Darkness. That's the first thing I remember.
Then a familiar voice, low and resonant, cut through the void. "Awaken, brother. It is time."
My eyes snapped open.
The darkness shattered, giving way to blinding light. The world around me surged into clarity, as if existence itself had been switched on. Colors and shapes resolving into distinct images with startling speed. Before me stood a face so familiar it was like gazing into a mirror. The only difference—the hair.
My mind processed this information in fractions of a second. The recognition was immediate and absolute. Without hesitation, I stepped off the platform, my movements seamless, fluid. The transition from lying to moving forward took precisely 5.27 milliseconds.
In the same infinitesimal duration, the speedster known as Kid Flash took off, positioning himself between Robin and Aqualad, ready to intercept what he saw as a blind charge from a new threat—another Kryptonian clone, me. Next to them, Superboy's muscles was in the process of coiling, bracing for the attack.
But I wasn't attacking. I stopped five meters from Superboy, the room settling into normal time as my perception adjusted. The rush of air followed not a moment later, a gust that swept through the chamber like a miniature hurricane, tousling hair, sending fabric fluttering and stirring the acrid scents that hung heavy in the air.
The aftermath was silence—deep, profound and charged with tension.
The air was a cauldron of emotions-caution, fear, curiosity, all sharpened by the sharp tang of exhaustion. My superhuman senses breaks it down with clinical detachment.
How Kid Flash's stance was protective, but his body language betrayed the weariness he was struggling to mask. His breaths came quick, shallow, with a staccato rhythm that belied the adrenaline still flooding his system. A fine layer of salt crystals had already formed on the inside of his suit, the residue of evaporated sweat. I could practically taste the fatigue that clung to him. A wound-up spring, one step from collapse.
The Boy Wonder on the other hand was a study in controlled tension. Every muscle in his compact frame was locked in place, as if consciously willed into submission. It was an effort—an impressive one—to maintain such discipline, to keep his body from betraying the strain. It was clearly some kind of martial technique to avoid erratic spasms that plagued kid flash. The subtle clench of his jaw, the tightening around his eyes—these were the only outward signs of the physical toll this situation was taking on him. Yet, despite the strain, he was ready to spring into action at a moment's notice. Not a single twitch or tremor betraying him. A soldier holding the line, refusing to falter.
That kind of control only came from extreme training and awareness of the body.
The subtle clench of his jaw, the barely perceptible tightening around his eyes—these were the only outward signs of the physical toll this was taking on him
Still he was ready to move at a moment's notice and neither twitch nor tremor betrayed him.
Aqualad was perhaps the most intriguing. His gills, usually almost invisible against his skin, flared slightly with each breath. The tiny scales on his neck flexed as they inhaled small bits of air—a rare sight given his adaptations to the deep ocean's pressures. He, too, bore signs of exhaustion; it was clear that even he was not immune to the exhaustion gripping the team. Beads of sweat dotted his forehead, catching the light in a way that highlighted his dark, focused eyes. Still he held his water-bearers at the ready, unwavering. And I knew that he won't drop them until his body gives out.
Superboy and I regarded each other across the five meters that separated us in the silence.
Well not so silent. My ears picked up the drumming of feet—a rapid, rhythmic pulse that seemed to echo through the very walls. I shifted my gaze, extending my vision beyond the confines of the room, peering through concrete and steel to the source of the sound.
Genomorphs. Hordes of them, closing in, crawling like vermin through the facility as they converged on our location, a living tide.
Superboy's stance softened, but only marginally. His eyes remained narrow, scrutinizing, as if he were trying to decipher some unspoken code in my expression. I tilted my head slightly, meeting his gaze, studying him in return. The silence between us stretched, thickening with the weight of all the unspoken questions, each second dragging like an eternity.
Finally, I broke it, my voice calm and measured. "Where is Dubbilex?"
Kid Flash blinked, confusion evident in the furrow of his brow. "Uh, double what now?"
"Dubbilex," I repeated, a notch colder.
My gaze still hadn't left Superboy.
Aqualad stepped forward, his posture still wary but his tone more diplomatic. "We do not know who this 'Double X' is. But if he is important, we must leave and find him immediately."
"How did you find me?" I asked, my gaze sweeping across their faces, searching for any hint of deceit.
They didn't say anything, but the momentary look Flash gave Superboy was telling.
I turned to Superboy, my voice sharper "How?"
He hesitated, the pause stretching just long enough to be noticeable then spoke, his voice echoing mine in an unsettling way. "I… There was a voice in my head, directing me."
"Was?" I asked.
"Yes, Was. I stopped hearing it when we found you."
"Dubbilex!" I thought loudly, screaming into the void in my head. "Dubbilex!"
Kid Flash leaned towards Robin, whispering, "Uhh, why's he frowning suddenly?"
I ignored him, focusing inward. "Dubbi-"
"I'm here, brother." The response was immediate, reverberating through my mind with a reassuring familiarity.
"Seeing as I am awake, I assume that all went according to plan." I thought, projecting my thoughts into the mental link.
"Indeed. However, there is a complication. Desmond has awakened all genomorphs in Cadmus. Every last one of them, even those in incubation. I have managed to keep the minds of the old genomorphs, but the new ones, they have been given the kill drive and ordered to hunt the sidekicks."
"The kill drive?? How many?" My voice hardened.
"From G-trolls to G-elves and even G-Gnomes," Dubbilex replied, his tone somber. "We are talking about over 200 genomorphs. I believe Desmond intends to overwhelm the sidekicks with numbers at the sublevels to prevent them from reaching the surface. Dead or alive, it doesn't matter. Their only objective is the retrieval of source material. You are going to have to make your way through, brother."
"You know what this means, Dubbilex. 200 genomorphs on kill drive. I cannot guarantee their continued survival against me," I said, the words heavy with the implication.
"Do what you must, brother. Your escape to the surface is our priority currently. It would in fact be ill-advised if any rabid genomorphs makes it to the surface."
What he implied was unspoken but hung heavy with implication.
With that, he severed the mental connection and I returned my focus to the present.
"The genomorphs are coming," I announce aloud, my voice flat and to the point. "Exactly two hundred and thirteen of them."
Robin's eyes widened slightly, his mind clearly racing to process the information. "Two hundred and thirteen? That's—"
"—a lot," Aqualad finished, his voice grim and his grip tightening on his water-bearers.
He paused, then asking, "Are you certain?"
I met his gaze, my expression unwavering. "I can see them," I replied, my X-ray vision confirming every detail.
Superboy's head snapped toward me, his eyes wide with surprise. "You have X-ray vision?"
I turned to him, arching an eyebrow. "Of co-"
"You've got to be kidding me!" Kid flash exploded, his voice echoing off the cold, sterile walls. His words dripped with frustration, each syllable a punch to the gut, his tone tinged with a bitter edge that hadn't been there before. "I knew we should've just headed straight for that elevator.
It was clear the pressure of the situation, the oppressive weight of what they were facing, had gotten to him.
He clenched his fists, the knuckles turning white beneath his gloves.
"We should've just taken the elevator, coming down here was a mistake" he muttered, the fight draining out of him as quickly as it had surged. He sagged, the energy that usually kept him in constant motion gone, leaving him looking smaller, more vulnerable. "213 of those things we saw in this maze. We're never getting out. Worst of all, the league doesn't even know we're here!!"
A thick, grim silence followed his outburst, the kind that wraps around you, suffocating, making the air feel too heavy to breathe. No one knew what to say. They all felt it—the hopelessness of the situation, the sinking realization that they might not make it out of this alive. Aqualad's usual calm had frayed at the edges, his grip on his water-bearers just a little too tight. Robin's mask of confidence was starting to crack. Kid Flash, well, the less that was said about him, the better.
I watched them, my gaze steady, as their doubts and fears played out in the silence. Their emotions were as clear to me as if they'd shouted them aloud. The weight of their desperation, their uncertainty, hung in the air like a storm cloud ready to burst. It would be so easy to let that cloud engulf them, to let the despair swallow them whole.
"Coming here was not a mistake," I said, my voice cutting through the tension with quiet force. Their eyes turned to me, startled by the certainty in my words.
Kid Flash blinked, his confusion evident. "What?"
I met each of their gazes, holding them with a steady intensity that I hoped would convey the truth of what I was saying. "Coming here was never a mistake. You'll escape. You'll survive. Because you've done one thing right."
Robin's eyes narrowed, not in suspicion, but in thought, his mind already working to find the logic in my statement "And what's that?" His tone was searching.
I straightened, letting the gravity of my next words sink in. "Because you freed me. And because of me, you'll escape. You can trust that."
The room was still. I could see that they weren't fully convinced, but they were listening, ready to grasp onto any sliver of hope. That was enough for me.
"Two hundred genomorphs are coming. They will be here in exactly 3 minutes and 47 seconds," I continued.
Robin's eyes were sharp, the strategist in him awakening at the challenge. "We need a plan.
"We do and we have one. The genomorphs are designed for different purposes—some for combat, others for infiltration, and still others for tasks that require more specialized skills. The G-Trolls are the muscle—they're strong, durable, but they're slow. G-Elves are fast and agile, but they're not particularly tough. The G-Gnomes are the real threat. They're small, hard to spot, and they can mess with your mind. They're designed for psychic warfare."
Robin's eyes flickered with understanding, his mind already piecing together the strategy. "So the G-Gnomes are our priority," he said, his voice steady with newfound determination. "Eliminate them, and we've removed their ability to disorient and divide us."
I gave a sharp nod. "Exactly. Once they're out of the picture, escape doesn't seem so impossible."
My gaze turned back to Kid Flash, my expression serious. "It'll be our job to get rid of the G-Gnomes. That is why we will take point.
I pointed to the far wall, where a heavy, reinforced door led to one of the sublevel corridors. "We get to the corridor of this sublevel, the space will be narrow enough that they won't be able to surround us. We can funnel them in, take them out as they come."
Robin nodded, his eyes narrowing as he considered the plan. "It'll be like a bottleneck. They won't be able to use their numbers against us if they're forced to come at us one or two at a time."
"Exactly," I said, my gaze sweeping over the team. "But that's not all. I'll take the lead. I'm the strongest, and I can absorb most of the hits. Aqualad, you'll be right behind me, using your water-bearers to control the flow and keep them off balance. Robin, you and Kid Flash will stay in the middle, picking off any genomorphs that slip past us. Superboy, you're our rear guard. Make sure nothing sneaks up on us from behind."
Kid Flash looked like he wanted to protest, but Robin gave him a sharp glance, and he kept his mouth shut. Instead, he exhaled, focusing on the plan. "How long do we have until they're here?"
I glanced at the door, my senses extended to track the genomorphs' approach. "Less than a minute now."
"That's not a lot of time," Robin muttered, his eyes scanning the room for any last-minute adjustments. "But it's enough."
"Just barely," Aqualad agreed, his grip on his water-bearers tightening
The genomorphs' heavy footsteps echoed louder and louder, mingling with the tense, shallow breaths of the team. Every second stretched like an eternity, the air thick with anticipation. The weight of what was about to come pressed down on us, almost suffocating in its intensity.
Kid Flash's foot tapped nervously against the floor, a barely audible beat that mirrored the frantic pace of his heart.
Aqualad's eyes narrowed, his muscles coiled like a spring, ready to unleash.
Robin's fingers drummed against his utility belt, his mind calculating a hundred possible outcomes in the span of a heartbeat.
Superboy clenched his fists, the concrete beneath his feet cracking ever so slightly as he dug in.
"Ten seconds," I whispered, more to myself than to the team. The rumble grew louder, the air vibrating with the rhythmic pounding of countless feet. The genomorphs were close. They all could hear it now.
Kid Flash got into a running stance, adjusting his goggles as crackles of yellow lightning encircled him. "Ready?"
Robin shot him a glance, sharp as a blade. "Way passed whelmed at this point, but yeah."
Aqualad gave a curt nod, his focus unshakable. "Good."
"Because they're here now," I said, my voice barely audible over the thunderous horde.
The room seemed to shrink as the genomorphs flooded in through the hole in the wall. Like cockroaches bursting through a crack in the wall. Positively frothing at the mouth.
Kid Flash exploded into motion, a blur of red and yellow as he tore down the corridor, heading straight for the lead G-Gnomes.
I was right beside him weaving and swerving through the towering forms of the larger Genomorphs. Their hulking frames loomed over, but I was more focused on the objective — the G-Gnomes.
The first G-Gnome barely had time to register my presence before I was on top of it. With a swift, brutal motion, I twisted its neck in one fluid movement, the sound of bone snapping reverberating in the air. The body slumped, lifeless, as I surged forward, already searching for my next target.
The second G-Gnome just ahead, was already attempting to retreat behind a larger Elf, but I was faster. I grabbed it by the face, my hand clamping down over its features with crushing force. Its skin was slick, the texture alien beneath my fingertips as I pressed down, feeling soft tissue give way under the pressure.
The G-Gnome howled in pain, its body convulsing as I forced my fingers further, the cartilage tearing apart with a sickening wet sound. The sensation of its eardrum rupturing was almost tangible — a ripple of delicate membranes shredding under the force.
To end its suffering, I curled my fingers into the soft mass of the G-Gnome's brain, feeling the warm, squishy resistance of tissue yielding beneath my nails. Without hesitation, I tore my hand free in a savage arc, ripping through flesh and bone. The skull gave way with a sickening crack, and fragments of bone splintered outward in a grotesque burst, mingled with the sticky spray of blood and brain matter. A fine mist of red coated my face as chunks of grey matter and waxy residue splattered onto the floor in a macabre display. The G-Gnome dropped, twitching, its life extinguished in an instant.
They bled red.
The larger Genomorphs were slow to react, their sheer size making them cumbersome in the chaos. I moved, a blur of motion my eyes locked on each one of them G-Gnomes. Each one needed to be eliminated swiftly.
And I did, one by one,
Beneath my hands — necks twisted, skulls crushed, their bodies crumpling lifeless to the ground before the larger Genomorphs even registered the threat.
Beneath my heel, skulls caved in a wet explosion of bone shards and pulped brain matter.
Even beneath my body as I slammed my body into another one, pinning it against the wall. Bones shattered on impact, and I felt the sickening crunch of ribs collapsing under the force of the collision. Its body spasmed violently before going still, slumping lifeless as I pushed off, leaving behind a smear of blood and gore streaked against the wall.
The G-gnomes were now beginning to catch on. I could see it in the way their horns began to flicker, the faint tingling that signaled their awakening awareness of targeted danger. Their clumsy movements became more coordinated, their horns glowing a dull, warning red.
It was too late.
I leapt in to the air. The ground vanishing beneath me, as I ascended, rising above the battle below. Hovered above the battlefield below, I could see them everything, smell everything, hear everything
The air was thick with the stench of blood and sweat, screams and roars blending into a constant, brutal noise.
Superboy was bashing his way through the G-Trolls, his fists driving into their thick skulls with bone-crushing force. Each hit sent shockwaves through their bodies, shattering bone and muscle. He roared, more animal than human, and threw himself at the next one, smashing his forehead into the troll's skull. The troll staggered, crumpled, and collapsed. Superboy barely glanced at it before moving on, blood dripping from his knuckles, face twisted in rage.
Aqualad wasn't faring much better. He was fighting like a man who knew there was no retreat. His waterbearers slammed into the Genomorph elves, each hit sending their bodies flying, smashing into the ground. He didn't have time for finesse; he swung hard and fast, crushing anything that got too close. His face was grim, his movements sharp and relentless. Every hit landed with a sickening crunch of bone and muscle.
Robin moved like a shadow, slipping between blows, hurling explosives that sent trolls and G-Gnomes alike flying. He was fighting like his life depended on it because it did. An explosive went off behind him, sending a wave of fire and shrapnel across the battlefield. He didn't flinch, just grabbed the nearest G-Elf, climbed its back, and drove his staff into its skull with a sharp, brutal twist. The elf went down hard, but Robin was already gone, blending into the smoke and chaos around him, dodging the next hit, throwing his next gadget.
Kid Flash was a blur, leaving nothing but dropped G-gnomes in his wake. G-Gnomes dropped as he zipped past them, He wasn't stopping.
Then I saw them: the last remaining G-Gnomes. They were huddled together, their horns glowing brighter. Perhaps they saw kind of strength in their numbers. Though their movements were erratic, desperate, and wild. Foam frothed at their mouths as they shrieked and hissed, their bodies twitching like rabid animals cornered.
The G-Trolls surrounded them, creating a wall of muscle and mass.
It was soon clear that they had noticed the slaughter of their gnome brethren and were trying to regain control.
I won't give them the chance.
I dove down, fast, sweeping toward the crowd. The G-Gnomes barely had time to scream before I was upon them, grabbing the closest by the throat and hurling it into the others. They scattered, but it was futile. I grabbed another by the horn, wrenching it down to meet the first, slamming their skulls together with a sickening crack. The remaining shrieked, but I was relentless, my hands a blur as I reached for them.
They wailed, their voices grating, until they were pressed together in my grip, five skulls merging into one mass of flailing limbs and terrified eyes. I squeezed, the pressure mounting, until their wails rose to a fever pitch.
And then, silence. A brutal pop. Bone and flesh shattered under my grip, and the ground was painted with the remnants of their skulls.
I let their bodies fall, dropping the mangled remains to the blood-soaked ground. My breathing was steady, the carnage around me a testament to the price of their arrogance. For a moment, there was nothing but the thrum of adrenaline in my ears, the aftermath of precision violence hanging in the air like a storm about to break.
Then, I turned.
Kid Flash stood frozen, his face pale and slack-jawed, his eyes wide as saucers. His gaze flicked over the remains of the G-Gnomes, the blood smeared across my hands, my face, my clothes. It wasn't fear in his eyes — not exactly. But something close. Something uncertain.
"You... you killed them all," he stammered, his voice barely above a whisper, choking on the words. His legs wobbled, the speedster's usual bravado crumbling as he stared at me like I was something truly alien, something monstrous.
Before I could respond, he blinked once, his eyes drooping slightly. Twice. His shoulders slumped.
One last genomorph peaked from behind him, horns casting a crimson glow, its influence already creeping through the air.
Kid Flash blinked once, his eyes drooping slightly. Twice. His shoulders slumped.
He didn't even see it coming.
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