"What you have is not flight."
"What do you mean it's not flight? We saw him fly." Wally spoke with a raised eyebrow and I nodded as the five of us were back inside the cave after Megan and I's impromptu flight session.
"I thought so too, which is why I compared the footage of Superman flying with the footage of Superboy flying. Notice the difference." Richard spoke with a frown as he brought up two different screens and I narrowed my eyes when I saw how smooth Superman was compared to my choppy movements.
"Yeah, but Superman has been able to fly for years while Chris just got his powers. You can't compare the two."
"No, I kind of see what he means."
"You do?" Megan asked and I nodded as Richard smirked before pressing another button, everyone now paying attention as the camera perspective switched to show a dull yellow field surrounding my body while a potent golden one was around Superman.
"This is a special camera designed to study a Kryptonian's bio-electric field around their body and this is how he is able to study Superman."
"You guys just have something like this?" I asked, the others looking just as surprised as Richard smirked and nodded.
"Batman made it after spending enough time with Superman and he says it's how he was able to figure out how he and all Kryptonians by extension flew. Essentially, you all use the solar energy you absorbed from the sun to manipulate the gravitons in the bio-electric field around you.
Since Superman is a full-blooded Kryptonian that has been bathing in Earth's yellow sun for as long as he's been on this planet, his bio-electric field is potent which is why his flight seems as if he's doing it effortlessly. However, since you are a half-blooded Kryptonian with reduced genetic affinity for solar energy and hasn't been spending as much time in the sun, your bio-electric field is far weaker which means your control over the gravitons in said field is weaker."
"So, I just have to stay in the sun more as well as figure out a way to boost the strength of my Kryptonian cells and I'd be able to stabilize my flying?" I asked and Richard shrugged as he dismissed the screens while Kaldur hummed.
"From the looks of it, that appears to be the case, but one must never believe that the information given is the only information there is." The merman spoke and I nodded before turning back to Richard as he frowned slightly.
"However, what is confusing me more is whether this ability comes from your Meta-Gene or from your Kryptonian genes. Is your Meta-Gene one that boosts your Kryptonian cells or does it give you the ability of tactile telekinesis?"
"Hah, I see what you mean. If it's the former, then I can see why Lex Luthor wanted to make sure it was sealed away, but if it's the latter, that means that my Kryptonian cells are still weak."
"And if we can figure out how to strengthen those, you might become our Superman, eh?" Wally joked with a smirk and I rolled my eyes as Megan giggled while Kaldur patted my shoulder.
"We shall help you in figuring out which of the two it is. After all, what team would we be if we did not help our leader when he needed it?"
"Nope, I said I'm not being the leader. One of you will have to take the reigns."
"No thank you./ I feel like you're the best choice." Megan and Wally said respectively, but I just narrowed my eyes at Wally who whistled as he looked to the side.
Bastard wanted to be a leader, but I guess he saw just how much work it was and now doesn't want to.
'Quick bastard.'
"While I think that our leader shouldn't be picked impulsively, you are still a good choice." Richard chimed in and I blinked before turning to Kaldur who had his arms crossed.
"You want to be the leader?"
"…No. When Megan took out Mr. Twister, the rest of us doubted her judgement, but you did not. Yes, there was the matter with Sportsmaster that may have shifted my opinion of you somewhat, but there is no denying that you are focused on making sure that all of us make it back from a mission instead of just charging in headfirst. I stand by Batman's decision."
"…Urgh~ Fine. I guess if there's no other choice, I'll take the offer. However, it's only for the year and after that, we'll decide on a new leader like a democracy depending on who performed the best overall?" I proposed and they all looked at each other before nodding with smiles.
"That sounds quite reasonable./ I agree./ Same here./ You'll hear no complaints from me." Kaldur, Richard, Wally and Megan agreed respectively and I nodded before turning to Connor on my shoulder.
"My decision is the same as theirs. You are the best choice of the group."
"Okay, then. Then with my election as leader, I hereby name us…I don't know? Got any good names?"
"Ooh~ The Speed Force!"
"Not everyone is a speedster, Wally." I spoke with a deadpan stare and he grumbled before turning my gaze to Megan as she was the next to speak.
"The…Warriors?"
"…Not a bad name, but not heroic enough."
"The Young Justice League." Kaldur said and I just smirked at the irony as Wally and Richard shook their heads in unison.
"Nope, we're not being in the shadows of our mentors anymore."
"Very well. Then uh, you got a name?" I asked Richard and he blinked before shrugging.
"Strike Team Zero."
"…No." All of us answered in unison and Richard just shrugged before I scratched the back of my head.
"What about the Teen Titans?" I proposed, remembering one of the few DC animated show I had watched during my childhood along with Batman: The Brave and the Bold and the movies.
"I like it!" Megan spoke with a happy smile and I chuckled as I felt Connor's agreement before turning to the other three guys.
"It sounds powerful yet comforting. I like it."
"Eh, it sounds cool so I'm okay with it."
"I suppose if we can't pick Strike Team Zero, it will have to do."
"You can't be mad because we don't want to call ourselves Strike Team Zero of all things, can you?" I asked with a raised eyebrow and rolled my eyes as Richard shrugged.
"I'm not mad. In fact, I'm unmad that we decided on a good name."
"The word is happy."
"Let me be unmad." He grumbled and I chuckled as I watched him walking back to his room, Kaldur nodding at us as he decided to do the same before I turned as Wally spoke.
"Hey, Megan~"
"Oh, hey, Wally. Can't talk now. Chris, you want to go fly again?" She asked and I blinked as I glanced past her to see Wally already gone before nodding with a smile.
"Sure, I need the practise."
'Con?'
"Already on it." He responded as he dropped down from my shoulder, drawing Megan's attention as she blinked and turned to me.
"Didn't want to be sent flying again." I answered and she giggled before I focused on the feeling of weightlessness I felt, slowly smiling as I felt my body levitating before taking Megan's hand and letting her pull me out of the cave.
'Alright, time to learn how to fly~'
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The city of Metropolis was a beautiful one with tall skyscrapers and busy streets, its workers rushing through the streets to get to their jobs while others went about their business in the city.
Known as the City of Tomorrow and home to the Man of Steel, the city was one that was mostly peaceful save for the usual attack from a world-ending threat now and again and it was one that its residents could live with.
Today was one of those days as the support beams under a bridge came falling down, the people on it panicking as they watched their ends drawing closer.
It was within that same second that Lex Luthor watched a figure flying out of the sky and under the bridge, a displeased frown on his face as he watched the boyscout known as Superman lifting the bridge back up.
'Of course he of all people managed to make it.' The businessman thought with a frown as he stared at the bridge while seated in his office, his assistant standing still behind him as they watched Superman fix the bridge as best as he could.
However, he raised an eyebrow and narrowed his eyes as he saw another figure landing on top of the bridge, a bit surprised when he saw Project Kr floating away while picking up three cars before placing them at the far ends of the bridge.
"Mercy, was Project Kr supposed to have flight?"
"Not at all, sir. You were the one who made sure of it." His bodyguard spoke with a stoic look in her brown eyes and Lex hummed before standing up as he walked closer to the glass window.
It's been a month since those brats under the Justice League took out one of his Cadmus Labs and took his weapon away, costing him not only his position in the Light but also a few of his higher-paying deals and partners.
He had expected there to be some loss when he had let Kr join with the brats, but what he was not expecting was for not only one of the G-Gnomes to join Project Kr but also for the weapon in question to retain all of his memories of everything he had undergone in his labs.
Truthfully, Lex knew that he should be in a maximum security prison after all of his crimes came to light, but unlike the average criminal, Lex had billions to make sure that he never saw the inside of a prison unless he needed to.
However, with this development, the Light had decided that he was too much of a high-risk moderate-reward target so he was demoted to a more…'official' position.
' 'Official position'. Ha! They could have been blunt and simply said I was a scapegoat.' Lex Luthor, though, was not one to just take this on the chin and not retaliate as he had already made plans to get back to his position.
But…
"If Kr decides to operate in Metropolis, that may bring some problems. Mercy, prepare our contingency plans and make sure no one finds out."
"Yes, sir." Mercy spoke with a nod as she walked out of the office, Lex turning his gaze back when the two Kryptonians flew up into the sky before smirking as he sat back down with a deep breath.
Oh, everyone that had wronged him will get their comeuppance.
'Patience is a virtue and Lex Luthor is nothing but virtuous.'
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"Whee~"
"Since when can you fly?" Clark asked with a smirk as we flew through the air and I stopped my flipping to look at his amused smile before shrugging as I spun around to fly normally.
"For almost two weeks, I think? Not sure, but Megan has been a lot of help in letting me figure out just how it works."
"Is it the same telekinetic flight I use?" He asked and I blinked as I realized this was my chance to figure out whether it's my Meta-Gene giving me flight or my Kryptonian side.
"Firstly, we believe that it could be, but we're uncertain. Secondly, how exactly does your…flight work? Cam you give me a detailed description?"
"Wishing to see if you could get some pointers?" I just a shameless shrug at his question and he chuckled before humming.
"Huh, how do I describe it? Oh, got it! Every living being has this bio-electric field around them and that's the same for us Kryptonians, but unilke most beings, we are able to manipulate this bio-electric field to essentially give ourselves flight.
For example, I can pull the field to my left or my right and since it's connected to my body, my body goes with it." As he explained, he demonstrated what he was talking about as well and I hummed as I watched him easily shift from side to side like it was nothing.
'So, pull it left…' Doing as he said, I felt the skintight energy around my body moving to the left before grunting as my body was pulled along, able to catch myself thanks to Megan's training before smiling as Clark chuckled while clapping his hands.
"See? It's pretty easy. Therefore, the more you pull, the faster…you go!" With a grunt, I blinked as the man shot up with a soft boom, a frown adorning my face as I focused before pulling hard on my field.
In that same split second, my eyes widened as I shot up and past him, Clark's laughter filling the air as I slowly let go while pulling on the opposite side, glaring at the snickering Superman as he floated up next to me.
"Yeah, shouldn't have pulled too harshly. That's kind of the downside."
"Gee, I didn't notice. So, is that all there is to flight?" I asked and he shrugged as he began flying backwards, with me following after him as he turned and responded.
"Kind of. That's all I had to learn and it didn't take me long before I had it figured out."
"I see."
"So, despite the attempt from earlier, you're pretty good at this." He said and I smiled while nodding.
"Yeah, Megan taught me how to fly during the time we were at the cave."
"Huh, you and Martian Manhunter's niece sure love hanging out with each other."
"It's kind of like our little thing just like how Kaldur, Richard and Wally like hanging out together more with each other. We're the aliens bonding and they're like the science lovers bonding, but we mesh well together as a team when we need to."
"Ah, it's like you have your own cliques." He spoke and I looked at him before shaking my head with a chuckle as he looked to me with a confused smile.
"Is…is it not?"
"No, it is. Just felt kinda weird and funny to hear you say that."
"Really?" He asked with a deadpan stare before shaking his head as I snickered whilst nodding.
"Fine. What about the team? How are they doing under your leadership?"
"Oh, the Teen Titans are doing fine. We've managed to come up with a few strategies of our own for certain situations along with training the ones Batman handed us and there's no problems so far on the leadership front so far so we're all good."
"Speaking of Batman, he told me of what you said."
"You mean the part of you killing me during my training?" I asked and shrugged as Clark nodded with a frown.
"Exactly that. How many times did we, uh…fight?"
"Around eighty times for a low ball and maybe a bit over 150 for a high ball."
"And you died every time?"
"Yep, your duplicate was really strong despite how many times I studied your attack patterns."
"And you weren't affected negatively by all the deaths?" He asked and I realized why he was asking these question as I chuckled and nodded while the two of us landed in a park.
"Don't worry, I am. The training itself was not that harsh and I've been having Connor and Megan help me work through my time in there. So far, it's been good."
"And the incident with Sportsmaster?" He asked and I frowned as I looked to him.
"Batman?"
"He told me, yes, but I am genuinely concerned about how you feel, Chris. I may not be able to be your father, but I am still your cousin…or uncle?" He sounded confused at which one to pick and my chuckles drew his attention as I shook my head.
"Either of the two works for me, but let's stick to uncle for now to make it sound more believable. As for your question, I am genuinely trying to make sure that never happens again, which is I also refrained from jumping into today's mission to Antarctica to fight off some ancient beast."
"Ah, I see. Well, since it's just us, want to go to the Fortress and finally get you scanned by the Medical Pods?" He asked and my eyes widened before the ground under us cracked as we both shot into the air.
"Last one to the fortress has to buy pizza when we get back?" He proposed and I grinned as I shot forward without saying anything, hearing Clark laugh before I quickly accelerated as I heard him picking up speed as well.
A free pizza from Superman himself? Oh, I was not letting him win at all.
'Time to win a pizza…along with figure out just how my Kryptonian cells actually work.
A/N: And we end off on a cliffhanger as we move to the Fortress of Solitude. The team have had a discussion, decided on theTeen Titansfor their name and are about to face off against one of their biggest and strongest match-ups.
Also, like I said, if it's possible, I'm mixing episodes together to mess up the timeline even more so if you see some new faces that weren't in the episode, just know that I did change some stuff around.
Also, Teen Titansis just a temporary name or it could be their permanent name. It all depends on who likes it and who doesn't.
Another last also, this story has been a slow one up until now so we're putting this into overdrive. Nothing is getting cut away and I'm still going to include parts from the comics and that one game it had, but like I said, we're mixing stuff around to accelerate the timeline tremendously.
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.
As always, read, enjoy, review and until next week...
Ba-Bye~!