Chapter 2

"Holy shit," I exclaimed, completely freaking out. Then, I remembered that I had spun the roulette for powers. Desperate to find out what abilities I had acquired, I began to focus and sense any changes within me. However, to my dismay, I couldn't perceive any noticeable alterations.

Just as I was about to curse Bob for toying with me, I felt a strange sensation in my left hand. Curiosity piqued, I glanced down and discovered a ring adorning my middle finger. I touched the ring with my thumb, feeling its texture, and as I did, a blue screen materialized in front of me.

[Hey kid,

It's me, Bob.

I know you must be freaking out because you haven't instantly obtained your powers. Don't worry, the powers will start integrating with your body as you finish reading everything that's on this screen. It will disappear once the assimilation process begins.

Powers Granted:

1.Homelander powers with his Zinc and fulcrum weakness removed (That means I possess the ability to see through zinc and exhibit enhanced strength while airborne, allowing you to lift heavy objects.)

-Enhanced Strength

-Enhanced Durability

-Enhanced Speed

-Enhanced Dexterity

-Enhanced Hearing

-Heat Vision (Gold Color)

-Enhanced Vision:

X-Ray Vision

Telescopic Vision

-Flight

-Tactile telekinesis

Weakness: Lead for your X ray vision and Iridium is your Kryptonite.

(Before you start questioning why you only received enhanced powers, it's important to note that Homelander, despite his abilities, would only amount to that level in the DC universe. And please don't complain about the weakness aspect; everything needs some balance.)

2. Regenerative healing factor (Claire Bennet from Heroes) (Your luck seems to be quite unfortunate, as your body's meta-ability has been overlapped. However, there's no need to worry, as it will actually strengthen the existing powers of your body.)

3. Adaptable physiology:

-Adaptive Augmentation

-Adoptive Muscle Memory

4. Enhanced mind

-Accelerated Thought Process

-Enhanced Brain Capacity

-Enhanced Calculation

-Enhanced Memory

-Enhanced Mental Stamina

-Enhanced Reading

-Telepathy

5. 5-U-93-R Pill

Item: RING OF DISCRETION (My Special Gift) - This ring is a platinum band. While wearing this item, you are immune to psychic damage or control, any effect that would sense your emotions or read your thoughts, the charmed, frightened, and stunned conditions. It is bound to your soul. You can turn the ability of the ring on and off at will. If it senses that your mind is in danger of being controlled or harmed, it will activate and nullify the damage.

These are the rewards you have gained from your draws. The pill will be stored in the ring temporarily and can only be taken out once. Once it is taken out, it cannot be put back inside. To retrieve the pill, you just need to focus your thoughts on it. The gift will likely prove helpful to you, especially now that you should be aware of the world into which you have been transmigrated.

Have an enjoyable life.

Yours Godly,

B.O.B

P.S: Oh, and don't worry. The program that was installed in your mind has been removed before your arrived here.

P.P.S: Don't rely too much on the memories you have.

P.P.S: All your retained memories of your previous world is sealed and only you could access that. You can let any trusted mind reader to read your mind without any fear.]

Just as I finished reading, excruciating pain tore through my entire body. The intensity was so overwhelming that I couldn't even move. My muscles twisted, and my eyes rolled backward in response to the intense agony. I wanted to scream, but the pain rendered me unable to make a sound. I contorted in agony, unable to hold back the overwhelming sensation.

As I writhed in pain, the growing power within me surged through the shackles that held me captive, causing them to give way. With a forceful impact, I banged my head against the pod, trying to regain clarity and prevent myself from losing consciousness.

The glass of the pod shattered, unable to withstand my onslaught, and I collapsed onto the ground, still convulsing in pain. I could feel my bones being crushed and reshaped, each sensation intensifying the suffering. The burning sensation in my eyes added to my torment, pushing me to the brink of insanity.

After some time, the excruciating pain began to subside, and a sense of clarity returned to my mind. However, as the pain receded, another disturbance emerged. My senses were going haywire. I could hear blaring alarms echoing throughout the facility, their piercing sound causing dizziness and triggering another wave of agony.

The relentless ringing of the alarms overwhelmed my senses, making it difficult to focus or maintain my composure. The disorienting combination of noise and discomfort added to my already harrowing experience, further testing my resilience.

Despite the overwhelming chaos caused by the blaring alarms, I managed to find a sense of focus. My mind, in its heightened state, began to adapt and adjust to the newfound sensory abilities. As the noise assaulted my ears, I gradually learned to filter out the unnecessary distractions and concentrate on the task at hand.

With each passing moment, my mind grew more attuned to the enhanced senses, allowing me to gain better control over them. The tumultuous environment became a backdrop to my sharpened perception, and I could discern subtle details and nuances that were previously inaccessible to me.

Though the process was challenging and disorienting, I was determined to harness the full potential of my evolved senses. Through sheer willpower and adaptation, I embraced the transformation and sought to make the most of the heightened abilities I now possessed.

After adjusting to my senses I got up from the ground and looked around to see my exit and saw a door. I just focused my eyes on the door causing it to melt.

"Cool," I muttered to myself as I walked past the now melted door. Thoughts raced through my mind as I contemplated the reason behind the incessant alarms blaring throughout the floor. It seemed likely that someone had infiltrated the facility, causing the security system to go haywire.

Unable to reach a definitive conclusion, I relied on my intuition, which hinted at the possibility of being in the Young Justice DC universe. With this assumption in mind, I surmised that the facility might house the coveted Blockbuster Serum, an item I needed to obtain before taking the pill.

After approaching the elevator, I noticed that it was closed. Without hesitation, I used my heat vision to melt the door, practicing my newfound ability. I stepped near the opening and jumped, discovering that I could fly. I couldn't help but laugh hysterically as I soared through the air, enjoying the exhilaration of flight. Eventually, I stopped near Sublevel 6, where I knew the Blockbuster serum was stored.

Entering the area, I decided to test out my X-ray vision to scan my surroundings. However, much to my disappointment, most of my vision was obstructed by lead. It seemed that Luthor had taken precautions against Superman's abilities by adding lead to the surroundings.

After locating the largest door, I used my hands to pry it open and stepped inside. To my surprise, I found one of the container for the Blockbuster serum left open.

"That Desmond bastard must have been in a hurry," I muttered to myself. Taking two vials of the serum, I secured one in a sealed container, intending to present it as a gift to the Justice League in case of emergencies. "I should hurry. There seems to be a commotion in the upper levels," I thought, sensing the unrest through my enhanced senses.

After consuming my portion of the serum, I felt a surge of pain coursing through my body, but it was manageable. Within seconds, I could sense the increase in power and strength within me. Since my upper body was exposed, I grabbed one of the lab coats lying in the room to cover myself, intending to confront Desmond and exact revenge for the suffering he had inflicted on my body's previous owner, it is the least respect I could give the person who had passed away.

As I ascended to the upper levels, a wave of excitement washed over me. The prospect of encountering the heroes and characters I had admired from comics and television filled me with anticipation.

When I entered Sub level 1, I was taken aback to see Guardian lying on the floor, seemingly knocked out. Dubbilex, with a shocked expression, stared at me. He attempted to establish a mental connection, and surprisingly, I could sense it.

"Dubbilex, you have a mouth, so speak. Why are you so shocked to see me?" I inquired.

"Of course I would be. I thought you were dead. You showed no signs of life. And now you can talk? What happened?" Dubbilex responded.

"I don't have time for that. I overheard Desmond mentioning something about Blockbuster restoring the order of CADMUS. What's going on?" I pressed.

"He has transformed into a monster and is currently battling Superboy and his allies," he informed me. My gaze shifted towards the hole in the ceiling, and I knew I had to make my way up there. Floating in the air, I expressed my gratitude to Dubbilex, "Hey, thanks for taking care of me, even though I wasn't a genomorph." With those words, I flew through the hole, leaving Dubbilex dumbfounded.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[CADMUS GROUND FLOOR]

All five of them, Robin, Aqualad, Kid Flash, Superboy, and Desmond, were now standing on the main floor of the building, an expansive room with floors only on the sides to separate the two stories. The three protégés watched as Blockbuster attempted to confine Superboy by holding his arms at his sides. However, the Boy of Steel proved to be stronger than the mutant and broke free from his grip. They were ready to strike at Blockbuster, but before they could, he grabbed his shins and threw Superboy towards the other three heroes. Kid Flash and Robin narrowly avoided the incoming Superboy, but Aqualad took a hard hit.

Kid Flash used his speed to keep up with the two entangled older boys, who eventually separated. He positioned himself between their heads as Robin ran to join him. Blockbuster roared as Robin helped Superboy back to his feet and Kid Flash assisted Aqualad. The tension mounted as they faced off with Blockbuster for a few moments before he charged at the four boys. Kid Flash reacted first, followed by Aqualad, Robin, and Superboy.

Kid Flash used his speed to run straight at Blockbuster, sliding underneath him and evading a crippling downward punch. He remained crouched and low to the ground, gaining Blockbuster's attention. Before Blockbuster could turn back, he found Superboy and Aqualad both launching twin punches at him, striking him in the face and knocking him back. Kid Flash contributed to the process by straightening his legs slightly, causing Blockbuster to trip over him.

"Learned that one in Kindergarten," the smug redhead said, standing up and blocking Robin from view. He then jumped and rotated over Kid Flash before releasing two of his signature disks. Blockbuster swung his arm and deflected the disks as he staggered, now facing away from the two teens. However, he was met by Superboy, who stood ready. Being as large as he was, Blockbuster caught Superboy around the core with both hands, lifted him, and rammed the Boy of Steel into a nearby pillar.

Despite the impact, Superboy seemed unfazed. As Blockbuster pulled away, Superboy unleashed a one-two combo on the massive mutant. Blockbuster then stepped back to deliver a devastating cross to Superboy's head, hitting him squarely in the face and crushing him into the pillar behind him.

Just as Blockbuster prepared for another strike, a water whip wrapped around his upper arm. Turning, he found Aqualad on the other end, hitting the villain in the face with his knee. Aqualad then planted his feet on the pillar above Superboy's head as his Water-Bearer transformed into a mace. Unfortunately, Blockbuster caught the mace with one hand and threw the stunned Atlantean to the side, all while holding Superboy with his other hand.

Aqualad hit with a cry, causing the floor to crack under the force, as Blockbuster tightened his grip on Superboy and threw him towards another pillar. Superboy fell and hit with a gasp, and a slab of the pillar fell on top of his left arm and shoulder.

Just as Kid Flash was about to take off running, two golden beams shot towards Blockbuster, knocking the larger mutant backwards and sending it crashing through the pillar behind it.

[? POV]

As I floated in the air, I looked forward and saw Aqualad, Robin, and Kid Flash turning to me in shock. Even Superboy, who had gotten up, was now staring at me.

"Who are you?" Aqualad had the decency to ask as Blockbuster let out a monstrous roar and charged forward. "I'm Project X. I'm here to help, and I have a score to settle with that bastard for everything he put me through for the last 3 years."

Before they could reply, I flew towards Blockbuster from above, anger flowing within me, and punched its head hard, knocking it flat to the ground. Before it could recover, I started pummeling it into the ground, causing the floor to shake. The surrounding pillars cracked under the impact. My onslaught shocked the three protégés, but Superboy simply stood frustrated as he couldn't join the fight.

When I came to my senses, I saw that the surrounding pillars were cracked, and I could hear Robin shouting, "Guys, we need to move now." I quickly shot my heat vision towards the open side and said, "Go now, and hey, mask guy, here, take this." I threw the case in which I stored the Blockbuster serum to Robin. "Sorry, I didn't know your name."

Superboy quipped, "Don't order me," and they rushed towards the exit I created. Blockbuster seemed to come to his senses and roared, but I simply shot a point-blank range heat vision strong enough to knock him out, which was a mistake. The floor gave way, and we both fell down as the CADMUS facility collapsed on top of us. Thankfully, the sub-level held strong and prevented further collapse.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Outside CADMUS]

Superboy punched a small piece of rubble and managed to push aside the larger debris that covered the four of them with his shoulder. Now they all bore the evidence of their injuries in their torn suits, but they were okay.

Breathing heavily, Aqualad turned to Robin and Kid Flash. Robin's frustration was evident as he stared at the rubble.

Superboy fully emerged from the rubble they had been buried under and turned around to see if the boy and the monster were still there.

"See?" Kid Flash questions, drawing Superboy and using his thumb to gesture. "The Moon."

Superboy could only stand there and absorb everything that was happening, but then a figure emerged in the light. Squinting slightly, he tried to make out who it was. As the figure descended and landed on the ground, it became clear that it was Superman.

"Oh. And Superman." Kid Flash comments, surprised. "Do we keep our promises, or what?"

Martian Manhunter, Zatara, Captain Marvel, and Red Tornado flew behind Big Blue Boyscout. Followed by Captain Atom, Hawkman, Wonder Woman, Hawkwoman, and the first Green Lantern (Hal Jordan). The second Green Lantern (John Stewart) brought a platform for the Leaguers who can't fly; Black Canary, Aquaman, Batman, and Green Arrow.

As Batman stepped beside Superman, Flash zoomed in and stood to Batman's left.

Superboy stepped up first, facing scrutiny in Superman's eyes, but he didn't stop. He lifted the torn front of his suit, revealing the same S symbol that mirrored Superman's own costume.

Superman's eyes widened in shock, while Superboy's features softened. However, Superman's gaze quickly turned hard and cold, causing an annoyed and confused expression to appear on Superboy's face.

"Is that what I think it is?" Batman questions.

"He doesn't like being called an it." Kid Flash says stepping up and putting his left hand to face towards Superboy as speaks.

"I'm Superman's clone!" Superboy speaks up, gaining a shocked look from Kid Flash. While Martian Manhunter looks to Captain Marvel, Flash looks to Green Arrow, and Aquaman and Black Canary can only look on in shock.

"And based on what we saw, he might not be the only one," Kid Flash spoke. Aqualad and Robin were still looking at the rubble, waiting to see if the person who fought with them would emerge.

Batman's eyes focused on his protégé, but before he could speak, they felt vibrations coming from the rubble of the building. Flash and Superman swiftly made their way to the scene and stood before the young heroes. Superman activated his X-ray vision but couldn't see through the lead-coated floor.

A few seconds later, they all witnessed a blue monster flying into the sky, with golden beams blasting through the air. They watched as the young man relentlessly pummeled the creature in mid-air. Captain Atom and Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) flew in and intervened, stopping the onslaught and catching the falling Blockbuster. They brought him down to the ground safely using Green Lantern's construct.

The young man looked around, realizing he was surrounded, and wearily sat on the floor, clearly exhausted from the fight.

Batman's voice cut through the silence, demanding, "Explain. Now."

After Robin, Aqualad, and Kid Flash finished their conversation, they turned their attention towards me. I began to explain what they needed to know, saying, "I'm what CADMUS called Project X, but my real name is John Smith. I used to live in an orphanage in Bethesda."

"Wait, that means you're a real person and not a Superman clone?" Kid Flash interrupted.

"What gave it away, the fact that I can fly and shoot lasers?" I asked, a hint of annoyance in my voice. All the while, Batman remained silent, observing me closely.

"No, unfortunately, I'm not a clone. If you want me to prove it, I'm willing to undergo any tests. And don't interrupt me, Kid Flash," I continued. "I was an orphan who was kidnapped by human traffickers near my orphanage. They sold me to an organization involved in human experimentation. When I woke up, all I could remember was that Doctor Desmond had subjected me to intense torture after discovering my meta-human capabilities. It seemed that I possessed meta abilities such as the power of regeneration and minor adaptation to foreign stimuli." I could see their expressions contorting as they processed the information.

I went on, "Desmond, unable to create a successful clone using my genetic material for unknown reasons, resorted to introducing different DNA into my system. He wanted to observe whether my body could adapt and regenerate from the damage caused by the assimilation of the foreign DNA. Astonishingly, my body did adapt to some extent, but not without grave consequences. While a few experiments were successful, the majority ended in failure, leaving me transformed into a mindless being devoid of consciousness. That was until a week ago. I started experiencing changes in my body, and my mind also began to clear. I fully recovered to my former self just today, and I was able to break free from this place thanks to the commotion you created," I said, pointing towards the four young heroes standing behind him.

After asking some questions Batman walked away to talk with others.

After introducing myself, I looked at the four young heroes and said, "Hello, I'm John Smith."

"Hi, I'm Robin. This is Kid Flash, that's Aqualad, and you must know him," Robin stated, pointing to each one of them.

"Yeah, I know. Desmond was pretty vocal about him while doing his work on me," I sighed.

"So, what now?" I asked, feeling uncertain.

Robin simply shrugged and pointed towards Batman. "He will decide what happens now."

Both Green Lanterns had Blockbuster trapped inside a sphere, while Hawkman, Hawkwoman, and Captain Atom flew alongside them.

Feeling exhausted, I decided to lie down on the floor. It had been one hell of a night.

Superman was having a conversation with Wonder Woman and Martian Manhunter. There was a moment of silence, and then Manhunter placed a hand on Superman's shoulder, causing him to meet Superboy's gaze. The clone looked curious, while Superman seemed stern. Superboy looked away, then glanced back, seeing Superman look down and away before finally turning and walking towards him.

Superman sighed as he met his cross-armed clone. "We'll, uh, we'll figure something out for you. The League will, I mean," he quickly corrected himself. "For now, I better make sure they get the Blockbuster creature squared away." With a swish of his cape, he flew away, leaving Superboy following him with shocked, hurt, and confused eyes.

"Just give him some time. Just like how you didn't ask to be created, he too was not ready for this," I said, getting up and speaking to Superboy, who turned and glared at me before sighing.

"Cadmus will be investigated," Batman announced, drawing the attention of the teens, Flash, and Aquaman as they walked towards us. "All 52 levels. But let's make one thing clear-"

"You should have called," Flash interjected, earning a glare from Batman.

"End results aside, we're not happy," the Dark Knight growled. "You hacked Justice League systems, disobeyed direct orders, and endangered lives. You will not be doing this again."

"I am sorry, but we will," Aqualad stated firmly, and even Robin stepped up slightly.

"Aqualad, stand down," Aquaman attempted to command the older teen.

While they were talking, I watched the scene play out in real life. I really wished I had popcorn right now.

"Apologies, my king," Aqualad said, even making a reverence as he spoke. Then his voice became firm once more. "But no." This caught an eyebrow raise from the King of Atlantis.

"We did good work here tonight, the work you trained us to do. Together, on our own, we forged something powerful, important."

"If this is about your treatment at the Hall, the three of you..." Flash tried to understand where they were coming from but missed the mark.

Kid Flash didn't hesitate to correct him. "The five of us, and it's not."

"Batman, we're ready to do what you taught us. Otherwise, why teach us at all?" Aqualad spoke the quietest out of the group, but as he stepped up to speak to his mentor, it was obvious that he felt just as strongly about it as they did.

"Why let them tell us what to do?" Superboy questioned, his arms uncrossing as he too stepped up. "It's simple. Get on board or get out of the way." All three protégés turned their attention back to me to see if I had anything to say.

"All I need right now is some real food and a real bed to sleep on. If you want to keep me around, then I'm okay with it. I really don't have anywhere to go," I stated.