Chapter 00: [Doom and Rebirth]
*DOOM*
Unknown
*DOOM*
I awake to find myself in a place that doesn't seem real, as if I had awoken in a strange vivid dream. I know this place is real because I can feel the cold rough texture of the sand and dust beneath me. I push myself to my feet and look at the unreal imagery before me.
It appears to be an immense tree at least in structure. It's dimensions dwarfing any tree on Earth as it reaches far taller than any coastal redwood, thicker than a Mexican cypress, and long roots stretching as far as my eyes can see. The shadows of the thick verdant canopy conceal many things on the forest floor, but I can see that instead of wood, the "tree" is made of a hard black metal that pulsates like blood-filled flesh of animals. Through cracks in the "bark", I can see metallic coils the color of gold and glowing in the darkness. I can also see translucent tubes branching like arteries and veins but carrying a golden liquid.
I hold myself as if trying to grip my emotions. The last I remember was in my bed at the home my grandparents raised me in. Did I die in my sleep or in an accident my mind is blocking. Was I abducted from my home and placed in this world of madness. Am I in Another World like a character in my collection of Isekai anime and manga.
"Calm down. Break It Down. Plan and Move Forward"
I look around for any other landmarks and I don't find anything I would recognize.
Immense otherworldly fungal trees, the color of blue-green coral, reach several meters in the sky and release clouds of glowing turquoise spores. The bioluminescent spores are beautiful like a snow fall or falling cherry blossoms, but I fear they could also be extremely toxic. I remember seeing similar giant fungi in the anime Nausicaa and I hope there aren't any giant insects around this tree.
There are huge clusters of translucent blue-purple-pink crystals growing in various random places and remind me of bushes. I can see them clearly because their centers have a pulsating glow. The ground beneath them is also covered in glowing cracks. With my luck they are radioactive as that Tiberium stuff from Command and Conquer.
I see a group of large glowing jellyfish flying through the air unhindered by gravity. They don't have fangs, so I pray they are not Metroid. At least if they are, Samus Aran would show up and I would have a small chance of being saved.
Suddenly, I hear something behind me and I quickly turn to see the tree glowing brighter and pulsating faster. The "bark" twists and suddenly a tendril shoots out. It's too fast to dodge and I feel the piercing impact. The next sensation is hard to describe as if my entire body is cramped and pulsating. I have never been tasered before, but I can imagine this is what it feels like. A feel a wave of burning heat spread from my chest and I'm terrified I'm going to die. I don't want to die. It hurts.
The last thing I see before I black out is a burning red glow like fire under my skin reach my fingertips turning my skin the color of gray ash. I can't tell if I'm screaming.
*DOOM*
Location: Cadmus Base Beta, Los Angeles, California, USA
Timeline: July 4, 2010
I wake up and wonder where I am now after several minutes of panicking. I'm floating in a tube of clear liquid, but I can breathe. Liquid breathing is harder than air, but it's possible if the fluid is oxygenated. I look down at my body to see if there is any mark from the "tree's" electrified tendril, only to see a solid muscular chest. A hairless gray-skinned chest with gray scales. He looks at his now muscular arms with the same color skin and spikes around the knuckles
The stress must be getting to me, because I yell despite being submerged and punch the glass(?) of the chamber. To my shock, my fist smashes through the hard substance. I don't feel any pain, but I do feel the liquid draining from the tank. I hear an alarm and vents open in the floor beneath me to drain the remaining liquid. As the tube opens, I fall out and cough up the liquid from my lungs.
I look around and see a lot of computers and biomedical equipment intertwined with very organic technology. The ceiling is a mess of cables and pipes, carrying energy, water, and other fluids to different parts of the facility. In the shadows, I can see red eyes watching me. Some of watchers are tall like humans, but move like predators. Some of the watchers are small like monkeys.
"Where the Fuck am I!?"
My voice is way deeper, Orson Welles level Baritone.
"You are in Cadmus, Project Qliphoth."
I look up to see a scientist flanked by two soldiers in heavy protective gear. The scientist is a tall thin man and must be over ninety considering the sheer number of wrinkles. He has large green eyes behind glasses, pale wrinkled skin, and a completely bald head. He's dressed in a pale blue uniform with a lab coat. On the lab coat is a name tag that reads "CADMUS" and "Dr. Bertron" with a security barcode beneath it.
Cadmus with a lot of organic looking technology means I'm in Young Justice.
"Qliphoth?"
"It means shells or husks, the representation of evil or impure spiritual forces in Jewish mysticism, the polar opposites of the holy Sefirot." explains Dr. Bertron
"It's also the name given to demonic tree in Devil May Cry 5 and astral world's region of darkness in the Berserk manga. There is bunch of other things, but mostly it means evil. I'm asking why you called me Qliphoth?"
"In 1978, a meteorite crashed in China, near one of the Sacred Five Mountains. In 1998, our associates managed to acquire it and learned it was a fragment of the destroyed planet Krypton. A fragment that had been carried by wake of Superman's spaceship when he escaped his home world as a baby. While the meteorite did contain traces of radioactive Kryptonite, it also contained a hard shell of advance alloy. After piercing the shell, we learned it contained a virulent pathogen."
"A bio-weapon?"
"Correct. It's humorous. The Kryptonians created that strong shell to protect people from the hazardous material within and in the end, it allowed the pathogen to survive the destruction of the planet." says Dr. Bertron, calmly and with confidence "Cadmus conducted experiments on the pathogen, but it was difficult to work with due to its ability to destroy all organic matter. Eventually, the weapon was combined with a sample from Genomorph Project Kr, which resulted in your birth."
It doesn't take me long to figure out what has happened to me. I get up and walk over to the mirror surface of a lab machine and look at my reflection to confirm it. In the back of my mind, I'm yelling out.
I'm a seven-foot tall, very muscular humanoid with red eyes, dark gray skin with bone-like protrusions, and bone white hair. The bone protrusions are smaller than they are in the comics and movies, with boney scales replaces some protrusions for additional flexibility, but it's clear as day who I am.
I'm the terrifying every-adapting monster that in many timelines is responsible for the Death of Superman.
I've been Reincarnated as Doomsday.
"I have answered your questions, son." says Dr. Bertron, apparently human in this universe, "Now I have questions of my own. You are an impressive specimen, while Project Kr matured 16 years in 16 weeks with growth acceleration, you matured 16 years in less than 39 hours without any assistance. This fast growth combined with your ability to adapt resulted in G-Gnomes failing to give you a proper education. So, you should not be able to speak, let alone make pop culture references. So... Who are You?"
Who am I? Who am I? I don't remember my name!? Damn cliché Isekai story.
"I don't remember my name or how I died. I do remember it was 2022 and Superman was a fictional character."
"Fictional. An alternate world? It has been theorized that there are worlds where fictional events actually occurred and vis versa. How exciting! This means you have access to possible knowledge and secrets. To think we were considering shipping you to our Partner since we lacked the ability to eliminate you."
Partner? Darkseid. Vandal Savage made a deal with the Alien God of Tyranny. Season Three was all about Metahumans being sold as weapons for extraterrestrial wars.
"You tried to eliminate me, Doctor?"
"Oh Yes. Your creation was an accident. We were simply exposed a sample of Project Kr to a sample of the pathogen, when the mutation occurred and it started Mitosis. We cut off nutrients and solar radiation, but your cells continued to grow. We still haven't figured out where your additional mass came from." says Dr. Bertron, his mad scientist ego showing itself, "We tried to destroy you using radiation, but you became immune to it, including Kryptonite! We tried intense heat, but your cells absorbed it. We tried intense cold, but your cells adapted and began to generate enough heat to counter the freezing. We tried lasers and electricity, but they both failed. We introduced you to all types of pathogens and even nanomachines. The result. You only got stronger and more resistant to damage."
Dr. Bertron likes to talk. He continues to talk and talk, and I think his soldiers are getting tired of standing and holding their weapons. I think even the Genomorphs in the shadows (G-Gnomes and G-Elves, if I have to guess) have started falling asleep because a lot of the red eye lights have blinked out.
"It's pointless to try to decapitate you with an X-Ionizer Blade as your nervous system is distributed equally through your entire body, meaning you can survive without your head."
Does this mad scientist ever stop talking!? Seriously, he looks human but his lung capacity must be legendary.
"I believe our current situation is due to an attempt to magically control you. A 'dark magic user' attempted to bind you using your lack of soul and intelligence, but your body rejected the magic leaving you in a comatose state. Apparently, your body seeing the lack of soul as a weakness somehow acquired one from another dimension without any attachments to this world."
So, Doomsday's body decided it needed a soul and grabbed mind from whatever Afterlife I ended up in. This is as stupid as when the zombie version of Sentry broke into Heaven and knocked Evil Dead's Ash into the Marvel Zombie universe. I've been reincarnated into a version of Earth-16 as one of most terrifying monsters in the DC Multiverse. I'm tempted to say "It can't get any worse", but I know it can get a lot worse. I'm very aware of the Dark Multiverse and the Badly Written Elseworlds.
"So, what happens now, Dr. Bertron?"
"What do you mean, Project Qliphoth?"
"You already stated that I'm immune to nearly everything and will adapt to anything you do, so what's stopping me from leaving?"
"Oh? I didn't think of that." Bertron, no matter the universe, you're the worst.
*DOOM*
As Dr. Bertron tries to think of a logical reason why a humanoid weapon of mass destruction should obey someone as powerful as a sickly 96-year-old human geneticist, I look at the two soldiers as I don't remember anything similar to the Young Justice tv series.
The soldiers are both tall and athletic, standing six foot four, though dwarfed by my own height. There military uniforms are a mixture of black and gunmetal gray with steel-tipped boots and metal plates on the back of their gloves. There are a couple sections that are copper-orange color, which strikes me as odd. There weapons include machine guns and swords, and they each wear featureless metal masks that must use some sort one-way lens to hide the eye holes.
Those masks are dumb. The first rule of the Evil Overlord List is "My Legions of Terror will have helmets with clear plexiglass visors, not face-concealing ones.". If anyone wanted to sneak into this place, they could easily disguise themselves as one of these guys. As I watch three more soldiers arrive, I notice they all have the exact same height and build. Luke would have a hard time blending in with these guys, as Luke was only 5'8 at his tallest. As his sister said "Aren't you a little short for a stormtrooper?". It's still a little strange since this was years after the clone wars and Clone Troopers were phased out for recruits.
"Clone Trooper" I say to myself.
"How did...? I mean what...?" stammers Dr. Bertron.
"Cadmus is known for one think. Clones." I state covering up I was mumbling, "You kidnapped the real Roy Harper and replaced him with a clone to infiltrate the League. You made an older clone to be Guardian. You created hybrid clones of Superman – Match and Superboy. You mass produce Genomorphs like the little stalkers hiding in the shadows"
The G-Gnomes and G-Elves finch in the shadows, but don't dare come closer.
"Take off your helmets.".
"That's against regulations. All soldiers must wear protective gear while on active-duty and..."
"Shut Up." I don't want to hear regulations of an evil organization that intends to sell children to extraterrestrial god of tyranny, especially from an incompetent amoral scientist. I grab the closest soldier by the front of his body armor, lifting him into the air. He feels lighter than a water balloon with my new superhuman strength and it also feels like if I through him he would burst like one as well.
The other soldiers aim their guns at me, but I glare at them with my menacing red eyes.
The soldiers lower their weapons. Good. While Superman has taken high caliber bullets to the eye, the Earth-16 Heroes and Villains are Nerfed, and even if I don't need to regenerate an eye, it would probably sting a lot.
I look at the soldier I'm holding and pull out a ballistic plate from his armor, ripping some of fabric in the process. Then I toss the soldier back to his comrades. They step in front of their defenseless brother as he gets back to his feet
Modern soldiers wear body armor containing these ceramic plates to protect their vital organs from modern bullets. There are plate inserts for other parts of the body, but they are considered too heavy for a mobile soldier.
"This is the strongest bit of armor you have." I say holding up the plate. Then, I drop it and before it can fall more than a couple a centimeter, I deliver a quick hard punch. My hope is the plate will break like a wooden board, like that scene in Enter the Dragon, right before Bruce Lee says "Boards don't hit back". Instead, there is a thunderous sound like a piece of steel hitting concrete from several stories. The plate doesn't break, it explosively shatters into fragments of advance textile and futuristic ceramic. I can see a visible shockwave in the air and there is a cloud of dust, where my fist struck.
The soldiers step back, while Dr. Bertron looks scared, finally realizing how much danger he is actually in. It's clear to the soldiers that if my Kung-Fu Punch could turn ballistic plate to powder, it would liquify there organs.
"In another world, Superboy was meant to replace Superman when he died. What I am is Doomsday, the monster that killed Superman. Do you think you could take on Superman with no Kryptonite or magically assistance? No. I didn't think so."
Good soldiers are smart enough to know their limits and survive.
"But... But I created you!" whines Dr. Bertron, "I'm your father."
"You created my body, not my soul. I have no reason to hold back against any of you" I say, as the only reason I haven't ripped limb from limb is knowledge and my desire to "peacefully" meet the League, "I'm also not a virtuous hero inspiring hope. I am my enemy's despair. Do you understand?"
"Yes."
"Helmets."
The five soldiers take off their helmets to reveal five identical faces. They are all handsome men with blue eyes and short gold blonde hair. I remember the face from a flashback on Deathbattle, the blond patriot that married Adeline Kane before an experiment with "anti-truth serum" turned him into a white-haired super-mercenary.
"Slade Wilson. Deathstroke the Terminator"
The same way the Galactic Republic had cloned the Mandalorian Mercenary Jango Fett to create the Clone Army, they cloned the world's greatest mercenary Deathstroke to create the Cadmus soldiers. These are the Spartoi, the warriors born of the dragon's teeth, if I follow the mythology name.
"Soldiers, State Your Names and Numbers"
"Wilson, Adam. S-001"
"Wilson, Benjamin. S-002"
"Wilson, Charles. S-003"
"Wilson, David. S-004"
"Wilson, Edward. S-005"
The soldiers are looking worse by the second. They are starting to question themselves and their memories. I can also see the existential crisis of being a clone starting to hit them. The fear that they are an empty existence that only mirrors life, that they are somehow inferior to the world around them.
I can also hear the "Weird Al" Yankovic song "I think I'm a Clone Now". I never said I was fountain of empathy and compassion, and my inner monster is delighted at their suffering.
"I... I have a pregnant girlfriend named Amanda."
"Brianna."
"Catherine"
"Deborah"
"Elisa"
The five say as one "Oh God."
They shake, then turn their angry eyes upon Dr. Bertron. The withered elderly scientist knows he's unlike to survive a beating from the five blonde clone troopers. A very painful death of him is in their eyes.
"I suggest to start explaining things, before they use you for shooting practice" I say to the scared scientist.
Dr. Bertron explains that Cadmus Beta acquired a genetic sample from the original Slade Wilson, claiming they were attempting to recreate the government super soldier serum, which was true. What they didn't tell him was they were going to create genomorph clones of him. There are currently twenty-six clones with Alphabetically first names from Adam to Zachariah.
The clones were given fake memories of being a devoted soldier with a girlfriend and child, based on the original's past and psychological profile. Every day when they were placed in harness in cleaning bay to cleanse themselves of possible contaminants, before removing their armor and going home, their minds were placed in simulations and they never actually left the facility. Their minds are recorded in the simulation so if one of the soldiers is killed, the data can be copied to new clone.
The original Slade Wilson is a Professional, a man who keeps his cool under fire and even when his own son was held hostage by rivals, but even he has limits. The clones have gone through far less, and now look torn between breaking down in tears and ripping out Dr. Bertron's throat. Everything they remember and everything they were fighting for is a lie.
"Why shouldn't we kill you now, Bertron!?" yells Adam, thinking about all the happy memories that are now illusions. The love of his family, excelling as a patriotic soldier, falling in love with his girl, feeling his unborn son's kick. I can see his knuckles whiten and can guess what he's thinking.
"Doctor Bertron and It would be pointless. I'm a clone and if I die, another body will activate."
"You're a clone!?" replies Adam, while I merely nod. I'm not surprised. If you can make clone soldiers to do the combat stuff, why not clones to do the science stuff.
"Cadmus Beta was designed to be more independent than our Washington Base. Twenty-Six Clone Soldiers protecting Twenty-Six Clone Scientists. Our Fake Surnames are Alphabetical with me being second in command to Doctor Alexander. If we die, we move to new clone body. We are even injected with a special drug which boosts our intellect and other mental abilities at the cost of out physical bodies, because we can move to new bodies when we wear out or die of accelerated aging."
"So why are you scared of dying? I saw the fear."
"Just because I won't stay dead, doesn't mean that dying doesn't hurt!"
I remember a scene from the awesome series Invincible. The mind of Robot's deformed human body was being copied into clone body of his teammate Rex, which had been crafted by the Mauler Twins. In the end, "Rudy" mercy killed his other self. The cloning process only copied his mind, not transferred it.
I ask the question "How do you know that you were transferred?"
"What do you mean?" asks the confused scientist.
"How do you know you weren't just copied and the old you left to die."
"Re... Ridiculous. I know myself! I am the Real Doctor Bertron. I am Me!"
"What's your real name? Dr. Bertron is a fake name. So, what is your real name?"
"My name is Doctor... My name is..." Panic begins to form in his eyes as the answers fail to come to him. The five Wilson clones step back and watch.
"Can you remember your mother's name or what she looks like? Or how about where you were born? Don't you have any happy childhood memories? Do you even know who you are?" I ask quoting Motoko Kusanagi from the original Ghost in the Shell movie. She gave the same speech to a criminal she arrested to make him realize he was just a puppet.
"..." Dr. Bertron doesn't have an answer, he just slowly drops to knees with a look of horror on his face. The strings on this puppet have been cut and now he looks broken.
"I am Doomsday, the world-destroying monster, and I've destroyed your world with my words alone." is what I'm thinking, but not saying, Tho I can't keep the grin off my face. I also notice I have seriously sharp teeth, like a shark!?
*DOOM*
An alarm sounds and lights flash.
"What's going on!?"
"It's Doctor Alexander." states Mr. B. Wilson, looking at a computer console and panicking, "He's locked down the entire Cadmus facility. He's also released the Infected. They are Genomorphs that were infected with Keilipot virus - a virus harvested from Project: Qlipthoth."
I can hear the G-Gnomes and G-Elves panicking as I guess they can sense the incoming danger.
A race of genetically-engineered living weapons created by a strange mutagenic virus from a horrific formerly human monster.
"Seriously? Is he trying to turn this place into a Resident Evil game!?"
I consider my options and my first decision is the easiest.
"Would someone please get me some pants!"
Ever since I got out of that liquid-filled tube I had been naked. While I'm not effected by the heat or cold of the environment, and can step on any surface without harm, I'm not comfortable fighting in the nude. I don't want those mutated G-Gnomes going for what makes me male, which I'm glad that version of Doomsday has.
C. Wilson gives me a pair of dark green pants. While the fabric is stretchy, it wasn't meant to handle someone who is seven feet tall, very muscular, and has bone spurs on his knees. I end up with a pair of shorts that would look OK on the Incredible Hulk.
My next decision is do I abandon the Wilsons and untainted Genomorphs to escape, or do I help them escape. I wouldn't call myself heroic, as the most heroic thing I ever did was stop my little brother from falling into an icy river and he's family. I finally decide to help them escape as they could help me in the future. You can't brute force everything in life.
"OK. Listen Up. It's July 5, 2010. This means Cadmus' Washington site is Finished. The sidekicks of Justice League have escaped with Project Kr – Superboy. The Genomorphs have declared their freedom and the Justice League is investigating Cadmus. This means if we get out of this place, we will have our Freedom. Are you going to die in this place, a bunch of failed experiments of an uncaring creator or are you going to decide your own future? I'm going to make it out, so who's with me?"
I'm not good with speeches and hated being on stage, but I surprised myself.
The Genomorphs look excited at my words I don't know if this place has the equivalent of Dubbilex, but they seem to be ready to follow me. It doesn't matter the nature of one's birth, all creatures possess a desire the freedom to live. The Wilsons look at each other, then nod and put on their helmets. They are ready to fight and get out of this prison of biotechnology and fake memories. Slade would be proud of them.
I walk up to the sealed door of the chamber, which looks like it's made of thick reinforced steel. It looks very solid, enough to hold back most heroes and monsters. I say most as I run towards it and ram my bone-spike-covered shoulder into it. There is loud screech of metal as the 8 cm thick (eight inch thick) door is ripped from its frame. There are electrical sparks from where the magnetic locking mechanisms and motors are shattered.
I hear a screeching sound like a bunch of angry Capuchin monkeys and turn to see a troop of Infected G-Gnomes. G-Gnomes are normally small, four legged white creatures with black stripes on their heads, and short horns with red eyes. These small creatures are normally harmless beyond their ability to use telepathy to communicate and control minds of other Genomorphs. The Infected are slightly larger with ash gray color and larger horns. They are also acting far more aggressive than their "cute" counterparts.
The horns glow a burning red as they scream and I can hear the cries of pain behind me. I look back and see the uninfected Genomorphs collapsed to the floor and the Wilsons struggling. The clone soldiers prove to be superior to the Stormtroopers of Star Wars as they open fire with their guns and actually hit their targets. The guns were designed for far larger and more durable targets, so I would compare the result to a magnum shooting a tomato.
As the Infected G-Gnomes die, their bodies ignite and turn to ash before my eyes. This could be a good thing since I would rather not get covered in infected fluids. I can't get sick, but it just sounds gross.
The remaining Infected G-Gnomes scream in harmony, there glowing horns illuminating the corridor more than the alarm lights. The Wilsons collapse to the ground as the telepathic attack overwhelms them. I pick up the twisted security door from the ground and walk over to the Infected, who don't stop screaming, but take a step back. I look down at them and I can see them struggling to make their attacks work on me.
I lift the broken door and bring it down hard to the Infected G-Gnomes, crushing them all in an instant under my strength and impressive weight. The sound made by the small monsters practically exploding under the intense pressure is disturbing. What remains under the door quickly ignites, making the edges of the ruined steel glow cherry red.
*DOOM*
As we move through the facility, we are joined by the other Wilson clone troopers and small number of the clone scientists. Oddly enough, only female scientists. They have minor injuries from fighting other Infected Genomorphs in the facility.
Me and my group move through the corridors towards the central elevators, our best chance to reach the surface of Cadmus Beta. We encountered more Infected G-Gnomes, but knowing their capacities the Wilsons were more strategic in eliminating them before they can use their psi-screams. We also learned two more horrific facts. (1) All of the Genomorphs outside our little group had been killed by the Infected (thankfully none rose as zombies) and (2) like zombies the Infected were cannibalistic devouring those they killed.
One G-Gnome had decided I was the safest place and clings to my shoulder while constantly looking around, both with its eyes and telepathy.
The next obstacle appears in the form of Infected G-Elves. Unlike G-Gnomes, the human-size G-Elves with their sharp claws were designed to be warriors. They made the perfect guards for the depths of Cadmus labs and some oddball scientists thought them lucky due to their Project number being 0777. The Infected G-Elves are covered in sharp bone-white spines that make them look like a cross between an ape and porcupine. Their spines are not only absurdly sharp, but also toxic, according to what the Wilsons were able to download before there access was cut. Wish they had the same info about the Infected G-Gnome psi-scream.
I'm surprised the spines are sharp enough to scratch me, meaning they would go straight through the body armor of the Wilson Brothers if they got too close. Thankfully, they hang back protecting the Genomorphs and using their marksmanship. The spines and regeneration granted by the K-Virus enable them to survive some shots, but a shot to the joint will remove the limb and a shot to one of their glowing red eyes is an instant kill.
My problem is I was never a brawler. I lived a fairly peaceful life before my reincarnation, so I never learned to properly fight. I'm mostly following my instincts and remembering a magazine article about throwing a punch. It's clear when it comes to strength, I'm in a different class than the virus-augmented G-Elves. When I do land punches there are audible shockwaves and the G-Elf goes flying into the nearest wall. The problem is they don't stay down unless you cause massive damage to the brain. It's making me stressed.
Snikt
I recognize that sound. The sound of Wolverine's claws. I look down to see the bone spikes protecting my knuckles have extended into bone claws. When another of the Infected G-Elves leaps at me, trying to claw out my eyes, I swing my new weapons and impale the Genomorph warrior. I then quickly toss him away from me before it can pass its shock. Instead of healing and continuing to the fight, it clutches it's wound before collapsing to the ground. It's body quickly crumbles to ash.
Toxic Bone Claws. That's how Doomsday defeated the Hulk in Screw attack's Death battle. He overtaxed Hulk's regenerative abilities using those toxic claws. The virus-granted regeneration must not be able to handle the toxins either.
The Wilson Brothers provide support slowing down the Infected G-Elves enough for me to land my now absolutely lethal blows. I know I can move faster, but I have no experience controlling that speed and I'm worried I would fly through walls and down into some sort of deeper level if I lost control.
After several minutes, all of the Infected Elves are Dead and the group is at the Central Elevator. The doors are sealed and the power is shutdown, but it doesn't matter. I grab hold of the doors, piercing the metal, and pull the doors open with my absurd level of superhuman strength. The physical locks stand no chance and audibly break and doors themselves deform in their frame. Once the doors are open, it reveals an immense elevator shaft with thick lubricated cables in the center. They don't need the Elevator car as the Wilsons are expert climbers and the G-Elves are natural climbers (the Scientists and G-Gnomes just hitch a ride with the others)
There is a set of thunderous roars and A. Wilson says one word "Trolls".
G-Trolls (Genomorph Project 0427) are huge creatures with great strength. They are some of the strongest of Genomorphs created made for hard labor. They move like giant gorillas with tusks, skin like rhinos, and bony armor. They even have downward curving horns that make them one of the menacing Genomorphs.
The Infected Trolls that emerge from the darkness and charge at the me and my group, are even more menacing. They are even larger, there thick hard skin is almost black and they have larger horns and tusks. They almost remind me of the Rancors from Star Wars.
I charge at the them and grab onto the leader, trying to slow them down. I'm not having much success.
Kryptonians have something called a tactile telekinetic field, which allows them to grab and reinforce objects. This is how Superman is able to catch a falling airplane, instead of him flying through the softer plane like a steel bullet through an aluminum can. This is how Superman is able to carry absurdly large objects without them falling apart due to structural stress and how he can move people at super speed without tearing them limb from limb. It's also how they grip the ground so they can lift objects that have greater mass than them.
I'm still new to being a superhuman monster, so while I'm stronger than the Trolls, my feet keep sliding back. The metal floor is torn to pieces by a combination of friction and my failure. Thankfully, the rest of the group make it up a floor before the Troll knocks me into the Elevator shaft.
I fall down the shaft followed by the Troll. The Troll is dying having impaled itself on my claws as it was pushing me, so it ended up being pushed into the shaft by the other two trolls. I'm surprised the huge beast could fit inside the shaft and guess the main elevator was used to haul massive machinery. I also wonder how long is this stupidly deep shaft seconds before I hit the cart at the bottom. I tear through the mechanism and ceiling of car, making a crater in the floor. The troll's impact then crushes the car to half its size, making it look like a crushed soda can. I look up to see fluids beginning to drip in.
"Gross"
My human self didn't like gross dirty stuff and even as a nigh indestructible monster, I still don't.
The Infected G-Troll is burning away a lot slower than the other creatures, so I have to wait a few minutes. I look around and since curiosity can't kill this cat, I decided to explore.
*DOOM*
It's been ten minutes and I find out this is the bio-storage facility. There are status chambers, cryogenic suspension chambers, and special containers designed to hold former projects and samples for their genetic research.
I found several failed Genomorph projects, unlike the Tolkien named successes these creatures just have project numbers. They all have the same hairless smooth skin with vaguely reptilian/amphibian traits. I notice one of the experiments Project 0700 resembles a cross between a G-Gnome and an Axolotl, which I think is adorable. I look at the label and it mentions its only ability was regeneration and being amphibious.
What I find in the next room is far more disturbing. Deceased extraterrestrials. We are not talking about some alien bug or parasite they fell from space, these are intelligent, sentient, sapient life from space-faring races.
"Oh shit. The Green Lanterns are going to go ape-shit!"
The super-science tanks and (alien?) pods in front of him contain intelligent extraterrestrials from many worlds and ranging in forms. There are completely inhuman creatures resembling jellyfish, starfish, insects, and bizarre plants. The second lot resemble anthropomorphic animals and crosses between human and animal, such as a frog-girl, a kangaroo man, and some people that wouldn't look strange in a Sonic the Hedgehog game. The third lot are humanoid like most Star Trek aliens, humans with odd pigmentations or small differences like antenna, horns, and/or pointed ears.
My G-Gnome Partner, who didn't get turned into paste by the fall down the shaft, chirps and points at the fourth lot in the next room, which contains living extraterrestrials in status pods.
My eyes widen at the figures in the pods. Thery are three beautiful extraterrestrial women that he is very familiar with and would recognize with only a glance.
A young woman standing over six feet with orange skin and long flowing auburn hair.
An older woman standing over six feet with orange skin and flowing reddish-black hair.
A teenage girl standing five foot six with pale gray skin and short dark purple-black hair.
"Starfire. Blackfire. Raven."
I was a fan of Teen Titans when I was young and rule 34 exists. I never thought I would see a real-life version of a fantasy. It takes me a couple seconds to get over the shock, then I look for release mechanisms. I feel around until I find and rip off a cover plate, then a I click the button that my little shoulder buddy is pointing at. Keep it up buddy, you can be Spike to my Ace Ventura.
The fluids drain from the tank and the flame-haired Princess of Tamaran falls out as the pod opens. Unlike myself, she is unconscious and will take several minutes to wake up, at least that is what the electronic voice of the pod says. I carefully lie her down on the floor, making sure they don't brush against my sharp bone protrusions. I try not to watch the jiggling of her body as I don't want to get distracted.
I released Blackfire and place her next to her sister. The dark-haired beauty is almost identical to her sister, but she is slightly older looking in addition to the different pigmentation. She is also slightly shorter. I'm not sure how safe she is because more often than not she has been a villainess. She either betrays her people or her sister specifically due to past relationship problems, but she is smart and strong. She is also a victim of this place.
I release Raven from her containment and I wonder about her origin. She looks almost identical to the version of Raven featured in the DC Animated Movies. This demon princess is the daughter of Trigon the Terrible and was the one to seal him away inside the red gemstone on her forehead. The Ajna chakra or third eye chakra is what that place is called, connected to insight according to Avatar the Last Airbender site.
Wait a minute, Damian Wayne was her love interest in the movies, but Damian won't be born for several years in this timeline. Beast Boy is only eight-year-old right now. She is way older, around my biological age. I feel like a dirty old man, so I have my shoulder buddy help me find something for the girls to wear.
*DOOM*
Minutes later, two set of green open followed by a set of bluish-purple eyes.
The Tamaraneans are the first to react, jumping to their feet despite their lack of clothing. These women were heavily trained for combat, by the Warlord of Okarra if I had to guess. Their hands are glowing ready to unleash their destructive solar plasma blasts known as "starbolts". Their hair has also "ignited", there excess energy conducted through their hair and released as plasma from the tips.
They also don't speak English and the only things I recognize from their native language is Komand'r (Blackfire), Koriand'r (Starfire), Myand'r (there father), and Psions.
Psions are a rare of reptilian humanoids that were evolved by the arrogant Maltusians. One of their greatest mistakes along with Manhunter robots, Krona, Parallax, Sector 666, and the handling of emotions. A race of sadistic mad scientists whose males lack any form of empathy and keep females (who possess empathy) in rape-breeding farms.
I offer them clothing – utilitarian uniforms of Maintenace workers that my G-Gnome found in a Locker. In response, Starfire powers down, takes the clothing, and then kisses me. My mind blanks out for a minute from being kissed by beautiful naked woman, then I remember Tamaraneans assimilate languages through physical contact with Starfire learning English in the comics and Teen Titans from kissing Robin. Blackfire copies her sister and I'm kissed again. I also get the distinct feeling that she was sizing me up.
I note that I'm ten inches tall than Blackfire and eight inches taller than Starfire.
"Can you understand me now?"
"Yes. You don't seem surprised." replies Starfire.
"I'm aware of Tamaranean powers."
"Where are we!?" demands Blackfire
"You are on the Planet Earth inside a facility called Cadmus. An immortal named Vandal Savage made a deal with Lord of Apokalip Darkseid to produce metahuman weapons for galactic conquest. This is one of cloning and experimentation facilities."
"How did we get here?"
"I do not know. I found you in this facility's storage."
"Who are you?"
"An escaped experiment. I'm a hybrid clone of Human and Kryptonian fused with a Kryptonian bio-weapon. The end result is a nigh-indestructible ever-adapting living weapon of mass destruction. "
"Escaped. Are we allies?"
"Yes. Our other allies are using the main elevator shaft to escape the facility. I was knocked to the bottom and decided to investigate before leaving." I pause, then ask my own question, "What is the last thing you remember?"
"We were captured by the Psions and taken for experimentation." says Starfire, before turning to her sister "I thought Citadel was your ally, why were you taken?"
"Apparently, my value ended with the fall of Tamaran's defenses."
"Why did you betray our people, sister?"
"They betrayed me first, sister!" says Blackfire, putting emphasize on the word "sister", "I was born sickly and could never enjoy flight like everyone else, so they considered me unblessed by the divine! On the day of my birth, there was disaster, so people called me 'cursed child' and 'bad omen'. Even my parents gave me the name 'Black', a negative name! I worked hard to prove that I was worthy of respect, but they gave my throne to you sister. I fought until I bleed on Okarra, but they chose you because you could be a beacon of hope. I was rejected by everyone."
"Sister, I didn't..."
"I'm not finished. A month before Tamaran fell, I was poisoned."
"What!?" yells Starfire horrified. I'm also shocked because I didn't think that was in the comics.
"The intelligence bureau learned there were Citadel sympathizers on Tamaran that were looking to make contact with me. They decided I was too much of a threat and had me poisoned. I nearly died, but my cursed condition saved me. The poison normally reacts with certain chemicals in a normal Tamaranean's body, but my body was deficient in those chemicals. I survived, despite the medical personal barely putting in a token effort. It was at that point I knew I wasn't safe, even in the place I used to call home. I found those sympathizers and Tamaran's defenses fell."
"Komand'r." says Starfire, not knowing what else to say.
"It's ironic. I delivered the members of the Bureau to the Psions. I couldn't think of crueler punishment than to be experiment subjects of those sadistic monsters. I heard there screams as the Psions overcharged them with UV radiation, until they burned from the inside out. I never intended to deliver you to them, Kori, I wanted you to be my servant, my slave, my private toy."
I see Raven blushing from the implications, but I don't think my skin can blush. I feel the same sense of embarrassment, but my ash gray skin makes steel look like tin foil.
"Then they grabbed the both of us and my men left without a word. I learned I was going die like the Bureau members, because they wanted to see if the Royal genes would make a difference. The last thing I remember was my hair igniting and my skin starting to burn. So much pain."
Starfire hugs her sister and there are shudders.
"I remember my own hair igniting and the burning sensation. I fired bolts of star fire out my hands and broke free. I killed anyone I say and I saw you emerge from the other lab. You were not glowing like I was; you were actually burning. I screamed your name, then everything went blank."
"I may have an answer." says Raven, her own eyes glowing, "I can't get any reading from …?"
"You can call me... Ash." I reply, the name Ash reminds me of Ash Williams from Evil Dead and with my skin color it's appropriate. "I already know your name Raven. The sisters are Starfire and Blackfire... in English at least."
"I'll ask you how later, but while you're completely invisible to my powers, your G-Gnome friend is able to communicate telepathically. 573 has some information from one of the scientists and she was willing to share. Apparently, when the sisters went berserk, they severely damaged the Psion vessel to the point it found adrift by allies of Cadmus. The test subjects and technology were taken back to Earth."
"Which explains the collection of extraterrestrials in the next room."
G-Gnome Number 574 begins to screech and Raven turns eyes glowing towards the entrance.
"We got trouble! I'm sensing a lot of blood lust!"
G-Dwarves also known as Genomorph 0707 are short, heavy-set creatures and their tentacles have razor-sharp pinchers. They are the worker drones of Cadmus, doing a lot of Maintenace and repair work, and carrying more delicate materials than the G-Trolls are too large and clumsy for. They are actually some of the most technically skilled of Cadmus's creations.
G-Sprites also known as Genomorph Project 0424 are insect-like creatures kept in jars that are capable of generating electricity, flight, and are bio-luminescent. They are Cadmus's source of electrical power, keeping Cadmus hidden from the outside world by keeping them off the grid. The only part of Cadmus that gets electricity from the city's power grid is the upper facility that pretends to be a normal biomedical company.
I'm not sure how I remember this much detail about them as I was bad remembering names and numbers in my past life. Way to go full body brain.
The Infected G-Dwarves look like huge masses of pulsating tumorous flesh with many huge maws of sharp teeth, many eyes, and many long tentacles ending in pincers. They look like creatures out of the cosmic horror works of HP Lovecraft. Any form of silent intelligence lost to madness, hunger, and instinct.
The Infected G-Sprites are now massive insectile creatures with dark blue exoskeletons, sharp legs with piercing tips, sharp mouth pierces, and huge glowing abdomens. Their bodies glow brightly with a combination of bioluminescence and electrical plasma.
Individually they are not a big problem and can be killed with relative ease. The problem is there are hundreds of them approaching me and my companions. I hear a loud sound behind me and turn to see another group of blobs and bugs approaching from behind us.
"This is going to be a pain in the ass."
"You aren't scared at all" notes Raven.
"I'm a nigh indestructible monster. I'm more worried about my shoulder buddy"
"Not worried about us" asks Blackfire.
"Two Tamaranean Princesses trained by the Warlords of Okarra plus Starbolts" I answer, then looking at Raven, "The half-demon sorceress daughter of the Demoin Lord Trigon"
Raven is spooked at her father's name and the name is known even on Tamaran.
"I suspect you three outclass me. Oh. Raven, could you take care of 573, I'm about to fight bugs that look like they can shoot lightning."
"OK" says Raven, a little unsure, as my G-Gnome companion jumps off my shoulder onto her own.
I charge towards the mutated insectile genomorphs and they release bolts of electrical power at me as I predicted/feared. What does surprise me is how slow the lightning appears to move and the fact I dodge the first attacks. That actually make me pause, I just dodged Lightning like some sort of anime character. I know Doomsday is fast, but I thought Earth-16 was nerfed.
My pause causes a dozen lightning strikes to hit me causing an explosion of light, heat, and pressure. My ash gray hide is undamaged by the plasma which is three times the surface temperature of the sun. The exploding air shockwaves would damage the organs of a normal human, but thunder does next to nothing to me. The light of the electrical discharge is blinding, but my retinas could survive laser blasts.
The problem is the light and sound from the lightning make it impossible for me to see or hear things around me, it also stirs up a cloud of dust and ionized particles that also lowers visibility. I feel a dull sting in my chest and I am shocked to see that some of the blade-like legs of the bugs have pierced by chest and back. I'm not sure if they are hitting any organs (other than skin and muscle), because comics Doomsday didn't have any organs, but this does ache. I do wonder if the glowing edges of the legs are like high frequency blades of metal gear series
I grab hold of the bugs trying to burrow into me and squeeze. There exoskeletons are surprisingly tough and could probably stop small arms fire, but against my monstrous strength they might as well be the empty crab shells I found while roaming the beach back in Newfoundland. As the bugs implode, there yellow fluids spray and ignite. As the first couple of bugs explode, they trigger their companions to detonate causing a chain reaction. As I walk out of the fire of the explosion, the remains of the blade-limbs are pushed out of my body by the bubbling regenerating flesh.
Another lot of bugs charge at me, there glowing legs slash at me, but my gray skin stops the absurdly sharp legs. I grab, crush, and throw the mutated sprites towards other groups of bugs. My impromptu grenades cause chain reactions and huge explosions. It's the flaw of exploding mobs that aren't immune to their own explosions. It's like when you blow up a Creeper in Minecraft to get rid of several other Creepers.
"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!"
I watch as a white-eyed Raven releases a burst of shadow magic. I see ink black lines strength from her shadow, travel under the monsters causing them to act confused, and finally reaching the edge of the chamber. Then the lines shoot upward as jagged blades of eldritch shadow, reverse guillotining the bio-engineered abominations.
Starfire is flying around releasing fiery star bolts at bugs and blobs. The plasma is so powerful, some of the creatures explode on impact, some are torn apart by the sheer force, and some are sent flying before impacting with a wall causes them to splatter. Starfire then cries out as she is bit by lightning, but her attackers are blown to pieces by Blackfire.
Blackfire is smiling as she fights and I can guess it's because she is flying. She is enjoying what was denied to her by genetic lottery, the freedom she never experienced as a child. That or she is secretly a battle maniac whose loves racking up kills like a pro gamer. Raven is the empath, not Doomsday.
Suddenly, one of the blobs that was hiding on the ceiling grabs Raven by the throat with one of its grotesque tentacles, thankfully not using the pincer. My little G-Gnome bites the tentacle to get it to let go of the sorceress. She succeeds but the tentacles whip snaps and tosses her into the collection of failed Genomorphs, colliding with the container of the "G Axolotl" hard enough to break it!
I'm angry. I was already frustrated due to my lack of combat experience making it hard to fight weaklings. Now one of these worthless little blobs hurt his little friend. I want them dead!
I can feel something happening and my body feels hotter. I can see a burning glow under my skin, like lava flowing under ash and rock. The anger I feel is getting stronger and I can't even feel the fear of triggering one of Doomsday's special abilities. I feel something like heartburn and let out a roar towards my enemies.
Then there is light.
What happens shocks everyone. Starfire, Blackfire, and Raven can only stare as an immense blast of destructive energy is released from my mouth. The blobs and bugs in front of me don't have time to reach as the white energy washes over them and their physical bodies breakdown at a molecular level. There brief cries can't even be heard over the roar of the blast as they are destroyed down to the last strain of DNA.
When the insanely destructive blast ends, I look at the destruction in shock. Not only are the hundreds of blobs and bugs gone without a trace, but there is molten trail cut into the reinforced concrete of the floor which distorts the air with its heat. As the mist of vaporized material clears, I can also see holes cut through walls and the beginning of a tunnel in ground outside the underground facility.
"Holy Shit!"
"Great X'Hal" x 2.
"Great Azar"
I get over my shock over my own bull shit ability and run over to the broken contains of failed experiments. I carefully pick up my injured friend and bring her over to Raven with a worried look on my face. She smiles slightly and uses her healing magic on the little Genomorph. Starfire and Blackfire finish off the Infected that aren't smart enough to run for their lives.
The little Genomorph is quickly healed and climbs back on my shoulder.
"573. I hear by name you Konami". A bit of Japanese Wordplay I read about. 573 can be read as "ko-na-mi" and is often used by Konami game company and entertainment conglomerate. After what she just did, she deserves a name of her own.
The little G-Gnome makes a chirp.
"She likes the name." comments Raven.
*DOOM*
"We out of here!"
We finally make it back to the elevator and begin to travel up. Starfire, Blackfire, and Raven with Konami on her shoulder again are able to fly up with ease. Me on the other hand, I jump. When I jump using my full strength, the ground beneath me craters and I soar upward like a rocket. When my ascent slows, I grab the side of the shaft and leap/run up the side. My feet and claws leave holes in the steel and cause sparks, my force is so great it tears through everything but it gives me enough speed to reach the top.
I'm going too fast and too uncontrolled to stop at the top floor. I tear through the top of the elevator, destroying what remains of the mechanism in spray of metal and grease, before blasting through the roof into the night air above the Cadmus facility.
As a float in the air for a moment, I see a crowd on the grounds outside the gate - Twenty-Six versions of Slade Wilson, eight female scientists, thirty-four G-Gnomes not including Konami, and six G-Elves. I also see four G-Dwarves that managed to make it out and a Genomorph I don't recognize.
I land on the lawn with enough force to create another crater, creating a cloud of dirt, dust, and grass. "I need to work on my landings."
"Who are your friends?" as A Wilson, looking at the three oddly colored beautiful women in ugly Maintenace uniforms now flying towards them.
"The flame sisters are Princesses Koriand'r and Komand'r of the Planet Tamaran, Earth names would be Starfire and Blackfire. The Gothic Princess is Raven of the Azarath." I reply, then inquires, "Who's your new friend?"
The friend is a G-Goblin, but not Dubbilex. He has the appearance of a tall (5'11), slender man with dark blue-gray skin. His head is radically different from that of a human, most notably in the presence of curved horns and absence of a nose. He also has pointed, fin-like ears, and two ribbons of flesh, originating on his cheeks. He wears plain white hospital-like pants and a matching shirt.
"My name is Alex, named after Doctor Alexander. Due to production cost, I'm the only G-Goblin at the Cadmus Beta site. You mentioned a rebellion by my clone-brother Dubbilex?"
"Correct. According my otherworldly memories, the Team should have escaped with Superboy exposed Cadmus to the League. Dubbliex is working for Freedom of the Genomorphs. He wants to build their own community. If there not careful, the Light will raid them sometime on January 1 and he won't be free until the Team saves him in 2013. "
"I must warn my brother then. Thank you..."
"You call me Ash, Ash Gray."
Some of the Wilsons cringe at my name, but not all of them. Interesting.
"Otherworldly Knowledge" asks Raven, "Is that how you know so much about us?"
"Correct. I'm a reincarnation of a soul from another Earth. On that Earth, there is a superhero comics company called DC Comics. They make Batman and Superman comics along with many others. They even have live action films, animated films, video games, and animated tv series. One tv series called Young Justice depicts the events of this world involving a team of sidekicks. The events happening in Washington is episode 1 and 2"
There are a lot of wide eyes, except for some of the Wilsons.
"Starfire, Blackfire, and Raven haven't appeared in Young Justice as far as I can remember. I know them mostly from the comics and the popular Teen Titan animated series. It featured Starfire and Raven on a Team with Robin, a shape-shifter named Beast Boy, and Cyborg who is ... a cyborg"
"Not a very inventive name." as E Wilson.
"Well, he never wanted to be a Cyborg. His father turned him into one to save his life after an accident."
"Wait. Wait. You know the secret identities of heroes and villains, don't you?" says A. Wilson. "You read them in comics or saw them into those shows."
"Correct." I saw calmly, "I know the Light is behind Cadmus and I know the Light's current members are Vandal Savage, Ra's al Ghul, Lex Luthor, The Brain, Queen Bee, Ocean Master, and Klarion the Witch Boy. I also know who Batman is and who Superman is."
"You have a ton of future knowledge" says Raven, looking worried.
"Not for long. I intend to tell the League everything, which will invalidate a lot of predictions."
"Why?"
"I may be an insanely powerful monster in this life, but I don't want the responsibility of carrying the fate of the galaxy on my shoulders. I'm also not arrogant enough to believe I know best for everyone."
"You are a smart man, Ash." says Alex, "Ego and Arrogance are the greatest weaknesses of humanity."
"That reminds me. What happened to Doctor Alexander? He was the one that released the Infected right?"
"Doctor Alexander released the Infected to slow everyone down using the security lockdown. He actually intended to seal the bulkheads and trigger the facility's self-destruct device. He didn't believe you would die, but trap you long enough for the Light to formulate a plan. At the same time, all other evidence would be destroyed."
"So, what went wrong?"
"He believed he had me under his control. He didn't know I possessed telepathy that I used to negate my programming. He didn't know that I disabled the shock collar he placed around my neck as a failsafe. He didn't know I read his mind for the codes to shut down the self-destruct and prevent the sealing of the bulkheads. He also didn't suspect that I would smash his head into a control panel."
I'm impressed with Dubbliex's darker twin.
"What about the cloning resurrection system?"
"The Cloning Systems of Cadmus Beta were damaged by Infected and shutdown. All immature units and clones in storage perished. Other than Infected, there should be nothing left alive in Cadmus Beta. Without a living body, there is nothing for the memories to be copied to, so eighteen scientists have perished for good."
"So, it's just clean up now."
Alex pulls out a container from his pocket and hands it to one of the eight female scientists.
"What is this" says Dr. Eve.
"It's the counter-virus for 'Algernon'. You may be Cadmus scientists, but you are also Genomorphs. You deserve a choice."
Algeron. Flowers for Algernon – a science fiction novel about a process that grants enhanced intellect, but then leaves the subject worse than before. Doctor Bertron mentioned a virus that boosts intellect, while causing accelerated aging in clones.
"With this you shoulder be able to live a normal life instead of being a puppet of Cadmus and the Light"
"What does the Algernon do to normal people?" I can't help asking.
"You have correctly guessed; the Algernon causes premature aging in Genomorphs. For a normal human, it causes super-genius intellect with amoral behavior lacking empathy or regret. When the body becomes immune, the person's intellect drops to far below their original level."
"Supervillain the Virus."