If you want to read up to 20!! chapters ahead go to https://www.patreón.com/cornbringer
Discord invite: https://discord.gg/XHduApz
Enjoy!
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[David Lance POV]
The days drifted by without there being any major occurrences. Beyond Raven and her talk with Batman a few days ago, nothing else had happened, at least nothing worth mentioning or thinking about it.
Of course, this remark of uneventfulness was exclusively from my side, as things from the perspective of my team members were not in such luck of mundanity. This was especially true for Superboy.
Without missions to keep him occupied, his mind had started to wander to a dark corner, at least when it came to Superman and his non-existent relationship with him. It didn't help that Superman was all but avoiding the poor kid like a plague or something perhaps worse, giving Superboy more than a few conflicted feelings.
To make matters worse, a few days ago, Superboy and Superman had a little encounter in Metropolis, so to speak, where he tried to connect with Superman by aiding his city, only to be rejected like a piece of trash.
This encounter took a heavy toll on Superboy, who, after this, was now lashing out more at everyone, behaving in a totally irrational manner more than not. This toll became all the more apparent to everyone when my sister came to train us, resulting in Superboy all but ignoring her.
So, in view of this, I decided to talk with him or try to, at the very least.
~Superboy,~ I signed to him, ~Can we talk for a moment?~
He turned to look at me with an expression that could only be described as 'irritated', but regardless he followed me to a more private spot, which in my book was a win, all things considered.
"What do you want?" Superboy asked impatiently, his arms crossed.
I took a deep breath before answering him, ~I wanted to talk to you about what happened with Superman and also what's been happening lately with you.~
Superboy's eyes narrowed at my words. "What about it? There's nothing to talk about."
I frowned at his words, ~Superboy, I know that you're upset about what happened, but you need to understand that Superman is not perfect and that is not your fault that he doesn't want to talk with you.~
"I don't need your pity," Superboy spat out, his eyes flashing in anger.
~I'm not pitying you,~ I replied, taking a deep breath once again. ~I know you want to connect with him, and in time, you will. But right now, you have to understand that he feels violated, and in a very human way, your presence reminds him of that.~
Superboy was silent for a few moments, his eyes displaying anger, sadness, and a few other emotions I couldn't quite understand before he finally spoke, "I just don't get why he hates me so much."
I shook my head, ~It's not that he hates you. He's just struggling to deal with the idea of having a clone.~
"But I didn't do anything wrong," Superboy said, his voice barely above a whisper. "I didn't ask to be created; I just was. He can't blame me for that."
I nodded. ~I know that, and you know that, but it doesn't change how he feels. Just give him some time to process to understand that you are not to blame for whatever he feels.~
Superboy was quiet for a few moments before he finally nodded his head in understanding, albeit reluctantly. "I just wanted to know more about myself, about my powers. I just thought that if I showed him I wasn't bad that he would help me understand what I am, or maybe help me understand my limits if the first one was too much."
Even without Raven's power, I could feel the pain in his words to the point I kind of wanted to punch Superman, even though I understood him.
I placed a hand on Superboy's shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze in a comforting manner. ~I know. Just remember, Superman is not like the media portrays him to be. He's just as flawed as you, and me, and any other person around. He feels fear, love, hate, and more. And right now, he's afraid, but he doesn't understand why, which is why he avoids you."
"Do you really think he will get over this?" Superboy asked, his voice filled with hope.
I smiled at him. ~I do.~
----------------------------------------------------
After my talk with Superboy, Batman contacted the team to tell us we had a mission. The mission was that we had to escort two STAR Lab vans during their journey as they moved Amazo to a different location.
I could already tell from the get-go this was going to end badly for us, one way or another. Honestly, at times I really didn't like Batman; I had told him that android was best if it was destroyed, but did he listen, no.
Mission at hand, we moved out of the base, making our way to the Litchfield County, where the STARS Lab vans were waiting for us to start their journey; from there, we started our mission by shadowing the vans from different angles, making sure to cover every possible angle in order to better react to any attacks.
-Team, keep your heads up. I'm 80% sure we will have some... troubles along the way,- I said through the telepathic Miss Martian had set, making sure everyone was on the same page.
-That's a very negative way of thinking,- Miss Martian replied, her tone showing a bit of concern for what she considered to be a pessimistic outlook. -But I'll make sure to be alert, just in case your hunch is correct.-
-We fought Amazo before, and it was not an easy task,- Raven replied, her voice as emotionless as ever. -In this case, being pessimistic is the same as being realistic.-
-I agree,- Aqualad said, joining in the conversation. -It is better to be safe. No precaution is ever unnecessary when facing the enemy.-
-You fought Amazo before. So how did you guys beat him?- Robin asked, making me smile. A month ago, he couldn't even look at me in the eyes; now, he was even asking questions.
-Amazo prioritizes defense over offense, leaving him vulnerable between power switches. He also takes a few seconds between switches, leaving him wide open for attacks,- I replied, recalling the strategy we used to defeat Amazo the first time.
As we continued to talk about Amazo and our encounter with the android a few months ago, something moved around us behind the cover of a cornfield.
-Team, we have company, so get ready,- I warned the team as I pressed the pedal on my bike to reach the van in order to get on top of it. As I did this, a swarm of monkey drones appeared from out of the cornfield, flying toward the vans.
Already on top of the van by this point, I quickly moved to intercept them as they tried to push me off the van.
-Raven, Miss Martian, use your telekinetic abilities to destroy as many drones as you can from afar,- I said, doing my best to hold on as the drones attacked me. -Superboy, Kid Flash, and Aqualad, defend the other van. Robin, you are with me.-
-I hate monkeys- Superboy replied in a low growl as he moved to intercept the drones on the other van.
With the team moving, I changed my focus to the drones, breaking them with ease with a hit or two. However, the moment I broke one drone, two more would appear, taking its place, making this fight a seemingly endless cycle.
If things continued this way, there was no doubt that I would be overwhelmed by the sheer numbers the drones had over us.
-There are too many of them!- Robin cried as he jumped into the van, kicking a few drones off my plate.
-I know,- I replied, punching through a drone as I kicked another one into the van, destroying it, only for one of the drones to laser me in the face, doing no damage, but blinding me for a few seconds, giving a few of the drones enough time to push me off the van.
-I'm tired of this,- Raven muttered, catching me before I could collide with the ground before putting me back on the van.
-I agree,- I replied, seeing as the drones were using their lasers to make a hole in the side of the van to access Amazo. Without wasting time, I darted toward the drones, destroying them one by one in a matter of seconds before hurling some explosive knives at a few that were flying toward the van.
This last act, on my part, seemed to have had some effect because the drones started to fly away.
-They are leaving,- Aqualad said in surprise, watching as the drones flew away.
-It's not over yet,- I said, feeling something was off.
As if proving my point, the drones changed their trajectory and started to fly ahead of us, stopping right in front of the vans before darting forward at full speed, exploding in the tires of the van upon collision before any of us could react. This, in turn, made the vans lose control and fly into the air before crashing down into the cornfields at high speed.
Before that happened, however, I jumped off the van, landing on the road, where I rolled on the street, before coming to a full stop. -Raven, Miss Martian, stop them! Kid Flash, the drivers!-
The drones had played us with that move, forcing us off the vans. Be that as it may, it was still not too late to stop Amazo from coming back online, and I would be damned if I let that happen; the last thing I wanted, ever, was to fight that robotic menace again.
If you want to read up to 20!! chapters ahead go to https://www.patreón.com/cornbringer
Discord invite: https://discord.gg/XHduApz
Enjoy!
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[David Lance POV]
Without wasting time, I rushed to the vans that were a few hundred meters away, catching a glimpse of the robots taking the containers that held Amazo in parts. -Raven portal!-
At my command, Raven opened a portal in front of me, one that connected with the path the droids were taking to make their getaway; leaping out of the portal, I punched two robots out of the way as I positioned myself to the right, making sure to not have anything in front of me, but the droids.
There, I took a step forward and whispered. "Enough."
My whisper, carrying the destructive force one would expect, destroyed the droids that held the container, leaving nothing behind but a damaged container falling to the ground.
-Holy crap,- Kid Flash muttered through the telepathic link, seeing the destruction my voice had caused.
-You can marvel at my power later! Stop the other container!- I ordered as I sprinted toward the damaged container I had just avoided from getting away. Taking a deep breath, I reached the container with one hand before ripping it open to see the upper part of Amazo inside.
Knowing Batman would never destroy this weapon and that whoever was after Amazo would not stop going after the android either, I grabbed the upper part of Amazo with one hand before tossing it high into the air, as I looked up and said. "Goodbye." In turn, releasing a powerful sonic scream that caused the upper part of Amazo to explode in midair into nothing.
-I did what had to be done,- I replied coldly. I told Batman that leaving Amazo be would only bring problems in the long run, but he didn't listen, so it was only fair that I didn't listen to some of his orders right now, like keeping Amazo in one piece if possible.
-Good riddance,- Raven said, approving of my choice. -We should've done that the moment we defeated the android the first time. The League was asking for problems when it allowed that thing to remain.-
-Black Bolt! What are you doing?! Our mission was to protect the android, not to destroy it!- Kid Flash exclaimed.
I nodded, turning my attention to the droids that remained, who now seemed to be at a loss. Turning their collective heads toward me, before they spoke in one voice that echoed through the empty road. "You will pay for this Black Bolt. Mark my words."
"He won't," Raven said, appearing behind the droids before crushing them with her magic. As for the other drones, they escaped before Raven could get to them, taking flight into the horizon without a clear destination.
"So that's your voice," Superboy said, walking toward me, his eyes locked in the destruction my first whisper had done to the road and cornfield, leaving nothing but desolated dirt for miles into the distance.
I looked at him and nodded.
"If that's a whisper, what can a scream do?" Superboy asked, mostly to himself, possibly picturing me in a whole new light now. Whether that light was good or bad was yet to be seen.
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Later in the Batcave, I waited in silence with Alfred for Batman to arrive. The room we were waiting in was small and cramped, with a single table and two chairs. The walls were lined with shelves, each stacked with boxes and files. The only source of light came from a bare bulb hanging from the ceiling.
"Cookies, Master Bolt?" Alfred offered, putting some cookies on the table.
I smiled, grabbing one, before I sat back in my chair, hands clasped in front of me, while Alfred simply stood at my side. Within a moment or two, the door of the room opened, and Batman entered the room.
His cape billowed behind him as he strode to the table and took a seat opposite me. His eyes were cold and hard as he looked at me, and I could feel the weight of his scrutiny bearing down on me, as well as his clear dislike of my recent actions during the mission.
Calm and collected, I waited for him to speak first, knowing very well that whatever he was going to say wasn't going to be good by any means.
"You destroyed Amazo," Batman said, his voice as hard as his eyes.
~I had to," I replied calmly. ~You know very well that Amazo is a threat that we should've destroyed a long time ago. I told you so, didn't I?~
"You did. But, now I ask you, did you consider the effects this action will have later on? What if whoever made Amazo makes another one now, one stronger, better, and harder to put down than the last," Batman asked, his voice laced with anger. "Or did you not even bother to think about that before you decided to take matters into your own hands and destroy him?"
~I did think about it,~ I replied coolly. ~And I came to the conclusion that if whoever made Amazo could make more, he wouldn't have bothered to send simple drones after this one. He would've sent an army of Amazos, or maybe just one.~
"That's a supposition of possible events at best," Batman replied in a low tone.
~Maybe, but it has a better ground than your theory about a stronger Amazo so far. We both know Amazo's creator is dead, just as we also know that replicating Amazo is nearly impossible,~ I replied, grabbing another cookie from the tray Alfred had brought a few moments prior.
Batman was silent for a moment before he spoke again. "I understand your reasoning. But that doesn't excuse your actions. You should've followed the orders you were given or, at the very least, consulted me first before taking such drastic measures."
I nodded in agreement. ~You're right; maybe I should've. But sadly, it wasn't within my options to follow that path. I mean, it was just a matter of time before the droids succeed in their mission. As you like to say, sometimes you have to make decisions in the heat of the moment, and that's what I did.~
Batman, at this, said nothing, simply gazing at me.
~Besides, if I didn't stop Amazo from coming back online, I would've put the team at risk, and as their leader, it is my ambition and objective to avoid putting them at unnecessary risks,~ I continued, knowing very well that while the team's safety had been one of the reasons behind my actions, it hadn't been the main one, I had my personal chips on the entire thing.
A long silence followed my words, during which Batman simply stared at me. Finally, after a moment, he broke the silence by sighing as he rubbed his temples with his fingers.
"It's like looking at a mirror from the past, Master Wayne," Alfred chuckled, giving Batman and me a fond look filled with nostalgia.
Batman, trying his best to ignore Alfred's comment, spoke. "I can't say I agree with your actions. But the fact that you put the team's safety over the mission is admirable."
I nodded.
"You are dismissed," Batman said, his voice tired, like that of a father being done with an argument.
At this, I stood up from my chair and, with a last look at Batman, left the room.
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