Becoming Blue (Green Lantern's Prótegée)

Chapter 3: Genomorphs

You must awaken. A voice spoke in my head. You must awaken now!

I woke up gasping for breath. "What?" KF says blinking, disoriented.

I looked around, and realized that we were all in tubes, like the ones we had found Superboy in. Our arms were shackled above us, but, thankfully, they didn't have the sense to take off my ring, so my mask was still on, shielding  my green eyes from view.

Superboy was outside of our tubes, just staring at us. Creepy.

"What do you want?" Kid Flash asks rudely to Superboy.  He doesn't answer, just continues to stare at us.

"Quit staring. You're creeping me out,"KF continues, obviously uncomfortable. "Shut up!" I shout to him.

"Uh, KF?" Robin calls to him. "Maybe we not tick off the guy who can fry us with a look?"

Aqualad tries to talk with Superboy, to appeal to his human side. If he has one.
"We only sought to help you."

"Yeah," KF decides to open his big mouth. "We free you, and you turn on us! How's that for grat-"

Robin cuts him off. "Kid, please, be quiet."

"I believe our new friend is not in control of his actions," Aqualad voiced his thoughts.

"What-What if I wasn't"? Superboy finally decided to speak. "He can talk?" Kid Flash asks us.

I was about to respond with yes, obviously he can talk, but Superboy beat me to it. "Yes, he can."

"Not like I said 'it'," mumbled KF.
"It's still rude," I said to Kid Flash.

"The genomorphs taught you telepathically," Aqualad guessed.

"They taught me much," Superboy explained. "I can read, write, I know the names of things," he continued.

"But have you seen them?" Robin asked. "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." SB said sadly. Poor kid, I thought. We all looked at him with sympathy. I know what it feels like to be trapped, which is maybe why I felt like we needed to help him.

"Do you know what you are?" "Who you are." I corrected Aqualad. He looks at me apologetically. I seem to be the only one who sees him as a human being, not just an experiment.

He straightened up. "I am the Superboy, a genomorph, a clone made from the DNA of Superman, created to replace him should He perish, to destroy him should he turn from the Light." He said proudly.

"To be like Superman is a worthy aspiration," Aqualad said kindly to him. "But, like Superman, you deserve a life of your own beyond that solar suit, beyond your pod. Beyond Cadmus."

"I live because of Cadmus! It is my home!" Superboy suddenly became very defensive of his 'home.'

"Your home is a test tube." Robin deadpans. "We can show you the sun."
"Uh, pretty sure it's after midnight, but we can show you the moon," KF bribes.

"Along with the stars," I say. Stars were always the 'star' of the show in the sky, or at least that's what I think.

"And we can show you, introduce you, to Superman," Robin promises. Superboy's eyes widened, and he looked like he was considering our offer.