Boy of Steel

Twenty-two hours have passed since Superman's clone escaped the secret lab. Since his escape, he has taken refuge in Titans Tower. The news of a clone of Superman created by Lex Luthor is still very shocking and everyone has to be informed of this mess. Now, the leader of the Titans stands in front of the Justice League in the secret space station, The Watchtower.

"What are these immediate meeting proceedings for?" asked The Flash.

"Yeah. I have a hot date," said Shazam nervously.

"Well, your hot date will need to be put on hold. We have a giant issue," said Jordan.

"What's the issue?" asked Bruce.

"Yesterday, Titans Park was targeted in a bombing. In the bomb was Kryptonite. We tracked the Kryptonite to Lexcorp in Jump City and found a secret lab. In said lab, something shocking was found. We found a clone of Superman," said Jordan.

"A clone of me? There's no way," said Superman.

"Luthor somehow found some of your DNA and made a clone. He was created to serve Lexcorp and kill you if push came to shove," said Jordan.

"I'm not surprised Luthor would do something like this. It's in his character," said Wonder Woman.

"What have you done with the clone?" asked Superman.

"He's currently residing in our base. We won't dispose of him of course, but he needs guidance. He's been living in a test tube for all of his life," said Jordan.

"I will pay Luthor a visit," said Superman.

"And do what? I already did that and nothing different will happen," said Jordan.

"I'll make him talk," said Superman.

"Clark, you say that all the time, and nothing happens. Let Jordan handle it. He has handled harder things before," said Bruce.

"Fine. Just don't mess this up," said Superman.

"I won't," said Jordan.

Thirty minutes pass. The "Superboy" lies on a semi-hard bed in an empty room at Titans Tower. He looks at the ceiling, hoping for something cool to happen, but nothing happens. Nothing happens until his door opens and Jordan enters.

"How did it go?" asked Superboy.

"Cool," said Jordan.

"And by cool?" asked Superboy.

"Well, they were shocked, but not surprised. They won't dispose of you, so that's a good start," said Jordan.

"Hooray. Now, I can die of boredom," said Superboy.

"You'll get in action soon enough. We just have to run a few tests and give you some time to adapt," said Jordan.

"I'm Superman's clone. I have superpowers and a high intelligence. I don't need this much time," said Superboy.

"Relax, kid. You're young and you need to learn things," said Jordan.

"I was fed info about many things. I don't need to learn anything," said Superboy.

"You're 14, boy. You know nothing. Give it time and you will be a Titan. To become one sooner, prove that you deserve to be here. Show us that you can be a hero and not Luthor's weapon," said Jordan.

"How do I do that?" asked Superboy.

"You find out. You have to learn for yourself," said Jordan.

"Can I learn from Kal-El?" asked Superboy.

"Maybe," said Jordan.

"I'm going out then," said Superboy as he gets out of his bed.

"Metropolis?" asked Jordan.

"Metropolis," said Superboy.

"If you find him and he doesn't accept you, don't get angry. This is new to him," said Jordan.

"I don't keep promises," said Superboy.

An hour passes. In Metropolis, a packed bus drives at a moderate speed on a bridge. The bus is pretty quiet as the people on the bus just want to get home after a busy day of either work or school. The traffic is not that much of a deterrence, but something else will. From out of the skies, a giant grey android falls onto the bridge. It then uses its big fists to smash the bridge, causing it to crack. The bus and other cars crash into each other or nearly fall off the bridge.

"Sorry to be a traffic stopper, but I have an appointment with the boy in blue," said Metallo.

"I'm here. What do you need, Metallo?" said Superman as Metallo quickly turns around.

"I need you," said Metallo.

"Crushing a bridge isn't your style. Why are you doing this?" said Superman.

"I need your help. It's Luthor. He's back at it again," said Metallo.

"He's always at it. Nothing special," said Superman.

"He's coming for me. He wants to take me out with his Superboy," said Metallo.

"Superboy is in the custody of the Titans. He won't be hurting you anytime soon," said Superman.

"How do you know that? He could be a sleeper agent," said Metallo.

"You have Kryptonite inside of you. You should be able to protect yourself from a Kryptonian child," said Superman.

"You don't know how strong that thing is. It could be stronger than you," said Metallo.

"I doubt that," said Superman.

"Come on, Supes. Just give me a hand. I went through all of this trouble to get you here. The least thing you could do is help," said Metallo.

"I don't trust you, Metallo, but I have my own suspicions on the Superboy. I will help you if you fix your mess," said Superman.

"Scout's honor," said Metallo.

Superman descends and lands before Metallo. Metallo sticks out his hand, intending for Superman to shake it, but he doesn't. He just walks past him and towards the crash.

"You should have taken my hand, Kryptonian," thought Metallo.

Metallo lifts his hand and it transforms into a gun. He then aims it at Clark's head and prepares to assassinate him, but he is unable to fire the weapon before he is tackled from behind by a six-foot speeding bullet. The tackle nearly destroys the bridge, but Metallo is down.

"What the hell?" asked Superman.

"I got him, Superman," said Superboy.

"What are you doing?" asked Superman.

"Saving you. He was trying to assassinate you," said Superman.

"I knew that. He does this all the time," said Superman.

"Sorry. I was just trying to help," said Superboy.

"I'll clean up the scene. Just go back to the tower. Jordan will find a way to deal with you," said Superman.

"I need guidance," said Superboy.

"We'll find a way to arrange something. Just go home," said Superman.

"Fine!" exclaimed Superboy.

Superboy rockets into the air and Superman just watches him. His face is one of disappointment and sadness. Sadly, the clone doesn't see this and just flies off. Another hour passes. We now cut to the office of Lex Luthor once again. He reviews the footage from the fight between the Titans and Superboy and smiles.

"Mercy, isn't the Superboy amazing," said Lex.

"He is, Lex," said Mercy.

"I know, right? Wayne Enterprises could never do this," said Lex.

"They couldn't, Lex," said Mercy.

"Imagine Wayne doing something like this. He wouldn't even get close to our brilliance. Or, to be more accurate, mine," said Lex.

"He wouldn't even get close, Lex," said Mercy.

"Thank you for the kind words," said Lex.

"You're welcome, Lex," said Mercy.

"The only thing wrong is that we need to bring him back. The Titans will corrupt his mind and ruin him," said Lex.

"They will, Lex," said Mercy.

"I created Project Doomsday for this one event. They won't win. I won't allow it," said Lex.

"You won't, Lex," said Mercy.

"If he would just come back to us, this would be way easier," said Lex.

"Your wish may have already come true," said Mercy.

"What is that supposed to mean?" asked Lex.

"Look behind you," said Mercy.

"If this is another one of your jokes, we will have a-," said Lex.

Lex immediately stops talking once he sees Superboy hovering right in front of his window. Superboy then flicks the window with his thumb and pointer finger and creates an entrance. He enters the office.

"Superboy, you have returned. What a surprise," said Lex.

"I haven't come to see you. I need to know the truth. Why was I created?" said Superboy.

"You should already know that. It was programmed into you," said Lex.

"I need a real answer that comes right from the donkey's lips. Please. Tell me why," said Superboy.

"Fine. I'll tell you the whole story from start to finish. Pay attention. I won't repeat anything. When I was around your age, I was raised by my mother and my father. My father started this company and spent most of his time here. He didn't spend much time with me. I was forced to learn how to do things. How to survive. How to adapt. Once my father sadly croaked, I took over. I brought this company into the future. I made moves, made money, and made enemies. I was living the best life until your father came around. He was so good. Super speed, flight, heat vision, near invulnerability, ice breath, and super strength. He's not even supposed to be here and he has already surpassed us. He made me look like a fool. I couldn't let that alien go around and embarrass me and my family name anymore, so I decided to dedicate my life to taking him out. I tried many times but failed a lot, so I decided to create a weapon to deal with him. You are that weapon and I'm depending on you to deal with him," said Lex.

"I can't do that. I don't want to do that. I want to live, not be your weapon," said Superboy.

"This isn't your call. You were created for one reason and you will fulfill that reason," said Lex.

"I won't," said Superboy.

"You will. You are my son and as a Luthor, you will be the greatest superhero to ever exist," said Lex.

"What are you talking about?" asked Superboy.

"You have the powers of that alien dolt, but you also have the intelligence of me. You are my son," said Lex.

"No, I'm not," said Superboy.

"You are and you will do what I say," said Lex.

"Never," said Superboy.

Superboy picks up Lex by his collar and throws him at the wall. Mercy pulls out her gun and shoots at the clone, but he tanks the shots and flies through the window. Mercy runs up to her boss and tries to pick him up, but he slaps her hands away.

"Get Jeffery on the line now! Release Project Doomsday!" exclaimed Lex.

"Yes, Lex," said Mercy.

Three hours pass. Clark enters a diner and looks around the establishment. He sees someone sitting at his regular seat and walks towards that table. He then sits down and looks at the person sitting in front of him.

"Lois?" asked Clark.

"Clark, we need to talk," said Jordan.

"Where's Lois?" asked Clark.

"At the Daily Planet. She lent me her phone and I sent up this little meeting," said Jordan.

"Is this about Superboy?" asked Clark.

"Wow. You can also read minds. How many powers do you have?" said Jordan.

"Be serious," said Clark.

"He needs a father," said Jordan.

"Why can't you be his father? You're the leader of the team," said Clark.

"He isn't a clone of me. He's 14 and teenagers need a father to teach and guide them. I could be his father and I wouldn't complain, but he needs you. You are a Kryptonian and you have been a hero for longer than me. You would be a better parent than me," said Jordan.

"I didn't want to be a father. If he was mine, then I would have no second thoughts about raising him, but he is not my responsibility. I'm sorry," said Clark.

"You can't just give up on him. He needs you," said Jordan.

"He doesn't need me. If you don't want to raise him, let Bruce do it," said Clark.

"And let him become the next Robin. No thanks," said Jordan.

"Then, I can't do much," said Clark.

"Can you at least talk to him? Pretend to like him," said Jordan.

"I will. Someday," said Clark.

Clark gets up and walks away from the table. He quickly exits the diner and Jordan watches him through the window. He starts to get up, but a waitress walks up to him.

"It looks like your friend left you hanging. So, do you want anything or will you leave too?" said the waitress.

"I'll take some Lemon Meringue Pie," said Jordan.

"Anything else?" asked the waitress.

"No," said Jordan.

"It will be right up," said the waitress.

"Take your time. I have all the time in the world," said Jordan.

Twenty minutes pass. In Jump City, a blue convertible zooms down an empty street. Loud music and arguing can be heard from the vehicle, but it seems to be just a normal car ride.

"Slow down," said the girl.

"Can't, babe. We have places to go," said the man.

"You always do this," said the girl.

"You don't like to go fast? I'm shocked," said the man.

"You're going to get us pulled over," said the girl.

"The cops don't do their jobs anymore. They allow the Titans to do their jobs. They control this city and they don't care if we speed," said the man.

"You're an idiot," said the girl.

"But, I can still get it in, baby," said the man.

"Yeah right, you dick," said the girl.

The car continues to speed until something jumps off a building. It lands on the blue convertible and destroys it, killing the two people inside. It then hops off the vehicle and starts to charge down the street, looking for its target. In the control center back at Lexcorp, Lex isn't happy. He angrily stares at the man sitting in the driver's seat.

"What was that?" asked Lex.

"The deaths of two people," said Jeffery.

"And why are those two people dead?" asked Lex.

"Project Doomsday," said Jeffery.

"How did this happen?" asked Lex.

"Doomsday wasn't ready to be allowed into public. It may be too radical and dangerous for the masses to be around," said Jeffery.

"And why is that?" asked Lex.

"We didn't have time to perfect it," said Jeffery.

"Why didn't you inform me of this?" asked Lex.

"I didn't want to lose my job," said Jeffery.

"Well, you will if we don't get back Superboy," said Lex.

"We won't fail, sir. I promise," said Jeffery.

"You better," said Lex.

We now cut back to the perspective of the Doomsday as it hops up and down the streets of Jump City. It continues to do this, causing thousands in property damage and scarring the citizens, until it's hit by a blast by the sonic cannon on Cyborg's arm.

"Hey! Stop wrecking our city!" exclaimed Cyborg.

"Yeah. It's not smart to do that," said Raven.

The beast doesn't respond because it can't talk and charges at the Titans. Starfire lifts a van and throws it at Doomsday. He runs right through it and continues to rush the heroes. Before they are hit like a deer on a rainy night, they jump out of the way and allow the beast to run into a stoplight.

"Maybe he didn't understand us. Hey! We are cool! Stop attacking us!" said Beast Boy.

The beast just turns its head and charges at the Titans once again.

"I don't think that he cares," said Cyborg.

"Titans, go!" exclaimed Raven.

The Titans leap into action and are ready to defeat this monster. Cyborg charges at it and they collide. The beast grabs the hands of the cyborg's and they engage in a show of strength. Cyborg tries to push Doomsday back, but Doomsday tries to do the same thing and does it better. He pushes Cyborg into the ground and then kicks him away. Starfire rockets towards him and tries to spear the beast, but he grabs her, slams her on the ground, and steps on her. He then picks her up and launches her in the same direction as her metallic friend. Beast Boy turns into a gorilla and punches Doomsday a few times in the face, but he doesn't even move. Doomsday then punches him in the stomach and headbutts him away.

"Enough of this. Time to go home," said Raven.

Raven uses her magic to create a large black bubble around the beast. She then quickly flies towards the atmosphere to throw the beast into space. She gets close, but Doomsday does not want to go to space. He's not even from there. Doomsday uses his strength to break open the bubble and grabs Raven's face.

"Not again," said Raven.

Raven is thrown back towards the city as Doomsday falls back towards the planet. She lands through a building, creating a large crater. Doomsday lands in front of her before she can get up and starts to beat on her. She tries to use her magic to smash cars and other objects on him, but it doesn't affect him.

"Why is he beating on her? He's supposed to be looking for Superboy," said Lex.

"I'm trying to make him, but he's fighting our control. He will be in control in a few minutes if we don't stop him," said Jeffery.

"I hate to do this, but we have a reputation to keep. Shut him down. We will get the boy later," said Lex.

Jeffery removes the helmet off of his head and presses a button to shut down Doomsday, but nothing happens. He presses it a few more times, but still, nothing happens. He scaredly turns around to his boss's glare.

"What's going on?" asked Lex.

"We can't shut him down," said Jeffery.

"You can't what!" exclaimed Lex angrily.

"We lost control and he is going to go on a rampage," said Jeffery.

"Jeffery?" asked Lex.

"Yes, sir?" asked Jeffery scaredly.

"Pack your stuff. You're fired," said Lex.

"My stuff is already packed, sir," said Jeffery.

At the same time, Superboy is currently flying over the countryside of some state. He can see the fields of corn and other crops. He passes over small towns full of farmers and bumpkins. He continues to fly until he reaches his destination. A large farm in the middle of Kansas. He gracefully lands in front of the house, nearly giving the old man a heart attack.

"Sorry to scare you, sir. I guess that I should have made more noise," said Superboy.

"Hey, are you one of those Titans?" asked the old man.

"Not officially," said Superboy.

"Well, good luck," said the old man.

"I have something to ask you," said Superboy.

"What is it?" asked the old man.

"Kal-El or Superman always comes here for some reason, so I guess you give good advice. I'm his clone created by Lex Luthor. Lex says that my only purpose is to serve him, but I don't want to do that. Please tell me what my purpose is," said Superboy.

"When Clark was just a boy, his powers started to develop. My wife and I were both scared. We thought he could kill himself or others or the government would take him away. If the government did take him, he would just become a weapon. Even though we would hate for any of those outcomes to happen, we would have to let him choose. Luckily, he chose to become a hero. He didn't have to, even though he had god-like powers, but he chose to. Your purpose is not decided by your parents, or God, or your friends. Your purpose is created and chosen by you. Do you want to be a weapon or a hero? That is your choice, my boy," said the old man.

Thirty minutes pass. Back in Jump City, the battle against Doomsday isn't going well. The part of the city where the battle is taking place has taken a good beating. Buildings are either on fire or in ruins, People are screaming as they run away from the grey menace. The Titans are trying their hardest, but the beast isn't going down. It has taken some damage, however, but not enough to be incapacitated. Beaten and bloodied, our heroes try their hardest to get up and fight.

"This guy is tough," said Beast Boy.

"Say something that we don't know," said Raven.

"How about we will lose if we don't deal with this guy quick enough," said Beast Boy.

"We can't. Just keep fighting. This monster will fall sooner or later," said Cyborg.

"It would be lovely if he fell now," said Beast Boy.

"On Tamaran, a beast-like this would be adored and celebrated, but that is not a custom here," said Starfire as she wipes blood off her lip.

"Here it comes!" exclaimed Beast Boy.

Doomsday charges at his opponents at full speed. They prepare to defend against the beast, but it is sent flying backward and into a building from one punch. Backup has arrived.

"Sorry, I'm late. Now, let me slay this beast," said Superboy.