Chapter 27: Captured

July 5, 2010, Washington D.C.

Desmond paced nervously in his office with his gnome on the table looking blankly, waiting for a call back from his superiors on the Cadmus board of directors. He had sent a message hours ago, and it was taking time for them to assemble. Though he knew it would be a long wait, it didn't help him keep his cool.

After what felt like an eternity, the room darkened and six screens were lowered, surrounding him in the center. When the screens lit up, they didn't show the actual members of the board, just images of their heads obscured by shadow.

"Dr. Desmond, you require an audience with The Light?" One figure said in a deep voice.

"Y-yes," Desmond stammered, practically sweating under their scrutinizing presence. "Sorry to disturb you all at this late hour…"

"Just make your report," another figure said curtly.

"Of course," Desmond replied. "We had a small fire here at Cadmus; the origin of the incident is still unclear but it seems to have attracted some… unwanted attention. Four intruders entered the complex. Three of them were sidekicks of the Justice League: Aqualad, Robin, and Kid Flash. They breached our security, made their way to the Superboy project, and released the weapon. However, the clone was under our telepathic control and was, as ordered, turned against its would-be liberators. The fourth one fought with the weapon, but upon entering he was nowhere to be found, sir. The weapon reports he 'poofed' out of existence after the fight, and we don't believe the League knows they're here."

The figures on the screens began to murmur among themselves. Desmond could catch snippets of their conversation, but it was clear they didn't know who the fourth intruder was. The murmuring ceased, and the room fell silent once more. Desmond's uncertainty and nervousness grew with each passing second.

"Uh… what should I do with them?" Desmond asked, his voice trembling.

There was a brief silence from the six figures until one of them spoke. "Clone them, and find the fourth intruder, Desmond. Do not fail, or there will be consequences."

"The substitutes will serve The Light… and only The Light," the first figure added.

"And the originals?" Desmond asked, his voice barely a whisper.

"Dispose of them; leave no trace behind," the second figure commanded.

The screens switched off, plunging the room back into darkness. A sick smirk spread across Desmond's face as he contemplated the orders he had been given. His mind raced with thoughts of the new clones and the mysterious fourth intruder.

'Clone them… find the fourth… dispose of the originals,' he thought, his excitement growing with each passing moment. 'The Light will be pleased.'

Outside in the hallway that leads to the broken door of 'Project Kr.' were Desmond and his assistant heading their way. "Prepare the cloning procedure for 'Project Sidekick', now." He then walked up to Guardian while he was organizing the Genomorphs were repairing the door.

"Almost done, doc." Guardian informed him. Desmond then walked up to the doors, his eyes widened when he saw the pod but no Superboy. He was furious.

"Where's the weapon!" he demanded Guardain.

"Superboy?" Guardian said. "He carried the intruders to the cloning chamber."

"We have Genomorphs for that!" Desmond said gesturing to the creatures behind him. "Get the weapon back in its pod, now!"

"I don't see the harm in letting the kid stretch his legs." Guardian argued.

"Don't you, now?" Desmond asked. Then the horns of the G-Gnome on his shoulder glowed, using its telepathy on Guardian again.

Guardian's expression then turned blank for a second then changed into a enraged one. "That clone belongs in a cage!" Then both he and Desmond head to the cloning chamber where Superboy and the captive heroes are.

Seeing Guardian stormed off to retrieve Superboy, Dr. Desmond smiled; mind control has wonderful advantages. As long as Guardian was in his control, the hero couldn't expose his real business and the Justice League can never find out.

Back in it's the team.

"We only sought to help you," Aqualad said, trying to reason with the cloned Kryptonian.

"Yeah! We free you, and then you turn on us," Kid Flash exclaimed. "How's that for gratitude—"

"Kid, you're not helping," Aqualad interrupted. Robin, meanwhile, took out a lock pick from his glove and started working on his restraints.

"What if I... what if I wasn't?" Superboy said after clearing his throat, unused to speaking.

"He can talk?" Kid Flash said. Superboy clenched his fists.

"Yes, 'he' can," Superboy replied with a hardened expression. Everyone glared at Kid Flash, making him nervous.

"What? It's not like I said 'it'," Kid Flash defended.

"The Genomorphs taught you with telepathy, correct?" Aqualad asked. Superboy nodded.

"They taught me much. I can read, write, and I know the names of things," the clone said.

"Have they ever let you see them?" Robin asked gently. Superboy just raised an eyebrow. "Have they ever actually allowed you to see the sky, or the sun?"

"Images are implanted in my mind, but no, I haven't seen them," Superboy admitted.

"Tell me," Aqualad asked gently, "Do you even know what you are? Who you are?"

Superboy then looked right at them and said with some pride, "I am the Superboy, a Genomorph, a clone made from the DNA of Superman. Created to replace him should he perish… or to destroy him should he turn from the light."

The three heroes looked at each other, shocked by what he just said. None of them said anything until Aqualad began speaking.

"To be like Superman is a worthy aspiration," Aqualad said. "But like Superman, you deserve a life of your own, beyond that solar suit, beyond your pod, beyond Cadmus."

"I live because of Cadmus!" Superboy said in aggression. "It's my home!"

"Your home is a test tube," Robin said dryly. "We can show you the sun."

"I'm pretty sure it's after midnight, but we can show you the moon," Kid Flash interjected.

"We can show you, introduce you to Superman," Aqualad gently said. Superboy's eyes widened with a glimpse of hope. He was given a chance to meet his biological father.

"No, they can't!" Desmond said before he, Guardian, and his lab assistant entered the room. "They'll be otherwise occupied." He turned to his assistant. "Activate the cloning procedure."

"Pass!" Robin said. "Batcave's crowded enough."

Dr. Desmond ignored him and turned to Guardian. "And get the weapon back in its pod!"

"Hey, how come he gets to call Supey an 'it'?" Kid Flash asked.

Guardian walked up to Superboy and laid his hand on the clone's shoulder to guide him out, but the clone looked up at Aqualad.

"Help us," Aqualad said. "Please."

Superboy gently shrugged Guardian's hand off his shoulder. Then Desmond walked up to Superboy with an irritated look.

"Don't start thinking now," he said to the clone before his G-Gnome jumped onto the latter's shoulder. Its horns glowed, giving Superboy a blank expression. "See, you're not a real boy, you're a weapon, and you belong to me. Well, to Cadmus; same thing. Now get back in your pod!"

Superboy then left the room with an emotionless look, the G-Gnome on his shoulder.

"Begin the cloning procedure, now!" Desmond commanded.

The assistant nodded and began working the controls. Inside each of the three active pods, several probes mounted on mechanical arms jabbed the three sidekicks. At the base of each pod, a transparent sphere slowly filled with blood and trace amounts of tissue. The process was very painful, and their screams echoed through the entire level.

As Desmond observed the procedure, he noticed something missing—or someone. "Where's Dubbilex?" He was startled when the Genomorph suddenly appeared behind him. "Lurking, as usual; get the G-Gnomes downloading their memories. When that's over, delete the source material," he said in a deadly tone.