Metropolis - Subterranean Level 52 - CADMUS Labs
The ventilation shaft was tight, even for a teenager.
Tim Drake crawled silently, his new "Red Robin" suit shielding him from the thermal sensors. He tapped his earpiece.
"I'm in," Tim whispered. "The schematics were right. Cadmus isn't just a government think tank. It's a bunker."
"Be careful, Master Tim," my voice came through the comms. I was piloting the Batwing, hovering in stealth mode above the Metropolis harbor. "Lex Luthor does not build security systems; he builds death traps."
"I'm at the central observation deck," Tim said. He used a laser cutter to remove the grate and dropped onto the catwalk.
Below him was a laboratory that looked like something out of a science fiction nightmare. Scientists in hazmat suits moved around a massive, glowing green tank in the center of the room.
Floating inside the tank was a boy.
He looked about Tim's age—sixteen or seventeen. He was muscular, shirtless, and wearing white solar-suit pants. He had jet-black hair and an 'S' shield carved into his chest, though it looked backwards.
"Bruce," Tim whispered, transmitting the video feed. "Are you seeing this?"
"I see it," Batman's voice growled from the Batwing's cockpit. "Kryptonian DNA markers. They're cloning Superman."
"Why?"
"Because Superman works for the world," Batman said. "Luthor wants a Superman who works for him. A weapon."
Suddenly, the alarms blared.
"BREACH DETECTED. SECTOR 4."
"They found me," Tim said, pulling his bo staff.
"No," I corrected, looking at the scanners. "They did not find you. They found... the other intruder."
The blast doors exploded inward.
A massive, gray-skinned creature—some failed experiment—rampaged into the room, throwing guards like ragdolls.
"Get the asset out!" a scientist screamed. "Initiate awakening sequence!"
The scientist slammed a red button.
The fluid in the tank began to drain. The boy inside opened his eyes. They weren't blue like Superman's. They were glowing red with heat vision.
The Awakening
The glass shattered.
BOOM.
The clone—Subject 13—fell to the floor, gasping for air. He looked at his hands, confused. He looked at the scientists.
"Who..." the boy croaked. "Who am I?"
"You are property of Cadmus!" the head scientist shouted, pulling a stun baton. "Get back in the pod!"
The boy's eyes narrowed.
"Don't touch me."
The scientist swung the baton. The boy caught it. The metal crumpled in his grip like tin foil.
"I said... DON'T TOUCH ME!"
The boy stomped his foot.
CRACK.
A shockwave of telekinetic force (tactile telekinesis) rippled out, shattering the floor and sending the scientists flying. The ceiling began to crumble.
"He's unstable!" Tim shouted. "He's going to bring the whole building down!"
Tim didn't run away. He jumped down from the catwalk, landing in front of the raging Kryptonian.
"Hey!" Tim yelled, holding his hands up. "Stop!"
The clone turned to Tim. His eyes were wild.
"You one of them?" the clone snarled, floating a few inches off the ground.
"No," Tim said calmly, lowering his staff. "I'm breaking you out. But if you keep smashing support beams, we're both going to be buried under a million tons of concrete."
The clone paused. He scanned Tim with X-ray vision.
"You have no powers," the clone scoffed. "You're just a kid in a costume."
"I'm the kid with the exit strategy," Tim corrected. He pointed to the north wall. "That wall is lead-lined. It hides the elevator shaft. Punch through it."
The clone smirked. A cocky, arrogant smirk.
"You're bossy. I like that."
The clone flew at the wall.
SMASH.
He punched a hole straight through the steel and lead, revealing the shaft.
"Let's go!" Tim shouted.
The Escape
We picked them up at the surface.
The Batwing hovered over the industrial park as Tim and the clone burst through the roof access door.
"Jump!" Tim yelled.
They leaped. The clone grabbed Tim by the back of his jacket and flew them up to the open ramp of the jet.
They landed inside. I hit the thrusters, and we vanished into the clouds before Cadmus security could launch their interceptors.
Inside the cargo bay, the tension was palpable.
Batman stood there, cape wrapped around him, staring at the clone.
The clone stared back, arms crossed, floating slightly.
"So," the clone said, looking at Batman. "You're the Bat-guy. The one Luthor hates."
"And you," Batman said, his voice deep and gravelly, "are a genetic experiment combining Kryptonian DNA with... human DNA."
"Half and half," the clone shrugged. "Best of both worlds, right? I got the looks and the power."
"Who is the human donor?" Tim asked, pulling up the stolen files on his wrist computer.
The clone looked away. "Don't know. Don't care."
"I do," Tim tapped a key. "Subject 13. Matrix: Superman / Lex Luthor."
The silence in the jet was absolute.
The clone looked at his hands. "Luthor? I'm... half Luthor?"
"That explains the arrogance," I murmured from the pilot's seat.
The clone glared at me. "Who's the pale guy?"
"I am the butler," I said, glancing back. "And might I suggest you put on a shirt? This is a respectable aircraft."
The clone floated over to me. He hovered right in my face, trying to intimidate me.
"You're not scared of me," the clone observed. "Why?"
"I have served kings, emperors, and gods," I said, meeting his gaze with my red eyes. "You are merely a teenager with a solar battery. Do not confuse power with presence."
The clone blinked. He laughed.
"Okay. You're cool. I'm keeping the butler."
The Batcave - Arrival
We landed. The clone stepped out, looking around the massive cavern in awe.
"Nice crib," he whistled. "Way better than a test tube."
"You can stay here," Batman said. "Until we figure out what to do with you. Superman... doesn't know you exist yet."
"I don't need him," the clone snapped, his mood swinging instantly. "I'm not his sidekick. I'm not 'Superboy.' I'm my own man."
"You need a name," Tim said.
The clone looked at the 'S' shield on his chest.
"Kon," he said. "The scientists called me Project Kr. I'll go with Kon-El."
"Conner," Tim suggested. "If you want to blend in."
"Conner," the clone tested it. "Conner Kent. Sounds tough."
He looked at Tim.
"You got me out. I owe you one."
"Stick around," Tim smiled. "We have plenty of work."
Batman watched them. The dark knight and the alien. The detective and the powerhouse.
"Sebastian," Bruce whispered to me. "Luthor will come for him. And Superman... he won't be happy about a clone."
"Then we shall have to teach the boy manners before his 'father' arrives," I said. "Though I fear teaching a Kryptonian not to break the china will be harder than teaching Master Jason not to stab people."
I looked at Conner, who was currently using his tactile telekinesis to juggle three priceless antique vases.
"Hey! Look at this!" Conner laughed.
CRASH.
One vase fell.
"Oops."
I closed my eyes and sighed.
"I'm going to need more glue."
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