THIS PART IS NOW CLOSED. YOU CAN CONTINUE POSTING FILLS, BUT PLEASE PROMPT ALL NEW THINGS
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Part one here! Part two here! Part three here! Part four here! Part five here! Part six here! Part seven here! Part eight here! Feel free to reprompt posts from previous parts once. If you do so, I'd recommend leaving a link to your fill on the original prompt,
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Creating a single being capable of matching up to Superman had proven to be impossible, the only hope to see such a being was for Superman to find a way to reproduce asexually, so why not create a team? A team of beings that could, together, meet the impossible standard set by the Kryptonian.
They already had ‘The Superboy’, who would meet his ‘father’ in raw strength, and the files on his desk provided the perfect recruits.
The first was a report outlining the discovery of a stowaway on a supply ship sent by an... opportunist from Mars. A young female of the species, already capable of flight, camouflage, and some psychic abilities that he had reason to believe would grow with time and training.
Currently, the Martian was being subjected to experimentation, as Cadmus sought to understand the physiological differences that allowed her her powers, the hope being to find a way to mimic those abilities, but Desmond could always have her transferred to his control.
The second file was of the newest speedster to show up in Central City, ‘Kid Flash’. That one was interesting, as those of the Flash legacy were purported to be even faster than the red and blue clad hero of Metropolis. If Desmond remembered correctly there was once even a race, ran for charity, that proved the Scarlet Speedster’s claims to being ‘the Fastest Man Alive’.
The Flash himself would be too old, too set in his ways to ever be coerced into furthering the Light’s agenda, but his sidekick was young, malleable and impressionable. He would break easily.
It would take work, the ‘team’ would need to be trained to work together, they would need to grow together and learn to depend on one another. But it would pay off in the end.
The Superboy would be able to match Superman for strength, Kid Flash for speed, and the Martian’s array of natural abilities would provide the foil for the miscellaneous Kryptonian powers.
It would not be the perfect balance, and perhaps the team might never be able to defeat Superman, but then, defeating Superman was never the point. Superman had merely raised the bar, and now Cadmus was finally catching up.
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It had been difficult, but the younger speedster had eventually slowed down long enough for a sniper to hit him with a tranquilizer powerful enough to put down a bull elephant. The fact that they had had to dose him repeatedly during the transit back to Cadmus Labs had been unexpected, but did not raise need for concern.
When awake, however, his attempts at escape showed a rather interesting level of destructive capability.
It seemed that, unlike his predecessors in the Flash legacy, the Speedster, as the scientists had already taken to calling him, had not yet mastered the ability to move through solid matter. As a result, his attempts at vibrating his molecules resulted in violently combusting whatever he was trying to move through, and dealing him with some particularly nasty feedback that left him unconscious.
It was Desmond’s fond hope that that ability be furthered, and mastered, at great speed.
The Speedster was taken to a secure holding cell, one that was unique, not only because it was strong enough that not even Superman could punch his way out, and dense enough that not even the Martian Manhunter could escape through the walls, but also because it had been specially built to house the ‘team’.
Within it’s confines were three beds and a small bathroom. This would be the team’s home whenever they were not being trained, or subjected to experimentation.
The Superboy had already been moved in, his age incomplete at the equivalent of a fourteen year old, with the intention that growing with his teammates would help to raise their efficiency at a team. It would be time consuming, but overall, it would be worth it.
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The Speedster initially distrusted Superboy, but after he clinically revealed their purpose for being there, as well as his origins as a genetically altered clone of the Man of Steel, the Speedster reacted surprisingly sympathetically, and began trying to convince the technically younger teen to help him escape.
And, when that failed, he at least tried to convince the human/kryptonian hybrid that he was, in fact, a person, rather than just a living weapon.
That argument was going very slowly, at an almost excruciatingly painstaking pace for the young speedster, but went considerably faster once the Martian was transferred into the holding cell less than a day later.
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Many animals, such as hyenas, will use touch to reassure members of the pack. In a similar manner, Martians almost always maintain telepathic links with one another, sharing thoughts and feelings in place of verbal communication, and reassuring family members with the mere presence of their mental contact.
Whilst being subjected to the experiments of Cadmus Labs, the Martian had been deprived of this contact by the G-gnomes, who protected the scientist’s minds from her attempts to forge mental links. As such, whilst undergoing her torturous ordeal, the Martian was also kept mentally isolated, deprived of even the basic comforts that she was accustomed to back on Mars.
Because of this, when she was transferred into the holding cell, her mind, immediately sensing the presence of two others, latched onto them, forging a telepathic bond between the three of them whilst they slept, if only to preserve her sanity.
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The Martian was completely dependent on the other two to maintain her mental stability. Simply removing the Speedster and the Superboy from her telepathic range was enough to render her catatonic.
The Superboy, after spending the first portion of his life devoid of social interaction, became dependent on the Martian, and to a lesser extent the Speedster, to maintain his emotional balance, as he dealt with feelings that were, in many ways, completely alien to him. When removed from their presence, he became quick to anger, with often destructive results, and it was not uncommon for him to find himself at a loss of how to react to many situations, primarily those that required him to blend in to a population.
The Speedster, surprisingly enough, was the least dependent on his teammates. Considering his former life of heavy social interaction, he adapted quite well to only ever communicating with two individuals and, when removed from the others, his emotional stability was maintained, as was his mental balance. The only thing that degraded was his patience.
Due to the boy’s hero complex, a result of his previous life outside of Cadmus, the Speedster had taken upon himself the responsibility of ensuring that the other members of his team, both of whom were emotionally unstable, got through whatever ordeals they were faced with. In essence, he became their unofficial leader, maturing a surprising degree as a result.
As such, whenever he was not in a position to instantly come to the aid of either the Martian or the Superboy, this newfound maturity disintegrated, and he became restless, rash, impatient and... overly talkative, until he was assured of their safety.
This increased drastically when Cadmus instituted a policy of harming individual team members for the failures of the others, in order to further their cooperation.
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Training was rougher than any of them, bar Superboy, could have imagined in their previous lives.
The Martian, after all, had been a civilian on Mars, until her dreams of going to Earth had led her to try and stow away on her Uncle J’onn’s ship, only to find herself on a different one entirely.
The Speedster had had training, but not to the extent that Cadmus enforced. The difference in standards was not the only problem, however. He had been taught by his Uncle, taught to harness his speed using it carefully against opponents to prevent unnecessary damage, and to use it for the good of others. That was drastically different to the Cadmus scientists teaching him to use his speed to kill, or incapacitate, before his presence was registered.
The Superboy was preconditioned to handle the training, a result of the G-gnomes telepathic teachings before his awakenings.
Still, despite this odd imbalance, there was never any contest for leadership in the field.
The Speedster may have had the most practical experience in live operations, let alone in proper teamwork, the Superboy may have had the best scores in his personal training sessions, and the Martian may have been the most powerful member of the trio, but, when training simulations to enhance their teamwork arose, they operated without a leader.
Due to the mental link forged between them, they did not require one. The Speedster shared his experience and the garnered wisdom, the Superboy lent his knowledge and strategic gifts, the Martian lent her power, and they would remain in constant communication during their ‘missions’, rapidly formulating and agreeing on specific plans as fast as the situation changed.
Put simply, they did not require a single individual to lead them through times of indecision, like other teams. They could work through it themselves, almost as though they were a singular unit.
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These went much more slowly, as the longer the session took, the more the individual would deteriorate without the company of their teammates, but progress was made, even if the teams interdependency did not.
This was ‘corrected’ when the scientists began to hold members of the team hostage, threatening them with the punishment should the free member fail. After this, the team’s individual skills grew significantly.
The Martian’s skill with shapeshifting improved, and she eventually found herself capable of mimicking the male form as well as females. Density shifting, unfortunately, was a much more advanced technique, and required the wisdom of another martian to be learned successfully.
The Superboy’s strength grew, as did his hand to hand combat skills. It was estimated that, if he ever caught Superman grounded, then the Superboy would be victorious in a purely physical confrontation.
The Speedster too, never did acquire the skill to pass through solid objects, but his skills with manipulating his vibrational frequencies did improve, and despite not being able to walk through walls, he could successfully blow them up without negative feedback.
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Their first true mission was a startling success.
It was the first time in over a year that they had been allowed outside of Cadmus’s facility. For the Superboy, it was the first time that he saw the world he had been born into, and for the Martian, it was the first time she saw the planet that she had traded her own for.
Their mission was simple, a test of their loyalties, as well as their skills. It was a simple assassination.
One of the Cadmus scientists had gone rogue, even going so far as stealing information and going to the police with the intent to publicize Cadmus’s true purpose.
The Team never knew, as the Superboy and the Speedster dealt with the police officers assigned to protect the ‘witness’ of the Cadmus case and the Martian choked him with her telekinesis, ensuring that not a single mark was left on his body, that, had he succeeded in his goal, it could well have meant their freedom.
It had been a simple mission, one that set the tone for the next year of their lives.
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After the first, there had been many others. Many assassinations, several thefts, and even a few recruitment missions, for when a particular scientific mind did not fully appreciate the ‘offer’ Cadmus had given them.
It was almost a year after their first kill that they got their 23rd mission. Unlike all of their previous excursions, this did not involve them taking part in criminal activities. Rather, it involved playing bodyguard to one of the Light’s most valued member.
Lex Luthor, CEO of LutherCorp and presidential candidate for 2012, was holding a private function of Metropolis’s more influential citizens in order to further his campaign. Lex Luthor, who had more enemies than the Queen has subjects.
Mr. Luthor was concerned for the safety of his guests, and, considering the nature of Metropolis’s high profile criminals, had decided to increase his security for the night in question.
The Light had seen fit to grant his request, as the power and influence he would gain as President of the United States was much too valuable to risk losing to an assassin on the payroll of an idiot with a grudge.
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‘Conner Williams’ and ‘Megan Morse’, two children of some of Mr. Luthor’s lesser known campaign contributors, entered within ten minutes of another, and rarely spent more than a few moments in each other’s company for most of the evening.
In fact, most of the time, they were on opposite ends of the LutherCorp ballroom, individually scanning, Conner with his enhanced hearing and Megan with her telepathy, for any hint of a threat.
Meanwhile, one of the waiters, ‘Wally Wilson’, flitted about the room, cheerfully delivering champagne to Mr. Luthor’s guests, keeping his own eye out for trouble, simultaneously keeping track of the telepathic conversation going on in his head.
Conner and M’gann, as the Martian girl was always referred to as within the safety of his mind, had yet to find anything, but that was only to be expected. The trouble had not been estimated to begin until Mr. Luthor begun his speech.
In the meantime, the three merely needed to blend in to the crowd, and keep a watchful eye out for the unexpected.
As Wally carefully avoided a passing busboy on his way back to the ballroom floor, he mentally coached Conner on how to deal with the hotel heiress who was flirting with him rather blatantly, simultaneously sending soothing thoughts to M’gann, who watched helplessly, before she did anything rash.
It still amazed him how, despite being in mental contact for the better part of two years, both of the aliens had managed to hide their feelings from the other, but, then again, all that experience with constantly hearing each others’ thoughts had forced them to develop mental defenses that many would envy, if only to maintain their sanity.
Knowing absolutely everything about another person was not necessarily a good thing, after all, and all of the three had personal thoughts that they were able to keep private.
Plus, vocalizing their feelings would just give Cadmus something else to use against them.
Passing off yet another glass of champagne, he winked at the girl he was currently serving, noting idly that Conner had successfully warded off the heiress’s efforts.
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‘Megan’, as the humans called her, was currently sitting on the edge of a small group of people at one of the dining tables, half listening to the conversation going on around her, she continually scanned the crowd for any traces of trouble.
She smiled shyly at the boy who was currently ‘escorting’ her, before excusing herself to the ladies’ room, knowing that she would not be returning to the trivial conversation, and instead moved on to another group of slightly older individuals closer to the buffet, discretely ageing her physical appearance to fit in.
Idly informing Wally of the buffet’s selection, and holding in a grin at his promise to clean it out after the mission was complete, Conner interjected with new information.
He informed them, from his position nearer to the podium, that he was hearing the sounds of guns cocking, Heckler & Koch MP5’s unless he was mistaken. The attack, whoever it was, was happening now.
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Wally was on the northern side of the room, and reacted first, as he generally did. He had been returning to the kitchens for a fresh tray of champagne, but swiftly shifted direction, making his way to the doors as he skilfully manoeuvred through the crowds.
Conner, by the podium, began to stride purposefully towards the doors, aware of the looks he was getting due to his sudden motion and powerful, determined, movements, but not particularly concerned with them. Subtlety never had been one of his strong points.
M’gann was on the eastern end of the buffet table, situated against the southernmost wall, was the closest to the threat, and was also the first to arrive to her position. Stopping just south of the doors, whilst Conner and Wally positioned themselves amongst the crowd nearest the entry point.
Then... they waited. They did not yet know the size of the enemy force, nor their identity, purpose, or threat level. So they waited.
They didn’t wait long.
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The moment the door burst open, the team put their training to use.
Wally immediately began to catalogue the enemy, broadcasting his thoughts to the others, so that a plan could be formulated.
There were ten targets, Wally informed them. Nine mercenaries, judging from the posture and equipment, and the leader hanging at the back of the pack.
Their plan was agreed upon before the first bullet was fired.
It was a warning shot, fired into the roof, but the attention of the guests had been grasped, and the trio used that to their advantage.
M’gann used the brief shock of those around her to activate her chameleonic abilities, fading into the background as everyone’s attention was diverted.
Conner, already at the forefront of the crowd, glared at the soldiers, doing his best to look like a threat. With his powerful build and eyes that had seen more than his age would suggest, that wasn’t difficult, and more than one gun was focussed on his bulletproof form.
Wally adjusted his grip on his tray, before initiating the attack.
He flung the empty tray like a frisbee, towards the closest thug, before speeding into action, with M’gann simultaneously launching a telekinetic push, destabilizing the gunmen closest to her from the other side of the group.
Conner jumped forwards, easily accepting the gunfire that was now being heaped on him as he reached the first of ones to fire on him, dealing him a blow that launched him into two of his comrades.
Wally, once free of the cumbersome tray, had sped into his own attack, drawing a pair of knives from hidden sheaths, he idly wished he had his katanas as he expertly sliced into his opponents, but the swords had been too cumbersome to conceal.
Within six seconds of their initial attack, the nine mercenaries were all incapacitated, either dead or unconscious.
The Superboy had caved in the ribcage of his first opponent with the strength of his punch, driving fragments of bone into his lungs and heart and killing him moments later. The strength of his blow had also hurtled the mercenary into the forms of two of his comrades, dealing concussions that left them incapacitated until the police arrived.
The Martian had utilized her telekinesis to disarm two of the gunmen as she silently moved, unseen, behind them, dealing heavy blows to the back of their heads that rendered them unconscious before they hit the floor.
The Speedster had cut down the remaining four, leaving them dead and bleeding from at least one major artery each.
The leader of the mercenaries himself was killed before he could flee the scene, cut down by a telekinetically controlled steak knife, before the trio themselves made themselves scarce, disappearing out the door and into the night before the significance of their actions could be registered.
Onstage, watching the attack from the podium, Lex Luthor smiled dangerously as he noted several of the, uh, ‘less reputable’ members of the audience failed to hide looks of interest from their faces. The demonstration had been a success.
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and poor wally, he's the third wheel even when their minds are all linked.
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Also, poor M'gann. I just want to hug her after reading this. She just went into the wrong ship and this happened. I cannot imagine what will happen should she ever be separated from both Superboy and Wally.
The way you write their team dynamics, how they come together, and their first and 23rd mission are amazing! I can't wait to read more!
Thank you for filling and I hope you continue this soon!
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As for M'gann, yeah, she thought she was jumping on her Uncle's ship, but ended up in a lab. As for what happens when separated from the other two, well, catatonic is a good word for it.
And I do intend to add more, but I'm having a little trouble with my computer at the moment, so it might be a while before I can upload the next segments.
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Just wondering, was Wally friends with Roy and/or Dick before he was abducted?
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