Chapter 1: From Cadmus With Love

Dubbilex was uneasy.

This was not an unusual sensation for the Cadmus genomorph; the stresses of having to work with individuals such as Desmond and Spence had proven a Herculean test of patience and self-control in the few years that Dubbilex had been alive. Not to mention the secrets the G-Goblin kept in his head, notably regarding the true extent of his powers. Desmond had already proven that revealing them was a poor idea with his manipulation of Dubbilex's G-Gnome brothers, and the subsequent enslavement of a select few to his direct desires.

True, genomorphs were free to wander much of Cadmus' underground levels, and there was little stopping Dubbilex from leading his fellow genomorphs to overpowering the token force of human guards Cadmus had in place on the surface levels, breaking free to the world above through superior numbers.

But the idea that slavery entailed physical bonds holding one in bondage was a human concept.

Theirs was a slavery of the mind.

Even if the genomorphs could organize into a horde to assault their human overseers and creators in a bid for freedom, there would inevitably be a loss of life during the battle - either on the side of Dubbilex's brothers or of the few human guards who were under the sway of the scientists at Cadmus. Breaking through forcefully would cause untold destruction and perhaps press Desmond to seal the entire facility and trap them underground forever. And once upon the surface, there would be nowhere for the genomorphs to go; Cadmus was situated within the capital of the United States of America, and while they may have been born on American soil, they were not human and could not claim the right to stay there. Their appearance was monstrous (by human standards, at least), and they would find no asylum among the humans on the surface should they claim their freedom through superior force and mind.

Besides which, the Cadmus scientists had near total control over the G-Gnomes; Dubbilex's small, telepathic brothers who Desmond used to maintain complete control over the Cadmus facilities. Where there was a G-Gnome, there was a living telepath capable of relating to Desmond and his subordinates all that it saw. A telepath that could control the minds of all those living within Cadmus' walls to do Desmond's bidding.

All minds, save that of Dubbilex.

It had not taken long for Dubbilex to realize this - and plot rebellion in secret. His advanced mind, humanoid body and, most importantly, his capability for human speech and language made him an invaluable asset to Cadmus' operations, and the development of his telekinetic abilities was enough to satisfy the curiosity of the scientists regarding his "special abilities". His telepathy remained a secret, lest Desmond order the G-Gnomes to assault his mind and forcibly assert control over Dubbilex's very thoughts. The ability to manipulate minds was the trump card Dubbilex had never dared to reveal - and the tool he utilized to execute his personal ambitions.

And it was for those ambitions that Dubbilex felt uneasy.

The genomorph beheld the unconscious form of Project Kr, the Superboy, in his pod. As soon as he had been become involved in Desmond's latest project with the Kryptonian clone (a hybrid, in truth), Dubbilex had already begun his plots and found within the latest attempt at a clone-weapon a glimmer of hope.

It had not taken long for him to formulate his plan to utilize his brother as a means of seeking freedom for his genomorph brethren. But Dubbilex could not help but worry about its chances of success. There always existed a possibility that the clone would be unable to break free of Cadmus' programming, and thus dash Dubbilex's hopes for a genomorph hero.

Dubbilex needed to alter the odds that the Superboy would shake off Cadmus' programming. And to do so without either the scientists or the security forces noticing.

His chance had come to him unexpectedly when one of the G-Dwarf type genomorphs assigned with custodial duties had notified him of an "anomaly" in one of the custodial closets in a rarely used corridor of Cadmus. Extraordinary luck had placed Dubbilex as the first being the G-Dwarf had encountered since its discovery, and after a quick investigation of the G-Dwarf's claims, Dubbilex realized he had an opportunity to "tilt the scales in his favor" as the human expression went.

With great reluctance, he utilized his telepathic abilities to alter the G-Dwarf's memories and sent it on its way before sealing the closet. Though he loathed utilizing his powers in such a manner, Dubbilex could not allow his fellow genomorph to inform any of the others about this discovery. Desmond would surely take interest in it, and the genomorph was unwilling to consider what the scientist might use it for.

The remnants of a human mind, still lingering in the realm of thoughts as a malformed psychic entity. It was fading, and fading quickly, yet possessed knowledge Dubbilex could only hope would affect the chances of his plan's success.

Project Kr had to be free… and with the knowledge the psychic remnants possessed, perhaps the clone would more easily break free of Cadmus's control.

So Dubbilex had harvested the lingering mind with his telepathy and made his plots.

Morals were social constructs of the humans' invention, and Dubbilex made no claims to abide by the same moral or ethical conventions as the humans that enslaved him, his brothers, and even other humans.

Routine maintenance of the Project Kr pods to replace the filters allowed him to get close and an explanation for the more visible aspects of his abilities. The timing was precise - when the G-Gnomes were still busy implanting thoughts and memories into the clone during its developmental phases - provided him with a means of slipping the harvested psychic remnants nearly undetected. Only Guardian was present to oversee Dubbilex and the G-Dwarves assisting him, and Guardian was incapable of realizing what Dubbilex had done.

It was fairly common for the clones to sometimes twitch and jerk slightly during these times as the memories took root in the Kryptonian's advanced mind, especially when filters were changed. Guardian suspected nothing, and so Desmond knew nothing.

And at this early stage of Project Kr's mental growth, it would allow for plenty of time for the mental remnants to be assimilated as base knowledge for the clone's own growth. Any sense of self from the dead psyche would be the same as his genomorph brother's, or so Dubbilex hoped.

But Dubbilex was certain that knowledge of the outside world and secrets beyond Cadmus' programming would give Project Kr a fighting chance at surviving the world outside in ways beyond the clone's superhuman strength. In the days that followed, he sent subtle telepathic probes to monitor the clone's progress and found that even while under the G-Gnomes' influences and Cadmus's programming to teach it its purpose, in the depths of Cadmus's underground facilities, Project Kr happily dreamt of the sun and stars.

Dubbilex held no stock in concepts like heaven and hell, and reincarnation was a yet greater concept to the genomorph, but sometimes he would muse that his actions might have been some facsimile of the latter. Another life whose memories the current could draw upon. Desmond would never suspect it, and if he could not envision the presence of these memories and thoughts in Project Kr, the scientist could not order the G-Gnomes to destroy them.

Yet still, Dubbilex was uneasy. This was a gamble unlike any he had attempted before. He could only hope that Project Kr would live up to his hopes and that his actions did not doom the clone before it could ever have a chance at becoming what it was meant to.

Dubbilex was uneasy.

But, as he reminded himself when looking at the pre-pubescent Kryptonian clone, he had hope.

And sometimes, hope was enough.

~ooOoo~

Movement outside the pod.

The Superboy did not know what was beyond the limits of his womb, but his Kryptonian brain had already begun drawing itself out of rest. Reading for battle.

There had been movement beyond the pod before. Presences not his own, nor that of his teachers. Such movement and presences were normal. So to were the sounds of beings communicating and moving about the chamber. But something deep within him told the genomorph that this time was different. This time he had to defend himself.

Foreign impressions, instincts of a more feral creature, came alive within him. Mental associativities brought up basic combat protocols readily. Memories of fighting various foes were ready for recollection at a moment's notice

Was it The Superman? His Purpose?

No.

Invaders. Beyond the pod.

Animal instincts triggered in his more primitive brain. Areas associated with territory and intruders. Self-defense. Aggression. Violence.

The walls of the pods disengaged with the snap and clank of unlocking panels and the hiss of hidden pneumatics that drew the limits of his womb into the into hidden slots above and below him. The air pressure shifted about him from the sudden loss of the hermetic seals, accompanied by the dimming of the solar radiation lamps above him which augmented the absorption from his Solar Suit.

This had all happened before, but this time he would actually wake up.

This time, there were interlopers to fight.

For the moment, it was quiet beyond what had once been the limits of his pod. His hands followed instincts and flexed in preparation for battle, clenching audibly into fists.

His breathing was steady, and his body remained still as his body brought his mind to full wakefulness.

Superboy opened his eyes.

He saw three figures. Left to right: Black, Yellow, Red.

The Red one was biggest.

He attacked.

A burst of sudden speed from his vertical bed and the Superboy tackled Red. The trespasser had been caught off guard and Red's imbalance threw them into a tumble. Superboy recovered first to straddle Red. His fists landed blows to Red's head, to disorient and discombobulate, preferably to render unconscious. He only managed three before Red's allies had caught up.

Yellow had grabbed his raised arm and Black attempted a chokehold.

"Hang on, Sup-ey!"

"We're. On. Your. Side."

Superboy paid their words and attempts to restrain him equal amounts of attention - that was to say, none.

Releasing his arm was simple. Twist the wrist. Bend the elbow. Thrust. His fist crashed into Yellow and flung him off Superboy, sending him flying into one of the sealed tubes for cultivating and experimenting on alien flora and fauna. There was the cacophony of shattered glass hitting the ground and the thump of Yellow's body. Yellow didn't seem to be getting up.

Superboy ignored Black's words and struggles as he went back to pummeling Red - the clear warrior amongst them. But Black had pulled out a device the Superboy could not recognize, releasing a cloud of gas right into the genomorph's face.

It invaded his sinuses and throat. His eyes widened. Discomfort! This was a new sensation and Superboy became acquainted with coughing, hands flying to his neck… then immediately shifted to coughing into his elbow as he tried to clear the gas away from him with the other hand.

How was this possible? Wasn't breathing optional for Kryptonians? He could clearly remember memories of Superman flying unaided in space in his programming, which meant that he had no need to breathe. So why did he need to?

Red, the obvious physical threat, took advantage of his distraction to shove him away. Crashing into the console, Superboy recovered quickly from the fall, superior lung strength clearing his air-ways as he coughed into an elbow, just in time to receive taser prongs to the chest.

Amusing. He could recall Superman having been subdued by immense electrical forces before, but such efforts were only temporary. This taser was strong enough to send visible arcs of electricity through the air but barely tickled his skin.

Superboy yanked on the livewires, electricity tickling his skin as it sent Black flying towards him. The angle was improper for a lariat, sadly, so the clone made do with grabbing Black by the head and throwing the invader to the ground. Hard.

When Black struggled to rise, Superboy placed a foot on Black's chest and applied pressure. Enough to keep Black from breathing properly, but not enough to fracture the sternum. He didn't want to kill Black after all. Besides, where had that gas and taser come from?

He glanced down, frowning. Black had reached for his waist… Superboy's eyes traced Black's form as the boy squirmed. Those eyes widened at the sight of Black's waist.

A utility belt!

Immediately Superboy reached for it, fingers ghosting towards the buckle, but jerked back when he heard Red shout.

"Enough!" Superboy glanced up to see Red leaping towards him, swinging a large block of blue… something. The angle was coming from the left, angled to sweep low and knock Superboy off of Black.

Superboy attempted to lean away but was already unbalanced by bending over to grab at the utility belt. The attack hit the genomorph in the abdomen, but the angle was altered enough that instead of sending Superboy crashing into the chamber's ceiling, he hit his vertical bed instead. The crash dented the structure and he fell, reeling from the blow.

He… actually felt that.

So that's what pain really felt like.

Superboy took a moment to actually process this sensation, frowning. Slowly getting to his feet, the genomorph turned to observe the invaders. Why had Red not pressed the assault?

It appeared Red had been too busy tending to his ally Black who soon fell unconscious as Superboy walked over.

"We are trying to help you." Red stood firm, holding a hand out to Superboy. An open palm was extended towards the clone, which he recalled stood for "Stop" or "Halt".

He blinked. That was unexpected. Whatever did Red mean by helping -

It was a bluff. Obviously, as Red's stance screamed combat readiness. And Red was an invader at Cadmus. Red's words were obvious lies and could not be trusted. And the Superboy had his programming.

They were intruders. Enemies. The Superboy must defeat them.

He rushed Red with a straight punch which Red side-stepped before grabbing Superboy and throwing him against a wall. Red reared back for a punch, but he waited for the dust to clear, giving Superboy enough room to catch it.

The clone jabbed at the elbow joint, but Red was surprisingly quick and managed to bend his arm out of the way, twist out of Superboy's grasp and slam a punch into his jaw.

Reeling, Superboy swung his head just in time to narrowly evade Red's follow-up. The returning elbow swipe failed to connect with Red's temple, but the kick to the abdomen did the trick and flung Red off him.

Sadly, Red immediately turned that into a tech-roll and got to his feet as Superboy leaped from the wall and swung a wild fist.

Bad idea. Red immediately punished him for the sloppy punch with a knee to the solar plexus. The pause from the jolt that caused allowed Red to defend against Superboy's counter strike. But the dodge also left him open to the quick kick that followed.

Stumbling into the other wall, Red quickly rolled out of the way of another fist that smashed into the chamber wall, sending rubble flying. Slipping behind Superboy, Red quickly caught the genomorph in a hold; it was one the clone recalled had been named a "Full Nelson".

Arms out and pressure on his neck forced Superboy to hunch over with a grunt. But even the pain on the back of his neck was only an annoyance. No, it was the sudden lighting of those black (now blue?) markings on Red's arms that alarmed the Superboy, especially when those same glowing blue arms suddenly began to electrocute the next Man of Steel.

"Hrk! Aargh!" Superboy jerked as his nerves screamed from the sensation. He twisted and tossed, trying to throw Red off, but the interloper would not let go. He raised a foot and stomped, but Red managed to shift his foot away, letting the ground crack in its place.

The lightning surged again sending a fresh wave of sensation through his body, focusing on his spine. His muscles twitched and spasmed from the flow of lightning, and Superboy had to… Shake. Red. Off.

He jumped and slammed his back into the ceiling. There was a grunt from Red and the electricity faded from the invader's arms. Sadly, Superboy dropped to the ground again, debris crashing around them. The hands behind his neck hadn't unclasped and when the genomorph turned his head, he could see Red was still conscious. Dazed, but conscious.

That worked?

Try it again then. This time, he had a more solid footing, and the crash into the ceiling was accompanied by the slipping of Red's fingers. The two fell to the ground, but Superboy landed on his feet.

Red hit the ground flat and didn't get up again.

Superboy glanced down at Red before tilting his gaze towards Black and Yellow. They did not move.

Threats neutralized.

Carefully observing the three intruders' prone forms, Superboy monitored the movement of their chests and verified that yes, they were still breathing. Good. Superman did not kill. They were simply incapacitated and would awaken in the near future, perhaps with mild concussions, assuming they were not injured internally.

Squinting his eyes, Superboy attempted to see through Black's chest with X-Ray vision, to confirm that none of Black's ribs had broken when the genomorph had pinned the intruder to the ground. He had not heard the breaking of bones. But Superboy wished to be sure.

Sadly, it didn't seem to be working. Sure, Superboy could visualize what the human skeleton looked like, and what that of Black's ought to look like based on the intruder's frame and build. But he couldn't actually see the skeleton like he ought to with his X-Ray vision.

Instead, he could easily notice his other visual abilities coming into play. He could see light spectra in ways his programming had only mentioned but never shown. Infra-vision was useful now because it let Superboy realize that Black seemed to have a heat pattern similar to the other two - though Red was somewhat colder to the genomorph's Kryptonian eyes. He was probably fine.

The level of detail he could perceive, presumably with Micro-vision, were also interesting for the moment he focused on looking at details, just to make sure Black's chest was a normal shape. This also leads to the startling discovery that not only was Black wearing a mask and cape but above the boy's heart was an emblem. Superboy leaned down and brushed the boy's cape back over the shoulder to get a better look.

Yellow "R" in a black circle.

Robin. The protege of the Batman. The Boy Wonder.

Superboy blinked owlishly then made his way to Yellow. Careful not to rouse the intruder, the genomorph flipped Yellow over onto his back.

A lightning bolt in a white circle was proudly emblazoned upon the yellow of the teenager's suit: The Flash's emblem. And judging by the exposed, red hair and yellow-red color-scheme, this was Kid Flash.

He glanced over at Red, still lying on his front. Black teenager (with powers) who associated with Robin and Kid Flash.

Cyborg?

No, that wasn't right. No cybernetics.

Well, there had been that strange electric shock that Red had tried to incapacitate Superboy with, so Red was probably Static.

Though, Red looked nothing like the Static Superboy had images of in his memories.

No matter, they were intruders, and unconscious. For a moment, the clone pondered whether he had been too hasty in apprehending them. If he had left one of them conscious, they may have answered his questions.

Questions like: Why they had intruded upon his chamber? Why wake him up? Has Superman fallen? Did the Man of Steel turn from the light?

...Was the Superboy needed?

He had no frame of reference, but judging by their state of unresponsiveness, Superboy assumed that they would not rouse soon enough to satisfy his curiosities.

Besides, this all felt strange. The Superboy was new to being awake, a clone who had finally taken his steps beyond the pod.

And yet, his first instinct was to defend himself against intruders. To fight and commit violence. To combat teenagers who were ostensibly members of a superhero organization.

Or, at least affiliated with one.

If anything, he ought to be worried about any other intruders beyond the walls of his chamber. Neither the Batman nor the Flash was here, and neither were there any other young heroes.

Except for the Superboy, of course.

Many conclusions could be drawn from this. The one the Superboy settled upon first was that there were others here, within Cadmus, and would likely be searching for these three when they failed to return. Either Superboy could trap them here with him, or allow them to leave after demanding answers to his questions.

Hopefully, this did not mean the Batman was here. Superboy had been entertaining ideas of relieving Robin of that utility belt, but now he feared what traps it may possess.

The data he had received about the Batman in preparation for his role as the next Superman had left the genomorph clone with a healthy dose of discomfort at the thought of dealing with 'Gotham's Dark Knight'.

Alternatively, Superboy mused as he stood and turned towards the chamber door, these young… heroes(?) were alone down here, and any back-up they possessed was still distant. The door was offline, powered down and locked in place. They trapped themselves in the project chamber. They they opened his pod. Unusual.

Yet that was the most likely conclusion.

Too many questions, things he needed answered. These three could supply those answers.

But could he wait?

Superboy caught his reflection in one of the remaining tubes. The white Solar Suit that supplied him solar radiation and power, even within the depths of Cadmus, seemed murky. Though still clean and white, it was a far cry from the pristine, shining images he had of himself in the simulated memories.

But it didn't stop the red emblem from standing out.

He hesitantly brushed the edges of that familiar shape and tried to speak for the first time.

"S-Su-Su," his voice was unsure, having never spoken aloud before, unused to the practice of speech, but it was alive with wonder.

Still, he tried again, making sure he was slow and clear, in awe.

"Superman."

He stood there for a long time, staring at the reflection in curiosity and wonder. The memories of the Superman showed him somewhat differently. The costume was the most obvious, but so was Superboy's height and age.

Superman was… well, a man.

The genomorph clone was… a boy.

Was that why his name was Superboy? Because he was not old enough to be the next Superman?

And yet, that was his purpose.

His reason for existence.

Turning from the reflection, Superboy lay his troubled eyes on the three intruders. Perhaps he should not wait. He wanted answers. He had to know what was going on and why they were here. Why he had been awoken. Whether he was needed.

He had to wake them up and -

No.

The Superboy had to open the sealed door and allow Cadmus security inside the chamber to retrieve the intruders. They could not be allowed to awaken or potentially escape.

He had his orders.

Superboy walked to the door and thrust his opened palms into the sealed seam. His fingers pierced and bent the sturdy metal, feeling it buckle in his hands as he shoved the vault door open with a grunt.

To the surprise of those gathered outside, Superboy stood impassively. He recognized the scientists, Doctors Desmond and Spence, who were accompanied by Cadmus's security officer, Guardian, and a G-Goblin, Dubbilex, but paid them no attention with his alert gaze staring into the middle distance.

Desmond stepped past him to look into the chamber and smiled.

The Superboy did not even register his creator's praise.

~ooOoo~

A/N: This is an idea I've had stewing in my head for a while now; ever since I was asked how I would write a Self Insert story set in the Young Justice universe. The answer: Insert myself into Superboy. You start with an interesting and useful power-set, and no one will doubt that the clone knows weird things or acts weird. Now, the fun of it is when Superboy suddenly starts going off-script and knows things he probably shouldn't. If it wasn't obvious before, things have already started going off script and events will likely not play out as one would expect. Should be fun!