บท 2: The Way Out And The League
We rushed through the halls toward the elevator, but it would seem I wasn't hard enough on one of the Cadmus employees/drones I'd knocked out because a dozen or so Genomorph Trolls came out in front of us:
Giant grey creatures that walked like Gorillas and had the utter mass of bull Elephants, being more or less four meters tall and multiple tonnes in weight.
Behind us, other Genomorphs began bursting from eggs laid inside the fleshy hallway, effectively surrounding us. I'd thought knocking all three of them out would give us time to escape without all this shit having to go down but I guess reality is enforcing it's rules for now. Let's see how long it can keep that up.
One of the closest G-Trolls lifted both it's hands up, it's fists curled up like a pair of boulders in preparation for some sort of ground slam. I didn't give it the time necessary to pull it off.
While I was new to this body and this was the first time I'd come out of the chamber and been able to stretch my legs, I had to say, I was adapting to my powers much quicker and easier than I'd expected. I had a sort of instinctive ease when it came to using my new superhuman physicality and while it wasn't perfect, it would do for now.
Thus, I launched myself at the G-Troll who was poised to attack and slammed a shockwave inducing fist into the grey creature's ugly mug. It flew backwards, colliding with the G-Trolls behind it with enough force for it to topple them over as well.
As I dropped to the ground, one of the other G-Trolls was on me in a surprisingly swift fashion, slamming a fist into me that made my knees buckle. But instead of falling, I pushed against the fist and grabbed ahold of it with my own hands before flexing my new muscles and flipping the creature up and over me and then into the floor with enough force to cave it inward a few feet.
The others seemed to be able to handle their own - as I knew they'd be able to - and I followed them as they rushed to the elevator, dodging most of the attacks and only doing the bare minimum in reply. The goal was to escape, not to fight everything.
As we reached the elevator, Aqualad pushed the elevator doors aside, crushing them, and letting Kid Flash hop into the shaft and onto one of the metal supports within.
Robin shot his grapple up the elevator shaft and was pulled upward and I grabbed ahold of Aqualad before jumping toward the area where Robin was going. I wasn't about to make the same mistake the original Superboy made and try and fly.
Sure, I had some mystery DNA inside of me as well as Human and Kryptonian but what are the chances that part will allow me to fly? Pretty low.
(A/N - Good thing he didn't try it. Would've ended exactly the same way as the original lol.)
As Robin helped Kid Flash to where he was, I grabbed onto the metal wall, digging my fingers into it like it was butter and forcibly stopping myself and Aqualad from going any higher or colliding with the metal wall. Letting go of Aqualad, he dropped onto the metal support next to Robin and I did the same just in time for the sounds of an elevator coming down from above. Without waiting around, I slammed a fist into the elevator door next to us and blew it open, stepping into the hallway behind it.
Kid Flash was the first to react and follow me, followed by Robin and then Aqualad who looked up at the approaching elevator like he needed to confirm it's existence with his own pair of eyes or something.
As we stood in the hallway, more Genomorphs poured into the hallway in front of us. Luckily, or unluckily considering how you think about it, they weren't G-Trolls but instead the smaller and much less physically imposing G-Elves.
Without need for any words, all of us instantly darted down the nearest corridor and started running. As we did, I felt the same intrusion as earlier and frowned as it said 'Turn left, brother,' though I still did so, shouting out, "Go left!" to the other three who obviously hadn't just had a telepath in their head. Before following it up with more instructions, "Right!" which led us down a dead-end hallway.
"Great direction, Supey," Kid Flash held up his arms in a 'What were you thinking' gesture, a frown across his face before he continued, "You trying to get us re-podded?" he asked but I ignored him and pointed to the vent above us.
Robin and Aqualad had just caught up to us and Robin grinned with joy when he saw where I'd pointed, "This is perfect!"
And so we rushed into the vent.
. . .
"I hacked the motion sensors," Robin chimed in smugly, looking back at us, earning a grin off of Kid Flash. Seeing the grin, however, Robin thought best to continue speaking, however, "Still plenty of them between 'us' and 'out', so don't get too excited, KF."
This only caused Kid Flash's lopsided grin to grow bigger as he reached up for the pair of red goggles he had on his forehead, "Yeah, but I've finally got some room to move, Rob," he pulled the goggles down and turned into a blur, turned around and through the door that led to a stairway. I felt like I could follow his movement if I really focused on him but I didn't need to mess about with my powers right now...though I also felt like I could somewhat keep up with him in terms of speed as well.
Am I...what's it called again...Ah! Am I what you'd call a Lightning Bruiser*? I kinda feel like it if I can keep up with good ol' Kid Flash's speed.
(*A/N - A lightning bruiser is a type of fighter that combines both sturdiness and strength, with maneuverability. As opposed to mighty glaciers where they sacrifice their maneuverability for more toughness and more strength, the lightning bruiser instead keeps all of them. It's basically an archetype/concept. It's different to a jack-of-all-trades type character as well because instead of being 'good at everything, the best at nothing', a Lightning Bruiser is a sort of anomaly. Like a Yato, Kryptonian, Viltrumite or Saiyan, they're physical powerhouses in all meanings of the word.)
Nevertheless, I just kept pace with Robin and Aqualad in case they needed my help. Which they did, as Robin called out, "More behind us!" and would you believe it? There was a veritable horde of G-Elves rushing up the stairs after us.
As Robin and Aqualad continued onward, I lifted a foot and slammed it down on the stairway the G-Elves were currently running up - and with a colossal screech, the metal warped and broke off under the force of my stomp. It feels good to be this strong, I've gotta tell you. I wonder just how strong I am? Tests for later, I guess.
Putting my superhuman leg muscles to work, I dashed after Robin and Aqualad, easily catching up to them in a blur of white (thanks to the solar suit I was still wearing).
"Woah, looks like you're quick too," Robin let out an uneasy chuckle, "Can you fly too?"
I looked at him as we continued running and shook my head, "No. I'm only half-Kryptonian with the other half filled in with human DNA and whatever else they put in me. I cannot fly*."
(*A/N - Yet.)
"Shame," Robin remarked before going quiet as we continued to run.
A second or two later, I heard Kid Flash run into something hard and I rushed ahead, putting my own super speed to use as I flashed up the flights of stairs like nobody's business. When I finally arrived, skidding across the floor as my momentum forced me to, I saw Kid Flash on his ass, rubbing at his forehead.
The thing he'd ran into? A massive metal door. Walking up to it, I stuck both my hands in the slight crevice where the two sides of the door met in the middle and tried to pry it open. The door creaked and groaned but didn't budge.
Letting go, I reared back a fist and punched out as hard as I could. The metal dented inward somewhat and I threw a few more punches to no avail. It seemed they'd made this door as hard as possible considering it was no doubt put here to stop me from escaping if I ever tried. Even with first marks all over the center of the door and the metal dented, I could tell it had more than enough durability left to withstand dozens more punches.
...I guess this is better than the original Superboy. He couldn't even put a scratch on the thing. What is that unknown DNA Cadmus added to me? Must've merged and mutated when it came into contact with the Kryptonian DNA inside me, making something stronger. I'm much stronger than the original, that's for sure. Faster too.
Ignoring that, I saw Aqualad followed by Robin come round the corner, the former seeing the door and my attempts to get through it and frowning.
"We're cut off from the street..." he grumbled, his tone frustrated and annoyed.
Kid Flash rolled his eyes, "Thanks, my head hadn't noticed," before gesturing to me, "Neither have Supey's fists. You think we're blind, Kal?" he groaned as he forced himself to stand up, obviously still groggy from his high-speed collision with the metal door.
"I could eventually get through it with enough punches," I said before gesturing behind Aqualad and Robin, "But we don't have enough time."
They looked behind themselves as well but saw nothing, so they looked back to me with confused looks.
...Oh, right. Not everyone has super hearing.
Whatever, my point was proven soon after when half a dozen G-Trolls waddled their way toward us from another corridor, shaking the ground as they moved - seriously, how hadn't the others heard these guys move? They sounded like moving explosions to my ears.
Ever the quick reactor, Robin slammed his foot into a nearby service door, kicking it open as he yelled, "This way!" and so we followed him, though not before he looked over his shoulder at me, "Not everyone has super hearing, Superboy! A verbal warning would do us all a world of good next time!"
"Noted," I said with an amused look on my face, though not before it faded away when I saw the literal army of Genomorphs in front of us. We all came to a stop and I decided to not take the chance as I dashed forward, rearing back both my hands before slamming them together as hard as I could, producing a shockwave of sound and a wave of air pressure that sent whatever was in front of us away.
The G-Gnomes, G-Elves and other small Genomorphs were sent flying from the attack but the G-Trolls were only slightly rebuffed. Kid Flash was the next to go on the attack, followed by Robin and finally Aqualad.
I mainly focused on taking down the G-Trolls which were either too big or too durable for the other's attacks to harm, while Kid Flash went about knocking out the G-Gnomes and Aqualad and Robin went about taking down the G-Elves. Before long, everyone was down and a groggy Mark Desmond burst onto the scene, a blue vial in his hands.
Seeing what he was holding, my eyes went wide and I rushed at the man - except it was too late and he quickly downed the blue substance in the glass vial.
Still, I hit him hard enough to send him flying down the hallway and turned to the trio with me, "With me, now!" I yelled before leaping straight upward, both my fists facing the ceiling above me. I plowed through the reinforced concrete easily enough, leaving a big enough hole for the others.
Landing, I brushed off my fists and clothes of any dust/rubble on them and soon after Robin came up through the hole with Kid Flash in tow. Aqualad jumped up through the hole after they'd gotten through. Looking to Robin, I spoke up, "Contact the league now, if you can. We need to show them what Cadmus is doing."
The three of them nodded and I turned just in time to see the changed Mark Desmond jump through the hole I'd made in the floor.
He was...well, he'd definitely changed.
He was about seven feet tall and double his earlier width and his skin had been replaced with a sort of rocky-looking blue-ish grey hide. His skin had sloughed off in places but was still held there by whatever connections still there, meaning his face looked more like a fleshy mask than an actual face. His pupilless red eyes focused in on me, a bubbling rage obvious in them, the earlier cunning, arrogance and intelligence all gone.
Before I could think any further, he rushed at me and I burst forth to meet him as well. We collided, clasping the others hands and beginning to try and find out the superior of the two based on strength alone.
I pushed as hard as I could, my feet digging into the floor as I pushed against it. The same went for the changed Mark Desmond. We seemed to be in a stalemate of sorts.
Seeing this was the case, I stopped pushing and pulled, turning as I did so and flipping Desmond onto his back, causing the floor below him to cave inward a little and sending out a spider web of cracks as a result of the force.
I let go of his hands and got on top of him, swinging my fists back and forth into his tough hide.
Each each caused a shockwave and made the cracks on the ground begin to get worse but I also noticed that I seemed to be doing no damage to Desmond. If anything, my knuckles were beginning to hurt which I didn't think would be possible so soon with what I was. Nonetheless, however, I continued hitting the scientist-turned-monster into the ground until her dug his foot up and into my gut, blasting me up into the ceiling above with a kick.
The others arrived to finally help after calling their mentors and kept Desmond distracted while I flew up and through the few floors the Cadmus cover building had.
I came out the roof and finally my momentum had been drained enough that I began falling back down. I twisted my body, aiming myself head first at the building and split through the air like a bullet, falling back down the holes I'd made throughout the building.
As luck would have it, Desmond was fighting Aqualad and Kid Flash right under the holes where I was currently falling.
"Hey, ugly!" I roared, gaining Desmond's attention as he looked up at me right after blasting Aqualad away by using Kid Flash as a human weapon. But before he could react, I collided into him with both my momentum and a reared back punch with everything I had in it and then some. We went through the floor of the building and then through another five floors below the building in the basement levels we'd just been in.
By the time we came to a stop, Desmond was unconscious with his red, beady eyes dull and listless while his jaw was slack and open. His rocky grey-blue hide had a spider web crack that ran all the way from the top of his head, through his face and then down his neck to his collarbones.
Shaking my slightly numb hand, I hoisted the bulky monstrous scientist up onto my shoulder and jumped up through the holes we'd made coming down here because of my attack.
I easily made the jump and put Desmond down on the floor next to the hole, shaking the ground under his weight. Kid Flash, Aqualad and Robin all looked at me with surprised expressions but they weren't alone. There was a tall man dressed up like a bat next to them, frowning and looking at me through white lenses.
...Batman, it would seem.
Others entered the building, showing that most of the league had replied to the distress signal the others had sent off. More than a few of them looked to me and the red symbol on the white solar suit I was wearing - the 'S' that was famous throughout the world.
Then a bulky and muscular man dressed in blue spandex and with a red cape walked into the building after the others, sporting an identical 'S' to the one I was wearing.
Or should I should I was the one sporting the 'S' he was wearing? Because the man that entered was Superman. The guy who I was cloned after. Partially, at least.
...Ah boy, this is gonna be an awkward explanation.
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