Becoming Superboy 24
It was raining outside. He wondered how M'gann was fairing with her girl's night out. Not that rain would hurt them, but he hoped it hadn't ruined their fun. He was actually glad for the girl's night out. It gave him time to relax on his own. He was alone in Mount Justice, with the exception of Red Tornado, who was tinkering in his room. As for the rest of his friends, they all had something going on; Kaldur had gone to Atlantis, Robin was on patrol with Batman, and Wally was in a family reunion. He leaned back on the couch, allowing himself to slouch, and changed the channel.
Recognized: Superman 01
He heard the Zeta-Beam announce. Even though a few months had already passed since Superman started to accept him, it still made him a little anxious to meet him. Their training sessions were still in the works as they were yet to find their balance. A part of him wished for them to stop as the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. The training sessions reminded him that he would never be as strong; he was the one of them to bring less into the partnership. He rolled his shoulders wondering if this was another surprise training session, not that they were that strange. The man had a hectic schedule and would come at random times of the day.
"Sup," he said turning his head to look at Superman.
"I take you are not busy," Superman said leaning on the couch.
The action itself was so ordinary; a friend checking on another, made it seem so surreal. He had seen him behave like this before, but usually away from the sight of others. Though he didn't say it, Superman had to keep a presence even before others in their trade. This conduct was something he never shared with his friends but was more than happy to be let into the known.
"Not really," he said standing up, training; here we come.
"What do you know about Krypton?" he asked him.
He stopped mid-stretch before turning to give him a raised eyebrow look. Where did that come from? He was shocked for a moment before going over what he knew. It was very limited. It was the planet where Clark had come from but was now gone. They had been an advanced society, but he did not know much more than that.
"Come with me," Superman said with a plotting (okay, not plotting but the kind that said I-can't-wait-to-show-you) smile, "and bring a jacket."
The Zeta-beam took them to a small cabin in the artic north. He already had an idea of where they were headed. Superman ran alongside him. He wanted to protest that he should just fly. It would bother him less than him slowing down to try to not make him feel inadequate. Finally, the Fortress of Solitude came into sight. Though he had seen images of the place before, it still took him a moment to understand what he was seeing. The dome of intertwined crystals, even in the darkness of the night, shone with an unearthly beauty.
He was about to ask Superman if all of Krypton had been like this, but then something tackled him to the ground. Whatever it was, he tried to push it away. It wasn't helping that it kept licking his face. For a moment, he wondered what Wolf was doing there.
"Get off him Krypto," Superman laughed as he pulled the beast off him. He sat up and stared at a large white dog trying to escape Superman's hold. It was bigger than a regular dog, and strength was anything but normal, "we don't get too many visits, so he gets a little…"
"It has a cape," he pointed out, "and it was able to knock me down."
"He is also from Krypton," Superman told him releasing the dog now that it had calmed down.
The moment he released it, the dog flew around him barking happily.
"And it can fly," he was ready to turn around right then and leave. If it weren't for the dog then tackling Superman, he would have. There was very little that could take the man down, so this was an unusual sight.
"We will bring Wolf next time," Superman laughed as he pushed the dog away "Maybe then he will stop tackling every poor soul that passes by."
They walked the remaining of the way; Krypto flew around them barking happily. He could see Wolf getting along with this hyperactive hound and even Sphere. They would make an odd bunch, but those he considered his friends and family were just as strange, if not more.
"Do you live here?" he asked as Superman got the fortress to open. He knew Superman, as Clark Kent had a place in Metropolis, but he wondered if it was just for show. He had been curious about this place for a long time, and could only imagine what it held.
"I used to pass a lot of time here before the League. Now, I stay here on strange occasions. Too busy, you know?" Superman said as they walked a long crystal hall.
He nodded. He knew as their steps echoed loudly, that it wasn't because the League kept them busy, but because they could spend more time with others who knew what they really were. They were alone in what they were; they were not alone in being with others as matchless as themselves. They were alone, yet they weren't. Each one of them, each member of the League, and the Team was unique.
"This is the Zoo," Superman said and he didn't need to explain why it was called like this. On either side of the long hall, with what he hoped wasn't just regular glass, were creatures from other worlds living in what he imagined were recreations of their natural habitat. "Each one of these creatures is the last of their kind or close to being the last. I took to look after them after their collector also tried to collect me. Since then, any creature I find without a home, I bring here."
"You look after all of them?" He saw the long hall linked to others. For all he knew, the place was a maze of space wildlife.
"When I have the time, otherwise I let the Robots take care of them," he said before one of the said Robots came into sight. The automaton walked towards them carrying a sack of what he thought was feed. The machine was built to look strong, as its master. It had the outline of their shield but with a number 3 in the center, instead of an S.
"Kal-El, shall we prepare a dinner for you and your guest?" the machine asked in a polite tone, stopping a few feet away from them.
"Yes, number 3, and is the room ready?" Superman asked as they continued on their path. The robot followed closely behind them. He resisted the urge turn around to look at the machine.
"Yes Kal-El, the dinner will be ready in thirty minutes," the machine said.
"Make it an hour; this might take some time," Superman said lightheartedly. Conner wondered if he had conversations with the thing, since he said he used to spend a lot of time in the fortress.
"Understood Kal-El," the machine said before it took down another path. Krypto followed him, probably to try to snatch something to snack on.
"So, is it going to be a long tour?" he asked wondering if an hour would be enough. He wanted to see the whole place.
"There will be more time for you to see everything later," Superman said as he led him through different halls.
"You didn't bring me here just to have dinner, did you?" because if that were the case they could have just prepared something at the base.
"No, is just not that easy to explain," Superman said with a nervous smile, "you once told me you were given a lot of information by the Genomorphs. You understand what a Ritual of Passage is, right?"
"It's an event in life that marks the change of one stage of life to the other. Sometimes it refers to reaching a certain age, an event like marriage or first hunt, or entry into a clan," was that what this was about? There were so many possibilities to what Superman might refer to as a Rite of Passage, and the possibilities were even greater if it was a Kryptonian Rite of Passage.
"That sounds about right," Superman said with a short laugh. Conner felt an adrenaline rush as he wondered what the rite would entitle and also a certain lightness to his chest as Superman didn't push to explain to him that he would be going through this ritual.
"Will it really only take an hour?" he asked as they reached a massive door with the S insignia carved into it.
"Believe me, it will feel like a lot longer," Superman said pausing before the door.
Conner stood just a few steps behind him and stared at the door. They had passed by so many doors in their way there he had lost count of them. But that door, in particular, though simple as crystal with the crest, demanded respect from him.
When Superman started speaking again, it was in a calm and purposeful tone.
"The House of El was of the oldest houses of Krypton. The crest emerged so long ago that it is unsure how it was chosen, but the meaning remains the same. You like me, have only known that life on Earth, and as with most that is unfamiliar, they have tried to make sense of it. I don't correct them when they say is an S. It's easier that way. But you will know the truth; that is not an S, but the crest of my Kryptonian family. It stands for hope. Can you imagine why they chose it?"
Hope, he thought, he knew the meaning of the word, but why would a family from an advanced civilization pick it was beyond his understanding. He knew hope was significant, but it wasn't as much as strength and bravery. Those were the ones that really turned the tables.
"I am glad you are not jumping into an answer," Superman said placing a hand on the door, "think about it until you are ready. Now, follow me. There is something you must see.
They entered a large circular black room and walked up to the center. As soon as they reached it, the door closed and they were engulfed in complete darkness. Though he knew he was safe, his heart started beating against his ribs.
"This was once the universe," Superman spoke, and though he was standing next to him, it felt as if his voice was coming from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. "There was only emptiness without purpose, but with the exception of its center."
Though still blinded by the darkness he swore the ground moved under him faster and farther than the actual length of the room. He held his breath as he saw a small light which he was quickly approaching. A fraction of a second later he was standing before a white mass, brilliant and pulsing with energy.
"In its center all that was and all that could be held in constant renewal; every possibility living in one body. There came a point where the pure will of wanting to exist created a being named Rao."
From nothing, he saw a creature born of pure fire. Its shape was always changing, with no real extremities or even eyes to speak of, but evidently alive. Though he stood, a few feet away from him Conner felt the creature had been probably larger than anything that had ever lived. He watched in astonished silence as it flew around the matter in the center of the universe. It took eons for the creature to make a whole turn, but never stopped. Then it flew far, far away into the darkness where it became the only light, the first sun, the first star.
"Rao, though at that time nameless for there was no need for names when you were the only being in the universe, flew away from the center of the universe to explore. A long time passed and he reached the edge of the cosmos."
Conner felt the cold sweat run down his back as the fiery entity reached a wall. It just stood there without seeming beginning or end. It was a massive wall, but nonetheless possible to evade. Yet Rao stood before it as if in modesty. There was something very frightening about that wall that made him want to bow his head down.
"At the edge of the universe Rao found the Source Wall, that which holds together the universe and also hides the Source, the answer to everything. Rao passed the Source Wall and was gone for eons," and as he heard, Superboy watched he fiery creature go over the wall and disappear. When it returned, the flaming Rao had taken a humanoid form and was even larger than before.
"Rao returned to the center of the universe and took between his hands the matter of the universe. Whatever he had seen, made Rao realize something. With nothing but the shining mass of energy before him, he didn't want to be the only one to exist," and they watched as the fiery creature pressed its hands around the shining mass. A long time passed, Rao gave a guttural shout, the first sound of the universe, and the white mass of energy exploded with the possibilities it held.
"So, the universe wasn't empty anymore," Superman said as Conner shielded his eyes as lights and colors exploded around him as matter moved faster than they could actually appreciate. There were other things besides matter, but he wasn't sure what they were.
They watched as Rao gathered some of the material of the universe and created a sun, using his own red flames to light it. Around it, it placed hot planets with care. They watched as one of the planets cooled and took form. Crystals adorned its view along with fiery rivers and falls. Reflections of Rao, Superboy thought, as he watched one of the first civilizations of the universe appear out of nothing, much like Rao himself.
"So, Krypton was born," he heard Superman as time accelerated and he watched the escapes of that world change infinitely. He watched as something was born from Rao's fiery hands; a creature that sole purpose was to create, "so Vohc the Builder was created from Rao to give meaning to Krypton." Then, from Rao's heart he watched a dark dragon emerge and bring with it the peacefulness of the night "so was Nightwing born from Rao to give Vohc inspiration with starry skies." Then they saw from Rao's mind a red fiery dragon be born. She was instructed by Rao to destroy all Vohc created, "so was Flamebird born from Rao so Vohc would have space to build new amazing things."
He watched as the dragons flew around Vohc, and he wasn't sure if he imagined it, but he swore Vohc was looking at Flamebird with love-stricken eyes though she was partnered to Nightwing.
"There will be time to talk about those two later," Superman said with a short laugh.
Time was moved faster and they saw civilizations bloom, fall and be reborn again from ashes countless times. No matter how many times, or how horrible the falls were, they always stood up again. There were times when the disaster that brought them to their knees was so great that almost whipped their world out. At one point the emblem of the House of El appeared, but he didn't comment on it. He didn't want to miss anything though he knew he would probably be able to watch all of this again.
Then, something happened. Krypton did not fall again. He watched as Vohc sat among mountains and watched the world below. Flamebird flew around Krypton, trying to burn it down. But, Vohc had done something to the latest creation, and this Krypton could not be burned down. Vohc broke the balance of their world, as of why he guessed that was what he would later learn. So, no matter what Flamebird tried to do, she could not stop the current Krypton from growing and flourishing. Most would think this was good, but there was something in Conner's chest that told him Rao chose to have Flamebird destroy everything for a good reason.
"That will be enough for now," Superman said before the vision stopped and they were plunged into darkness. Slowly, dim lights appeared on the floor which guided them back to the door. "We will have dinner and I will answer any question that you have. If you wish afterward, we can go over what happened after."
He could only nod not trusting his words. He was still making sense of what he saw and what it meant; especially what it meant that it was being shown to him. It had all been lights and shapes; Rao, the Center of the Universe, the Source Wall all seemed like a fairy tale, but it resonated with him. It was ridiculous because it contradicted a lot of what he knew about the universe. But then again, Kryptonians had been more advanced than humans. If it was true, then that red walking sun was their deity. Even on Earth, Red stars were known to be rare. There had only been one that Earth's scientists were able to detect, and that was the sun which Krypton had rotated around.
Superman led him to a large dining hall. He wondered if the place had been filled at least once. The table could seat thirty people, yet only two seats had meals on them. He had been expecting some exotic Kryptonian dish, but instead what lay before them was Beef Bourguignon, accompanied with Gratin Dauphinois, French bread, some greens, and red wine. They had sat in front of each other before Superman started to say grace. He bowed his head too but was still too astonished to say anything.
"I know is a lot to take in. If you prefer we can continue another day," Superman said.
"I am just trying to make sense of it," he said not looking away from his meal, "do you believe any of it?"
"At first, I didn't," Superman said picking his glass of wine and started to rotate it in the glass, "but over time, I found things that changed my mind. For starters, I have met others in space that corroborate that there is a Source Wall and warn to not approach it. I asked the Lanterns about it, and they too corroborate on it."
"So, there really is a wall…" Superboy said with wide eyes, "have you ever seen it?"
"In person, no," Superman said, "and not interested to as long as it's not threatened. I was told that it was what held the universe together."
A wall held the cosmos together… it seemed ridiculous, and it only probed to ask more question, but he quenched them by eating. Though it had only been an hour, he felt ravenous. The food was delicious, and tentatively tried the wine. He expected the stupefying effects of alcohol, but nothing happened.
"We can't get drunk," Superman said with a smile, "so drink as much as you like."
"We can't?" he drank a large gulp and waited; nothing happened.
"I have known of other substances that can cause a similar effect on us, but I believe is better to go without them. Why create a dependency where there isn't need for one?"
He nodded; it was true though part of him was curious. The food was delicious and soon they were walking through what seemed to be a garden. As they reached a large oak tree, he gathered all his questions in order. Superman answered all of them with patience and care under the oak tree. They kept going over the chamber, and records of Krypton as the questions kept coming up. Before he realized it, days had passed. It was hard to keep track of time that place, but he didn't regret his stay or the times he returned.
888
Lois' apartment turned out to be the one he and Clark shared in the real world, plus a few additions. There were pictures of a boy growing up alongside them. There was a picture of a baby lying peacefully asleep on a cradle. In another picture, the boy around three or four was on Clark's shoulder laughing in complete ignorance that someone was taking a picture of them. Another showed the boy with Lois at a school science fair and earning third place. There was another of the boy a little older graduating Middle School. Both Lois and Clark were at his sides with proud smiles. There was a recent picture of him lying asleep on the couch with a video game controller resting on his chest.
"I will take it off when you let me take one without making faces," Lois said poking his cheek lightly. He jumped back and he knew it was the wrong thing to do when she gave him a questioning look, "mind to tell me what happened back there?"
Hell, he thought, she was in full reporter mode. He felt that creeping feeling on the back of his head when he was about to do something he didn't want to. It was really starting to piss him off.
"What do you mean?" he said fighting the feeling before it could take completely over him.
"You stopped those bullets and knocked those men out, that's what I mean Conner. Is this the reason you have been acting out? Because, I swear neither your father nor I would stop loving you if it is. We both know plenty of people that could help you," she said taking one of his hands between hers.
"Love me?" was all he could find himself asking and looking down at her hands. This was so wrong, he thought before pulling his hand back. He was a clone. He didn't have parents or a real childhood. This woman was not- she was a friend, an ally, but nothing more to him.
"Yes Conner, we love you. You are our child and no matter what happens nothing will ever change that," she said stepping up to him. For every step that she took towards him, he took one back until his back hit the back of the couch. She gave him a pleading look, "please, tell me what is going on?"
He couldn't help grinding his teeth as he raised his chin and looked down on her. The tingling sensation on the back of his neck intensified. It was telling him to talk to her, to let her hold him as he confessed he was afraid. He ignored that feeling and clenched his teeth harder. There was no way he would be a puppet in this charade.
"Like you would understand," he said narrowing his eyes on her and speaking through clenched teeth. That place wasn't real, and neither was she. Those pictures were there to mock him. He wondered if N.O.W.H.E.R.E. was behind the whole ordeal. They probably were trying to mess with his memories but were failing miserably. He wasn't going to allow them to win.
"I know this is an odd situation sweeti-" she started reaching to touch his cheek.
"Don't call me that!" he growled at her. She looked at him with wide, frightened eyes. The sensation in the back of his mind was telling him that he should be feeling sorry for scaring her. Like hell, he was going to feel sorry for not playing their games.
"Did you feel that?" Clark asked returning to the apartment with their food, "I think the building just shook."
"We didn't, right mom?" he said giving her a warning look.
"Yeah, not one bit," she said hurrying to help Clark with the food.
They sat around the small kitchen table. He ate while they talked about the article they were to write about the attack. He was more than happy to be excluded from the conversation though he wished Lois would stop giving him worried looks. There was a moment he wanted to snap at her, but instead chose to sit in the living room and do his so called homework. It took him about ten minutes to finish all of it before he picked a book from a shelf and concentrated on reading it. Interestingly enough, the book was one of his back in the real world.
He would pause at times and listen to them talk. At one point, they moved on to work on their computers. He hoped to remember this. Some of their best work was when they worked together. Listening to what the process might be like was fascinating. Lois was a tornado of emotions and opinions. Clark was able to make sense of it all and put it in words that were both poetic and straight to the heart and the mind. He wondered how those two were doing in the real world. He knew it was none of his business. Clark and Lois were grown adults and had the right to make their own decisions without meddling children (or seven-year-old half alien clones with a physiology of a teenager.) Of course he knew relationships were not always straight forwards. His experience with Miss Martian made sure that he didn't think any other way.
"You okay son?" Clark asked placing some blankets and a pillow next to him, and then sitting down "if you want you can stay with your mother and-"
"Don't even go there," Conner said and hated that he knew his cheeks were turning red. God, why did he have to say something like that?
"Sorry," Clark said taking his glasses off, "I guess the last thing a boy your age wants is to be sandwiched between his parents."
"I am going to start breaking things and screaming until someone calls the cops if you don't drop it," he said trying to sound as serious as possible while he could feel cold sweat running down his back. Whoever had this planned was an asshole.
"Dropping," Clark said raising his hands in surrender, and standing up, "just call us if you need anything."
He gave him a curt nod before Clark and Lois locked the bedroom. A second later he was trying to use his powers. It was a little shaky, but he got the couch ready in a few minutes. His powers were returning. The sensation was familiar to him. It was as if those metaphorical muscles were being held down by something but every time he tried to use them they became loose. He had a long night ahead of him. He worked silently around the living room and kitchen practicing by moving small objects and trying to get a reading as of where he actually was. The object moving moved pretty fast. In a little over an hour, he was able to fly again, but he still couldn't sense his surroundings. At the sound of someone moaning (he didn't care to find out whom), he was sort of glad that part of his powers was still off. He found a pair of headphones in the backpack and put them on. He didn't want his super-hearing getting him mentally scarred.
He continued to work on getting his powers working again until he got almost everything back to normal. Heat vision, and all other types of supervisions; checked. Super-breath; checked. Super-strength; checked. Accelerated healing; checked. Hiding the forks he broke testing his accelerated healing; checked. He didn't know what time it was when exhaustion finally got to him. He collapsed on the couch and after setting a small barrier around himself, he slept for a few hours.
There was one lonely lamp sitting on his nightstand giving off a dim light. The Mount Justice base was completely empty with the exception of them. His body was covered with a thin layer of sweat. He was amazed that doing something like that could make him lose his breath. When he was being grown, he was given all the information he would need of the human body and how procreation worked. However, he hadn't expected it to be so intense, or was it because she was not human?
"Did you like it?"
"Yeah."
"So, did I get it right?"
"What do you mean?"
"You know? The parts and bits."
"I suppose so."
"You suppose?"
"I didn't look."
"Oh, I guess it would be odd if you did, right?"
He shrugged.
"But you did like it, right?"
He had nodded before he turned to stare at her.
"You want to do it again?"
He nodded before pulling her into a kiss.
Tilt the brush at a 45° angle against the gumline and sweep or roll the brush away from the gumline. Gently brush the outside, inside and chewing surface of each tooth using short back-and-forth strokes. Gently brush your tongue to remove bacteria and freshen breath. Forget what you saw that night because you, just like her already moved on. Don't forget M'gann and you are only friends. Remember to get out more when you get out of that madhouse.
"C'mon Romeo, you are going to be late for school," Clark knocked on the bathroom door.
"I already called the school and told them he is not going," Lois said also standing outside. It was more like he asked her to call the school. He didn't want to deal with that mess anymore.
"But-" Clark started to refute.
"They were fine with it Smallville. They were actually kind of expecting it. But the psychologist also wants us to come in with him tomorrow to talk. Sort of a family session," she said and he could swear he heard her wince.
"I guess is for the best," Clark said before knocking on the door, "but you still need to hurry. You are coming with us to work. We are not leaving you here on your own. God knows you would call your old friends over and…"
"Smallville…" Lois admonished with a sigh.
"Fine," Conner said after rinsing and then stepping out.
Both looked a little shocked when he came out.
"Smallville, I think we might have stepped into another dimension. One where our son is not whining about being taken to work with us, like a little kid," Lois said giving Clark a mocking serious look.
"Agreed General, our son would be rolling his eyes at us- never mind. He just did," Clark said as Conner did roll his eyes at them and went to the living room to wait for them.
888
He sat at their desks being prodded and checked on by people that seemed to know him since he was a toddler. When used to make forts with his mother out of unused desks and chairs in the conference room. Cute? He thought as an older fashion reporter pinched his cheek. He wasn't cute, at least not in the sense old women thought of children.
"Kent, call from the Pentagon," Mr. White called from his office.
"Is that time of the year already?" Clark said with a sigh.
"Maybe he is checking if I am finally a widow to try to marry me to some medal worshipping lackey," Lois said.
"Yeah, that's probably it," Clark said before answering the call, "General Lane, what do I owe the pleasure of this call?"
"One would think that after eighteen years the General would stop threatening your dad," Lois sighed, "still, it makes every Thanksgiving interesting."
He didn't comment on it. Instead, he listened to what General Lane was telling Clark. When he hung up, Conner knew he would have to think of something to throw them off.
"Mr. White," Clark marched straight to the man's office and only after one minute he returned, "we are going home, now." His tone left no space for discussion.
"What did the general say?" she asked.
"I will explain on the way home," he said as he led them to the elevator.
Clark drove them towards the house in the suburbs and explained the situation with an even voice, "the General was in charge of the interrogation of the men from yesterday. They all claim a teenage boy stopped their bullets and knocked them out. They were all interrogated separately and they all gave the same description of what happened along with a description of the boy."
"What does that have to do with us?" Conner had asked before Lois turned her head to stare at him with shocked eyes.
"Conner, I need you to remain calm," Clark said looking at him through the rearview mirror. When Conner nodded, he continued, "those men described you. Your grandfather is furious. He thinks they are targeting us and this is their way to show that they know who we are. He said he would place surveillance around the house and your school until we were on the clear. He said the Planet was too big to cover, the reason why we had to leave."
"At least they are not taking us to some bunker in the middle of nowhere," Lois said slumping on her seat.
"I wouldn't mind that at all," Clark said with a frown, "this damn world is going crazy." Then, his eyes landed on Conner through the rearview mirror, "I am sorry son. This is just one of those extraordinary situations. We will be fine."
He nodded and wondered when the madness would end.
888
At night, he made another head count of the soldiers surveying the house. He didn't count the ones standing inside the house. They might as well be statues. Lois and Clark were talking in the study about what they should do, or if they should do anything at all. He turned the TV on the living room and changed it to a channel with static. He didn't know why, but this always helped him clear his mind. He noted one of the soldiers was looking at him with worry but decided to ignore him.
Neither Lois nor Clark questioned his choice at watching static, but he could sense their worry. He declined dinner and went to his room that night. He started searching for clues. He found a lot of comic books and scanned through them trying to find a sign. He found a very promising paperback and collapsed on the bed with it.
The Teen Team
The cover had look alike of his friends and himself. The Teen Team seemed to be on a journey to see someone, only to be tricked. His eyelids started to feel heavy. The feeling on the back of his head was starting to buzz again. He fought it. He was so close.
"Get to the point already Hood, we have more important things to do," Tim said.
"I will get to that when I get to that," Jason said, "I promise you will be thanking me by the time you leave the island."
"You haven't changed one bit," Superboy said standing up, "this is all a rouse. We are not here to play games, Jason."
"Neither am I Kon," Jason said standing too.
"Then get to the point," Superboy sneered at him.
"Conner, are you alright?" he blinked a few times. He turned and saw he was sitting in front of Dinah Lance with Lois and Clark at his sides. He was back in her office in what seemed to be another session. He surprised the urge to ask how he got there as he tried to make sense of the memory he just saw. It was coming back to him, but something kept trying to keep him away from the truth.
"You don't have to answer if you don't want to son," Clark said placing a hand on his shoulder.
"But it would really help us understand what is going on," Lois said taking his hand in his.
"What was the question?" he asked shrugging both of his hands off. Though meant to comfort him, it only ended up making him angry. Internally he counted to ten, trying to stay calm.
"Who is Superboy?" Dinah asked as she showed him the unfinished drawing of himself. The face was still missing.
"He is the clone of Superman," he answered taking the picture from her. Things were starting to make sense, and he hated he hadn't realized it earlier.
"What I mean to ask is who is he in real life? Who is he when he is not wearing the uniform?" Black Canary, no Dinah asked.
"I am Superboy," he stood up dropping the drawing, "I am tired of this game. Make it end Jason."
"Jason?" Clark asked, "Son what are you-"
"I am not your son," he deadpanned, "and Lois is not my mother."
He ignored their hurt looks. What a fool he had been.
"Conner, sit down now," Clark said in a grave tone.
"I was created, not born to replace Superman in case he died or went bad," he didn't belong here. "But I don't want to be a spare part. That's what I am supposed to understand, right?"
"Conner, I am talking to you!" Clark shouted turning him around to face him.
"How do I end this?" he asked himself more than them. "Yeah, I wanted to know how it was like to be a kid, how it was to grow up with a family but isn't this too much? Why did it have to be you and her of all people?"
"Conner!" Clark shouted stepping back. He was flying a feet off the ground and away from them, "how are you doing that!?"
"I have to get out of here," he flew towards the window. He had to get away from them. This felt like a betrayal. He was to Clark the brother he never had; wanting anything else was a betrayal of his mentor's trust. He wished Clark and Lois were together but because it would make them happy, not because of some delusion of wanting to be part of a nuclear family.
"Conner, please stop sweetie," Lois said crying, "Come to us. If you stay with us, you will be happy."
"You want to stay, don't you?" he saw Tim standing in the corner of the room watering a small plant, "we won't be upset if you choose to stay."
"I could stay here and live an ordinary life," he said turning to look at them. Dinah was wearing her Black Canary uniform but looked frightened. Lois and Clark looked at him with unbreakable parental love, "but it would all be a lie. I need to go back. You and the rest need me."
"We need you!" Lois and Clark said together.
"You could still be a hero here," Tim said to him, "be the only hero of this world. Be their Superman."
"I don't want to be Superman," he said, "that would mean he is actually gone."
"Everyone has to go at some point," Tim said.
"Son, please," Lois was sobbing at that point in Clark's arms.
"This is what you desired, isn't not? The love of parents, a real family with a real life; not just weeks in a pod being half grown into almost a man," Tim was replaced by Jason.
"This isn't real. No one here needs me like in the real world," he turned to leave through the window, ignoring all of their voices.
"You are a fake! No one needs you!" a hand took hold of him and pulled him out through the window before slamming him brutally to the ground. He started at the furious face of himself, "you are a failure! A cheap copy!"
He hit the other him back before staring at him in shock. He was wearing his uniform but had murder written on his face. He knew this was his fear; to become an abomination made out of rage and violence. What he could become if he let his emotions become rampant.
"You should stay here and just rot!" the other Superboy shouted shooting at him with his heat vision. He flew up trying to get away from the distracting voices of Clark and Lois. They were still calling out to him. Saying they needed him. Saying they would protect him because he was their son and they loved him. Every word was like a stab.
"Who are you?" he stopped in midair and asked the other Superboy.
"I am Kon, the real Superboy, who else?" he said crossing his arms with a superior smirk.
"Funny, it doesn't feel like it," Conner didn't think this was the real him for a moment.
"What would a fake like you know? You wish to be normal when you have the gift of Rao inside you. You are broken if you can't see all you can do with it," the other Superboy said.
"Enough of that," he said rolling his eyes at the other Superboy. "I guess I have to beat you to get out of here, and even if it doesn't work, I bet it will feel good."
The afternoon wind blew, ruffling their hair. The anger on the other made his own more real. The heavy feeling in his stomach grew stronger. He kept himself from shaking though he wasn't sure if it was out of fear or anger. His weaknesses and secret desires were all in that place, in this other him. He wanted it all gone.
He extended his arms and wrapped his field around the other him. He tried to crush him.
"That tickles," the other Superboy said before his eyes shone red and he felt his bones being broken, "like I said, a cheap copy."
"Shut up!" he shouted before blasting at him with his heat vision. The other evaded the shots before shooting at him and hitting him on the chest. He spun back a few times before stopping in the air. He ripped away the burned shirt and throwing it into the air.
He was done playing. He flew straight at the other and landed a hit on his jaw before seizing his head by the hair and slamming his knee into the other's face. They exchanged blow for blow. He couldn't remember hurting this much before. He heard a bone crack and for a moment he thought it was his.
"Ahhhh!"
But the scream wasn't his. He looked at the leg of the other and saw it bend at an odd angle. He had done that? He felt his TK wrapped tightly around the leg, so it must have been.
"Bastard!" the other freed himself and grabbed his head before slamming his head against his own. Everything went black and he knew he was falling. He crashed and heard screams.
"Conner!" he heard someone call his name.
"Son!" not them, he thought, don't let it be them.
He forced his eyes open and saw red. His forehead had a gash and the blood was blinding one of his eyes. He sat up in the crater his fall had created and saw Clark and Lois standing a few feet away from them in fear and worry.
"Get away!" he shouted at them before he felt as if his insides were being put through a blender. The other him landed on his stomach, knee first. The shock of the impact threw the Kents back. He felt the bile rise through this esophagus. He threw up as the other started punching his face with the force of a wrecking ball in each hit. He could feel his cranium start to crack. He could be hurt. He wasn't invincible. He could die.
He felt the hot burning pain on his forehead and tried to move, but the other was keeping him in place with his TK. He was going to lobotomize him. He tried to concentrate to create a barrier or at least push him back, but the pain kept him from being able to concentrate.
"Get away from him!" the pain was gone.
"Oh God, please let him be okay, Connery, sweetie, please say something," Lois was by his side and whipping blood away from his face.
He opened his swollen eye and saw Clark stand between him the other. The other him was standing and whipping some blood from his lip.
"Ms. Lane," he looked up and saw her teary face close to his, "stop."
"But you don't want them to stop; even now you made him fight for you. You like them to protect you, to fret about you like a real mother and father would do," Kon said walking towards them, "but like you, they are imperfect copies."
He pushed off the ground and stood up.
"Don't interfere," he told Clark as he walked forwards.
"No," Clark said before Conner felt his hand on his shoulder, "we are not leaving you alone."
"C'mon cheap copy, you know you want to fight alongside him. Isn't that what you have wanted ever since you came out of your little pot?" the other mocked. "C'mon! AND ADMIT IT!"
"Yes," he said stopping, "I want this," he motioned with his hand to the fake world around them. "But, I have a responsibility because of the gift I was created with; because I owe it to the man that took me to be his brother."
"Conner?" he heard Clark call.
"This is all wrong," he said giving a forced smile, "I am sorry, but this all wrong. You are not me, they are not my parents, and this is not my life. I am not going to fight you anymore. I accept that this is what I wanted, but it doesn't make it right. I want out of this mockery of a life and go back to where I am really needed, now."
He waited for the other to say something, or Clark or Lois to beg him to stop. But, none of that happened. The world paused and then faded into darkness. He was afraid for a moment before all of his memories came back. He sat up on the bed he had been lying down and looked around. The others were still sleeping.
"So, are you feeling thankful yet?" Jason Todd asked as he leaned against the wall across from their beds.
"I am going to crush your skull," he said getting to his feet. He walked up to Jason and glared at him, but didn't put a finger on him. "Never again, you got it?"
"Got it," Jason said with a smirk.