W A S H I N G T O N D. C.
July 5, 00:01 EDT
'Time runs short. You must awaken now!'
Reese's eyes flashed open and she tried to gasp, only to realize that there was a thick band of metal covering her mouth, muffling any noise she might make.
Her hands and feet were shackled, and when she glanced around, Silverbird realized that Robin, Kid Flash, and Aqualad were in the same predicament as her, except they didn't have a metal band covering their mouths.
All four of them were trapped in pods, with Dick to Reese's right, Wally to her left, and Aqualad on Kid Flash's other side.
In front of them stood Superboy, the clone of Superman staring hard at all four of them. But, no matter how hard she tried, Silverbird wasn't able to speak. Or move her head at all, for that matter.
"What?" Wally exclaimed finally. "What do you want? Quit staring you're creeping me out!"
"Uh, KF?" Robin added, glancing worriedly at the girl next to him before he turned to the redhead. "How about we not tick off the guy who can fry us with a look?"
Then, for some odd reason, the band that had been over Silverbird's mouth suddenly split apart, and the girl sucked in a breath.
"You okay?" the whisper was quiet and if she hadn't had enhanced hearing Reese wouldn't have caught it, but she did, and the twelve-year-old girl glanced over at Dick.
"Fine," she answered, just as soft, and couldn't help but notice how Aqualad and Kid Flash conveniently averted their eyes. "I think the band was just to stop me from using my Canary Cry. What about you?"
"Feeling whelmed," For a moment, Robin smirked, and it made Silverbird feel a bit better, if only for a moment. "You think you could get us out of here?"
"No," Reese shook her head. "Even if there was enough room for me in this...pod, it's in such an enclosed space that I'd just end up hurting myself. The soundwaves would bounce back and hit me instead of breaking whatever material these are made of,"
"Your neck is bruised," Dick said softly, his eyes practically glaring at the finger-shaped marks from where Superboy had tried to choke her earlier.
Before Reese could say anything in response to that, Aqualad spoke up.
"We only sought to help you," the Atlantean said calmly, but Wally abruptly cut him off.
"Yeah, we free you, and you turn on us. How's that for grat--"
"KF, stop it," Silverbird spoke firmly, making the speedster glance over. "Those things, the G-gnomes, they're telepathic. I don't even think Superboy knew what he was doing when he attacked us,"
"Seriously?" Wally asked, raising an eyebrow, before jerking his head towards Superboy. "You're taking his side? He almost killed you!"
"Back off, Kid!" Robin said dangerously, eyes narrowing. But, despite being glared down by the protege of the Bat, Kid Flash scoffed.
"And what are you gonna do, Rob? Dangle there like some sort of--"
"Kid, Robin, please, be quiet now," Aqualad spoke again, and his voice was with enough authority that it made both Robin and Kid Flash stop. "Silverbird is right. I, too, believe that our new friend was not in full control of his actions,"
Next to her, Silverbird heard a subtle click and glanced from the corner of her eye to see that Robin had begun to use the lockpick built into his glove as a way to try and get out of his shackles.
Man, she really wished she had one of those. Maybe she could ask Ollie when they got out of here. If they got out of here and her adoptive father didn't ground her forever.
Sure, Oliver Queen wasn't as stoic or serious as Bruce Wayne or Batman, but he was still intimidating when he was angry.
"What if I--What if I wasn't?" Superboy's voice was deep, and eerily like Clark's, and Reese's eyes widened.
"He can talk?" Wally's voice sounded shocked, and Superboy clenched his fists.
"Yes, he can," the rest of them turned to glare at the redhead, and Kid Flash shrugged.
"It's not like I said 'it'," Silverbird just rolled her eyes before she glanced down at Superboy.
"The genomorphs," she began. "They taught you...telepathically?"
"They taught me much," Superboy answered. "I can read, write...I know the names of things,"
"But have you seen them?" Robin spoke up from his pod. "Have they ever actually let you see the...sky? The sun?"
"Images are implanted in my mind," Superboy's expression didn't change. "But...no, I have not seen them,"
"Do you know what you are?" Aqualad asked. "Who you are?" Superboy glanced up at him.
"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,"
"Yeah, like that doesn't sound ominous at all," Silverbird mumbled under her breath, and she exchanged a glance with both Robin and Kid Flash, as Aqualad spoke up again.
"To be like Superman is a worthy aspiration. But, like Superman, you deserve a life of your own. Beyond that solar-suit. Beyond your pod. Beyond Cadmus,"
"I live because of Cadmus!" Superboy exclaimed angrily. "It is my home!"
"Your home--" Robin cut in. "--is a test tube. We can show you the sun,"
"Uh, pretty sure it's after midnight," Kid Flash added. "But, we can show you the moon,"
"We can show you, introduce you, to Superman," Superboy's face turned almost awe-struck, and Silverbird counted that as a win before a new voice joined their conversation.
"No," the man said firmly. "They can't," the doors slid open to reveal Guardian, the scientist-lady from earlier, and...
Reese, despite herself, sucked in a sharp breath, catching Dick's attention and causing him to glance over at her.
But, Silverbird was too preoccupied with staring at the other scientist that had walked in. Middle-aged, with brown hair graying on the sides all tied back into a ponytail, and black-rimmed glasses sitting on his face.
She knew this man. Her father had worked with this man.
"They'll be...otherwise occupied," Dr. Desmond spoke to the female scientist next. "Activate the cloning process,"
"Pass," Silverbird spoke up suddenly, and Robin nodded.
"Yeah, the Batcave's crowded enough," Desmond ignored him, then turning to Guardian.
"And get the weapon back in its pod!" As Guardian walked forward stoically, Kid Flash scoffed.
"Hey, how come he gets to call Supey an 'it'?"
"Not the time, KF," Silverbird hissed from the side of her mouth, and as Superboy turned back to face them, Aqualad spoke up.
"Help us,"
For one single second, Silverbird had a single shred of hope as Superboy jerked his shoulder away from Guardian's hand, that maybe he would help them, but Desmond demolished that hope pretty quickly.
"Don't start thinking now," the scientist berated him, just as another G-gnome hopped from his shoulder onto Superboy's, and causing the clone's face to go completely blank. "See?" Desmond continued. "You're not a real boy, you're a weapon, and you belong to me--well, to Cadmus-- same thing. Now get back your pod!"
With that, Superboy, now a complete pawn of Cadmus, turned and walked out, just before Desmond turned around again.
His eyes landed on Silverbird, and they narrowed thoughtfully.
"I know you..." Desmond spoke, cupping his chin in one hand, and Silverbird's eyes widened, as did Robin's, Aqualad's, and Kid Flash's. "You're the sidekick of Black Canary, aren't you?"
"I mean, I'd rather go for more of a partner-side of things, but sure, sidekick works too,"
"No, that's not it," Desmond said, half-to-himself as he inspected her from a distance before he gasped, eyes widening again. "You're the daughter of Derrick Michaels,"
"I don't know what you're talking about," she said firmly, but Desmond only shook his head.
"I thought everyone had died that night. But, it seems like I missed one..." he trailed off, but Silverbird managed to catch his meaning.
"You set the fire," she realized breathlessly, and Desmond smirked. "You killed my entire family!"
"Pity," Desmond said dismissively, waving a hand around. "I was sure you had perished in the blaze as well. You can never trust fire. So unpredictable. Well, better late than never, right?"
"You're a monster," Reese growled, and opened her mouth to Canary Cry, not even caring that it might hurt her as well, but before she could do anything, the metal band snapped over her mouth again, yanking her head back against the back of her pod so she wouldn't be able to move at all.
"Your father ruined my life," Desmond retorted as Silverbird struggled against her bonds, jerking her arms around as she tried to escape. "Luckily, I got my job back. In fact, I took your father's former position in the company. I made it better. Now, you'll be the first of your friends to die,"
Suddenly, after the female scientist pressed a few buttons on the nearby console, two robotic arms appeared, before the separated into four separate appendages.
Then, if that wasn't bad enough, the needles that were at the end jabbed into Reese's chest, underneath the protective covering of her jacket, and electricity suddenly lanced throughout her entire body, causing her to scream into the metal band as her back arched, spasming.
A weird, sucking sensation occurred as well as Reese's blood was drawn through the needles, appearing in a large sphere underneath the pod.
Silverbird was just coherent enough that she was able to catch the sound of her friends screaming her name. The voice that came through it all, was Robin's.
"Stop it!" he shouted, his voice a mix of terror and rage. "You're hurting her! Please, just stop!" as he yelled the last word, robotic arms appeared in his own pod, Kid Flash's, and Aqualad's, before they too were getting shocked.
Reese didn't know how long the pain lasted, but it eventually stopped, and she hung limp as her head pounded. She could feel a migraine coming on. Great.
"I thought I told you to get back to your--" Silverbird blinked her eyes open wearily in time to see Superboy swipe Guardian, Desmond, the female scientist, and another genomorph to the side.
"Don't give me orders," Superboy growled, before walking towards the pods.
"You here to help us or fry us?" Kid Flash asked, but Superboy only stared at him, narrowing his eyes.
"Huh," the clone said finally. "I don't seem to have heat vision, so I suppose helping is my only option,"
There was another click, and Robin finally managed to unlock his shackles, the bands retreating as the Boy Wonder dropped to the ground, rubbing his wrists.
"Ugh, finally," he grumbled. "Lucky Batman isn't here, he'd have my head for taking so long,"
"Seriously?" KF deadpanned. "That's what you're worried about? The whole League'll have our heads after tonight! Rob, that Lab Coat guy almost killed Silverbird!"
"You think I don't know that?"
Robin's face was angry enough at the moment to make Wally pause in his rant before the redhead glanced over at Green Arrow's adoptive daughter, hanging limply next to him.
"Free Aqualad!" Robin said next, still more than a little bit bitter. "I'll get Silverbird and Kid Mouth,"
"Don't you give me orders either," Superboy grumbled, before leaping up and crushing Aqualad's shackles in one hand. As he held up the exhausted Atlantean, Aqualad gave a small smile.
"Thank you,"
Meanwhile, Robin had just unlocked the metal band that covered Silverbird's mouth, which in turn made everything else disappear as well. He steadied her as she stumbled, her energy severely drained.
"You okay, pretty bird?" Dick asked quietly, and Reese gave a small nod, her brown hair plastered to her forehead in a cold sweat.
"I'll be fine," she reassured him, though both of them could tell she was lying. "I'll just need to sleep for a few years," Despite it all, Robin gave a small chuckle, before the both of them freed KF.
"You're not lookin' so hot, Silver," Wally observed, and Reese scowled.
"I'll be fine," she repeated, before crossing her arms. "Now, shouldn't we get out of here?"
"Right,"
The four of them, plus Superboy, ran out of the room where they had been trapped, as Desmond began to metaphorically throw a temper tantrum.
"You'll never get out of here!" the scientist shouted to them. "I'll have you back in pods before morning!"
"That guy is not whelmed," Robin said as he threw birdarangs towards the spheres where their blood was stored. "Not whelmed at all,"
"What is it with you and this whelmed thing?" Wally asked, just as the birdarangs exploded, and they all made their exit.
"We are still forty-two levels below ground," Aqualad began as the five of them ran through the red hallways. "But if we can make it to the elevator--"
Before they could get there, some more of the "stone elephants" appeared in front of them, and they all skidded to a stop.
Reese turned around, to see the bulbous containers attached to the wall begin to glow, just as more genomorphs seemed to almost...hatch, from within.
"Oh, that is so gross," Silverbird muttered, just as one of the genomorph trolls rose its massive fists above its head, getting ready to squash all of them.
Luckily, they all managed to dodge, and Superboy punched the troll right in the face, toppling it to the ground.
Robin, Silverbird, Kid Flash, and Aqualad leaped over the toppled genomorph, but Reese stumbled again as they landed, Dick having to catch her before she fell.
"You are not fine, pretty bird," Robin said worriedly, but Silverbird only glanced at him.
"We can't worry about that now," she said. "We need to get out of here, first," Robin looked like he wanted to protest, but pieces of the ceiling started to fall around them, and Aqualad spoke up.
"Superboy!" the Atlantean called. "The goal is 'escape', not to bury ourselves here!"
"You want 'escape'?" Superboy shouted, whipping his head around. Then, he took one of the massive genomorphs and swung it around, hitting two others and taking all three out for the count.
Meanwhile, Aqualad wrenched the elevator doors open, revealing the empty elevator shaft. This time, instead of letting Robin carry her, Silverbird shot a grappling line straight up, and the anchor caught on an open space.
Robin shot his own grapple, while Kid Flash jumped to the edge, ready to run up the wall. Superboy grabbed onto Aqualad and leaped into the air to fly the two of them out.
But, then--then he started to fall.
Silverbird's eyes widened, but before she could do anything, Robin had already whipped out a birdarang, throwing it to the wall, where Aqualad grabbed onto it.
"Superman can fly," Superboy mumbled, seeming shocked. "Why can't I fly?"
"Don't know," Kid Flash spoke up from his spot across from Silverbird and Robin. "But, it looks like you can leap tall buildings in a single bound. Still cool,"
Superboy and Aqualad landed lightly on the ledge in front of the Sub-Level 15.
"Thank you," the clone said softly before Robin spoke up.
"Guys!" he exclaimed, pointing upwards. "This'll have to be our exit," Following his sightline, Silverbird gulped as she saw the elevator heading towards them.
Superboy kicked the door downs down, and all five of them dove onto the landing, just as the elevator car whooshed by.
As she landed, Reese suddenly felt very woozy, and she had to lean against the wall in order for the haze to clear. Her headache was getting worse.
"Something's wrong with her," Robin said simply, gazing at her but Kid Flash only gave him a dry look.
"Yeah, no duh,"
Before Dick could say anything in response to that, genomorphs appeared at the end of the hallway, leaving the young heroes to have to go another way.
As they ran, Reese had the nagging feeling that they were lost, before Superboy suddenly shouted, "Go left!" then, a few meters down, "Right!" When they finally stopped, it was at a dead-end hallway. But, Silverbird had an idea.
"Great directions, Supey!" KF grumbled. "Are you trying to get us repodded?"
"No. I-I don't understand,"
"Wait," Reese cut in, straightening, staring at the air-vent cover that was above them. "You don't need to apologize, because I have an idea,"
Quickly, taking advantage of her smaller size, Silverbird vaulted off the wall, bursting into the air vent that it was connected too. Down below, Robin stared up at where Reese had disappeared, a soft smile on his face.
"Nice one, pretty bird," he whispered, just as KF jabbed his elbow into Robin's ribs, smirking.
"Pretty bird, eh?" Robin just scowled.
"Shut up," Dick hissed, while Aqualad shook his head, chuckling, and Superboy looked on in confusion.
After a moment though, Silverbird stuck her head out of the vent again. Her hair had come out of its braid sometime during their run through Cadmus, and now it hung midway down her back, the silver streak prominent within the chocolate brown strands.
"You guys coming?" she asked, and the other four guys quickly hopped into the vent. As he appeared behind her, Reese glanced at Dick. "Why's your heart beating so fast?"
For a split-second, Robin's face completely blanched, and his heart rate spiked even more before he gave a short--and obviously fake-- answer.
"...Adrenaline,"
Silverbird raised an eyebrow, obviously not believing him, but right now they had bigger things to worry about than whether or not Robin was lying about something.
"Ugh," KF groaned as they rounded yet another corner. "At this rate, we'll never get out,"
"Shh," Superboy said quickly. "Listen," Straining her ears, Silverbird did so, and practically groaned in frustration as she heard multiple genomorphs heading their way.
"We have to move," the archer spoke, turning towards Robin. "Now,"
Luckily, they found an exit and dropped down to the floor again. Robin instantly pulled up his holo-glove, before he glanced over his shoulder again gleefully.
"I hacked the motion sensors."
"Sweet," KF grinned.
"There's still plenty of them between us and out," Robin continued, but Kid Flash said nothing, only pulling his red goggles over his eyes.
"But, I finally got room to move," With that, Wally opened the door to the stairwell, speeding up the steps, and effectively clearing a path by knocking the genomorphs out of the way.
Silverbird, Robin, Aqualad, and Superboy followed as soon as the way was clear, Dick's holo-glove still giving them any alerts when they were being followed.
"Four behind us!" Robin exclaimed, and Superboy stamped down on the edge of the stairs, the entire thing falling beneath his foot, taking the genomorphs with it.
Alarms suddenly began to blare as the five of them reached the top of the stairwell, and when they entered one of the main hallways again, Reese saw Wally sitting up in front of a massive door, holding his head.
He must have run into it.
"We're cut off from the street," Aqualad said, and KF groaned.
"Thanks, my head hadn't noticed,"
Even when Superboy and Aqualad tried to pry the doors open with the combination of their enhanced strength, or when Robin tried to hack into the system, it didn't work.
Silverbird debated using a Canary Cry, but genomorph trolls, the big stone-like trunk-free elephants, rounded the corner before she was able to do anything.
"This way!" Robin exclaimed, kicking down a side-door. But, they didn't get very far before they were met with Guardian and a whole army of different-sized genomorphs, from G-gnomes to the massive G-trolls.
Aqualad made his water-bearers into swords, ready for a fight, but the G-gnomes horns glowed for a second, and Silverbird felt her mind go blank before she, Robin, Kid Flash, and Aqualad all fell to the ground.
She couldn't have been out for more than a few seconds, but when Silverbird blinked her eyes open, she saw one of the genomorphs, the one who actually wore clothes, having what looked like a staring contest with Superboy.
Finally, Superboy spoke.
"I...choose...freedom,"
Guardian then held a hand to his temple, looking more than a bit confused at what all was going on. "Feels like...fog lifting,"
As Robin helped Silverbird sit up, Guardian turned to the brunette.
"Silverbird..." he began, making Reese glance at him. "I--I found this a while back," Guardian held an envelope out to her. There was no return address, only her name. Her real name.
Dick raised an eyebrow behind his mask, but Reese took the envelope anyway, slipping it into one of her jacket pockets. There wasn't time to open it now.
"Guardian?" Aqualad asked, sounding grave, and Jim Harper's face turned emotionless.
"Go," he told them firmly, eyes flicking over to Silverbird for a moment. "I'll deal with Desmond,"
"I think not," Speak of the devil. The genomorphs parted to show the scientist standing behind them. "Project Blockbuster will give me the power to restore order to Cadmus,"
He held up a glowing blue vial, before tipping it back and gulping down the entire thing. Immediately, he began to writhe around, before collapsing onto his hands and knees.
Subconsciously, Silverbird tightened her hold on Robin's shoulders as everyone's eyes widened, Dick doing the same to her. This...could not be good.
The entire situation got even grosser when Desmond's eyes popped open, revealing them to be pure black, with only a small spot of red in the middle.
Then, the scientist's skin split apart, revealing a second layer that sort of looked like the G-trolls' own exterior if Reese were being completely honest. But, right now, she was too freaked to care.
The Blockbuster creature roared, and Guardian quickly stood in front of them.
"Everyone, back!" he shouted, before trying to run at the creature, but Blockbuster merely swatted him aside, as if he was an annoying fly.
Guardian slammed into the wall, where he then lay limp, groaning. Then, Superboy tried to take down Blockbuster, and for a few seconds, it was...sort of...evenly matched, before the monster just straight-up threw Superboy through the ceiling.
"Okay..." Robin began as he, Silverbird, Kid Flash, and Aqualad stared up at the hole made by Superboy and Blockbuster. "That's one way to bust through the ceiling,"
"You think Lab Coat planned that?" Wally spoke up as Robin yanked the two of them up through the ceiling, Silverbird following after them.
"I doubt he is planning anything anymore," Aqualad answered gravely, before leaping through the hole into the main lobby area of Cadmus, where Superboy was still fighting Blockbuster.
Suddenly, Superboy was thrown towards them, and Robin yanked Silverbird to the side, just as the clone slammed into Aqualad, throwing them both backward.
Blockbuster roared at them as Robin and Kid Flash helped Superboy and Aqualad stand up. Then, KF ran straight towards him but slid between Blockbuster's legs before the creature was able to land a hit on him.
When Blockbuster turned around again, he was met with a simultaneous punch from both Aqualad and Superboy, knocking the monster backward. Wally crouched down, and Blockbuster tripped, landing heavily on his back.
"Learned that one in kindergarten," the speedster bragged, as Robin and Silverbird flipped over his head, Dick throwing his birdarangs, and Reese shooting multiple arrows at Blockbuster at once.
But, the monster just swatted them out of the way, before turning to Superboy again and slamming him against a support beam, which cracked with the force.
Aqualad used his water-bearers to wrap a rope of glowing, blue water around Blockbuster's arm, before jumping forward and ramming his knee into the monster's face.
Then, the Atlantean turned the rope into a spiked mace, but Blockbuster caught it before it could hit him, using the leverage to throw Aqualad to the side.
Then, Superboy was thrown into another support beam, a chunk of concrete falling on top of him. KF ran towards Blockbuster, but the monster grabbed him, throwing him into Aqualad as the latter tried to hit him with another water-mace.
If that wasn't bad enough, Aqualad was pushed through the next beam, getting slammed into another one, where Blockbuster punched him, again, and again.
Looking up, Silverbird noticed that the entire stability of the building was getting weaker and weaker by the minute. So, it seemed, did Robin.
"Of course!" he exclaimed next to her, pulling up his holo-glove. "KF, get over here!"
When Wally joined them, Dick showed him the schematics of the stability beams, and as Blockbuster threw Superboy through another one, words blinked into existence.
DAMAGE
STRUCTURAL COMPROMISE
"Got it?" Robin asked, turning to KF, and the speedster nodded.
"Got it,"
"Go,"
Wally sped towards Blockbuster and Superboy, leaping between them and grabbing something off the creature's face. When Reese saw what it was, she gagged, realizing it was the remnants of Dr. Desmond's nose.
KF glanced down at the piece of flesh in his hand, before turning back to Blockbuster.
"Got your nose!" Blockbuster roared again, and Wally ran, as Superboy and Aqualad stood up wearily.
"Superboy, Aqualad!" Robin called, before showing the holo-glove.
"Come and get me, you incredible bulk!" KF shouted, just before Blockbuster's fist slammed into the beam he had been standing in front of seconds before. A piece clipped Wally in the shoulder, and he groaned, stumbling to the ground.
Luckily, the speedster managed to roll out of the way before Blockbuster crushed him, leaping over a pile of rubble to avoid the monster.
"This one, and that one!" Robin shouted to Superboy and Aqualad, pointing to two more support beams. While Dick drew a giant 'X' with chalk on the floor, Reese got ready for her part in the plan.
Hopefully, this didn't go south.
While Aqualad used his water-bearers to spread water all over the floor, KF slid on it like he was surfing. Then, Superboy leaped into the air, punching Blockbuster so the monster fell onto the puddle of water.
Using his eel tattoos, Aqualad electrified the water, shocking Blockbuster until the monster sat there, dazed.
"You ready?" Robin asked quietly, and Silverbird gave a small nod. As Superboy, Aqualad, and Kid Flash came to stand behind them, Dick set a hand on Reese's shoulder. "Then bring down the house, pretty bird,"
Taking a deep breath, Silverbird opened her mouth, screamed, and the Canary Cry absolutely decimated the entire building, causing it to crack and crumble all around them.
But, before they were able to get crushed by the debris, Aqualad and Superboy, the ones with the most durability, grabbed the younger heroes and shielded them.
As Cadmus imploded around them, and the dust settled, Superboy threw off the chunk of concrete and rubble that had been covering them.
"We...did it," Aqualad spoke, breathing heavily.
"Was there...ever any doubt?" Robin retorted, sharing a hi-five with Kid Flash, though they winced right after, holding their ribs.
Looking over, Silverbird saw Blockbuster lying underneath a ton of rubble and debris, and couldn't help but think...that he deserved worse. He was the one who killed her parents and baby sister, after all.
Suddenly, Reese swayed, beginning to fall backward, would've collapsed to the ground, had Robin not leaped forward and caught her at the last moment.
"What's wrong with her?" Superboy asked but Robin only shook his head, staring at the archer in his arms.
"She's just exhausted," he said quietly. "Too much happening too fast," Silverbird blinked wearily, just wanting to curl up and sleep forever.
"See?" she spoke up, pointing upwards. "The moon," Then, Reese caught sight of a figure flying towards them, and Wally grinned.
"Oh, and Superman? Do we keep our promises or what?"
"We are so screwed," Silverbird mumbled as the entire Justice League appeared around them, and Robin chuckled.
"I guess it's safe to say you won't be coming to our movie night tomorrow?" he asked, and Reese shook her head.
"I'll be lucky if you ever see me again," Considering the looks on Black Canary's and Green Arrow's faces were probably mad enough to make even Batman squirm.
As Superman landed in front of them, Superboy walked forward, and the Man of Steel's eyes narrowed before Superboy lifted up the torn section of his solar suit, revealing the shield.
But, rather than welcome the boy who was basically his son, Superman did nothing, almost seeming to glare at Superboy instead, as if it was his fault he was a clone.
"Is that what I think it is?" Batman spoke up.
"He doesn't like being called an 'it'," KF hissed from the side of his mouth.
"I'm Superman's clone," Superboy said firmly, stepping forward, as the rest of the Justice League began to murmur in shock and concern behind Batman.
Instead, the Dark Knight ignored them, stepping forward with Green Arrow, Black Canary, Aquaman, and Flash.
"Start talking," Batman said simply before Black Canary's eyes landed on Silverbird, who was still being supported by Robin. She was awake, but still weary, as was everybody.
"What happened?" the blonde burst out, as Aqualad and Kid Flash began to explain to Batman.
Robin sighed. "She's just tired. Used up a lot of energy,"
After a moment of contemplation, Black Canary gave a small nod, before going to stand by Green Arrow again, as the blond man stared rather directly at Robin.
Eventually, Superman walked up to Superboy, looking more than a little uncomfortable as his clone crossed his arms.
"We'll--We'll figure something out for you," Superman began. "The League will, I mean. For now...I'd better make sure they get that...Blockbuster creature squared away,"
With that, the Man of Steel flew away, and Silverbird had the undeniable urge to punch him. She doubted it would do much damage, but it would sure make her feel better.
"Cadmus will be investigated...all fifty-two levels," Batman started, having walked over to the younger proteges again. "But let's make one thing clear--"
"--You should've called!" Flash cut him off, but for once, Batman ignored him.
"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,"
Silverbird sighed, exchanging a glance with Robin and Kid Flash before Aqualad spoke up firmly.
"I'm sorry," the Atlantean began. "But we will,"
"Aqualad, stand down," Aquaman told his protege firmly, but Aqualad only shook his head, giving a small salute of respect.
"Apologies, my King," he said. "But, no. We did good work here tonight. The work you trained us to do. Together, on our own, we forged something powerful, important,"
"If this is about your treatment at the Hall, the four of you--"
"The five of us--" Reese quickly cut Flash off, narrowing her eyes.
"--and it's not," Kid Flash added.
"Batman, we're ready to use what you've taught us, or why teach us at all?" Robin glared at his mentor, determination practically radiating off of him.
"Why let them tell us what to do?" Superboy asked, gaining more confidence with each step he took. "It's simple. Get on board, or get out of the way,"
For a moment, Batman just stared at him, before turning to Arrow and Canary, mouth set in a firm line.
"Take Silverbird home," he said, and Dick and Reese both began spluttering in protest. After a second, Batman glanced back at them. "We'll meet again in three days. For the time being, Superboy can stay with Kid Flash,"
Giving a despondent nod, Silverbird stepped back from Robin, going to stand next to her adoptive father.
She was completely, and utterly...screwed.
S T A R C I T Y
July 4, 21: 50 PDT
"What--," Oliver Queen began as he threw open the door to the apartment, Reese and Dinah following him in. "--were you thinking? Going to Cadmus? Bruce told you guys to stay put!"
"It wasn't that big of a deal," Reese muttered, wrapping her arms around herself as she sat down lightly on the couch.
Her adoptive father pinched the bridge of his nose, hissing a breath out from between his teeth before he spoke, with scary calmness.
"Reese, there are things that sidekicks do, and things that the heroes do--"
"We're not sidekicks!" she exclaimed, standing up. "The League was busy with Wotan anyway, we just thought that if we figured out what was going on at Cadmus, you'd trust us more,"
"Trust you?" Ollie echoed, before shaking his head. "Sweetheart, of course, we trust you. We all trust you. But, there are certain things that are just too dangerous for you guys,"
"Desmond was the one who set the fire that killed my family," Reese mumbled, and both Ollie and Dinah froze. "That Blockbuster creature, he took a serum that turned him into that thing. But, before, he was Dr. Mark Desmond, a man my dad used to work with,"
"Do you know he was the one to set the fire?" Dinah asked calmly, and Reese stared up at the blonde woman.
"He confessed,"
Ollie sighed. "We can talk about this more in the morning," he said, rubbing a crease between his eyebrows. "Right now, you need sleep,"
Reese sighed before she glanced up. "So...since we cleared everything up, does that mean Dick and I can have a movie night tomorrow?"
Dinah and Ollie exchanged a glance before Ollie finally spoke up.
"No."
Reese wasn't sure why she didn't tell Ollie and Dinah about the letter that Guardian had given her but decided to keep it to herself for now.
There'd be time to read it later.
M O U N T J U S T I C E
July 8, 08:04 EDT
Reese stood with Dick, Wally, Aqualad, and Superboy inside the Justice League's former headquarters, Mount Justice.
All four of them were in civvies, while Robin had a pair of opaque sunglasses over his eyes.
Reese was dressed in a black jacket, white t-shirt, and blue leggings, with knee-high black boots on her feet. Her hair was tied up in a sleek high ponytail.
"This cave was the original secret sanctuary for the Justice League," Batman began. "We're calling it into service again. Since you five are determined to stay together and fight the good fight, you'll do it on League terms. Red Tornado volunteered to live here and be your supervisor. Black Canary's in charge of training. I will deploy you on missions,"
"Real missions?" Robin asked hopefully, and Batman gave a minute nod.
"Yes, but covert,"
"The League will handle the obvious stuff," Flash said, pointing towards his emblem. "There's a reason we have these big targets on our chests,"
"But Cadmus proves the bad guys are getting smarter," Aquaman spoke up. "Batman needs a team that can operate on the sly,"
"The six of you will be that team,"
"Cool," Dick began, before realizing what Batman had said. "...Wait, six?"
Footsteps sounded behind them, and they all turned to see Martian Manhunter walking towards them, along with a female Martian who couldn't have been more than sixteen years old.
She was also green, but her hair was red and went down past her shoulders, and she also had amber eyes.
Her outfit consisted of a white top with a red 'X' design crossing over it, along with a short blue cape. Her skirt, gloves, and boots matched the cape.
"This is the Martian Manhunter's niece, Miss Martian," Batman supplied, and the girl gave a shy wave.
"Hi," she said softly.
"Liking this gig more every minute," Reese heard Wally mutter to Dick before the redhead sped forward to introduce himself. "Uh, welcome aboard, I'm Kid Flash. That's Silverbird, Robin, and Aqualad. It's cool if you forget their names,"
"I'm honored to be included," Miss Martian said, clasping her hands together. Reese grinned.
"And I'm honored that there will finally be a girl my own age to work with, instead of a bunch of guys,"
Reese heard Wally and Dick sputter in protest behind her, but she ignored it, instead walking forward to shake Miss Martian's hand.
The boys all followed her, though Superboy hung back. Finally, Robin glanced over his shoulder.
"Hey, Superboy!" he cried out. "Come meet Miss M,"
As the clone reached them, Reese raised an eyebrow when Miss M's white shirt changed color, turning black as her cape retreated, disappearing completely.
"I...like your t-shirt," the Martian said softly, and Reese grinned. Oh, these two were going to be so cute.
As Superboy cracked a small smile, Dick jabbed his elbow into his ribs, and Wally sped to the other side, clamping a hand down on the clone's shoulder.
Aqualad smiled as well.
"Today is the day,"
-----
The contents of the letter from Guardian will be discussed in Downtime, so be prepared for that.
I also debated on bringing in an opposing love interest, but then I was just like...Nah.
Next up: Welcome To Happy Harbor