Young Justice: Nightfall

Chapter 8: Discover

Out of everything that I was expecting to see at Cadmus, I was not expecting this. . .

Sure it started as a little fire which I thought would be great for us to handle but this was something else, something larger than us.

I was able to barely catch my breath because of what I was witnessing in front of me.

"That's Krypton." Kid Flash said in awe as we looked as to what significantly reassembled Superman. If anything, it looked to be a clone of some sort.

"Can you hack it?" Aqualad asked.

"On it." Robin nodded getting to work.

As much as I wanted to set free whoever this person was, I knew that it might have had some repercussions if I did. Was it the right thing to do in this situation?

What would happen if we did let it out?

Maybe I was sort of relieved that I had called Batman earlier back.

Now I was hoping that Batman would be coming quicker than before.

Robin quickly breached the security protocol, opening the chamber and freeing Superboy I had no idea what to expect.

"Should we bow or something. . ." Kid Flash slowly took a step back.

"Now's not the time," Robin grumbled as we were standing by.

But as Superboy emerged from his stasis-induced slumber, something seemed amiss. His eyes once filled with determination, now glowed with an unnatural intensity.

WHOOSH!

Before I could react, he launched into a frenzied attack, his strength and speed amplified beyond measure.

"Great!" I shouted.

Caught off guard by the sudden assault, I, Kid Flash, Aqualad, and Robin fought desperately to defend themselves against the onslaught. Each blow landed with bone-crushing force, threatening to overwhelm even the most skilled of warriors.

"Come on now man!" Robin did his best to dodge his attacks. "We're friends!"

"Yeah!" Kid Flash joined in, "I like the white it suits you!"

Despite our best efforts to reason with him, Superboy seemed consumed by a primal rage, his mind clouded by forces beyond our understanding.

"Guess we can't reason with him?" Robin coughed looking at me.

"Right." I looked at Aqualad and Kid Flash ready to make their moves.

In a desperate bid to end the chaos, we combined our powers, unleashing a barrage of attacks against Superboy in a last-ditch effort to subdue him. But even as he faltered, his resolve remained unbroken, his relentless assault showing no signs of abating.

"Seriously how strong is he!" Robin groaned as he hit the wall.

"It's the wish version of Superman! Of course, he's strong." Kid Flash distanced himself from Superboy as we were practically watching Aqualad getting battered.

Kid Flash and Robin did their best to attack him but it was no use, it was a losing game for them. Superboy was quick enough to subdue the others as he looked over at me.

I sighed looking at him.

If one thing was on my agenda it wasn't fighting him.
I was so not ready to fight someone like him.

"I hate people with powers. . . Especially people with the magic of course."

I looked for an angle ready to strike.

As I faced off against Superboy, the air crackled with tension, and the weight of the moment hung heavy upon your shoulders. Despite my best efforts, I found myself struggling to match the sheer strength and ferocity of his attacks.

Each blow exchanged sent shockwaves rippling through my body, testing the limits of my endurance. But with a fierce determination burning within me, I refused to back down, pressing forward with unwavering resolve.

Sure I was getting my ass kicked all the time but I wasn't going to let that happen.

Just as I began to gain the upper hand, landing a series of calculated strikes that seemed to stagger Superboy, fate intervened with a cruel twist. In a sudden, unexpected turn of events, a powerful blow struck me with the force of a freight train, sending me reeling backwards.

As the world spun dizzily around me, I fought to maintain my footing, my vision swimming with stars. But despite my best efforts, the darkness crept in at the edges, threatening to consume me entirely.

With a final, desperate gasp for air, I fought to stay conscious, clinging to the hope that I could somehow rally and continue the battle. But it was a futile struggle, as the merciless grip of unconsciousness claimed me, pulling me down into its inky depths.

What a great day!

When I awoke, groggy and disoriented, I found myself tied against the wall. This was not how I wanted to be spending my day.

Though my body ached with every movement, I looked to my left and right to realise that the others were also trapped.

"I'd like to blame Robin for all of this." Kid Flash declared.

"Me? You were the one who wanted to join!" Robin shot back.

While those two were bickering, it seemed like Aqualad seemed to be the only one who was currently thinking of a way to do something about the situation we were in.

After being trapped for so long Superboy would come to visit and I knew that there was potential to sway him to our side.

And exactly that we did.

"I want to believe that," he admitted, his voice tinged with uncertainty. "But I don't know if I can."

With unwavering faith, I reached out to him with my words offering him a hand of friendship and support. "You don't have to do this alone," I assured him, my voice filled with sincerity. "We'll stand by your side every step of the way, helping you to see the real world for yourself ."

"Yeah, the moon!" Kid Flash chimed in happily.

For a moment, time seemed to stand still as Superboy contemplated his decision, the weight of the world resting upon his broad shoulders. And then, with a solemn nod, he jumped ripping the constraints off our wrist.

I was glad that he chose this path. I was glad that he was on his way to. . .

Discover.