"And just like that, I win!" I just rolled my eyes at Superman's excited shout as he landed in the middle of a frozen landscape, slowing down a bit before I landed besides him with a stumble.
"You would have won ages ago if you hadn't decided to fly back to Metropolis halfway through and then go past me again. That was just insulting."
"Hey, you would have done the same thing if you could." He spoke with a grin and I crossed my arms with a huff like the childish, petty loser I am.
He wasn't wrong, though. I would definitely do that.
"So, where is the fortress?" I asked as I looked at the blizzard raging around us and at the numerous mountains surrounding us, to which he chuckled before I watched as a scarlet red glow shone in his eyes.
The next moment, twin beams of piercing red plasma shot from his eyes only to be impact something that flickered and my eyes widened as the blizzard faded away while a mountain slowly became visible to our eyes.
"It's a little security measure I made to make sure that no one could find it unless I wanted them to. Ah, where are my manners? Welcome…to the Fortress of Solitude." I just stared at the large door in front of us that opened slowly, Superman chuckling as he walked in before stopping at the door.
"You going to come in or stand outside and gawk all day?"
"You bet I am." I whispered with an excited smile as I rushed past him, to which he chuckled while the door slowly closed behind us as we began walking through the shimmering crystalline walls of the Fortress.
"The material around us is made from the same crystals of Krypton. Thankfully, they don't exude the same radioactive energy that Krypton does. Otherwise, we may have been in a pickle."
"Huh, good to know. So, I'm guessing these Medi-Pods are further in?"
"The term is Medical Healing Pods and yes, they are. My question, though, is why did we have to stop at the cave you kids are using?" He asked with a raised eyebrow and I smirked as I pulled out the two vials from my pocket
"This is called the Blockbuster Serum and one of Lex's scientists had made it as his masterpiece. Says it's supposed to enhance the physical prowess of any who ingests it, but with some unfortunate side-effects."
"And the other?"
"It's supposed to be some kind of more powerful hybrid combination between the former and the Kobra Venom that Bane uses." I answered and he looked between the two serums before looking back up at me.
"What do you want to do with them?" He asked with a slight frown and I shrugged as I placed the serums back in my pocket.
"I was hoping to see if your Medical Pods would be capable of synthesizing a new serum with the same effects and none of the side effects that I could use to enhance my Kryptonian side. If not, at least my human Meta-Gene side."
"So, you wish to use it to gain more power? If I may tell you a little something, Chris?"
"If it's wisdom, I'm all for it." I answered with a shrug and he gave a faint amused smile at my words before looking at me with a frown.
"What I can say is that power corrupts slowly but surely. The more power you crave, the more greedy you become for more and soon, you find that you're more focused on power instead of protecting those around you. I won't stop you from trying to do so as I know I would have had I been in your shoes, but do not let the greed consume you."
"I understand." I responded with a smile, which he returned before we turned the corner and I stared at the two robots standing in the middle of a room filled to the brim with technology far beyond anything I have seen.
"V-1 and V-2, please prepare one of the Medical Healing Pods for scanning and then one of the Solar Pods for solar exposure."
"Solar Pods?" I asked even as I watched the robots quickly bowing and scurrying off to the next room, Superman and I following after them as he chuckled and nodded.
"Yep, it's a pod that subjects you to intensified solar radiation to supercharge your powers more quickly than they would with normal sunlight."
"Oh, so you want to see if we can use it to jumpstart my powers?" I asked and he shrugged as we walked into another room, this one having about six pods inside of it with two on one side and four on the other.
"That's the idea."
"Do you think it will work?" I asked as I watched one of the robots typing away at the display screen in front of a pod while the other connected the necessary wiring and piping, to which he frowned before responding.
"Honestly, I know the Medical Pods will have us understand your physiology better than we would have before, but the Solar Pod is something I'm only going to use if I find the results of the Medical Pod satisfactory." He answered and I frowned before nodding.
"I agree. Rather not risk anything happening."
"That and we don't know if your human side would cause some issues with the intense radiation." He answered, to which I agreed as I'd rather just have what I got now instead of potentially getting more powerful at the cost of looking like a charred piece of meat.
Darkseid could pull off the evil charred being look, but not me.
"All systems are ready, sir." V-1 spoke up and Superman gave a smile before gesturing towards the pod.
"Well, it's all on you."
"Before I go, V-2, could you see if you could make this serums better by only keeping the strength enhancement while removing the negative side-effects they may have?" I asked as I took out the Blockbuster Serum and Kobra-Venom vials, to which the robotic entity just hummed as it took both vials and responded.
"I will do my best, sir."
"Thank you, V-2. Alright, V-1! Time to see what lies in my genes." I muttered as I took my jacket off, turning around and slowly climbing into the pod.
Taking a deep breath and exhaling as the door closed on me, I looked to Superman before smirking amusedly as he looked more nervous than I did.
'He really is too good for his own good.' I thought before relaxing myself as the hum of the Medical Pod turning on filled the air, watching as numerous lasers began to slowly scan me from head to toe.
My eyes drifted to the display screen on the outside, where I watched Superman staring at the scanning data with an intense expression while V-1 controlled the scan.
A sudden beep made me jump slightly to signal the end of the scan, the pod door opening with a hiss and I was a bit surprised at the quickness of the scan even as I stepped out and looked at the furrowed brow of Superman.
"Found anything unusual?" I asked as I noticed his gaze and he looked at me as his expression shifted between confusion to contemplation and back again.
"It's…interesting."
"Interesting?" I asked with an amused yet concerned smile, which he returned with a shaky one of his own as he turned the display screen.
"Interesting, yeah. The scan shows that your Meta-Gene has fully awakened as we expected, but it's not that. It seems to have…merged with some of your Kryptonian DNA in a way that's unexpected to say the least."
"I can see that." While I was not the smartest knife in the log, the hours of biology lessons with Connor and the other two G-Gnomes were enough to help me understand the complex diagram in front of me.
"Yeah, your Meta-Gene seems to be actively reinforcing your Kryptonian physiology. Before, your human and Kryptonian genetics were competing to be dominant with your Kryptonians winning for the most part, of course. However, they appear to be harmonizing more and enhancing your physical capabilities even further."
"I feel like that's not all, is it?" I asked with a smirk and he chuckled before shaking his head, tapping another part of the diagram that brought up the points where my human and Kryptonian DNA seem to be melding together.
"From what I can see, your theory of your flight being a result of your Meta-Gene appears to be the correct one as it appears to be an application of your Tactile Telekinesis."
"Telekinesis? That's moving stuff with your mind, right?" I spoke and he made a so-so gesture as he continued.
"In the broad term, that is what Telekinesis is, but Tactile Telekinesis is limited to a few inches from your skin as it's an extension of your physical touch. Think of it as an invisible hand that's limited by how far your body can reach and allows you to apply telekinetic force directly to objects and people."
"I see. So if I infuse my body with it, I can enhance my physical capabilities with it."
"Essentially, yes, but this shows that neither your range nor duration is good right now. You'll have to train both for it to be efficient during combat."
"This all still sounds awesome." I spoke with a grin and he gave a faint smile while looking back.
"It is, but remember what I said. This power combined with your Kryptonian genes could make you feel invincible, but remember to stay grounded."
"Oh, I will definitely make sure it doesn't get to my head." I answered and before he could respond, we turned as V-2 approached while holding the two vials in its mechanical hands.
"Sir, I have completed the analysis. The modification is possible and it is also possible to remove the adverse side effects while keeping the enhancing properties of both serums, but doing so will require a long time for synthesising."
"How long?" Superman asked and V-2 turned to him before I winced at the answer.
"Approximately, one month, sir."
"…Think you can wait that long?" He asked with an amused smile and I rolled my eyes while turning to V-2.
"V-2, go through with the process and tell Superman when it's ready. He'll then decide whether or not I'm ready to take it."
"Wait, what?" He asked with a surprised look and I chuckled as I patted his shoulder.
"Well, you're the one that said I need to be in the right mindset before I can get more power so you'll be the one to decide when that is."
"And what if that's years from now?"
"Then it's your ass on the line if anything happens." I spoke with a happy smile before turning to V-1 as it spoke up from where it was standing besides one of the two solar pods.
"Sir, the Solar Pod is ready for usage."
"Think I'm ready?" I asked since he seemed to understand my diagram more than I did and smiled excitedly as he nodded.
"With your new merged DNA, I believe you are."
"Good. Hah, okay. Let's do this." I muttered as I walked towards the pod, climbing in and watching as the door slowly sealed shut.
Taking a deep breath while ignoring the faint hum vibrating through my body, I looked up as the lights around the pod lit up before I felt what felt like an intense and focused heat bathing me from all sides.
The next second, the rush of energy coursed through my veins and I watched my muscles swell and pulsate, each breath making the coursing energy accelerate even more.
"That's it. Don't fight it. Just let it soak in." Superman's voice came through the speaker and I just gave a slow nod as I sensed the telekinetic force humming beneath my skin, realizing just how broken I might become if I combine this with the serums.
Forget worrying about Vandal Savage and Mongul. I think I might just become strong enough to take on Darkseid himself.
'That's a lie. For all I know, the Darkseid of this universe might be on the same level as Trigon.'
"It feels…pretty great." I admitted as I clenched and unclenched my hands, to which he looked amused before a sharp beep echoed through the room.
Looking up at Superman for the source of it, I watched as his face turned serious while tapping a finger against his ear piece.
"Superman here. Go ahead."
"We have a situation. Amazo's on the move and he's already copied half of the League. Back-up is needed."
"On my way. A few minutes max." He answered and I watched as he lowered his finger while looking at me with a concerned look.
"Stay here. You'll be in the pod for another ten minutes and then I want you to get familiar with your power. We'll talk when I get back."
"Got it. You go and save the day while I'll keep an eye on things here." I spoke with a thumbs-up and he smiled with one last nod before the air popped as he flew out of the Fortress at a breakneck-speed.
Now left alone in the Fortress as I looked around at the light, I exhaled softly before closing my eyes with a deep breath as I continued to bathe in its light.
'…Wonder what the others are up to.'
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"Where's our leader when you need him?!" Wally exclaimed as he dashed across the icy landscape, struggling to find a grip as he watched the godzilla-lookalike they were fighting swinging its tail down onto the ice.
The impact sent rubble flying into the air only for it to stop midair, Megan frowning as she brought her hands down and shot the rubble back at the beast.
"We are the ones who told him he doesn't have to worry!" Kaldur exclaimed as he slammed the hilts of his weapons down onto the ice, a wave of magical energy rushing across the landscape before the ice below the beast turned into a wave of water.
"Well, that was a stupid idea!" Robin shouted as he threw four bird-a-rangs, each curving through the air and stabbing into the wet land around the Zilla before it roared in pain at the powerful surges of electricity rushing through its body.
"Stop fighting and let's get this damned mission over with!" Megan exclaimed and the boys nodded as they all focused more on the battle, but Connor watched them all fight before shaking his head.
'Leaving Chris behind was a bad idea.'
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"Oof~ You guys look rough." I spoke with a smile as I watched the team coming through the Zeta tubes, to which Kaldur just shook his head while Richard and Wally fell to the floor with groans.
"You…are never leaving a mission to us again." Megan spoke through a telepathic link and I chuckled at the tiredness in her voice while looking to Wally who was taking deep breaths.
"Weren't you the one who was bragging about being able to handle this thanks to your new speed?"
"Yeah, turns around giant mutant lizards don't really give a crap for superspeed." Richard groaned from where he was still face-planted on the cold floor.
"Or explosives, electricity or basically anything that wasn't just hitting it hard enough to knock it out."
"The creature was remarkably resilient. It took our combined efforts to subdue it and even that was quite exhausting." Kaldur added as he stood up and I smiled while keeping an arm out to help Megan stay on her feet.
"Hey, the most important thing is that you guys finished the mission and made it back in one piece…even if that piece looks like it got chewed up and spit out." I answered with a smirk, chuckling at their groans before looking back up at the figure appearing from the Zeta-tube.
The sight of Batman walking out of the tube with his cape billowing behind him made Wally and Richard groan while Kaldur took a deep breath as he looked at him.
"Report."
"The missions was successful, Batman. The creature has been subdued and contained."
"Good work. You'll have time to recover later as I have another assignment for you."
"Come on~", Megan groaned and I smiled softly as I carried her over to one of the few seats in the room, rolling my eyes as Batman's narrowed eyes.
"Don't worry, you can still do your debriefing." I answered with a smile as I picked Wally and Richard up, carrying them over to the other seats before walking back and helping Kaldur limp over to the last seat.
"You guys rest for now and I'll do this."
"N-No need to. Just give me a few minutes…and I'll be good." Wally spoke and I looked at him before looking back to Batman.
"How much time do we have before this mission needs to be completed?"
"It needs to be done now."
"There you go. You guys can join me later, but I'll start it off. Now, what's the mission?" I asked and his expression didn't waver even as he walked over to the table and pulled up numerous holographic screens.
"For the past four hours, the Justice League has been busy with taking care of the adaptive robot known as Amazo."
"Amazo? As in 'copies every power it sees' Amazo?" Richard asked as he immediately looked up and I grimaced as Batman nodded.
'Right, I forgot about this episode. Hmm, do I think I can take on a robot that can perfectly copy my ever move?'
"Yes, Robin. After the battle ended, we disassembled the Android and are about transport it to different locations. However, our intelligence suggests that there may be a third party that wishes to retrieve and reassemble these parts."
"So we're moving super Android parts now? Great. Just great." Wally muttered and I smirked as Batman continued.
"Your mission is to escort the convoy and ensure it reaches its location. Superman and I will be monitoring, but the main protection detail is on you."
"Got it. Any intel on who might be attacking?" I asked and nodded as Batman answered.
"None yet. Stay vigilant and do not underestimate whoever is behind this."
"Understood. Meet you at the convoy in a few." I answered and he nodded before making his way to the Zeta-Tube before my eyes widened as he threw out five keys at me.
"Looks like we can't leave you alone on this." Megan answered as she stood up and I rolled my eyes as the others agreed before nodding.
"Fine, then. Get some food and water, bandage up what you need to and let's make sure no one gets to steal the nightmare of a robot."
"Hey, you just got a sunbath while we had to fight Godzilla's cousin. You're doing most of the work." Wally grumbled and I chuckled as the others nodded.
"Sure. I'm not one to miss out on a good robot fight."
A/N: And the chapter ends off as we go on to the Amazo-fight, but will it just be Amazo or will there be a few new…additions?
We'll have to wait and see. Also, like I said, Chris has the potential to be powerful, but he's going to be busy with battles for a while and it will take a while before he can get to that point.
Next Chapter: Robotics and Elements.
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Ba-Bye~!