THREE.
A New Dawn / 5 July, 2010
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Of all the plans Mi-rae had come up with in her life, this one, truly, took the cake. She deserved an award for 'Stupidest Idea Ever Thought of Since the Terra Nova Expedition'. Granted no one in her plan was likely to die, but she wouldn't put anything past her simple brain. Or the world that seemed to like messing with her.

For nearly two hours she'd been stalking these halls on her own, with nothing to show for it but a creepy pet, a plan she'd concocted out of sheer desperation to leave this prison and foot arches that felt like they were ripping apart minute by minute. How was she supposed to prepare for the day to go to hell like this, she wasn't a God.

It was simple, all she had to do was find the kid, try and help the Supes and get the hell out of dodge.

Except after a few more times ducking, running (to an extent), hiding, and throwing herself in just any direction away from obvious damnation, she was about ready to collapse in a heap. Two hours and nothing to show for it, but a few laps around the lowest level of this hell of a basement.

Her feet's salvation came disguised as a perfectly delightful shadowed corner and a few haphazardly abandoned crates. She knew she'd probably somehow end up locked inside one of them if this ended badly, but she took the reprieve.

All she needed was a few seconds to rest and rethink her utterly painful plan of a likely unsuccessful corporate heist, then she'd be good to go.

She could have just left, she should have left...hours ago. Except she couldn't bring herself any closer to that elevator, or even dare press the call button. Not when she still didn't understand the floor plan of this place. Knowing her luck she'd end up right in Mr Big Bad's office.

No. If she could get out, then so could they. Too bad this place was a maze full of people ready and willing to keep her trapped here forever. Nothing is stronger than the need to protect a secret.

She was practically swimming in a sea of them, of others and her own, and one day, she knew, they would drown her. Take her down to the depths with them.

Sitting there on those crates, with the grey critter sitting beside her, she felt her mind slipping away, imagining everything she chose to ignore about her current situation. Like how she had no idea where she was going.

Until the sound of heavy footsteps made her cringe away, forcing her body rigidly upright as she pressed herself deeper into the darkness. Silencing her breathing as best as she could considering the circumstances.

The only downfall of her hiding place was that it obscured her vision just as it did for the passer-by; she had no idea of exactly who was in the corridor with her or if they ate their carrots like healthy humans, which she defiantly refused to. The only sign that they hadn't seen her was that she was still safely tucked away. No opposing arm reached out through the blackness to steal her, no gun or weapon of other kind was pressed to her head.

However, the silence wasn't comforting either. She couldn't figure out if those footsteps were retreating or if the owner of them was just standing there refusing to back down. Her only choice was a quick one to come to - again another stupid plan likely to get herself grabbed - but she only had seconds to put it into action lest it be a complete failure.

She still had a chance, and she was fighting for it, tooth and nail without remorse.

So in a matter of carefully placed steps, she removed her boots and clenched her fingers around the still knotted shoe laces. The kid had been pretty smart, being silent on your feet was key to survival. Socks would have to work just as well because there was no way she was running around this creepy - inside of the belly of the beast lookalike - place barefooted.

Giving herself a few seconds to get in a good running start stance, she collected as much air as her already-inflated lungs could take. Even the creature looked ready to bolt, as they both waited, then ran like hell.

Until her heart leapt out of her throat as a larger hand than her own reached out and grabbed her forearm, pulling her towards a muscled torso as their two bodies disappeared back into the corner of the total void. She went to claw at her kidnapper, to punch or kick, and then even bite after they clamped a hand over her mouth. Good to see her fight or flight system had gone to backup.

Whoever it was, they were taller than her, which wasn't exactly hard but still impressive, considering she was average height. She looked up at them and found bright blue eyes watching her; beacons summoning her into harsher waters. Prepared to devour her whole.

The hand around her forearm disappeared as quickly as it got there, her not even noticing the release in pressure, and instead came to rest against the stranger's lips, a single finger remaining there. Silence was the only answer she was going to get from them, and all they wanted of her.

She could feel her eyebrows furrowing, her long lashes fading into them. This is not what she expected to happen when she got caught.

However, a few seconds later she could hear another set of footsteps reverberate against the corridor, swallowed by the flesh-like walls. Followed closely by two other sets. Only unlike the stranger holding her, they proceeded further down the hall until they inevitably silenced once they were far enough.

It felt like an eternity, trapped against a foreign body, but the minute the stranger began to depart from beside her she fought against a sudden chill.

The hand from before snaked her forearm yet again, lighter than before, somewhat gently sliding down until it clamped her wrist. She could feel her pulse throb through the veins and arteries within it, as if her blood answered a call deep inside; her pulse skyrocketing. The possibilities of what could happen were terrifying and weighed over her body like an anvil.

And the second they retreated the darkness and her eyes adjusted to light once again, she understood why.

He looked just like he had in the pod, with the exact white solar suit, and dark hair in the exact position as before. As if he hadn't just beaten the crap out of a bunch of superheroes barely a few hours prior. His bright blue eyes looked out towards every opening in the corridor, then finally resting on her ordinary dull brown orbs.

   "There shouldn't be anyone else for a while, you should go that way," his free hand pointed towards a corridor she had yet to go through with a single finger. Except she couldn't focus on anything else but his face, "now." He finished, his voice getting a more agitated tone behind it.

Her body still didn't move; standing there ogling at her sudden saviour with a look she could imagine rivalled a fish.

Until her attempt to finally speak, "Wh...I...you?" Making her more embarrassed than she'd ever been since she was ten and had told her childhood crush she could drink milk through her nose. And just like that abysmal moment, she knew it would forever remain in her mind for years, waiting for the perfect moment to strike and demobilise her.

   "Get. Out." He simplified as if she were the one freshly squeezed out of a test tube and grown in a lab, kept in a pod for schooling. Honestly, she felt he had a better understanding of the situation than she ever could.

He could have severely hurt her by now if he had wanted to, but he hadn't. Or was it simply that he hadn't been ordered to do so?

   "What's wrong with you, why aren't you moving?" He waved his other hand at her face, breaking her out of her trance. An imperfect crease appeared above his brow that she involuntarily wanted to smooth out before anyone important saw it. A crack in their perfect mask needed to be repaired before it was recast. Then he roughly shook her shoulders when he didn't receive a response quick enough, making her all too happy to never touch him again.

So at that, she forced herself away, the hand around her pulse point disappearing. Quickly putting some space between herself and the boy who looked freakishly the same age as her.

"I can't leave," she mumbled, the forgotten hand of her own coming towards her left wrist, fingertips delicately running along the purple and blue lines buried beneath her skin. She saw his line of sight go to her fingers through the corner of an eye, but she didn't meet those blue irises.

If he really was a clone of Superman, they'd probably give her radiation poisoning.

   "Leave, now." He was seething, his teeth gritting against each other as his hands clenched to fists. It probably wasn't a good idea to challenge a walking, almost two-hundred pounds of pure muscle, grumpy Kryptonian, but she wasn't known for good ideas.

   "No." It was hard not to look away, to stand her ground and not cower at the sight of that brow crease deepening wider. So when it became too much, she simply walked past him, not in the direction he'd intended. Noticing how the Thing had left her without a shred of remorse.

There was an icy sensation washing over her. The feeling of eyes, the colour of the coldest oceans, glared at her as she carried on. He didn't stop her, didn't move an inch in any direction.

Those eyes just stared, so fragile compared to the rest of him. As if he couldn't quite figure out why he was warring with his own mind, with his whole being. So when he finally broke free of the trance, he marched on towards the only room in this place that could possibly hold some answers.

The strange girl who stalked the halls of the only place he had to call 'home' finally developed her plan just enough to fulfil her promise. She was getting them all out, even if she had to burn the rest of this place to the ground.

No one was being left behind. Not even the self-preserving little demon that had abandoned her to go to the elevator. Yes, even he was coming too.

Fortunately, the Kid had been exactly where she was before, Mi-rae guessed that from the two taller creatures guarding the door, she'd been able to enter perfectly fine before. It wasn't going to be easy, but if she timed everything perfectly she just about had a chance.

Grabbing hold of a lead pipe she'd miraculously found discarded near the elevator, she threw it as far as her small arms could allow and crossed her fingers that the creatures would take the bait. This was her only shot.

Seconds later her wish was granted, and she didn't waste a second storming in through that door. Almost trapping her sleeve on the handle as she nearly tripped over the critter following close behind.

She looked the same as before. Except there was now a towel over her shoulders, and water droplets bled into the soft, fraying fabric. Her head was bowed over her small hands and Mi-rae was nervous of frightening her.

Luckily for her, the critter beat her to it, and leapt up on the bed, nuzzling against her arm. Instantly breaking her concentration, replacing a frown with an indecipherable smile, she enveloped the thing in a bone-crushing hug.

   "Oni, you found your way back." She scratched his head, and Mi-rae saw how it revelled in the contact. It liked this kid. "And you brought our friend back too."

Finally, she looked up at her, brown and hazel eyes gazing at each other almost like a distorted mirror lay between them. It shocked Mi-rae how similar CADMUS' two greatest secrets were. Truly like brother and sister.

They both could leave her questioning her tainted morals and cross her comfortable ability to avoid conflict. Yet, she couldn't, not this time.

They'd dragged her from the shallows, and into the volcanic caves lost to gravity. She knew they'd get her burnt, but she'd been learning to like the lick of the flames for a long time.

She couldn't help her almost shark-toothed grin as she thought about her catastrophic plan. "Let's get the hell out of here and show you the stars." Reaching out her hand, she waited. Letting the kid know that Mi-rae wasn't going anywhere until she was ready.

It felt like an instinct, as she reached her hand out, closing tightly over the older girl's. It was trust that let her lead the way out.

And neither let go.

All the while, Deianira and her friends were being helped out of their difficult situation by the very person who had knocked them all out and put them in it. Hell, she'd just seen him throw a door like a frisbee, and casually walk up to them. No part of this situation was even remotely normal.

All except for the noises coming from Robin's pod beside her, as the youngest of the four was suddenly free of the locks.

   "Ahh. Finally!" He exclaimed, landing on the floor with perfect ease. Rubbing at his possibly bruised wrists. "Lucky Batman isn't here. He'd have my head for taking so long."

   "Definitely not in your top five." Deianira mused as she yanked the clawed locks around her wrists apart from the rest of the pod. As soon as she was free, she leapt out and held them before Robin, watching as he worked on unlocking them for her.

   "Seriously, that's what you're worried about?" Kid questioned, silently complaining about his friend's lack of priorities, "The whole League will have our heads after tonight."

However, everyone ignored him as the three not in a pod got to work on their joint escape. Robin hit the button to release the others' pod doors.

   "Free Aqualad," he directed to Superboy, "I'll get Kid Mouth. D, you watch the...door, no watch them" he said, looking at the open space that used to house a door and then pointing down at the bodies that were starting to groan and move, slowly regaining consciousness.

   "Don't you give me orders either," Superboy grumbled as he begrudgingly did as he was told.

Teamwork apparently wasn't for everyone.

But they were quick, and they managed to all run out before anyone on the floor could stand to stop them.

The guy in charge said something Deianira didn't quite care enough to listen out for with her superior ears, but she heard Robin as he threw some of his exploding birdarangs at tanks deeper in the room.

She heard his and Kid's weird mumblings as well as the calamity that ensued in their wake. The smell of fire and smoke travelled over to her as she hoped Wonder Woman and the other Leaguers didn't make them pay for any damages. They'd be in debt till they were in their fifties.

Quickly, it became apparent that neither one of them knew where to go, except straight forward. The sooner they reached that elevator, the better.

Especially when the walls started glowing red, and creatures crawled out of the fleshy substance like newborns, with bigger ones coming out of the woodwork. They were quickly swarmed from all sides.

It was starting to look like they were completely trapped until Superboy suddenly had the genius idea to put those anger issues to good use and beat the crap out of something else. In the form of a giant genomorth. The others use it as a great distraction to dodge oncoming fists and tusks.

Only, the clone was taking it a little too far, getting himself pummelled in the process.

"Superboy," Aqualad called, "the goal is to escape, not to bury ourselves here."

"If we die, my ghost gets to tell your ghost, 'I told you so'," Wonder Girl whispered to Kid, smiling triumphantly.

"My ghost would tell your ghost to fu-" Kid began to respond before he was interrupted by Superboy.

"You want escape?" He shouted, the whites of his eyes more prominently visible, even from a distance. Until he turned from them and took that statement a little too literally and used one of the creatures to knock down another two in the way of a route out.

Taking the chance, the four sidekicks ran towards the elevator, Aqualad forcing the doors apart. The chute was empty, with no elevator in sight, so Kid jumped over to a ledge, pushing himself close to the walls of the metal structure, before going up another level. While Robin uses his grappling gun to get him there in half the time. Wonder Girl goes next, just as Superboy finally gets to them, flying to the same level as Robin and Kid, ready to carry them if need be.

Superboy appears to have the same idea when he grabs hold of Aqualad, just as a giant genomorph breaks from the pack and goes to swing at them. Instead, its arm just about misses as the clone leaps into the air as if he were flying.

Only it didn't last long, and flying turned into falling. But before Wonder Girl could reach out to catch them mid-fall, Robin flung a birdarang that embedded itself in the steel, Aqualad instinctively latching his hand, which wasn't attached to the arm around Superboy, onto it.

   "Superman can fly," Superboy said sombrely, "why can't I fly?" He asked, looking up above as if he'd find the answer to his worried questions.

Kid Flash was not the one to answer them either, but he gave pep-talking a shot. "Don't know, but it looks like you can leap tall buildings in a single bound." He said, trying to cheer up the guy considering the circumstances, "still cool." Reaching his arms out, he takes hold of Superboy's wrist, helping him down.

   "Thank you." The Kryptonian says to Aqualad, tensing his shoulders as Wonder Girl comes over and taps him lightly.

She knew what it was like struggling to understand your powers, their magnitude, and their limitations.

However, they were all rudely interrupted by the sound of the elevator coming towards them. Which meant they had to move before they became pancakes.

   "Guys, this will have to be our exit." Robin declares as the sound gets louder and louder.

So before they squash into nothing, Superboy uses his strength to punch the steel doors off of their hinges. Giving them the space to run out before the elevator continues its high-speed descent into the jaws of hell.

Across from them a whole new pack of genomorphs starts crawling towards them, making the five turn left to avoid conflict.

They ran straight, hoping to stumble on the right path before Superboy suddenly started to direct them. First left, then right, leading to a dead end.

   "Great directions, Supey. You trying to get us re-podded?" Kid queries, annoyed at their new predicament, added to the steadily growing heap of bad luck they've had all day.

   "Says the guy who once got lost in a grocery store." Wonder Girl mumbled to Robin, making the youngest member of their temporary ragtag crew snigger.

Except, Superboy, the poor guy, looked so confused it almost hurt to watch. "No, I, I don't understand."

Beside her, Deianira saw Robin's eyes light up as he had one of his 'eureka moments'. Instantly relighting a fire in her muscles as the adrenaline in her blood intoxicated her.

   "Don't apologise. This is perfect!" Boy Wonder exclaimed. And within the next few minutes, they'd all somehow scrambled inside a tight air vent, crawling around like sewer rats. Leaving the genomorphs attempting to follow behind them.

Teamwork really does make the dream work.

They'd been running up the stairs so long that Mi-rae thought her ribs must have punctured a lung. Either that or she was in abysmal shape, and that was impossible. She was in perfect shape.

If that shape was spherical and had the occasional need to consume like a black hole, or cease existing.

But the fact she was being shown up by someone who'd hardly hit puberty yet, was a blow to the chest.

   "Come on, we need to get to sub-level one!" The Kid called after her, the genome thing clinging onto her shoulder for dear life.

Mi-rae could hear growling from below, which she was desperate to outrun, but her thighs were burning and her vision was getting spotty. Apparently, she was running short on adrenaline.

   "Easy...for you to say," she started, her breaths coming out uneven, "I'm...dying...over here."

She was pulling at her mask, trying to take in larger gulps of air, but her lungs were seizing up. She stopped running for a second, bending her knees as she tried not to retch over her boots. Gods, if her boss could see her now, he'd order the termination of her contract, if he didn't value her loyalty that is.

She was about ready to start running after the Kid when she heard her voice yell from above. "Watch out!" But it was too late.

A human-sized blur ran straight into her, knocking them both to the floor, as four shadows surrounded them.

   "Ow," Mi-rae mumbled, rolling over onto her side and rubbing her head, "it is seriously, not my day today."

"Uhh..." the blur speaks as he gets up easily and stands over her. Looking at his three friends and the clone with a confused facial expression.

Within seconds Mi-rae adjusts her mask back completely over her nose, ensuring none of them see her face. Except it's pointless when she notices the guy from the pod standing next to her, outstretching a hand.

"I did tell you to get out." He says, with a hint of possible humour in his tone, as she takes hold of the arm. Pulling herself up until her feet met solid ground. The hand remained near her back just in case.

Yet, she just squinted her eyes at him, not quite sure what situation she was getting herself into, "I am notorious for not doing what people tell me to do." Her hands in fists on either side of her as she turns her glare over to the teen in the offensively yellow spandex. "You. Didn't anyone ever tell you to look before you run up ten flights of stairs?"

And just when she was ready to face off with the redhead, she was interrupted by the Kid calling from the stairs as she rushed down.

   "Superboy!" She runs straight to the clone, hesitant as to what he might do. "You're not...gonna take me back, right?" She's met with silence as her 'brother' looks down at her. "You do know who I am, don't you? I'd read you stories when Amanda was checking your vitals, I'd sit with you as long as I could before they'd take me back."

There was water gathering in the corners of her eyes, and it felt like torture waiting for them to fall. Except they didn't, as Superboy patted her on the shoulder and smiled, actually smiled, at her.

All of them were surprised, to be honest.

   "You told me about the three pigs and the wolf." He replied, ruffling what little length of her buzz-cut hair remained.

In response, the Kid quickly ran her wrist under her nose and nodded. Smiling up at her giant of a 'brother'.

   "Aww, that's so sweet." A feminine voice whispered as Mi-rae turned to see Wonder Girl watching the two CADMUS kids bond.

   "Not really the time," Kid Flash interrupted, as he pointed down the hole between the miles of layered stairs. Alerting them to the sounds coming from below, as more genomorphs began chasing after them all again. "We still need an exit."

   "Sub-level one." The Kid pointed up, where at least another four flights of stairs awaited them, "It's risky, but it's all we've got."

   "Who is this kid?" Redhead questioned.

   "The one who's gonna save your ass," she snapped back, "now get running twinkle toes; we still need an exit." Smugly she crosses her arms against her chest, waiting semi-patiently for him to do as she asked.

He grumbles, but ultimately starts running, enjoying the feeling of air rushing past, not quite able to reach out and grasp him. Like this, he was untouchable, unbeatable. As long as he was looking where he was going of course.

Behind him, the others ran as fast as they humanly could, albeit still a lot slower. With Mi-rae falling behind once again.

So to save time and avoid being a man down, Superboy starts to slow down until he's perfectly at pace with her and casually lifts her into his arms. As if she were as light as a feather. Adjusting both of their bodies so he was holding her bridal style up the last few flights.

   "What are you doing? Put me down!" She protests, threatening to pull at his annoyingly undisturbed hair, as they turn a corner.

   "Fine, and you can face those guys since you're such a terrible runner." He prepares to lower her back down, but she holds on tighter; arms coiling around his neck.

   "Drop me, and I swear I will drag you down with me," she declares, a hard death stare directed at his ocean blue eyes before finishing, "by your ankle."

The Kryptonian holding onto her just scoffs in reply as they complete the last lap and enter another corridor. This one glowing a dangerous sort of red, with an alarm loud enough to wake the dead blaring all around, making the perfect pair.

Superboy lets go of the strange girl, helping her lower her feet to the carpeted floor and they both run over to join the others as Kid Flash collides with a steel-trapped door.

   "We're cut off from the street," The Atlantean asserts, as Wonder Girl goes over to her speedster friend.

   "Thanks. My head hadn't noticed." Kid retorts sarcastically, as he's helped up off the floor.

"Well, it is pretty dense." Wonder Girl said beside him, tapping his head condescendingly, making him swat at her fingers until they retreated.

Superboy decided to take his shot and try to punch or pull the doors open like he'd done before - with Aqualad quick to help - except nothing came of it. Yet they were still going. More desperate by the second.

   "I think it's going to take more than brute strength to get ourselves out of this mess," Mi-rae muttered to no one in particular. While Boy Wonder was trying and failing to hack the system.

Then suddenly the Kid looked over the boy's shoulder, momentarily fascinated by the complex system that was second nature to him. Before poking at his arm to get him to look towards where she was pointing; just as two more giant genomorphs were approaching them from behind.

A door. Very obviously visible, right behind him.

Quickly giving up on his failure of a plan, he motioned for his 'teammates' to follow him. "This way!" He ordered, kicking down the door with seemingly perfect ease, and they ran.

For a short distance anyway. Then they were in deep shit again as a whole army of creatures were awaiting them. All with devilish eyes almost soullessly staring back at them. This pack led by a tall, well-built man front and centred, with a golden helmet firmly placed over his head. Guardian.

Distracting them long enough for those chasing the crew time to catch up and block them from behind. Even the Kid's pet had the right sense to be scared of its own kind, because in a matter of seconds, all of the horns on the top of their heads glowed red, and it all faded to black.

Leaving no exit for the teenagers as they slipped into a nauseous subconscious state. Because that's what they were in the end, just a bunch of kids hoping not to die too soon before their time.

But heroes don't get happy stories. Especially not sidekicks; they always get replaced no matter what. Mi-rae Noe was not a sidekick though, and she would never be replaced. At least she had that hope, that they wouldn't deem her important enough for cloning and just be done with her, throw her away like the useless garbage she knew she truly was. That Zephyr never discovered her failings or the rules she'd broken trying to survive.

She felt someone grab at her, trying to raise her, but her body would not wake. Her mind filled with images of pain, misery, recklessness, and...joy? For this was the first time she'd ever felt a situation working with others could be fun. And she pitied how short it was.

There were so many voices. So many sounds, bad sounds. And the nudging and pulling got worse until something blared right down her left ear. Two words, so painfully loud she thought blood would soon pool from her ears, but nothing came.

   "WAKE UP!" Those words were, and a slap to the face snapped both of her eyes open and water started to gather in their corners.

Two bodies hovered before her as the building they were still obviously inside of shook violently. Debris falling from all over. A stray piece nearly crushed the three of them being caught and thrown off to the side like it was nothing by the bronze-toned girl kneeling next to the pale-faced Kid with her equally pale non-blinking friend.

Mi-rae could feel her face crinkling together again, eyes staring astonished at the superhero. Until her cheek started twitching, instantly notifying her about the pain she had yet to acknowledge.

   "Why'd you slap me?" She quizzically exclaimed, rubbing at the sore patch of skin, "Could you not have done literally anything else?" Her awestruck gaze turned to a glare that would falter a viper.

   "We don't have time for this," the Kid sighed dramatically, flailing her arms around the room they were now miraculously in, "these idiots are going to bury us all alive if we don't do something!" Finally, her tiny arms settled over the middle of the large open-spaced room; specifically the four teenage boys beating the crap out of some freakish blue guy.

   "Uh, who is that?" She asked.

   "That's my doctor," the Kid replied, destroying all reason yet again, leaving a gaping hole in Mi-rae's head where common sense used to reside.

   "I'm gonna need a psych evaluation after this," she sighed to herself, "if I even survive."

   "Oh, we're surviving this, so long as we do something before the entire building caves in." The superhero Mi-rae knew as Wonder Girl stated matter of factly.

   "I was afraid you were going to say that," she mumbled, standing up and leaning against the space of rubble-free wall they had stationed her at, "just don't blame me for what happens next. It's a joint effort."

The two girls who now stood beside her nodded. Wonder Girl broke from their gathered huddle to join her friends in the fight, while the other two held back for a moment.

   "You any good in a fight?" Mi-rae dared to ask the small girl.

   "I can move things with my mind." She shrugged back as if it was the most generic thing in the world.

   "That'll do." She replied, trying to remain as calm as possible considering the situation. After all, a situation like this was more common in comic books or TV than in real life. The scariest part of it all was the thrill it gave her.

So they went their separate ways, with the kid going off with her genome to go mentally throw some shit at the bad guy - literally - and for Mi-rae to do what she did best.

Breaking rules and messing everything up. In the best way.

While the other six were off brawling and using their powers or capabilities to their advantage, she was using hers. So everyone was too busy to notice the lights above flicker and go out one by one, until the only ones still working were directly above their enemy. The glow of them became brighter and brighter, momentarily blinding the team just before the bulbs shattered.

Glass showering the man/beast; larger fragments lodging into non-lethal, exposed sections of thick skin. The others were fortunate to move back before impact could be met.

Only, Kid Flash could feel his hair rising more than usual, and a fuzzy static feeling overtake his limbs. He wasn't alone though, the bad guy he was the closest to, suddenly had a red haze over him, as his body seemed to almost convulse.

Surprisingly the wall-mounted lights still worked, albeit tentatively, with few flickers every rare second. Leaving the others, all perfectly fine and dusting off any miniature glass shards left behind, to still be able to see the battle before them.

Because it wasn't over yet. The guy may have been knocked about a whole bunch of times, with blood now free-falling from open gashes embedded with still hot-to-the-touch glass, but he wasn't done.

So they all went to plan B and started taking out the stone pillars keeping the building upright. Mi-rae joining back with the Kid and Wonder Girl to use heavy objects to destroy the closet structure. The boys went to town on theirs too, finally getting to do what boys love to do. Make a mess and not have to clean it up - they hoped.

They compromised a quick plan to get him exactly where they wanted him. Aqualad laying down a thick layer of water, over a marked 'X' designation in chalk by Robin, to act as a fun slide; Kid Flash acting as bait and lures him, then Superboy and Wonder Girl hit him hard from both sides to make him slip and fall. Just in time for Aqualad to send blue volts of electricity through the water and electrocute their target. And a thick coil of rope suddenly envelops him, cutting off his oxygen supply, and constricting his burnt-out muscles, pushing the protruding shards deeper into his blue flesh. All while the red haze from before refuses to leave, making his body convulse almost to the point of collapse.

Then the final strike arrives in the form of Robin's birdarangs, scattered around the room, embedded in the last remaining pillars that remain, as the countdown times out. And the area is swallowed by dust and debris as the seven of them clamber away at the last second. Before they realised they wouldn't make it in time, so the stronger members collectively decided to shield those who were less so.

Wonder Girl shields Kid Flash, Aqualad shields Robin, and Superboy rapidly decides to grab a hold of both C and the strange girl and push them down on the floor before throwing himself over them.

Saving their bodies from the damage the rubble would cause. So all of them would make it out in one piece.

It only took a few seconds for Superboy, after realising it was safe, to push the rubble pressing tightly over them away and throwing it over to the side. And somehow, it had worked, their plan had actually worked and they weren't dead.

   "We...did it." Aqualad gasped out, his breathing heavy.

Robin struggled to laugh; Wonder Girl beside him as examined where her red-haired friend's costume was torn in several places along his arms and shoulders. Checking for any possible heavy injuries, but found nothing but a few scrapes and some bruises that would develop properly later on.

   "Was there ever any doubt?" Boy Wonder forced out in reply, his breathing ragged as he tried to fill his lungs with as much clean air as humanly possible.

Wonder Girl even moved out of the way so her two friends could do their weird ritualistic high-five thing. Laughing hysterically when they both cringed away in pain post-impact.

The six of them gathered in the epicentre of the cascaded building, looking up at the moon. Kid Flash showed it off to Superboy just like they promised, while the girl stood beside her 'brother', completely entranced.

Neither of them noticed or heard Mi-rae skulk away, as far as her strained limbs and wheezing chest could take her. Hiding behind a large formation of debris, with her eyes peaking through a reasonable gap, just in time as the members of the Justice League descended upon the damaged site.

"I'm Superman's clone." Superboy declared to the adults still playing fancy dress in their thirties, and whatever reasonable age a typical adult Martian is.

She didn't have super hearing, so she couldn't hear what they all said after that. But she felt an itch burn across her skin as an overprotective urge overtook her at the sight of the Kid being approached by a beautiful dark-skinned woman with pure white shoulder-length hair. She wore a costume similar to Black Canary's but with white or even possibly silver accents.

Cosima, a semi-retired Leaguer who used to work quite closely with Batman and sometimes Black Canary as well. Which explained the similarities in costumes. Except, the former donned a black and silver mask to obscure her identity.

Beside her stood a woman in a red and yellow super suit, with a mask completely covering the top half of her face, including her eyes which are guarded by a see-through mesh layer of white. Dark brown hair cascading down to the middle of her back. Supernova, Superman's usual partner in crime if he needs help, which is hardly ever but he seemed to like her company long enough already to stop now.

She had them now, there was no need for her. Even if it did hurt to see the lost look in her eyes as she searched helplessly around the wreckage for her.

No, she'd already stayed for too long, she needed to make herself scarce before her boss, Zephyr, sent his lackeys to pick her up and draw unwanted attention to themselves. Not with the League all here anyway.

So she went her separate way. Sparing a final glance at her temporary teammates, and trekked back to the lair of disappointment and failure. She knew what awaited her, of course she did, but she'd have to face the consequences either way. Better now, while she still had the courage.

Eventually, she slithered back to the place she called home, and stood before the man she owed everything to. With all eyes on her, like she was the court jester asked to dance for the King and failed to entertain.

But they all knew her fate, it was obvious from the moment she walked through the doors with her head hung low.

   "Well?" He said through the thick mask, covering his entire neck and head, as it locked into place with the armour he wore on his entire body; a black cape laid out neatly over his shoulders. Not a speck of dust on him. No imperfections.

Just the one that stood with her head bowed before him. Silent for a rare moment.

   "You failed." Sicarius spat out, looking down at her.

Zephyr leaned forward, his right elbow resting on his thighs as his matching hand clenched itself into a fist. His head resting upon it. "That is a shame," he huffed out lazily, "you know I don't like failures, Miri, dear."

It took all of her strength and resolve, not to reach inside the pocket of her hoodie and grasp the USB drive that nestled there. Safe. That's all that matters.

   "Shame," he continued, "I had such high hopes for your little 'solo adventures', Miri. But it appears you're not as reliable as we believed."

Sicarius scoffed because she could. As his second in command, there was a lot she could get away with.

   "What are we going to do with you, Miri?" He asked rhetorically, waving her over as he rose from his
self-made throne. And the three of them converged on the stairs, Zephyr placing an arm over her shoulder and squeezing a little too tight, while the other waved off his men. "Dismissed."

However, Mi-rae would take whatever punishment he bestowed on her. Anything to keep the contents of the drive out of his greedy clutches, because that meant a far worse fate for her.

There was a reason Mi-rae Noe was so familiar with the symbol of Superman. Knowing it her whole life thanks to her boss's selective education. Simply because, for the longest time, Zephyr has wanted that specific piece of Superman's identity; hung up on his wall. All for one final, perfect goal.

Power.

Something he would stop at nothing to get. Something he would cross anyone to complete. Especially even her.

𖤍 This is so unnecessarily long but I wanted this finished. WAR IS OVER! Because damn that was painful. If I ever choose to write the Cadmus episode again, kill me, send me to a mental hospital, I don't care just put me out of my misery because it is hell to write. Like why does there need to be so much, why do the writers hate the animators because I know for a fact they would have wanted to quit. I did!
     The Conner and Mi-rae moments were plentiful in this chapter, and you have been blessed with insight into how their relationship is going to start. We have him fighting his nature to help her of his free will or without a second opinion, and it's a big thing considering it's the first real decision he's made on his own. But the interactions they all have with each other really takes the cake, they're my perfect pookies and I will not take any slander. /  word count. 6948

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Thanks for reading <3