Young Justice#2: “Who is Conner Kent? Part One”

In the last issue of Young Justice, which was actually the first issue, so you don’t have that far to catch up if you want to go back and read the first issue before this one. Go on, we’ll wait...

... Okay, now that they’re gone, let’s continue on. I can’t believe they actually thought we were going to wait for them – laugh out loud. Anyway, as I was saying, in the last issue of Young Justice, Wonder Girl called her new friends, Robin and Superboy, to meet her and her even-newer friend, the mysterious Impulse, in Gotham. Well they did, but the meet and greet was interrupted by giant robots that are after Impulse for some reason.

Though they defeated the mysterious robots, they were suddenly defeated by the Kryptonian scientist, Dr. Xadu, also known as the creator of Superboy. The evil genius took the young man with him, leaving Robin, Wonder Girl and Impulse unconscious.

Now don’t tell the others that I filled you in. They really need to read the first issue and then comment on it before they read this one.



Bart Allen was the first to wake up from Dr. Xadu’s sudden attack. Propping himself up on his elbows, his head pounding like a jackhammer gone wild, he looked around to see Robin laying a few feet away from him, still unconscious. Something was missing though. His head was still fuzzy so it took him a second to realize Wonder Girl was no longer with them.

“Oh, that’s not good,” he muttered as he pulled himself up and stumbled towards his new friend.

Impulse shook Tim several times. “Dude, you gotta get up, we’ve got a problem... like a big one.” When Robin moaned, Tim began to shake him a little harder and a lot faster. “No, really, you gotta get up right now!”

“Okay, okay!” Robin shouted out as he was jolted awake more by his body shaking than the screaming in his ear. “Stop it or you’re going to vibrate me right into the cement.”

The redhead stopped quickly. “Oh... sorry. Wonder Girl is gone. Superboy is gone. It’s just you and me!”

Tim moaned. “That’s three pieces of bad news in a row; you got anything good to tell me?”

“What?”

“Never mind. Okay, we need to find them and quick.”

Impulse scratched his head as he considered it. “You think maybe we should try and get a hold of Wonder Woman and Superman?”

Considering it for a moment, Tim shook his head. “Not yet, let’s see if we can find them on our own first. I have a feeling they’d want that and, if we end up having to tell those two, it’s going to make Superboy and Wonder Girl’s life horrible for a while.”

“What about asking Batman for help?”

“Hell, NO!” Robin blurted out before he realized it. “I mean, we can consider that Plan C.”

“He’s that scary, huh?”

Tim blushed. “You have no idea. Alright, first thing we’ve got to do is figure out who that guy was that wanted Superboy. Once we learn that piece of information we can begin looking for him.”

“Did he take Wonder Girl too?”

“I... I don’t think so.” Robin began walking around the area where they had been struck down, examining the ground all around him. Impulse would bolt next to him, then move away just as quick, and then back again. After doing this several times, Robin finally put up his arm to stop him when he appeared by his side the fifth time. “Why don’t you take a quick spin around the area, see if you can find anything?”

“What am I looking for?”

Robin looked up from examining the ground. “A clue...” He said it slowly, his frustration with the young boy beginning to show.

Rolling his eyes, Impulse took off while Robin continued his search of the immediate area. His eyes moved from side to side, looking for something, anything that seemed out of place. This is what Bruce, then Dick, and now Bruce again had been training him for. He needed to do this without calling either one of them. It was a chance to prove himself; besides, he thought to himself, who could really hurt Superboy?

It was small, shiny and nearly buried, but he found it. “Eureka!”



A small high-pitched whine broke through his subconscious, waking Conner Kent slowly. He felt weak, confused. Where was he, what was happening to him? The questions were flooding his thoughts, but his body didn’t seem to be moving as fast. He opened his eyes only to be blinded by a large red light that seemed to be enveloping his whole body. Though his mind was working slower than usual, he knew exactly what it was – Red Kryptonite.

“You are a fascinating specimen.” He heard the voice to his right. He recognized it immediately – Doctor Xadu. His heart skipped a beat.

It took all his strength just to turn his head so he could see who the Kryptonian madman was talking to. Now his heart began to race when he saw Wonder Girl floating in some kind of oversized test tube full of an orange liquid, her golden hair wafting around her head like a heavenly halo.

Doctor Xadu was examining a handheld device as he circled the tube. “What are you exactly? I detect some human genetics, but there is something else as well... something as unique as Kryptonian.”

Superboy desperately tried to will his body to move. He had to break the bonds, had to save her. Nothing happened. He was as weak as a newborn kitten. A newborn kitten? A new horror began to creep into his head after that last thought. He was beginning to think like an actual Kansas farm boy. Conner realized he was in trouble in more ways than one.

“You have great power within you,” Doctor Xadu continued. “It is a power that could someday rival Rao himself. You and the clone will be perfect specimens for the next step in the evolution of my new race.”

What new race, Conner wondered. He knew this was the man who had created him, Superman had told him that, but he had also known that there was more to the story. There was something that Clark wasn’t sharing... or couldn’t. He had asked him a couple of times but the guy just denied it. The thing was, when it came to lying or avoiding the truth, Clark Kent was not very good at it. Still he didn’t push the subject... maybe deep down he didn’t want to know.

“Leave... her... alone,” he shouted out, nearly out of breath with every word.

“Ah, look who’s decided to join us.” He walked over to what he felt was his greatest creation to date. “I’m glad you’re awake, there are tests that I need to run on you that you must be conscious for.”

“Can’t... hear you; come... closer.”

Xadu’s chuckle was humorless. “That wasn’t even a very good try, Kon-El.”

“Call me... Superboy,” he said with as much anger as he could muster.

“You are half Kryptonian, you deserve a Kryptonian name and Kon-El works since you have come from the House of El.”

Conner’s mind whirled with this information. He was half Kryptonian? He was told by Clark that he was born from two Kryptonians. Had Clark lied to him? Was Xadu lying to him now, or had he lied to Clark?

Xadu had turned his attention back to the blonde girl. “But your son will be even more powerful than you. I’m glad I came back for this one.”

“Kill... you,” he whispered as the red light continued to keep him drained.

“Yes, well, we shall see. Let us begin.”



Most of the homeless that were wandering the streets of Gotham City at one-thirty in the morning would later say that they had experienced some sort of mini-tornado that was sweeping through the streets of the city. None of them realized that they were experiencing a natural storm called Impulse as he searched the area for clues to his missing friends.

Several seconds of finding nothing in the immediate vicinity found Bart completely frustrated and more importantly, totally bored. He made a complete U-turn to meet back up with Robin when he was suddenly propelled backwards as if his body had just been shot out of a slingshot.

His body slammed into a parked car and set off the alarm. Dazed, he stood up, stumbled around for a couple of seconds while trying to stop the Earth from spinning under his feet.

“You alright there, sonny?” an old man asked as he hobbled over to the red-haired hero.

“I think so. Don’t know what happened. One minute I was speeding right along and suddenly I was hurtling backward like a yo-bot in a zero-gravity play-field.”

The old man arched an eyebrow at the odd phrase. He looked to be about seventy-five, his gray hair was long, ratty and only grew around the sides. Up top he was completely bald. He wore a bright yellow short-sleeve buttoned-down shirt which had several grease stains that seemed to have been on it for some time now. His lime green pants were frayed around the cuffs and seemed about four inches too long for his five foot five frame.

Even though Impulse was a kid who didn’t usually pay attention to details, he couldn’t help but notice that this disheveled old man with the secondhand clothes was carrying a rather expensive- looking cane made of real mahogany.

“Would you like me to call someone?”

“Umm... no, but thank you. I’ve got friends waiting for me.”

“Ahh, okay, well have fun then. Move along.”

For a split second there seemed to be an actual twinkle that popped out of the old man’s left eye but it was so quick that even Impulse wondered if he’d actually seen it.

“Well, ta-ta for now,” the old man said as he began to amble down the street while twirling his fancy cane.

Bart watched him until he disappeared around the corner before zipping back to Tim.



Smallville

Martha Kent gave a sigh of relief as Clark walked into the living room. “I’m sorry to bother you, but he’s not home yet... and it’s so late.”

“It’s okay Ma, I’m glad you did. I’ve searched the planet twice for him, but no luck. It means one of two things; either he’s being shielded from me or he’s no longer on the planet. My guess is he’s being shielded.”

“So you think he’s in trouble?”

“Yeah, I do. In fact, my gut is telling me it’s Xadu. Conner hasn’t been seen enough to have many enemies, but Xadu wanted him back in the worst way.” He shook his head in disgust as he started to pace. “I should have told him the truth, but I just couldn’t do it.”

Martha put her hand on her son’s shoulder. “How could you tell him that he was the product of you and your cousin? Even for a Kryptonian that would be hard to digest.”

“Maybe, but if Xadu reveals it to him, and I’m sure he will, he’s going to hate me for keeping it from him. And I can’t say that I blame him either.”

“The important thing right now is finding him. Do you have any idea where he could be hiding?”

“I’ll check out the last place he worked first, but I doubt he’s there. Knowing the doctor I’d guess he’s in a major city somewhere. He needs the power supply for his labs; he’s also coward enough to hide in a crowd. Don’t worry, Ma, I’ll find him.”

“I know you will,” she said patting him on the side of the face. “Bring him back to us. He’s family now.”

Superman nodded, not allowing himself to speak. The idea that he and Supergirl were the biological parents of the young man still weighed heavily on him. It was a secret that was going to come out eventually. He needed to tell Conner first... and soon.

He looked at the concern in his mother’s eyes and gave her a reassuring look. “He’s going to be fine. I’ll bring him home.”

She nodded, never doubting him for a moment. “I know, I know. Now... up, up, and away with you,” she said as she shooed him away with her hands.

Watching him change and take off into the night sky, her heart did what it always did when she watched him leave; it swelled with pride.



“You would not believe the weird conversation I just had with this really old man,” Impulse said excitedly as he reappeared next to Robin.

The junior detective was trying his best to ignore him as he ran some kind of palm-sized computer over the small piece of metal that he had retrieved a few minutes ago.

“What have you got there?” Bart asked.

“It’s a special alloy that comes from a company here in Gotham. They use it to shield certain government-funded weapons from being detected by satellites and other detection devices.”

“Like what?”

Putting his miniature analyzer away, Tim gave him a knowing look. “Somebody with x-ray vision; there’s a heavy amount of lead involved in this material.”

“Like Superman!” Impulse exclaimed.

Robin nodded. “Boy, nobody can get one past you, huh?”

“So, do you know where this place is?”

“It’s a pretty secret installation, known only to a few people in the entire world. One of the best-kept secrets in military history actually. You’ve got to be in the highest echelons of the American Government to know where that place is.”

Bart’s face dropped. “Then how are we going to find it?” he asked in exasperation.

Tim grinned. “I work with someone who has a file on everything, remember.”



Though it appeared that Wonder Girl was unconscious, she wasn’t. She could hear everything that the demented Dr. Xadu was saying, even through the glass tube that she found herself encased in. What she was doing there? Who was this guy and why was he looking at her like she was some kind of lab rat?

There was some kind of sedative being pumped into her; she felt groggy, barely able to think. Her containment, however, was causing that feeling inside of her that she hadn’t felt since the first time she had laid eyes on Wonder Woman. It wasn’t actually anger or hatred, but a deep need to fight; to lash out at everything around her. The feeling was all-consuming, making her immobilization all the more frustrating.

Cassie knew there had to be a way out. What would Diana or Donna do? That’s when the voice came to her; deep inside her, but as clear as if it were being whispered in her ear.

You are Cassie Sandsmark, you do not need to wonder what the two lesser Amazons would do in this situation. Search deep inside yourself, for you are greater than the two of them together. You bear the blood of the greatest of all Gods that has graced the presence of mere mortals. Reach inside, Cassie Sandsmark, do not be afraid of your birthright. Revel in it. Accept it and nothing can contain you – nothing!

Floating in the liquid, hooked up to the alien wires that were embedded into her body, she began her journey inward, hoping there was enough time.



A rather large machine with a glowing red needle was making its way down from the ceiling towards Superboy. He tried, with no results, to use his heat vision in hopes of melting it. He worked valiantly against his restraints, but the effect of the red sun rays was too much for him. It was all he could do just to keep his eyes open at this point.

Dr. Xadu’s eyes, however, gleamed with a maniacal delight as he began the process for the next step in his evolution of the perfect clone. So intent was he at working the control panel that he didn’t notice the shadow that passed above him in the rafters. He also felt a cool breeze blow by him, which he didn’t notice either. However, since he too was of Kryptonian decent, he picked up the faint noise of two extra heartbeats in the laboratory.

At the last second he heard the faint whirling sound of an object being thrown towards the DNA extractor. He spun with lightning speed, firing his own heat vision that melted the R-shaped metal object on the spot. It was, however, enough of a distraction for Impulse to slam into the scientist, knocking him off balance and backward into a small set of computer consoles. They exploded with arcs of electricity as they flung Xadu across the room, as well as hurling Bart in the same general direction.

Robin checked his two friends quickly; Superboy was still bound under the rays of the red sun, but the liquid that had contained Wonder Girl was rapidly draining out of the bottom of the tube. As much as he wanted to check on Impulse, he knew removing Cassie from her prison was the smarter move. Xadu was a Kryptonian, and until they could get Conner up and moving, they were going to need as much power as they could muster.

Throwing his grappling hook, he leapt from the rafter and feet first flung himself straight into the oversized test tube. It smashed into hundreds of pieces and he grabbed Wonder Girl as he went flying through it, hoping that pulling the tubes from her body so suddenly would do her little harm.

They both landed on the cement floor, Tim making sure he took the brunt of the fall as they rolled several feet. He heard Cassie moan which he figured was a good sign. Pulling himself up he leaned over her, grabbing her by the shoulders and gently trying to shake her out of her stupor.

“Come on, Wonder Girl. You’ve got to snap out of it. We’ve got some major problems here and we need your help.”

“Robinwatchout!” Impulse shouted from behind him.

Tim turned just as Dr. Xadu grabbed him by the neck, lifting him off his feet. He saw his friend, Impulse, turn into a blur as he came to his aid, but Xadu nonchalantly slapped the young man away as if he were nothing more than a bothersome little fly. Tim watched in horror as Impulse flew clear across the large laboratory before striking the wall so hard it caved in. He fell to the ground in a heap that clearly showed there were broken bones involved.

“Why do you humans even think you have a chance against me? Your time would be better spent trying to find a needle in a haystack as your kind so eloquently put it. Don’t try squirming; a flick of my wrist and your life is over. Just like...”

“PUT HIM DOWN!” Wonder Girl screamed as she flew headlong into Xadu, causing him to drop Robin as they both went flying into more of the alien technology that surrounded them.

“You will not hurt my friends anymore!” she cried out in an authoritative voice as her fists began to pummel Dr. Xadu’s face.

Coughing and trying to catch his breath, Robin could do nothing more than watch as he lay there with a mixture of horror and fascination at the vicious attack Cassie was inflicting on their foe.

So dazed was Dr. Xadu that he didn’t have time to react when Wonder Girl picked him up over her head, throwing him with all her strength directly into the machine that had just seconds before been heading towards Superboy.

It broke into thousands of pieces, also shutting down the red sunlight that had been enveloping the young lad. Xadu went skidding across the floor, striking and destroying several pillars that supported the ceiling; causing parts of it to crumble and begin to collapse.

“Wonder Girl, enough,” Robin called out, his voice still hoarse.

She glanced over at him with nothing but anger in her eyes. “It is not enough. How dare he bind me... ME! No man, be it a mortal from Earth or a dead planet like Krypton will imprison the daughter of a God and live to tell the tale.”

As Dr. Xadu rose, blood pouring from both his nose and mouth, Wonder Girl was once again on top of him, grabbing him by his collar and slamming him against another support beam. This time he actually cried out in pain as the cement shattered and crumbled behind him.

“Fight back, alien scum,” she screamed into his face. “Or die the coward that you know you are.”

Superboy was regaining his strength as he stumbled off the table in time to see the same thing that Robin was looking at in horror. Cassie had destroyed too much of the underground base. The ceiling was caving in all around them. Explosions from the damaged equipment were being set off by the brick and mortar that fell. But what frightened them both the most was that Wonder Girl was not stopping; in fact the more she destroyed her surroundings in her rage, the wilder a grin covered her face.

“We’ve got to stop her,” Superboy yelled to Robin as dust began to rise around them.

Tim shook his head. “No time. Grab Impulse, he’s hurt. Get him out of here, now!”

There was no hesitation for Conner. In Tim’s voice there was no pleading, just authority that needed to be obeyed. He shot across the room, grabbing Impulse before soaring out of the same high window that Robin and Impulse had snuck in through.

Though not as fast as Impulse, perhaps, it took only two seconds for the young clone of Superman to place the speedster out of harm’s way and swing back, his arms stretched out, his fists clenched, as he went barreling back into the abandoned building.

Two street people watched in awe at the sudden appearance of the two young boys, then the bullet-like flight as the one in the black t-shirt with the red Superman symbol shot back into the building.

There was barely a second for the two of them to register what they had just seen when the three-story factory suddenly collapsed inward; the building itself crying out in a death knell as it caved in completely and pushed out a thick cloud of smoke that would encompass not only the two of them and the unconscious boy, but several blocks of Gotham City’s south eastern area as well.

After the initial collapse and the horrible sound of brick and steel caving inward on top of each other, there was a deadly silence. No sounds were heard for miles, but the smoke and dust from the carnage rolled both upward and outward and, for those in their Gotham City towers who happened to be looking in that direction, they would have sworn a major war had just broken out in their city.

To Be Continued



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