[Today they've decided to run some tests on me in order to gauge my capabilities. I'm just as curious, honestly. I just wonder what sort of scaling will be used to deduce such measurements. ]
"You may begin, Subject 13." A male informs the artificial youth, standing at a fair distance away along with other scientists within the lab. There's at least a dozen of them on this endeavor; busy bodies in lab coats managing whatever task they're assigned. Most of them have their eyes on a screen.
The lad clad in black approaches the weight device before him. There's a small delay before he finally proceeds with the trial and crouches, delving his fingers underneath the rim of the pillar-like structure to get a sturdy grip. Then, he lifts while rising to stand with a straight posture. No apparent struggle as he raises and holds the device over his head, stepping up onto the short pedestal that previously supported it. Arms outstretched and parallel.
"Excellent. The subject is handling the 7% mark quite well. Elevate it to 17%." The same man requests of his peer responsible for the control panel of the weight machine.
"17 it is, Dr. Welkon." Dr. Kent obliges kindly, using sharp precision in turning the dial up to the requested amount. Personally, she’s more curious about the 70% mark, believing anything below is child's play for someone of the clone's caliber. After all, they're dealing with a kryptonian hybrid.
[ I can hear the clicks of the dial as that peculiar woman turns it. I feel no change at all. It leaves me wondering if there was slow development during the adjustments, or if there's a malfunction of some kind. ]
"Good, good. No visible change." Dr. Welkon observes, tapping away with a single hand at the touch-pad within his possession like a mobile keyboard.
"47% now, Dr. Kent."
"M'hmm." Again, Dr.Kent turns the dial to the right further. The clone's expression changes by the time she finishes. Confusion being the emotion written across his boyish features; a brow raising as he looks up to study the mechanical pillar.
[ Did…. It actually change this time? It feels slightly different. Heavy? No, not at all. Not yet. ]
"How are you holding up, Subject 13? Feeling any pressure yet?" Welkon asks, briefly looking up to await an answer.
"Not quite. I thought maybe there was a small notable change, but I find myself skeptical of that assessment now. Can you possibly double the output, doctor?" The clone responds stoically. Welkon blinks with surprise, while Dr. Kent herself grins at his answer.
"...Very well. Ms. Kent, it's your call. Feel free to oblige the subject as much as you deem fit."
"I certainly will. Don't let us down, Superboy." She teases with a soft chuckle, now beginning to turn the dial at her leisure. 49%, 54%, 59%...
No visible change from the subject.
63%, 67%, 69%...
The clone's expression shifts again. From pondering to solemn concentration. His elbows and knees momentarily bend from the pressure, but all it takes is a fair amount of effort in pushing against the weight to straighten out his limbs again.
"Still going strong over there?" Dr. Kent asks while peering over her shoulder. She receives a swift and firm answer from the clone.
"Yes. More." He demands instinctively. Nonetheless, she provides what he seeks. She resumes turning the dial. 72%, 75%, 79%, 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%...
"This is… This is nothing. Keep going." The artificial young man presses, an obvious straining behind his voice.
[ It has definitely become a task to keep this thing high above my head. I'm not worried, only determined. This isn't my limit… It's growing difficult, but this machine won't beat me. I will not allow it. ]
"Oh, maybe we really are dealing with the reincarnation of Superman." And with that, Dr. Kent increases the weight with a significant jump to 95%. She pauses there.
"Still good?"
"...Still good!" Through gritting teeth, he keeps pushing the mass of gravity that threatens to overwhelm him. His knees tremble and inevitably bend a few degrees, his arms struggling to keep from bending in a similar fashion. Then, she gives the max output. 100% with a final twist. From there, it’s just a matter of observing how long he can maintain under the weight. Dr. Kent watches with piqued fascination, her peers however, are frozen with wide-eyed disbelief. Their expectations had been surpassed at the 75% mark.
[ There's a burning in my arms, a rush in my chest. Adrenaline fuels me as I metaphorically fight against the discomfort. It's almost unbearable… No, it's growing unbearable. My muscles are being strained, but I can't accept that perhaps I've hit the ceiling in terms of capacity. I have to push and stand tall. ]
The clone is snarling in the midst of struggling, seeming on the verge of crumpling under the pressure. The pillar is merely inches away from making contact with his raven head of hair, his knees nearly caving into a crouching position. Now, the lad is finally forced to give it his all. He pushes with all of his might while his cyan pupils begin to gleam with a faint redness that steadily grows by the seconds.
"K-kh-khuuuk…" His breath cracks behind his pearly whites as he challenges his limit. It's a quaky uphill battle, but he refuses to be denied. His eyes are glowing -- drowning in a pool of boiling crimson as he fights on.
"The… the subject seems to be at his limit… maybe we should initiate the Emergency Stop." Dr. Welkon suggests.
"Hmm…. Maybe we should." Dr. Kent responds rather casually, stroking her chin in thought.
Then, the clone gives his biggest push yet. 100% in turn.
"GUUAAAAAH!!' He roars out at intense volume, his outburst spreads out in a wave of echoes that inflict discomfort on the eardrums of nearly everyone inside the room. Cracking sensitive monitors as the lime tint illuminating the room shifts to an overshadowing burst of red. Heat vision discharges from the clone's eye sockets, searing through the wall in front of him, extending in lines as he stands. While startled shrieks can be heard, one individual calmly puts an end to the test with just a few pushes of a button. Meanwhile, the artificial kryptonian shuts his eyes tight. Thin red trails of smoldering smoke just barely seep out from them.
"Subject 13, step off the platform and remain calm." Dr. Kent orders while approaching. After feeling his muscles being relieved of the mass pressure, he does as he's told. His breathing is anxious and entirely through his nostrils. He's taken the precaution to place a hand over his eyes while trying to figure out what just occurred.
[ I saw red… It was like looking through heavy tinted windows. No other color to be seen… I could still see, but it was as if my frustration was consuming me. It would also appear I have heat-vision. I hope I didn't cause an inconvenience, but I don't regret finding out this way. ]
A pair of hands find a place upon the clone's shoulders. He couldn't see it, but Dr. Kent was examining him.
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"It's okay, don't be alarmed by the heat vision. Just breathe slowly. Think of a thin body of water flowing down a gentle river stream. It's cool, relaxing, and soothing. Nothing exciting for miles around." She paints a serene mental picture, something she feels will likely bring down his heart rate. Surely enough, it does. The clone's breathing simmers to slow and deep breaths, expelling what previously excited him.
"Good. The redness is gone now." Dr. Kent states with a smile, though it’s a wonder how she can even tell such a thing when he's covering his eyes completely. A detail that goes unnoticed by him. He finally lowers his hand and opens his eyes. He briefly sees something off. The woman's eyes were different… a shade of monochrome. He blinks and they're back to their usual sky blue color. Was he imagining things? Momentary discoloration perhaps? No… everything else is normal about her in that second.
"Wonderful job, by the way. Not only have you proven you can lift 8/10th of Earth's entire mass, but have confirmed we've successfully transferred Superman's powers into you. Looks like we already know what to test next. Can't have you accidentally burning the facility down, after all."
[ Hours go by after that. Dr. Kent is oddly knowledgeable in the accessibility of my powers. How much force to use, how to alternate through my vision arsenal, how to control wether my super-breath blows someone away or freeze them on the spot. How to levitate.. How to ascend and descend. All with easy to comprehend instructions and analogies. She speaks as if she's had firsthand experience. I'm grateful for her aid, but I can't help but wonder about her. ]
The trials have concluded and the results were given. The clone is informed that he is indeed a successful development. According to their gathered data, he possesses 75% of Superman's potential, perhaps even a few points higher. Nonetheless, it’s more than adequate.
Now, there's just the final step of informing the benefactors, starting with the more generous source of the two: Lex Luthor.
For now, the clone is advised to rest, and limited to a single floor of the building. Plenty of recreational activities, a bedroom, kitchen, and even a high-end training room. Yet, the youth seems only interested in gazing out the living room window and at the nameless city in the distance. He's like a statue. Silent and unmoving, though making full use of his various vision enhancements and super-hearing to observe the civilians below.
It's, unsurprisingly, Dr. Kent who comes checking in on him and discovers this. His hearing inevitably picks up on the sound of the elevator ascending and her footsteps.
"Enjoying the view?" She asks, now standing on the other side of the room. Hands tucked away into the pockets of her lab coat.
"I am. It's an entirely different perspective to observe society in person."
"Ha. In person, huh? You're peering through a glass. An outsider looking in, sort of speaking."
"I was merely referring to the ability to see it with my own eyes, doctor."
"Just wait till you're out there yourself. Experiencing what it means to be a part of society -- to be alive. It'll shape you in ways you can't imagine." She tells him. In turn, he silently thinks on the doctor's words. The pause is brief. A vibration goes off in her pocket, swaying her into pulling out her cellphone and checking newly arrived notifications. Her eyes light up before she speaks up again.
"Oh, looks like that might be sooner than I thought! You have a guest, Superman."
[ Dr. Kent told me that I had a guest. I can only assume it's someone who has invested interest in me. The list is likely short, but definitely more than one. We head down to the 1st floor together via one of the elevators. ]
With a 'ding!', the elevator comes to a stop at the selected floor. The iron doors peel open to allow both Dr.Kent and the artificial young man clad in decorative black to step out onto the floor, as well as the field of vision of their guest–
"Mr. Luthor. In the flesh, I presume?" Dr. Kent greets them as they meet the opposite party at the center of the large lobby room. Raising a brow from behind her glasses to go along with her semi jest.
"Heh. Oh, I certainly am, Ms. Kent. I just had to see your handiwork with my own eyes…" Lex responds with a grin plastered across his lips. Then, his eyes shift over to the subject of interest. The solemn visage of his commissioned kryptonian. He steps closer, coming to stand just a meter away from the clone as he studies it with critical eyes.
"You'll be glad to know that he was a tremendous success, Mr. Luthor. I had him undergo some tests. Subject 13 is functional, genetically stable, and possesses just about all of Superman's powers. Or so I assume. For the time being, only flight, super strength, heat vision, telescope vision, and x-ray vision are confirmed. I imagine he'll learn to utilize more abilities with time." Dr. Kent explains, gesturing toward the clone while also placing a hand upon his shoulder.
"I see!" Lex enthusiastically muses, briefly looking her way as he does. His focus settles onto the clone again right after.
"So tell me, my dear boy, do you have any idea who I am?"
"Lex Luthor, the head of Lex Corp. and the prime benefactor of my creation. Also the most renowned name in Metropolis City." The clone answers with no emotion behind his tone. Gray and smooth.
"Adequately informed. Adequately informed, indeed. Excellent work, Dr. Kent. Now, I won't beat around the bush here. I have a… inconvenience that needs to be confronted. Nipped right in the bud, in fact. I've received word that there may be a raid of some sort on a S.T.A.R. Labs facility that I have an involvement in. I have other other means of handling it, but since our Superman here is up and active, I want to test his capabilities on the field. I need him to guard the researchers and their device. Make sure it doesn't fall into unfavorable hands, and I need that done today. Are you up for it… Superman?" Lex was quick to cut to the chase with a bit of a tall order for a technical newborn.
"I am. I'm ready to prove myself." The clone responds, determination gleaming in his eyes and radiating from his clenching fists. Beside, Dr. Kent adjusts her glasses with somewhat of a concerned expression on her face.
"Technically, he's ready to learn and adapt, but we've barely scratched the surface of simulations to teach him." She forewarns.
"Oh, I'm sure it'll be fine. You heard him. The young man says he's ready, and I'd like to see if he's worth every last dollar I poured into him. We leave immediately. To keep your presence under wraps, I'll have a means of transportation ready for you that'll take you there through an underground entrance." Lex explains.
"Wait. Do you… mind if I accompany him?" Dr. Kent prods rather sheepishly.
"With all due respect, Dr. Kent–" Lex begins, but she's quick to cut in with an argument for her suggestion.
"I only wish to make sure he's able to perform and obtain a desirable result that doesn't possibly involve leveling a city block, let alone a building. You could call it moral support, honestly. I know better than to get in his way." She explains.
"Fine. Makes no difference to me either way. Your ride will arrive shortly after my departure. While I was eager to see the subject, I still have a busy schedule ahead of me today. Nonetheless, I'll be watching. I bid you two a good and fruitful day." Lex obliges her wish, then proceeds to take his leave. The security guards at his flank follow behind and toward the limousine waiting outside the building.
"Well, looks like you're getting that live experience sooner than I thought, Subject 13." Dr. Kent comments, exchanging a casual stare with the artificial lad.
________________
[ Nearly 30 minutes pass by the time we reach the S.T.A.R. Labs facility and its sub-level laboratory. So far, it's been awfully bright and loud for the most part. The constant crackling of electricity drowns out everything else for me. Voices, the sound of footsteps upon steel, and even the whirring machinery. Whatever it was this team of researchers were working on, seems to require quite a lot of power to… mold? Adjust? Activate? I'm not sure what it was they were trying to do. I just know they referred to it as "The Cube". Dr. Kent seems mildly interested, but she doesn't poke her nose in their project. ]
While the S.T.A.R Labs scientists are left to their own devices, Subject 13 and Dr. Kent dwells within a corner of the spacious room. The clone standing upright with his arms folded across the illuminating crimson 'S' upon his chest. His associate and technical creator leans against beside him, hands tucked away into the pockets of her lab coat.
The two have completely given up on trying to converse over the roaring electricity and loud devices, standing in silence while waiting to see if the info Lex was given is any good. For the first two hours or so? All is well and orderly. Then, a thunderous rumbling cuts through the buzzing filling the room - one with a tremble that quakes the ground beneath everyone's feet. All eyes shift upward at the metallic ceiling, where the source seems to come from.
DHOOM.
Another tremble shakes the room, and the impact is louder. Then another, and another. Each one is more violent and loud than the last. Panic spreads among the workers, but Superman trains his intense glare at the ceiling in anticipation. His hands balling into fists, ready to attack whatever is on its way down to them. Beside him, Dr. Kent maintains her calm and indifferent composure. Her eyes submerge in monochrome as she stares at the ceiling. Or perhaps… through it?
"Okay-okay. Superman, remember to be mindful of innocent bystanders, all right?" She reminds him, raising her voice as loud as she could to be understood. Even if the clone wanted to respond, there’s no time left to do so. In the next moment, something loudly punctures through the surface overhead. From it, rubble of metal and rocks fall. With widening eyes, Superman takes off with a leap, transitioning into flying as he jabs the largest rock away and toward a vacant side of the room with his right hand, and just barely catches a fracture of a beam with his left. Everything else falls safely to the floor and structure the scientists were making use of. As he tosses the large piece of metal far off, and the workers scurry off somewhere safe, two individuals descend from the hole above. Both capable of flying and sharing other unfavorable similarities. The two are none other than Metallo & Kryptonite-Man. Both soon eyeing the cube that sits at the center of ongoing active electricity.
"I got this." Metallo smugly proclaims, swooping down to push beyond the threshold of the live power. His mechanical body absorbing and deflecting the excess energy as he eases in on the gleaming object at its center.
THWACK! Just as he’s about to make contact with it, the kryptonian cuts him off with a burst of abrupt speed, penetrating the field of electricity with gritting teeth as he delivers a left hook that sends the man-turned-machine crashing against the wall meters away.
"K-kuh…!?" Wincing from the coursing electricity, the clone takes a moment to ease his way out of the space of voltage. Sighing in relief once its grasp on his body is no more. During, K-Man observes with skeptical curiosity. All it takes to find clarity is the sight of that all too familiar bold red S. He thrusts his right hand outward, discharging a neon green blast.
"GUUAAGH!!??" Superman growls out, the side of his face struck with a stinging sensation that induces a snarl from him. Nothing that'll put him down, but definitely something that catches his attention without fail.
"Well, looky what we have HERE!!" K-Man exclaims as he follows up his attack with a rushing punch that finds the kryptonian's jaw. While the clone certainly flinches from his kryptonite laced blow, it's just barely enough to send him reeling a short distance away. An annoyed expression settling upon Superman's face as he rubs where he was hit. By now, Metallo is returning to the fray.
"Tough guy, huh? Superman's little brother?" Metallo asks dumbfoundedly.
"No. I am Superman." Subject 13 corrects sternly.
"No fooling? Well then–" Metallo trails off, taking aim with the weapons emerging from his arm.
"You can die just like 'em!" K-Man finishes, simultaneously taking fire beside his accomplice.