried a 5,000 volt charge which discharged on impact. Theo felt every impact and his skin tingled, but he kept moving. Deadeye lept out of the way as Theo swung, avoiding his blows as he read his thoughts. He switched tactics, firing the assault rifle that belched out its own special payload. Each bullet contained a nanotech syringe that injected a dual-compound of sedative and poison to overload Theo's body. The bullets predictably crumpled on impact with his skin, but the destructing tip allowed the syringe to spring forward and inject its contents just under the skin.

Theo felt these effects also, but it would take a lot more to slow him entirely. That said, Deadeye's clips contained 50 rounds each, and this one was already running dry.

"You're not taking me back…! You're not-!"

You're slowing down, kid. Don't make this any harder than it has to be." Deadeye countered, using his psionics to upset Theo's balance and drop him to the floor. Quickly reloading his clip, Deadeye dumped half the mag into Theo's back before he could get back up. "Stay down. You haven't a snowball's chance in hell." Deadeye urged. Theo struggled to stand but another blast of psionics drove him back to his hands and knees…

Kara blinked her eyes open as a stiff breeze surrounded her. She looked up, seeing a vague shape silhouetted against the dark sky. She lapsed in and out of consciousness, the Kryptonite breaking down her cellular structure from within.

"This doesn't look good." Mister Terrific noted in the rear seat of the Batwing.

"Someone came prepared for Kryptonians." Batman agreed. He double-checked his scanners before setting the Batwing to autopilot. "There's another up ahead. You take Supergirl." The pair lept out of the Batwing, Mister Terrific using his T-Spheres to descend while Batman relied on his cape to glide across the wheat fields. He made it to the downed figure in no time. "Superman!" Batman dropped to a crouch and automatically reached for his belt.

"H-He… came prepared…" Clark rasped. His hand reached for the screw buried in his chest. "Kryptonite…"

"He's here for Theodore." Batman surmised, using his taser to short out the screw's propellant. Clark grabbed his hand.

"Kara… hit too…"

"Mister Terrific is working on her now." Batman promised as he attempted to pull the screw out. Clark's grip tightened.

"Go… stop him… help Theo…" He whispered. "I'll… be fine…" Batman offered a wordless nod and rose up, taking off at a steady run through the wheat field, moving like a fluid spectre as the night crept in all around him.

Ma and Pa Kent collapsed to the kitchen floor, unconscious. Theo was next to fall as Deadeye's Psionic assault drove him beyond what his mind could handle. The fragility of his stability was easily exploited and, once his fight was taken out of him, Theo posed no threat to the powerful Deadeye. Using his powers to make the young man almost lightweight, Deadeye hoisted Theo over his shoulders and hauled him outside where he was laid down in the grass. Deadeye then returned to the farmhouse and checked over the Kents, pressing a finger to their pulses to make sure they were still breathing and alive. A few seconds passed and he confirmed they were healthy and well, just knocked out of it. Satisfied, he broadcasted a short message.

Asset contained. Moving to retrieval area-

He abruptly stopped dead when the glow of night was cancelled out by a huge shadow looming in the doorway, one with pointed ears jutting up over the head. Deadeye started and reached for his weapon. A batarang flashed through the air and knocked his MASS rifle away, skittering across the wood floor. Deadeye's other hand reached for a pistol, only for a grapple tether to snare the weapon and wrench it out of the telepath's hands with prodigious strength that caused Deadeye to stumble on uneasy footing.

Batman came flying through the door, executing a lunge kick that propelled Deadeye straight back down the hall leading to the front door. The wood floor cracked under the weight of impact, Deadeye launching back to his feet as Batman set upon him. He threw a punch, Batman catching and throwing his arm up to execute a punch of his own that slammed Deadeye into the nearest wall, plaster cracking and falling like off-white snow around him. With his arm as leverage, Batman pulled Deadeye in, ramming his fist into his gut that resulted in a rush of air as the wind was forced from the telepath's lungs. Grabbing the back of his head, Batman slammed Deadeye face-first into the opposite wall, picture frames rattling as another hole was left behind. Deadeye swung back around, a concealed knife popping from his glove as he swiped at Batman who nimbly dodged with fluid back-steps. A chop to the wrist knocked the knife away and Batman's free hand landed an uppercut that sent Deadeye careening back down the hall.

The telepath rolled to his feet, Batman rushing after him. Deadeye threw another punch but Batman sidestepped, the Dark Knight driving his knee right up into the telepath's gut. A loud crack echoed as Deadeye faltered, armor fractured, Batman wrapping his arm around his neck and throwing the telepath into the side of the rear door frame. He bounced, splintered wood and plaster following him as he careened onto the rear porch and struck one of the support planks. Deadeye stumbled, trying to regain his senses. Batman's fists swung around on either side of his head, smacking him senses as the discombobulated Deadeye wobbled. A hard blow splintered the fractured armor around Deadeye's torso to fragments before Batman grabbed his helmeted head and pulled him down into his rising knee. The telepath's head snapped back in a violent whiplash as Batman caught him by the breastplate and pulled him in, landing a headbutt so vicious it shattered Deadeye's targeting lense.

Limp in his grasp, Deadeye was shoved roughly up against the deck support plank. Batman drew back his fist and threw out a punch so strong it sent Deadeye flying, the wood post shattering into splinters as the telepath tumbled through the air and landed on the ground in a heap, surrounded by splinters of wood. The Dark Knight drew his cape around him and stalked over to the downed mercenary. He forced him over and hoisted Deadeye off the ground. "Who are you?" He demanded in a low, growling voice. "Who are you working for?" Deadeye did not reply, reaching out with his pwoers in the hope he still had an ace up his sleeve. Batman was unprepared for the sudden Psionic assault, but said nothing and made no audible sounds as his face knit into a grimace.

For a brief second, Deadeye believed he could gain the upper hand. But after he entered Batman's mind, he realized he had made a critical mistake.

If Superman's mind was like an open book, Batman's was like a fortress.

The walls came down, hard and fast, surrounding him and isolating him within Batman's impenetrable mental defence. I trained with Tibetan monks for years to hone my thoughts and take total control over my subconscious. Batman's voice echoed around Deadeye. You won't find any leverage.

Deadeye whipped around as a phantasm of the Dark Knight lunged from the shadows, tackling his astral presence and pinning him to the ground where a blow to the face cracked open his helm, revealing a single eye. I'm not here to kill anyone, I don't want to hurt anyone. Deadeye promised.

But you knew there would be Kryptonians involved when you came for Theodore. Batman reasoned. Who told you? Who sent you? There was hesitation in his eye. Now Deadeye was the open book as Batman probed this extension of his mind. He could sense the loyalty to his handler as well as his mixed desire to successfully complete his mission while causing minimal impact. Evidently Deadeye sensed he was losing his grip to Batman's superior mental fortitude, given the way his eye shot open. Talk! Batman thundered. Deadeye refused to, his loyalty to blood empowering him that much.

I'm just here for the kid. Doom Kid. That's all! He explained.

I already know why you're here. I want to know who sent you. Batman retorted, his figure blending into the shadows until he was little more than a white-eyed spectre. Panic flashed through Deadeye's mind as he felt Batman's subconscious probe his own more thoroughly.

You can't make me talk! I won't tell you anything! The Dark Knight uttered five simple words that became the scariest thing Deadeye had ever heard.

I can. And you will.

Theo came to with a grumble, giving his head a shake as he was eased up into a sitting position. "Take it slow. You'll be alright. The toxins have already been purged from your system." A voice rumbled. Theo looked up, making out a blurry Dark Knight beside him.

"Batman…?" He asked. "What… What happened?" The response came as Batman looked up and gestured to the dark-skinned man standing in front of Theo. He seemed a bit odd with the white-black jacket and pants, sporting red trim that highlighted the series glow of his eyes behind the pitch black T-shaped mask over his face.

"This is Mister Terrific. He's a member of the Justice League. He used a magnetic field put out by his T-Spheres to remove the needles and prongs stuck in your skin. Your body manage to purge the toxins afterwards."

"Nice to meet you, kid," Mister Terrific greeted with a nod, crossing his arms, "heard through the bat-vine you're a special case."

Batman helped him stand. "W-Where are the Kents?"

"They're recovering in the house living room. Superman and Supergirl were both hit with Kryptonite." Batman answered. Theo's eyes went wide. "The attacker knew what he was doing. With it being so close to nightfall, there wouldn't be enough sunlight to help them recover instantly."

"Who was it? Where are they?" Theo questioned in rapid succession. Batman took his anxiety in stride.

"His name is Archie Waller, nephew to Amanda Waller; the woman in charge of the program that fused your DNA with Doomsday. Archie was a member of the 'Deadeye Project' that honed his telepathic skill to turn him into a metahuman soldier. He resents Amanda for how she treated him but he's loyal to family and will do what she asks so long as it's within his bounds of reason." Batman explained. "As for Superman and Supergirl… They're recovering on the porch." He stepped back and gestured to the Kent Farmhouse (now missing one of the wooden support pillars). Clark and Kara, with special Mister Terrific-made patches over their wounds, waved tiredly to Theo. He jogged over to them.

"Oh gosh, I'm so sorry, you guys."

"Not your fault, Teddy." Kara said with a wry grin. "We knew this might happen… Just didn't think they'd pack such a wallop."

"You alright, Theo?" Clark asked. Theo looked the pair up and down.

"Compared to you guys, yeah, I'm just dandy."

Clark laughed. "They always hit harder when they know we're Kryptonian." His gaze shifted to beyond Theo. "I'm guessing you're not here for a casual social call." He said to Batman.

"As much as my timing was good, you're right. I'm here with an update on analyzing Theo's genome." The Dark Knight answered. Everyone perked up.

"You found something?" Theo wondered. "C-Can I be fixed?" He asked, almost giddy with excitement. Batman gestured to their fellow Leaguer.

"Mister Terrific has fourteen PhDs, several of them in medicine including genetic studies and genome engineering." He began. "I contacted him to correlate what the Batcomputer managed to find." Mister Terrific stepped up, one of his T-Spheres shifting in front of him to generate a holographic render of a DNA strand.

"We managed to isolate the Doomsday strand in you, Theodore. It's remarkably distinct. Resilient. Much like the original." He stated. "Your DNA remains separate from his, but the caveat is your metagene. It's adapted to the alien chemical compounds in Doomsday's genetic structure, creating a hybridized fusion that acts as a bridge between the two. Basically, it's the glue holding you together." He looked Theo in the eye, seeing so much hope behind those red eyes. He knew why Batman asked him along now… it was to be the bearer of bad news. "Unfortunately, with each instance of self-replication, the metagene strengthens its connection to Doomsday's genes and 'bulks up' the chemical chain until it can replicate the compound on its own. There's… no way to separate the two."

Kara's hand moved to cover her mouth. Clark's head dipped in disappointed resignation. Theo's shoulders fell. "What…?" He asked, expression sagging into one of distress.

The hologram powered down and the T-Sphere floated back into orbit around Mister Terrific. "I'm sorry, kid. Metagene science is still in its infancy, so, maybe one day it would be possible to remove the two. But, right now, trying to remove either of them would just tear you apart." Tunnel vision consumed Theo as he stared off into space, Mister Terrific's words becoming a distant mumble in a sea of white noise. Even Batman was muted somewhat.

"The Batcomputer ran dozens of simulations. All of them end the same way: you'd die, Theodore." Batman rumbled. Theo's bottom lip quivered, his breath coming in short pants as he struggled to find the will to speak.

"Oh, Teddy… I'm so sorry." Kara whispered, forcing herself to stand. She reached out to lay a hand on his shoulder, the press of her flesh causing the torn fabric around his shoulders to reveal the tactile contrast… and remind him of his monstrous capabilities. He broke down.

"I can't…! I'd… I…"

"Teddy," Kara tried to calm him.

"I'd rather be dead than look like Doomsday!" He cried, brushing her off and breaking into a sprint. He barreled past Batman and Mister Terrific, bolting into the wheat fields as he reached a steady speed of a mile per pace. Then he started leaping, bounding, flinging himself forward to cross nearly a dozen miles with every lunging leap. He soon disappeared out of sight, the dull thudding of his impacts still echoing in the air. Clark forced his body up out of the chair.

"I have to go after him." He grimaced, trying to get into the farmhouse. Batman stopped him.

"Not in your current condition. You need to stop, take time to heal, before you go anywhere near him."

"You think I'm not strong enough?"

"You had a shard of Kryptonite millimetres from your heart. You're not strong enough to do anything." Batman insisted, forcing Clark to stop in place. "Not that I could ever stop you. But before you go after him, you need to hear what I have to say."

"About what?"

"When Deadeye's mind met mine, I managed to glean some information from him." Batman began.

"You told me about Amanda Waller. Can't say I'm surprised." Clark grunted, leaning against the wall of the house.

"There's more: Deadeye met her somewhere in the state. Seeing as they had no idea where Theodore went, there's only one reason why she would even be in Kansas and not someplace like Washington." Batman said, letting Clark fill in the pieces. Blue eyes hardened.

"Black Site Kilo is somewhere here in Kansas?" Batman nodded. Clark looked down, clenching a fist. "They put it in the one place they knew I wouldn't think twice about."

"They're serious about this, Clark." Batman continued. "You need to get back to full strength, not just to calm Theodore down, but to also put a stop to this madness once and for all."

Kara ignored them for a moment, her eyes tracking Theo as he bounded away from the farm, one hand clenched tight as she suffered the sensation of powerlessness to help her friend.