Washington D.C
"Time runs short. You must awaken. You must awaken now!" My eyes shot open as if someone had doused my body in ice cold water. I was illuminated in a green light, the rest were a normal blinding white.
My body felt weak and my streanght was gone. Leading me to thinking my pod had kryptonite emitters in it. 'Great'
The clone stood watching the three of us as we hung in individual capsules next to each other. "What? What do you want?" Wally asked.
The cloned eyed him. "Quit staring. You're creeping me out." Wally said.
"Uh, KF, why not piss off the guy that can fry us with a look?" I said looking at the boy.
"We only sought to help you." Kaldur said to the boy.
Wally didn't take the hint to stop agitating the superboy more than he had to this point. "Yeah, we free you, and you turn on us. How's that for grat—"
"Kid, please, be quiet now. I believe our new friend was not in full control of his actions." Kaldur said.
"What if I.. what if I wasn't?" Superboy said quietly. This surprised us seeing as he'd only grunted at us so far.
"He can talk?" Wally asked.
"Yea he can."
"Great you pissed him off genius." I scolded. Superboy turned his eyes onto me. He seemed to be looking at my chest. "Dude, my eyes are up here." I said shifting in my restraints.
"That symbol on your chest. You're Astria." He said. I nodded. The suit I wore had the symbol my father dawn on his suit too.
"You know me?" I asked, my eyebrows furrowed in slight curiosity.
"The genomorphs thought you telepathically." Kaldur said.
"They taught me much. I can read, write. I-I know the names of things and some people." Superboy explained.
"But have you seen them." Robin chimed in. "Have they ever actually let you see the sky? Or the sun?"
"Images are implanted in my mind, but no. I have not seen them." He replied.
"Do you know what you are, who you are?" I asked. My heart kinda broke for him. I mean he didn't choose to be cloned and he seemed to have an entire mind of his own.
"I am the Superboy, a Genomorph, a clone made from the DNA of the Superman. Created to replace him should he perish... to destroy him should he turn from the light."
We looked at each other in concern. "To be like Superman is a worthy aspiration but you deserve a life of your own, beyond that solar suit, beyond Cadmus."
"I live because of Cadmus." He argued "It is my home!"
"Superboy, just because they gave you life it doesn't mean they have a right to control you. Is this how you want to live the rest of your life? Under the telepathic control of another being that doesn't see you as anything but a weapon? Living out of a test tube?" I question the boy.
He looked at me as if contemplating our words. "We can show you the sun."
"I'm pretty sure it's after midnight. But we can show you the moon." Wally said.
"We can show you, introduce you to Superman." Kaldur offered.
"No. They can't." True head scientists and Guardian walked in. "They'll be otherwise occupied. Activate the cloning process."
"Pass! The batcave's crowded enough." Robin retorted.
The head scientist screamed orders around. The last thing I could say in an effort to reach the boy was "Help us."
The other scientist activated the cloning machine and started extracting our DNA. We all screamed in agony as an electric current was being sent through each of our bodies. The pain and the kryptonite wasn't working in my favor, my head started getting woozy again.
Unexpected the door to the room was ripped open. A small smile formed on my lips. The boy knock the scientists and Guardian out, I guess he was pissed about getting bossed around.
"Don't give me orders."
"Are you here to help us or fry us?" Wally asked. Superboy tried using heat vision but failed. I wonder why.
"Huh, I don't seem to have heat vision, so I suppose helping is my only option." In that moment Robin dropped down from his capsule.
"Lucky Batman isn't here. He'd have my head for taking so long." Robin said.
"That's what you're worried about? The whole league will have our heads after tonight!" Wally argued. Robin opened our capsules and stopped the emitters.
I started feeling a bit better thankfully. "I'll get Astria. You get Aqualad and Kid Mouth." Robin told Superboy.
"Don't you give me orders either." He growled. Robin released my restraints.
"Thanks, Rob." I said with a smile.
"Don't stress it." We took off running as soon as we were free. Unfortunately our captors started waking up.
"I'll have you back in your pods before morning." He grumbled.
Robin stopped to take out some weapons from his utility belt, "That's guy is not whelmed, not whelmed at all."
"What is it with you and this whelmed thing?" I asked as the containers with our DNA exploded, not leaving anything behind that could give Cadmus a chance to do anything with it.
—
I flew above the rest of the group but stopped in mid air as we were cornered by the mammoth sized genomorphs we'd seen earlier.
"Great." I said as started blasting the creatures. Superboy leapt at one and started punching it. We don't have time to fight, not today. But Superboy had other plans.
"Superboy, we need to go. We don't have time to fight." I yelled.
The boy was filled with nothing but rage. "You wasn't escape?!" Superboy grabbed a genomorph and threw it at the other two.
We eventually found the elevator shaft. Using my super strength I pulled open the doors. Superboy grabbed Aqualad and tried flying but started falling. I went to catch them and set them down next to Wally.
I landed next to Robin as he looked at the building layout. "Why can't I fly?" Superboy looked at me. "Superman can fly. You can fly."
"I don't know, but we'll have to figure that out after we survive." I said noticing the elevator coming down. "Um guys, this I'll have to be our stop." We immediately opened the door in that level and stringed down the hall.
"Go left. Left!" Superboy shouted randomly. We didn't know where we were going so we did just that. He kept giving us directions and we followed only to be met by a dead end.
"Great Supey. Are you trying to get us re-podded." Wally asked annoyed at him.
"I don't understand."
"Don't apologize this is perfect." I said gesturing at the vent. We all climbed in and rushed through the system.
"I hacked the motion sensors." Robin said proudly. I smiled at the boy and fist pumped him.
"Nice."
We took off running up the stairway Kid Flash in the lead. He took out some to the genomorphs ahead of us when Robin warned of the others tailing us. I slowed down and kicked the stair scape behind us creating an unreachable gap between us.
We finally got to sub-level one but got cut off by a steel door. Superboy and I try punching and pulling it open but nothing worked. To make matters worse the mammoths were right on our asses again.
"This way!" Robin said kicking in a door. We all ran in only met by Guardian and several genomorphs. We were surrounded front and back. We all took stances in preparation for the fight, Aqualad with his water blades, Robin with his explosive batarangs. The genomorphs lit up again and darkness engulfed us.
We woke up again, seemingly no time had passed. My mind was starting to clear up a bit more, I now really hated people in my head.
Guardian seemed to have come back to himself and told up to leave.
"I think not." The other man said, holding up a vile of liquid. "Project blockbuster will give me the power to restore order to Cadmus." The man downed the liquid and started twisting as he turned into a hideous creature.
Guardian ran forward but got throwing a wall. Superboy didn't hesitate either and started fighting too. The two jumped through the ceiling creating and opening for us.
Robin used his grappling hook while I grabbed the other two and brought them up with me. "That's one way to make an exit." Robin commented.
"I doubt planing anything anymore." Kaldur said.
"I doubt he was planing anything at all." I set the two on the floor only to have Superboy thrown into me but the creature. "That's definitely gonna hurt tomorrow." I grunted as I got up.
We all ran forward to fight the beast, I blasted hit with some energy beams and started punching him with everything I had. "You piss me off!" I yelled as all my frustrations poured into my hits.
The beast grabbed my fist and threw me into a pillar. It tried landing a hit but fortunately Kaldur grabbed his arm stoping it from hitting me. I too the opportunity to kick him away from me and create distance between us.
Superboy took that as a sign to jump in and let his anger out too. Kid flash did the same but the monster took advantage of this and grabbed Wally, throwing him into Superboy.
More and more pillars were being collapsed in this fight weakening the structural integrity of the building. "Of course. Astria, the pillars!"
I nodded and punching different columns in the room. Robin filled the rest of the team in on the plan. We eventually were able to incapacitate the beast in the middle of the room before robin's explosives were meant to go off.
"Move!" The building started collapsing. Fortunately Superboy and I were able to protect everyone else from the fallout.
Once the dust settled we got up panting. "We... did it." Kaldur said out of breath. We looked around at each other and smiled. Even thought our suits were torn up and our bodies ached. We were still happy we made it out alive.
"Was there ever any doubt?" Robin asked smiling. We fist pumped but grimaced as pain radiated through our bodies.
"See . The moon." I heard Wally say to Superboy. My eyes turned to the sky as I took in the sight.
"And Superman. Aka dad." I said walking over to stand next to boy. The entire Justice league had shown up. From Hawk woman to Captain Marvel showed up. Superboy took a step forward approaching my dad.
He showed his emblem to the hero a little hope in his eyes, only to have that shattered by his reaction. "Is that what I think it is." Batman asked.
"He doesn't like being called 'it'." Wally told the men.
I gently smacked the boys arm, "You're not helping." I scolded. The boy mumbled a small apology.
"I'm Superman's clone!" Superboy spoke up finally. All the leaguer look at each other probably wondering if what they heard was right.
My dad looked at me, his expression asking if this was true. My gaze remained steady, and I gave a small nod.
"Start talking." Batman said.
The Justice League decided to handle the situation from what we'd done that night, and find a solution to the Superboy situation.
"Hey, don't worry about it. I'm sure everything will be fine. You never know, we might end up working together in metropolis." I said putting a hand in Superboy's shoulder. He'd been eyeing dad the whole time.
Dad walked up to the boy and sighed, he looked like he really didn't want to deal with what was happening right now. "We'll, uh, figure something out for you. The League will, I mean. For now I better make sure they get that Blockbuster creature squared away." He turned to me next. "And you young lady, we'll talk about this at home."
Before I could protest dad flew away leaving us all wondering what was going through his head. I let out a sigh. "Guess that means I'm grounded till I'm 50."
"Cadmus will be investigated, all 52 levels but let's make one thing clear—" Batman began before he was cut off by the Flash.
"You should have called."
Batman sighed, "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."
"I am sorry, but we will." Kaldur said speaking on behalf of all of us.
"Aqualad, stand down." Aquaman commanded.
"Apologies, my king, but no." He said in defiance. "We did good work here tonight the work you trained us to do. Together in our own we forged something powerful, important."
"If this is about your treatment at the hall, the four of you—"
"The five of us, and it's not." I said.
Robin stepped in and appealed to his mentor. "Batman, we're ready to use what you taught us, or why teach us at all?"
"It's simple. Get on board or get out of the way."
__________________________________