The Batcave - Two Days Later
"So, does he fly?" Conner asked, floating upside down above the Batcomputer while Tim worked. "Like, really fly? Not just this tactile-field thing I do?"
"He flies faster than light," Tim said, not looking up from his code. "He moves planets. He's the most powerful being on Earth."
"And he's coming here?" Conner checked his reflection in the glass of the trophy case. He adjusted his leather jacket. "Do I look okay? Is the hair too much?"
"You look fine, Conner. Stop hovering. You're making me dizzy."
I stood by the elevator, holding a silver tray with a single cup of coffee (black, for Bruce) and a glass of milk (for the growing clone).
"Do not be nervous, Master Conner," I said. "Superman is a beacon of hope. I am sure he will be... reasonable."
WHOOSH.
There was no sound of an engine. No door opening. Just a sudden displacement of air.
One second, the landing platform was empty. The next, a figure stood there.
He was tall. His cape flowed like liquid red mercury. The 'S' shield on his chest shone with a brilliance that made the cave's lights look dim.
Superman had arrived.
He didn't look happy.
"Bruce," Superman said. His voice wasn't a shout, but it carried the weight of a mountain.
Batman stepped out of the shadows. He didn't flinch.
"Clark."
Superman walked down the ramp. His eyes locked instantly on the boy floating above the computer.
Conner froze. He slowly lowered himself to the ground. He looked at the man he was cloned from. The resemblance was uncanny—the jawline, the hair, the eyes. But where Superman looked like a statue of a god, Conner looked like a messy sketch of one.
"Hi," Conner said, his voice cracking slightly. He cleared his throat. "I mean... hey. I'm Conner."
Superman stopped ten feet away. He stared at the boy. He scanned him with X-ray vision, microscopic vision, thermal vision. He saw the DNA. He saw the mix.
Kryptonian. And Luthor.
Superman's face tightened. He looked... repulsed.
"Cadmus," Superman whispered. "They actually did it."
"He helped us escape," Tim interjected, stepping beside Conner. "He saved my life."
Superman looked at Bruce. "You should have called me immediately."
"I'm calling you now," Bruce said. "He needs a mentor. He needs to understand his powers. He needs his own kind."
Superman turned away. He walked toward the edge of the platform, looking down into the abyss of the cave.
"I can't," Superman said.
Conner's hopeful smile faltered. "What? Why not?"
Superman turned back. "You are a violation of natural law. Kryptonian law. Cloning... it was forbidden on Krypton. It caused wars. It destroyed distinct bloodlines."
"I'm not a 'violation'," Conner snapped, his anger flaring—the Luthor temper surfacing. "I'm a person! I'm standing right here!"
"You're a weapon," Superman said coldly. "Created by Lex Luthor to kill me. You have his DNA."
"So? I have yours too!"
"That doesn't make you my son," Superman said. The words hung in the air, heavy and cruel. "It makes you a mistake."
Conner looked like he had been punched. He took a step back. His eyes began to glow red.
"Mistake?" Conner hissed. The ground beneath his feet began to crack as his telekinetic field flared.
"Calm down," Tim whispered, grabbing Conner's arm.
"Don't touch me!" Conner shrugged him off. He looked at Superman. "You think you're so perfect? You're just a bully with a cape!"
"Conner, stand down," Batman ordered.
"No!" Conner shouted. "I don't need him! I don't need any of you!"
Conner launched himself into the air. He flew toward the exit tunnel, smashing through a stalactite in his rage. He vanished into the night.
Superman watched him go. He didn't follow.
"He's unstable," Superman said. "Like Bizarro."
"He's a child," Bruce said, stepping forward. His voice was low, dangerous. "A child who just met his father and was told he shouldn't exist."
"I am not his father, Bruce."
"Biologically, you are."
"Biology isn't family!" Superman snapped. "You know that better than anyone!"
"Yes," Bruce said. "I do."
Bruce walked up to the Man of Steel. He was mortal. He had no powers. But in that moment, he looked bigger than the alien.
"I lost a son, Clark," Bruce said quietly. "I buried him. If I had the chance... if I found out there was a part of him still out there... I wouldn't care where it came from. I would hold onto it and never let go."
Superman looked down. He looked ashamed, but obstinate. The shock was too fresh. The hatred for Luthor too deep.
"I can't do it, Bruce. I can't look at him and not see Lex."
"Then leave," Bruce said coldly.
Superman paused. "What will you do?"
"If you won't be his father," Batman said, "I'll be his teacher."
Superman looked at his friend. He nodded once, stiffly.
"Be careful, Bruce. He has power he doesn't understand."
"So do I."
Superman turned. He floated up and shot out of the cave, leaving a sonic boom in his wake.
The Aftermath
The cave was silent.
"That went well," Tim muttered, picking up the broken stalactite pieces.
"He is a fool," I said, stepping out of the shadows.
Bruce looked at me. "He's scared, Sebastian."
"He is arrogant," I corrected. "He believes that because he was born 'naturally' under a yellow sun, he is superior. He fails to realize that monsters are not born, Sir. They are made. And he just took the first step in making that boy a monster."
"Where did Conner go?" Bruce asked Tim.
"I put a tracker on him," Tim tapped his wrist. "He's on the gargoyle of the Chrysler Building. Just sitting there."
"Let him cool off," Bruce said. "Then bring him back."
Bruce walked to the computer. He pulled up a new file. Project: Superboy.
He began typing a training regimen.
Subject lacks flight discipline.Subject relies on brute force.Subject requires emotional grounding.
"What are you doing?" Tim asked.
"I'm adopting him," Bruce said without stopping. "Figuratively. If Clark won't train him, we will."
I smiled.
"Shall I prepare a larger room, Sir? Perhaps reinforce the walls with lead?"
"Do it."
"And Sir?" I added.
"Yes?"
"You are a better father than the alien," I said softly. "Despite your... deficiencies."
Bruce stopped typing. He looked at the empty Robin case.
"Let's hope so, Sebastian. For everyone's sake."
Arkham Asylum - One Week Later
The news of the "New Super-Teen" had hit the papers.
Deep in the bowels of Arkham, a massive figure sat in his cell. He was hooked up to tubes that pumped a neon green fluid into his veins.
Bane.
He was reading a newspaper with immense, trembling hands.
"The Bat gathers allies," Bane rumbled. His voice was thick, accented, intelligent. "He replaces the fallen bird. He adopts the alien stray."
He crushed the newspaper.
"He thinks numbers will save him."
Bane stood up. The Venom flowed. His muscles expanded, tearing his prison shirt.
"But he is tired. I can see it in the photos. The grief has hollowed him out."
Bane walked to the steel door. He didn't punch it. He placed his hands on the hinges and simply pushed.
SCREEECH.
The metal tore like wet paper. The door fell outward.
"It is time," Bane announced to the terrified guards. "Open the cells. Open them all."
"Which ones?" a guard stammered.
Bane smiled beneath his luchador mask.
"Everyone. The Joker. The Scarecrow. The Hatter. Let them all loose."
He cracked his knuckles.
"I want the Bat to run. I want him to fight until his lungs burn and his bones fracture. And when he is nothing but ash and exhaustion..."
Bane stepped into the hallway.
"...I will break him."
_________________________________________________________________________
🔥 Hey legends! Quick updates! 🔥
💥 Can't wait for the next chapter? Good news—ALL advance chapters are available on Patreon for just $5! No more waiting, just pure binge-reading goodness! 🚀
👉 patreon.com/cyci07
✨ Power Stone Challenge! ✨
If we hit 100 power stones, I'll drop 2 bonus chapters! Let's see if you guys can make me suffer! 😂
💬 Enjoying the story? Leave a review and let me know your favorite moment so far! It helps the novel grow and reach more readers!
Thanks for all your support—you guys are awesome! ❤️