[Mount Justice]
[Samael]
Samael studied Black Canary and Robin's movements, his brain analyzing their techniques for their strengths and weaknesses for later. His brain memorized every move they executed and learned martial art moves that should have taken at least a month in mere minutes.
It had been two weeks since the battle with Mr Twister, and that fight had revealed an uncomfortable truth, he was still far weaker than Superman.
The Man of Steel would have ended the fight in less than a minute, yet he had struggled. That reality stung.
Although he had grown stronger since leaving Cadmus, now absorbing real solar energy instead of the synthetic radiation that once sustained him. The gap between him and Superman remained large. Even reaching half of Kal-El's strength would take time. Too much time.
Black Canary crouched, letting Robin's kick fly over her head, and swept his leg, knocking the Boy Wonder down. "Fail!" The AI's voice echoed across the training room as Robin picked himself off the ground with a groan.
"Aww, that hurt," The boy muttered, rubbing his butt.
"You did well. Just keep your guard up next time," Canary replied with a faint smile, before turning to Samael. "Your turn."
Samael took a deep breath and stepped into the ring, his gaze locking on Canary's poised figure. "Begin," The AI spoke.
Canary didn't move. Samael knew she was waiting for him to attack. He made his way closer and threw a quick jab at her, which she blocked, but he quickly sent a kick at her exposed stomach, which was blocked by her other hand. Although the force of his kick sent her skidding.
Canary centered herself and ran at him, sending multiple strikes at him. Samael blocked most of the attacks, but the ones that did managed to tap him. Samael then dropped low and tried to sweep her feet, but she predicted the attack.
He quickly stood back up, but had to block the strike that was aimed at his face. He blocked the attack and sent multiple jabs at Canary's shoulder. Black Canary tried to retreat, but he didn't give her the chance and kicked her midsection.
Black Canary fell to the ground with a grunt. "Black Canary, fail." Samael helped the woman up. She gave him a smirk."You're getting better, much faster than I expected."
"Well, it's all thanks to your teaching." Samael smiled at her.
Samael grunted, then exhaled slowly. Black Canary motioned for him to try again.
"Wanna go again." Canary asked him.
"Sure." He nodded, and soon they were at it again.
Every time she threw a punch, he blocked it or guided it in a different direction. The background faded away, and all that remained was the fight. The fight went on longer this time, with him adapting to her fighting style fast and starting to anticipate her attacks early on. It started to feel as though he had a sixth sense of where she was going to hit.
In the second round, he lost because the technique she used managed to make him blush, which distracted him. The feeling of her thighs around his face is amazing. The next few rounds were mostly in his name, but she managed to win against him sometimes.
This time, he could see that Black Canary was exhausted and ended the fight. With a simple push, he managed to knock down Canary.
"Winner, Superboy!" The AI said.
'God, that name sucked.' Samael thought. He still hadn't come up with a superhero name, and there was no chance he was going with Superboy. Still, at least he finished his suit, and it was something he was proud of.
"That was good! Honestly, I can't believe you've learned so much in just two weeks. I can say for sure I am proud to be your teacher." Samael smiled at her praise, and a feeling of warmth spread through him.
"Thanks, but I still have much to learn before I surpass you." Samael says. Black Canary chuckles. "With the way you're progressing, I have no doubt you'll surpass me in no time."
"Now, get out of here. The fight exhausted me, and a woman like myself needs her rest." She stretched, and his quickly fell on her chest, the sight of it stirring a feeling inside of him. He quickly looked away before she could notice.
"Okay then, I'll see you tomorrow." He left before she could say something. As entered the kitchen, he spotted Robin rummaging through the fridge.
"Yo, pass me some water." Robin threw one behind his back, and he caught it. Opening the bottle, he greedily drank the cold water before finishing the entire thing, and sighed in relief.
Robin spoke, a bottle of some kind of protein shake in his hand."Y'know, having Kryptonian powers is a cheat. Like, you learned all that in two weeks. Before I started fighting crime with Batman, he forced me to learn what he called the basics, and even now I'm still learning. Makes me jealous how you can just watch and know the moves."
"I'm just built different." Samael boasts. "Yeah, that's for sure." He heard Robin mutter.
"But you're not bad for a short stack." He smirked at the kid.
"Hey! I'm not short! Just didn't start puberty, is all." Robin says angrily. He threw the empty bottle into the trash can. "But, thanks." Robin says.
They sat in silence for a while before the boy spoke again. "Wanna play some Mario Kart?" Samael stared at him.
"Yeah, no chance, man. Whenever we play, you beat everybody. Plus, I don't want to break the TV." Robin always won whenever they played. It wasn't even fun anymore.
"Recognize: Batman, A-02," The computer announced.
Robin looked confused. "Huh, he didn't tell me he was coming."
"Team, report to the mission center," Batman's voice came through the speakers, his tone serious as always.
He and Robin arrived first, spotting the Dark Knight at the console. Miss Martian and Aqualad soon arrived. Wally, as usual, was late, arriving five minutes later via the Zeta-Tube.
Batman wasted no time in beginning.
"Isla Santa Prisca," Batman began, pulling up a map of an Island. "This island is the primary source of a dangerous and illegal neuro-steroid called Venom."
Samael listens with rapt attention. Venom, potent as it was, would never work on him. His Kryptonian physiology was immune to such drugs. Plus, why would he waste time on something that didn't even help him.
"The infrared heat signatures indicate that their factory is operating at full capacity, but all shipments of Venom have inexplicably cut off. That's where this Team comes in. This is a covert recon mission only." Batman emphasized the last part. "Observe and report. If League intervention is necessary, it will be."
And with that, they were dismissed. He walked to his room and took out the case lying on the floor. He put on the suit and looked at himself in the mirror. The suit was silky and smooth, with the shoulders a deep black, and the sides were a bright red.
On his chest was a star that extended downwards. His legs were the same deep black with red boots. What he admired the most was the cape, it looked there were moving stars on it.
He left the room and made his way to the, the others were already there, waiting on him. Eyes turned to him and widened at his suit.
"Holy crap, thats your suit!Man it looks so cool. Whoa, the capes even cooler!" Wally says, his eyes wide.
"Yeah." Robin mutters.
"It is very impressive. I just hope it doesn't give away our postion." Aqualad voiced his concerns.
"It's fine, it has a stealth mode, see." Samael tapped the icon on his chest, and the suit turned all black, with the stars dimming.
"Yeah... it looks good on you, Sam," Miss Martian said shyly, her cheeks turning pink. He smiled at her, which only seemed to make her blush.
"Lets go." Aqualad said. The entered the ship and soon left the hanger.
[Later]
"We're approaching Santa Prisca." Miss Martian announced from the pilot seat of the Bio-Ship. Suddenly, Wally turned to look at him. "So, what do call you now? You said you didn't want to be called Superboy." His question seem to interest the others.
He'd been thinking about it for weeks and settled for one he felt describe him. "You can call me Nova." Samael replies. Wally struck a thinking pose. "Hmm, yeah, it's cool."
"Approaching Drop Zone A." Miss Martian said.
Aqualad stood. He tapped the Atlantean symbol on his belt, and his suit shifted—navy blue and red faded into a tactical blend of dark grey and black. "I am ready." he said firmly, glancing toward Miss Martian.
"Putting Bio-Ship in Camouflage Mode." She replied as the island came into view.
A hatch opened beneath the Bio-Ship, and without hesitation, Aqualad dove into the water below, vanishing beneath the waves. The ship continued to the next drop point.
"Drop Zone B," Miss Martian called out.
The remaining team members stood as their restraints and chairs dissolved into the Bio-Ship's floor. Miss Martian raised a hand, and ziplines descended from the ceiling. Robin and Kid Flash wasted no time latching on.
Once secured, Kid Flash tapped his lightning bolt emblem. The colors shifted, white turned light grey, yellow turned black, and his goggles darkened. Wally seemed to be admiring the suit with a grin. "How cool is this?" He asked, turning toward Miss Martian.
"Very impressive." She said, before her own form shimmered, blue skirt and boots becoming a black full-body suit. The red 'X' and trim remained, a mirror of her uncle's design.
"Uh... that works." Kid Flash muttered.
Miss Martian lifted her hood and vanished from sight.
Robin and Kid Flash dropped first. Samael watched them land safely before stepping forward himself. The wind rushed past him, the cape fluttered as he descended, and he landed with a soft thud. He immediately scanned the terrain using his thermal vision.
"Aqualad, Drop B is a go," Miss Martian's voice came over the comm.
"Head to the factory. I'll track your GPS and meet you ASAP," Aqualad replied.
"Roger that." Robin said, pulling up a holographic map of the island.
They moved toward the factory, with Robin guiding them through the land full of mines. Samael took point, ears straining for movement. He stayed vigilant, determined not to be caught off guard.
His super-hearing picked up the sound of muffled footsteps. He looked in the direction and saw two squads approaching from opposite directions.
"Wait," He said, prompting confused glances. "Enemies ahead. Two squads."
"I see them." Kid Flash says, his eyes following the goons.
"Steer clear of them," Aqualad ordered through the comms. Samael looked at the enemies and saw one dressed up as Kobra's and the others in tactical gear, but what caught his attention was the huge man in a luchador mask
"Aqualad, one of the enemies is Bane." Samael spoke, tracking the man's movement.
"I see. The order still stands. Stay clear." Aqualad ordered. He wanted to take down the man, but still, he listened to the order.
"Okay, Rob, what do we do now? Huh?" Samael turned to look behind him, and saw Robin had disappeared. "Man, I hate it when he does that." Kid says.
Samael scanned the area and spotted Robin, narrowing his eyes, but said nothing. A tinge of annoyance flickered through him. Soon, the sounds of gunfire started, and he heard the screams of soldiers.
"Steer clear." Aqualad ordered once again. But Kid Flash didn't seem to think this applied to him.
"Yeah, yeah. Just as soon as I find Rob." The speedster was about to run, but Samael grabbed Kid Flash's wrist. "Hey!" Kid Flash says.
"I have eyes on Robin, just follow the plan." Wally calmed down and nodded. They made their way through the forest, but then the gunfire ceased. He looked at the direction and saw that most of the soldiers from banes side were dead, but they also killed most of the goons from the Cobra side.
"I have an idea." He told Aqualad.
"What is it, Nova?" The Atlantean asked, and so he spoke. "Right now, the other team managed to defeat Bane's team, but it looks like both teams are weakened. We can knock out the soldiers before they see us and get information from Bane." Aqualad didn't speak for a while.
"Okay, but do it fast and quiet." Samael nodded at the others and, using their super-speed, he took care of Bane's men while Kid Flash quickly subdued most of the Kobra's before they had any idea. Miss Martian took care of the rest, knocking them unconscious.
The only one left conscious was Bane. Robin suddenly came from the trees. "Dude, where the hell were you?" Kid Flash says.
Robin looked at them in confusion. "Why didn't you guys follow my lead? Vanish into the jungle."
"That's what you were doing?! Way to fill us in. We should have just read your mind." Kid Flash says sarcastically. Tying up the rest of the Kobras.
Robin just ignored his friend and examined the uniforms. "These guys are with the Cult of Kobra."
A voice suddenly spoke."I doubt Batman would have left that out if he knew extremists had taken over Santa Prisca's Venom operation." Samael turned, seeing Aqualad walking towards them.
"Agreed," Samael said. "They must've overthrown Bane's group. Explains why the supply lines went dark."
"Kobra wants super cultists," Kid Flash said confidently. "Let's radio Bats, get out, and—"
"We're not leaving," Robin interrupted. "Not until I know why they're hoarding Venom."
"Until you know why?" Kid Flash repeated, stepping closer. Robin said. "This team needs a leader."
"And that's you?" Kid Flash challenged. "You disappear without a word, and now you're in charge?"
"And you thi—" Robin began.
"Enough," Samael cut in, his voice calm but unyielding. "We're in enemy territory. You can argue later."
"Oh, you're just saying that to—"
"I said enough." Samael's tone turned colder, glaring at the two in anger. "I couldn't care less about being a leader, but your bickering is annoying. Now shut up, we have a man to interrogate."
He and the rest turned their attention to Bane. "You're awake. Good," Samael says, walking towards Bane. "Let's talk about your factory."
"I have nothing to tell you." Bane said in a deep voice. Samael just looked at the man, unimpressed. "Miss Martian, do your thing." He wanted to give it a shot. Miss Martian grabbed Bane and looked him in the eyes.
"There is an entrance, but he's hiding something else." Her face scrunched up before she broke eye contact.
"Ah, ah, ah, chica. Bane is not that easy." Bane chuckled. Samael grabbed the man by the collar. "Then make it easy, or else we'll leave you to Kobra's men and they'll probably kill you." He threatened the man, but it didn't seem to work.
"You think you can scare me? No, I don't scare easily, and he is no Batman." Bane said with a smug grin, gesturing towards Robin. He hated to admit it, but Bane was one of the most stubborn men who endured more than most men on the planet, and if he didn't want to speak, then he won't. He respected it.
"Well, then, there's no reason to save you. Hell, I radio them right now, they won't even know we infiltrated the island. And even if they did, we'll be long gone." Samael spoke confidently, and this seemed to get the man to start thinking seriously now.
The man looked at him, his eyes betraying no emotion. "I'll tell you. There's a secret entrance," Bane replied smoothly. "I can show you." Samael glared at the man, knowing that Bane would betray them at the first chance he got.
"Do you think we're stupid? You would betray us if you got the chance." Robin said coldly, giving Bane an unimpressed stare.
Samael got up, moving away from the man. 'We wouldn't lose much if we got his help, but I don't want to risk something going wrong. Even with that, I don't know where the factory is, and we could miss the deal that will happen.' He frowned in thought before looking at Aqualad, who nodded his head.
"Fine, show us." Samael reluctantly lifted the man to his feet, pushing him forward.
Bane stretched, cracking his neck with a groan."This way." Samael and the rest followed the man through the forest, weaving between the trees and rough terrain.
~~~~~~~~~
He stood on top of a cliff, the factory visible below. Bane halted about three feet from the edge and pointed. Robin and Kid Flash stepped forward to get a better look. From his position, Samael saw a forklift carrying crates toward a cluster of containers beside a helipad.
"Look at all that product," Robin muttered in shock, using his binoculars to take a closer look. "A buy is going down." Samael looked around the factory, and his eyes widened at the sight of a behemoth of a man, his skin was a muted green, with ripped skin showing the muscle. No, that wasn't a man anymore.
He remembered its name, Blockbuster. He had no idea what its strength was, but when it came down to it, he'd win. "But if Kobra's not selling to the usual suspects, then—" Aqualad cut off Robin.
"We need to identify that buyer," Aqualad said, taking a closer look. "Guys, look over there." Samael pointed
Samael looked over his shoulder. And to no one's surprise, Bane was trying to slip away. Samael grabbed him by the collar.
The man looked at them, scowling. "There is a way inside," Bane said. Samael looked at him and let him go. Bane walked forward and pushed aside a rock with a grunt, revealing an entrance.
"Answers are this way," Bane said. Samael walked past the group and pushed the man forward. "You first." Bane scowled at him in anger, but did as he was told.
"Great, now we're taking orders from El Luchador," Wally groaned.
The tunnel was old and abandoned, with old pickaxes left to rust. He heard the scuttle of animals scattering as they heard the sound of footsteps. Bane held a torch in his hand, guiding them through the tunnel. 'I need to add a light feature to the suit.' Samael thought randomly.
They reached the end, and in front of him was a steel door. A panel was on the side, with Bane placing his hand against a scanner before it glowed green. The door tried to open, but stopped just enough for him to stick his fingers under it.
"Give me a second." Samael stuck his fingers under the door and lifted the door all the way to the top. His teammates entered with Bane in front of them. He let go of the door gently and made his way to the catwalk.
Suddenly, he grabbed Bane in a chokehold. The man started hitting him, scratching him, but none of it fazed him. Bane's breathing slowed, and the man slumped against him, but he waited for a few more seconds before laying the man down on the floor.
"Why did you do that?" Aqualad's stern voice questioned him. Samael turned to look at him and the others, raising a brow at the question. "He would have jeopardised the mission; it's better to knock him out." He explained calmly, crouching near the rails.
Aqualad nodded at him and focused on the operation going on below. Samael observed the crates and saw it filled with rows of blue vials. He knew the drug, Kobra—Venom.
"It is a massive shipment," Aqualad said, stunned, watching the shipments being moved
"It seems to be a variation of Venom." Samael said, scanning the area for weak spots and where guards were sparse. "We need to stop this."
A sound overhead caught his attention. Helicopter blades.
"A helicopter's coming in." He reported.
The aircraft landed, and its doors opened to reveal a large, muscular man in black tactical gear and a grey hockey mask, Sportsmaster. He strutted between two lines of cultists, his matching arm guards gleaming under the lights. Samael used his hearing to listen to the conversation.
"Lord Kobra," Sportsmaster greeted. "Sportsmaster," Kobra returned, as a girl stepped forward carrying a metal case. She opened it to reveal blue vials—a mixture of the Blockbuster serum and Venom.
"The new Kobra-Venom?" Sportsmaster asked, lifting one to the light. "This is a game-changer," He declared, flipping the vial and catching it with a grin. "Finally, we can go mano-a-mano with the Justice League." Samael's eyes narrowed at that.
Above them, Miss Martian remained cloaked in camouflage. "Aqualad, sending you a telepathic image of the buyer now."
"Sportsmaster," Aqualad said aloud, his voice filled with disbelief. "He's the buyer?"
Aqualad touched the communicator. "Aqualad to Red Tornado. Do you read?" No response. Just static. He let out a frustrated sigh. "I can not reach the League and Robin. The comms are jammed. We need a plan, now."
Samael looked around and just noticed that Robin had disappeared. "How the hell?" Samael muttered in confusion.
Suddenly, a roar pierced the sky, followed by shouts and screams. Samael and the rest turned to see Blockbuster rampaging, attacking people who were Bane's men who had broken in.
Samael turned to Aqulad."Let's just attack now. I'll take on King Kobra and Sportsmaster." He didn't stay to hear the Atlantean's response. He sped over and body checked Sportsmaster, sending him flying into the wall.
"What the hell?! Who are you?!" He turned towards King Kobra, smirking at the man's shocked face. "You can call me Nova." He sped over to Kobra and knocked him out. His looked around, and Blockbuster locked eyes with him.
The beast roared in fury, running at him at full speed. Samael held his position and side-stepped the monster's run, and jumped, kicking the Blockbuster at the helicopter. The helicopter was crushed by the weight of Blockbuster.
Samael ran at the downed monster and repeatedly punched the monster. Bits of flesh were torn off Blockbuster every time he punched him. It kept roaring in pain, unable to move. He saw the monster's arm flying at him and blocked it.
What he didn't expect was for pain to flare in his arm, which left him as soon as it appeared. He didn't see the next attack and was flung to the side, his body flaring in pain. "AHH!" He yelled in pain. Once again, the pain left him.
Samael quickly got up and watched as Blockbuster ran at him and swung at him. He parried the attack and kicked the monster's knees in.
His fists hammered into Blockbuster's thick hide, blow after blow. Samael grabbed Blockbuster's leg and threw him back down, causing a crater to form and sending debris flying.
Samael jumped and slammed into the ground. "AHH!" Samael yelled, his strength growing with each punch. Blockbuster groaned in pain. He channeled his strength into a final punch and silenced the behemoth. The monster's face was unrecognisable, half it's was destroyed.
He felt his stomach lurch at the sight of it. Samael moved away from it and looked around, seeing the team finishing up with the rest of the enemies. He walked over to King Kobra and Sportsmaster, placing the cuffs on them tightly.
It didn't take them long to secure the place, with the BioShip on the landing pad. Samael loaded a package of the Kobra—Venom into the BioShip, along with the Villains. Sadly, they couldn't do anything about Bane, since the man escaped while they were fighting.
He leaned on the BioShip, watching the team regroup near him.
"I can't believe we actually won that; it didn't seem like we would." Robin said tiredly.
"Well, it would have been better if you didn't keep disappearing." Samael pointed, looking at Robin.
"All you had to do was follow my lead." Robin said, and he looked at the Boy Wonder in amusement. 'I forgot he thought he was automatically the leader just because he was Batman's protege.' Samael almost snorted.
Aqualad turned his gaze to the youngest member of their team. "You do have the most experience," he said calmly. "But perhaps that is exactly what left you unprepared."
Robin glanced back at him, frowning.
"Fighting alongside Batman, your roles are clearly defined," Aqualad continued. "You do not need to speak. You simply act. But this team is new. A leader must be clear, explicit even. He cannot vanish and expect the rest of us to play roles in a plan we don't know."
Robin scowled and swiped a hand through the air. "So, what, I'm supposed to hold everyone's hands?"
Robin looked down, shoulders slumping slightly. "Ah, who am I kidding?" He said under his breath, voice laced with frustration and a note of something like shame. "You should lead us Kaldur. You're the only one who can."
Kid Flash straightened, his pride flaring. "Please! I can run circles—"
"Wally," Robin interrupted, using his real name despite being in the field. "Come on. You know he's the one. We all do."
The speedster's eyes darted between them, sighed, and slumped. "Yeah, I guess." He and the rest turned to Aqualad.
"Then I accept the burden," Aqualad says as he walks towards Robin, pausing as he places his hand on the smaller boy's shoulder, "Until you are ready to lift it from my shoulders. You were born to lead this team. Maybe not now, but soon." Robin smiled at that and nodded his head.
~~~~~~~~
[Mount Justice]
"A simple recon mission." Batman gets within inches of his face, berating him. He stayed calm. "Observe and report." Then backs off.
"You'll each receive written evaluations detailing your many mistakes." Batman walks past him to the others.
"Until then: good job." The others' heads snap up in shock, looking at Batman out of the corner of their eyes. "No battle plan survives first contact with the enemy." His friends relaxed at Batman's words.
"How you adjust to the unforeseen is what determines success." He watched as Batman continued. "And how you choose who leads determines character." Batman looked at Aqualad, his eyes narrowed.
"You're dismissed." Samael sped into his room, taking off his suit and taking a quick shower. When fighting Blockbuster, his strength increased faster than it did in the previous weeks. He got stronger, that was for sure. His punches started to damage Blockbuster more and more.
A thought came to him, and he remembered Doomsday, a monster that Superman struggled against and lost to. One that adapted at an alarming rate. Did he adapt to Blockbuster? He could tell it wasn't a temporary increase in strength; he felt the power coursing through him.
He was going to test this, but the real question was, where did it come from?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[A/N]
I edited this chapter since I wasn't really feeling it before.
Now, I know I don't update this or my other stories a lot, but here's a chapter. If you have any questions, just ask. If you're wondering how Superboy's suit looks, then think of the black suit Superman wore when he was injured against Doomsday, but with a black cape.