"Do you think it's possible?", I asked the little friend standing on the ground besides me as the two of us stood at the peak of Mt. Justice, Connor looking a bit light-headed even as he nodded.
"Perhaps. You were able to figure out how to fly in your simulated dreams so you may be able to replicate it to some extent," He answered in response and I rose an eyebrow before looking down at the mountain.
While it was mostly a straight dip down, the land also began to flare out heavily as one got closer to the bottom and I frowned as I looked back at Connor.
"Chances of me dying during this?"
"0%."
"What are the chances of my getting an injury that could lead to death?"
".85%, but such an injury can only occur if you fall on your face."
"And I leap towards the water?", I asked as I bounced on the balls of my feet, Connor looking out at the sea just a few hundred yards in front of us while his horns flashed a few times as he went through the calculations.
"Jump at a sharp angle aiming for the seventh tree with the left decaying leaf and you should be fine," I simply looked at him while being bewildered at the rather ludicrous request before sighing and nodding my head.
"Sure, bud. You ready?", He simply nodded as he took a few steps back, to which I took a deep breath while kneeling on one knee and placing a fist against the rocky ground.
'Hah…Do not be bound by the ground below your feet. Do not feel fear for the heavens above your head. Do not let yourself be held back by your doubts. Enter the void…and become wind!', With a grunt, the ground under me shattered as I leapt into the sky at full force.
I could feel myself slowing down as I continued rising up, but I closed my eyes and forced myself to try to reach higher, taking deep breaths despite the wind whistling around me as I tried my best to surpass my limits.
As I opened my eyes though, it was just in time to catch a mouth full of seawater to the face as I splashed into the ocean, grunting as I sent myself flying out with a shockwave before spitting out the water as I landed on the beach with a frown and a curse.
"Damnit! Hey, Connor, how close was I?"
"Not at all, Chris. In fact, I'd say you fell faster than you rose up," He answered in response and I grumbled as I began making my way back to the mountain with a determined frown.
Mama ain't raise no quitter.
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"…Why are you soaking wet?", Megan asked as I walked in whilst still dressed in my wet clothes and I simply grumbled as Connor decided to answer from where he was seated on my right shoulder.
"Chris tried to fly."
"And I'm guessing it's been a struggle, huh?", She said before giggling as I crossed my arms and let Connor climb down.
"Ha! If only. A struggle would imply that I'm at least making some success."
"Well…you are Superman's clone so you perhaps may be able to fly one day."
"You would think so, but this is a worse mental block than the one Lex Luthor implanted in my mind."
"Wait, what?", She asked and I nodded as I crossed my mind.
"Yeah, there's a certain keyword implanted in my mind and when someone says it, I'm just knocked out like a light."
"And what is that safe word?"
"Red Sun," The moment Connor spoke, I felt myself losing consciousness, gasping as I woke up only to blink at Wally, Kaldur and Grayson standing besides a very concerned Megan.
"Holy shit!", Wally gasped as I woke up, but I was more concerned with Megan as she looked almost ready to burst into tears while she quickly rushed over and hugged.
"…How long was I out?", I asked and Kaldur frowned before he spoke.
"An hour. That one on your shoulder was the one who woke you up," He said while pointing to my right shoulder and I looked at Connor who looked a bit apologetic.
"Sorry for using your code."
"Eh, it's no worries, bud. Uh, you good, Meg?", I asked and smiled as she looked up with a frown.
"No~! I thought you were actually like…gone! And I tried to get you to wake up by talking to you or trying to slap you, but…but nothing! What was that?!"
"Like I said, it's a command Lex Luthor put in my mind."
"And this command just knocks you out? Sounds like it might be a liability on the field," Grayson spoke up with a frown and I nodded as I rubbed Megan's back while softly rubbing the top of Connor's head.
"It is, but unfortunately, I don't know any good telepaths that can remove I-Wait~ I didn't before…but I do now," Looking down at Megan, she looked surprised at my gaze as I smiled.
"Think you could do it?"
"Y-You trust me to go into your mind?", She asked and looked surprised as I nodded.
"Yeah, Connor here can show you the parts where the command is in and I know that the two of you together can most definitely get rid of it."
"Speaking of Connor here…who exactly is this guy?", Wally asked while pointing at the G-Gnome on my shoulder and I blinked before realizing that they've never seen him.
"Right, introductions. Guys, this is Connor, one of the G-Gnomes that was on my pod and helping me learn everything there is to learn about the world. Connor, that's Wally, Grayson and Kaldur also known as Kid Flash, Robin and Aqualad. Don't worry, guys. He has telepathy so he has probably already read your minds."
"Why do you call me Grayson?" Grayson asked and I shrugged as Wally waved at Connor.
"Because your name itself may lead to my page getting deleted."
"…What?"
"Because I'd feel weird calling you a Dick all the time," I answered and he gave me a narrowed stare before Kaldur spoke up.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Connor."
"It is a pleasure to meet you all. Friend Chris has told me nothing but good things."
"That's mostly because the only person I know bad things of is Wally and I'd feel bad making fun of him only."
"Oh, go jump in the sea again," Wally grumbled and I rose an eyebrow before looking down at Megan as she poked at my face with a blushing smile.
"Uh, y-your…your arm," She said through our telepathic link and my eyes widened slightly before I gave a sheepish smile as I dropped my arm from her shoulder, Megan giggling as she took a step back before frowning slightly.
"I…I don't think I'm qualified enough to…you know, get rid of stuff like that."
"Well, the only other person I can think of that could help Connor is Martian Manhunter. Think he might be able to help?"
"My uncle? He might, but he's also very busy so it could take a while."
"That could lead to us failing a few missions and me having to sit out some of them…which I don't mind."
"…Connor, you ready to get this thing out of him?", I was surprised to hear the determination in her voice after I spoke, but I smiled as Connor nodded before watching as her eyes turned a milky white.
The next moment, I clenched my fists as hard as I could as the first memory hit like a train, feeling my lips pinned down by something cold as scientists in white coats with their faces obscured by something spoke.
"Project Kr., simulation ends in failure once again," I wanted to swing or fight or do something, but my very being betrayed me as it felt as if I couldn't move a muscle.
The next moment, I gasped as pain erupted in my chest, Superman glaring at me as he gripped me by the throat before slamming me back first into the ground with a roar.
"Every weapon needs a master," Lex's voice echoed in my skull as Superman threw me into the air, my body unable to follow my pleading thoughts as the Man of Steel leapt up and landed a vicious blow to my jaw.
"This is all you are," My head was aching as a sea of commands flashed in my mind, my skull aching as a storm of voices barked at me, each ordering me to swing while I forced myself to stay still.
'No…No it is not,' Rage danced with pain as my anger to fight fought against my will to stay still, feeling as if my body itself was trying to tear free from my mind as the two danced a deadly waltz.
"That is correct, Chris. This is not you," A comforting warmth flushed through my body as I found myself standing at the top of Mount Justice, Connor's comforting presence hugging the back of my mind as Megan's voice echoed in my mind.
"Do not let it win," Kaldur's stoic amusement, Wally's excitement and Grayson's amused looks flashed through my mind as I sat in between them all, hunched over as Megan knelt in front of me with a soft smile.
"You have a choice. Choose what you want to choose."
"You are not Project Kr., friend. Who are you?"
"I…I am Chris," I whispered and felt the last chain shatter, the voice ceasing instantly as I felt the rage and pain slowly fading away.
I inhaled sharply as I felt myself back in the cave, taking deep breaths with Megan doing the same as the others looked concerned.
"What happened?", Kaldur asked and I let out a soft exhale, but unlike before where it felt as if every breath felt calculated, this one…this one felt empty.
I…I didn't feel as if there was a weight on my chest nor did I feel as if my every thought was being monitored.
For the first time in my short life that I've been here, I actually felt…alive.
"Thank you," I whispered as I hugged Megan and she giggled as she hugged me back.
"You're welcome."
"Seriously, though, what the hell happened?"
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"Uh, Chris? Don't you want to come in?", I heard Megan ask and burst out with joyous laughter as I felt the wind blasting against my body while I was anchored to the top of the Martian's Bio-Ship.
"You kidding?! This is awesome!", I said and smirked at her happy giggles, my deep breathing filling my lungs with air and my body with energy before I grunted as I fell through the ceiling and landed in a seat.
"Apologies for ruining your fun, but Red Tornado told us that there is a distress signal," Kaldur spoke up and I shrugged as the seat wrapped its safety belts around me.
"Understandable. How long until we get there?", I asked and Megan frowned as she flew around the mountain whilst the air around us began to twist and flicker.
"Camouflage mode. Also, it should be right around…here…", She slowly trailed off as we all caught sight of a tornado forming out of thin air, Megan quickly snapping out of her shock to try and pull away.
However, I knew it was too late as I saw the tornado already pulling us in, quickly grabbing my seatbelts and readying myself as the tornado pulled us in.
Grunts escaped my lips as I felt the ship being shook from side to side, ignoring Wally and Grayson shouting at the top of their lungs along with Megan while Kaldur just looked surprised at my stoicism.
"Shouting will just do nothing but hurt my throat!", I spoke loudly and he blinked before we grunted as the ship landed on the ground, but it was more of a controlled crash as Megan had just barely pulled up in time to get rid of most of the impact.
"Everyone out!", I ordered as I quickly undid my belt, the others doing the same as we leapt out of the back and landed on the floor.
"Are tornadoes common in thes-Robin?!", I sighed as I saw that the Batman clone was already gone, looking over at the warehouse just in time to hear another tornado go off.
"Damnit!", I cursed as I took off, my body feeling lighter with each step as Wally, Megan and Kaldur caught up just moments after I took off.
"What's the plan?", Megan asked and I frowned as we burst through the warehouse door just to watch Robin get lifted up by a tornado and thrown at the wall.
However, Megan was quick to catch him and place him back on the ground, the rest of us glaring at the hulking red robotic being standing in the warehouse, a tattered brown scarf wrapped around its neck while numerous blue tubes were attached to different parts of its body.
"Ah, I see you did not attack me on your own like I suspected. However, I must admit that I feel embarrassed that there is not a true super hero amongst you all."
"Bud, I don't know who you are, but you best surrender before something bad happens to you," I spoke as I slowly took off my jacket, the robot simply humming as it raised its arms to the side.
"You may address me as Mr. Twister. Introductions aside, I am quite disturbed by the fact that I cannot see any adult supervision."
"Well, we just hate to see you disturbed! Let's see if you're more turbed once you're in cuffs!", Robin exclaimed as he quickly threw a pair of Bird-a-rangs at Mr. Twister, who quickly unleashed a burst of wind from his hands that quickly grew into powerful tornado to block the weapons.
"Connor, connect me to everyone!"
"Yes, friend."
"Grayson, Megan! Support from the backlines! Kaldur, you're with me on frontal assault! Wally! Hit-and-run support!", I barked out as I rushed forward, not caring for anyone's replies as I raised my hands behind me before bringing them forward with a powerful clap.
The ground in front of me cracked as the shockwave from my clap was enough to disperse the wind, Kaldur quickly rushing past me with his fists sparking as Mr. Twister's hands sparked as well before they clashed with a powerful burst of electricity.
Unlike Mr. Twister though, Kaldur didn't seem to have any resistance to it and I quickly caught him as he flew towards me before helping him stand
I could see the robot going to unleash another burst of wind at us, but he froze in place for the briefest of moments, just enough for Wally to rush past and deliver a vicious punch to the robot's chin, giving Kaldur and I the opportunity to charge towards him.
The blow was also enough to make it stumble to the side and right into Grayson's Bird-a-rangs that exploded on contact, disorienting it long enough for Megan to grunt as she pulled its feet out from under him.
However, I quickly rushed forward as Mr. Twister let out a burst of wind from its back to flip over, punching the ground and unleashing a shockwave of wind in all directions.
Flipping over the blast with a spin, I dodged from side to side in rapid succession as Mr. Twister unleashed wind blast after wind blast, leaping high up into the air before grinning as I saw the robot's body sparking with electricity.
"Now, Kaldur!", I shouted right as Megan ripped the water pipes out from the ground, unleashing a small flood in the building as she along with Wally and Robin were kept in the air by her telekinesis.
Moments later, Mr. Twister shook as Kaldur's electricity flowed from his body and through the water around us, pulling my fist back as I descended before swinging at his skull with a roar.
The force behind my punch was enough to literally bounce the metallic being off the ground while pushing the water around us away, but I was not done as I spun around and delivered a spinning kick to the robot's head that sent it flying through the wall.
Quickly rushing out along with the others, I leapt through the wall I kicked him through whilst clapping my hands in front of me, unleashing a shockwave that dispersed the tornado thrown at us while Wally rushed past.
Grayson quickly threw a flurry of sticky mines that Mr. Twister threw back right as Wally slid under them all, dashing to the side right as I leapt forward the moment he tried to hit him with a punch.
Tackling the robot to the ground, I grunted as he shot me off with a burst of wind, but grinned as Megan pulled out all the water from the warehouse and let Kaldur take control of it.
Within mere moments, I landed with a grunt right as he formed two swords, both of us nodding at each other as Grayson jumped back while Megan pulled up a trio of boulders from the ground.
"Last warning. Surrender now!", I shouted and watched as Mr. Twister looked at us before frowning as the robot created three separate tornadoes around him.
Hard way it is.
"Megan!", I ordered as both Kaldur and I rushed forward, the robot sending two tornadoes at me and one at Kaldur only to be surprised as Megan reached out and dispersed both of them.
Kaldur didn't waste any time as he stabbed forward with his right sword, Mr. Twister quickly blocking the attack with his hand before ducking under the follow-up swing.
However, Wally slid past while kicking at his legs, forcing Mr. Twister to stumble right as Kaldur fused the two swords together and smashed them down on top of the robot's head in the form of a mace.
With a grunt, I leapt forward and brought my foot down with an axe-kick to his back, tearing off the metal with ease before grabbing an ankle and lifting him up.
'You! Are! Just! A! Puny! Robot!', I grunted with each slam as I smashed Mr. Twister into the ground repeatedly, even going so far as to throw him up and power-bomb him down with his back hitting the dirt first.
As I went to throw another punch, I took a deep breath as the robotic suit opened, revealing a man with shaggy brown hair quickly climbing out of it with his hands.
"I-I give! I give!", He called out, but my eyes widened as a boulder dropped down and crushed him underneath, the abrupt shock of it happening being more surprising even though I knew that was going to happen.
"What the hell, Megan?!", Unfortunately, the others didn't have my meta-knowledge and were livid at her before they spun to me as I spoke up.
"She did good," I said as I lifted the boulder and their eyes widened at the sight of the man's robotic body lying on the floor, with me tossing it to the side as Wally walked forward and picked up one of the eyes.
"…Don't say i-!"
"Souvenir!", Wally cheered and Kaldur and Grayson sighed as Megan and I snickered, the Martian landing besides me as I raised a fist to her.
"Nice work out there."
"Same to you…and thanks for not getting mad for that last part," She spoke and I chuckled as she bumped my fist before nodding.
"I trusted you. That's all I needed to do."
"That is something we needed to do. It appears that we still have much to learn about trusting one another."
"Eh, don't worry about it. We just formed as a team so some mistrust is to be expected."
"Besides, I knew that you guys would understand after you saw why I did it so no harm done," Megan spoke with a happy smile and Kaldur gave a nod before we looked at Grayson as he spoke up.
"Speaking of no harm done…who's going to explain to Batman that we tore out plumbing pipes as well as destroyed a quarter of Happy Harbour?"
"…Not it."
A/N: And the chapter ends with the Twister fights! Also, no more passwords to turn Superboy into a sleeping statue~!
How is this going to affect the timeline and just what is going to happen next(Spoiler: Time for some medical operations next week).
Find out when we continue next week~!
P.S. fight sequence was a bit weird for me and I don't know why. Perhaps someone can see it better but I guess I just have to get used to writing team fights.
…Eh, it might also just be happen. Just let me know in the review if it is something I should check out or not.
Like always, you can go to my Pat-reon-.-com-/-KingCrimsonNova to read ahead on this as well as many other stories & even some that haven't been released out to this site yet. If you want to, you are free to, but if you don't want, all's good as I will still be uploading here. This is just me trying to get some extra cash.
Anyway, as always, read, enjoy, review and until the next one…
Ba-Bye~!