Superboy

Amanda Spence smirked as Superboy tensed. "I wouldn't," she said as she pressed the barrel of her pistol more tightly against Mickey Cannon's head.

"Don't worry about me, Kid!" Cannon yelled. "Take her out!"

"Aww," Spence said. "Now you've gone and upset me."

Superboy's jaw dropped as Spence's pistol coughed once. Mickey Cannon's body fell to the floor. "Mickster," Superboy whispered. He looked up, tears streaming down his face. "Now you've done it!"

"Have I?" Spence asked. "Doctor Donovan?"

"Yes!" Donovan said, wearing a mad smile. "I'd like you to meet one of my pets. I call him... Timber Wolf!" A feral shape leaped past and attacked Superboy. The two flew backwards and crashed into a wall.

Amanda Spence smirked as Arsenal raised his bow. "Please. A boy with a bow. I'm so frightened. Kill him, Sidearm."

"With pleasure!" Sidearm said, cracking his knuckles. A new, larger laser cannon slowly whirred into position from behind him as Sidearm fiddled with the controls on his gauntlet. "Let's get this over with." Sidearm looked from side to side. The bow was lying there, but Arsenal was gone. "Wait. Where'd he go?" Sidearm's eyes closed as a fist shot out from behind him and laid him out.

"Right behind you," Arsenal said. "Next time you get a gizmo like that, try to get one that's a little faster." Arsenal ran into the open portal leading to Cadmus.

Superboy flew through another wall and twisted, throwing Timber Wolf off of him. "Why are you doing this?" Superboy asked.

"I will obey my master," Timber Wolf said, taking a step forward. He feinted to the left. Superboy fell for it and was slammed through another wall.

Timber Wolf's eyes seemed to glow red as he raised a hand. Claws popped out of his gloves. Superboy fought to get free but Timber Wolf held him down as the claws drew closer to his throat.

Roquette Serling opened her eyes as she heard rustling around the room she'd ducked into. She looked up and saw Tenzil coming toward her. "How did you get loose?" she asked.

"Easy," Tenzil replied. "They used cotton to gag me. Fine quality, but it leaves you hungry again an hour later."

"Ohmigosh!" Serling whispered as another figure became apparent. "Dubbilex!"

"I don't know how he is," Tenzil said as Serling started over to him. "He hasn't really moved since I came to."

Serling knelt down beside him. "He's alive," she said. "Respiration regular, strong heartbeat... I'd say they slipped him something to keep him unconscious." She stood. "So what can the two of us do against that army of villains?"

Tenzil grinned. "Probably not much. But I'd say we can keep them busy for a while." They looked up as the door slid open. Knockout stood there, cracking her knuckles.

"Looks like I get to have a little fun," she said.

"Uh, oh," Tenzil and Serling said in unison.

Arsenal crawled through the duct works of Cadmus. He smiled as he looked down. Killer Frost was standing right below him, using her powers to freeze an ice barricade across the corridor. Working by touch, he reached into a pouch at his waist and selected just the tool he'd need. With a grin, he dropped it through the air grate and started backing up.

Killer Frost looked down as she heard something ping against the floor. She reached down and picked up the small metal marble. She looked up into the grate to see what had fallen. That was when the marble opened and sprayed knockout gas into her face. Frost gasped for air and fell to the ground.

"Two down," Arsenal said.

Knockout turned her head as Superboy and Timber Wolf crashed through another wall. "What now?" she asked.

"Brin, help us!" Tenzil called.

"Who?" Timber Wolf's eyes seemed to clear. "Tenzil?"

"Oh for crying out loud, you're on our side!" Knockout yelled. "Now help me kill these three!"

"No," Timber Wolf said as he stepped forward. "I remember now." Timber Wolf charged Knockout and the two flew out of the room.

"Hey, there's some kinda tubes in here," Superboy said as he walked over to them. Tenzil's jaw dropped as he recognized who was inside.

"Rokk and Imra?" he whispered. "Help me get them out!"

Serling bent over a console and the thick green liquid within the tubes began to drain.

Superboy turned to Serling. "You take care of this. Match is mine." He rocketed out of the room.

Arsenal grinned as he looked down into the lab. Dabney Donovan was there, mixing chemicals together. Donovan whirled around as Arsenal dropped to the floor, pistol upraised. "Set it down, Doc," Arsenal said. "It's over."

Donovan looked around and saw no escape. "Oh, piffle," he said, holding out his wrists. "At least in jail I can catch up on my reading."

Knockout screamed and grabbed her head. She fell to the ground. Timber Wolf slid out from under her, simply ripping his costume free. The collar remained clutched in one of Knockout's fists. "Now that was a neat trick," Wolf said as he wiped blood from his lip. "Wonder what happened."

"Just us," Tenzil said. Beside him stood Cosmic Boy and Dream Girl. Wolf smiled and the four hugged each other.

"No time for this," Cosmic Boy said as he freed himself. "That trick I pulled by affecting the iron in the blood of Knockout's brain won't last long. We've got to put Match out of business."

The four ran out together.

Superboy blew the door open to the main meeting room in Cadmus. Spence was sitting on the stage in Cannon's old chair. Match stood behind her.

"It's over!" Superboy yelled. "No more hurting people! I'm taking you two down!"

"I think not," Spence said. "Match, kill him."

"Of course," Match said as he jumped to the ground. "But why get my hands dirty?" Superboy dodged as Match fired a blast of heat vision. The fight was on.

Spence laughed and started entering more commands into Cannon's computer.

Arsenal emerged from the base dragging Killer Frost and Sidearm behind him. Donovan was leading the way. A Cadmus support trooper stopped and saluted. "Sir!" the trooper said. "We just received the alarm. What's going on?"

"Trouble," Arsenal said as he threw the two villains to the ground. More troops appeared to drag them away. Another led Donovan to a security van. Arsenal looked back. "Cannon's dead and we're still trying to retake control of the Project." Arsenal turned to look at the trooper. "Any word on the civilians?"

"All evacuated, sir, except for Dubbilex, Dr. Serling, and a... Tenzil Kim?"

"Kem." Arsenal started back toward the door. "Stay here and secure the area. I'm going in after them." Arsenal ran inside before the trooper could stop him.

Spence smiled as she entered the final command. She looked up as Tenzil, Dream Girl, Cosmic Boy, and Timber Wolf crashed into the room. "It's over, Spence!" Cosmic Boy yelled.

"It certainly is," Spence said as she flicked a switch. Instantly red lights began flashing and alarms began to sound.

"Oh, great," Arsenal said. He knelt down and helped Serling pick up Dubbilex. "Doc, we've got to hurry. This place is going up in four minutes."

"Right," Serling said as the three began quickly heading out of the base.

"I've activated your reactor's overload feature. Four minutes until your little Cadmus is destroyed forever," Spence said with a wicked smile on her face. "That will be so beautiful."

"Destroyed?" Match asked. "What about me?"

"You're expendable," Spence said. "I'll enjoy watching you all die from behind my force screen."

"No!" Match yelled as Superboy slugged him. Superboy threw the unconscious Match over his shoulder. "You're not getting away this time." Superboy passed Match off to Timber Wolf and the four new heroes ran for the exit.

"That'll never hold up, Amanda," Superboy said.

"Perhaps not," Spence said. "But it will destroy everything you hold dear. I'd be willing to die to see that."

Superboy shook his head and silently flew away. Spence leaned back to enjoy the final few seconds.

"Pull back NOW!" Arsenal yelled as he and Serling emerged from Cadmus with Dubbilex. Tenzil, Wolf, Cosmic Boy, and Dream Girl weren't far behind with Match.

Silently, they watched as the Cadmus Project exploded. The mountain over it contained most of the force, but from the level of the debris expelled from the entrance, it was obvious that everything was destroyed.

"Where's Superboy?" Serling asked. Just then a gestation tube that had been shot out of the entrance began to shake. It opened and a woozy Superboy sat up.

"That was one wild ride. Mr. Toad doesn't know what he's talking about." The heroes all gathered around him and shared their joy that they were all still alive.

Three Days Later, In the Wreckage of Cadmus

"So the Project's been shut down?" Superboy asked Roy Harper.

Harper nodded. "It looks like it. Cannon used to say how he was the only thing keeping the military from taking over. Now the military's not even interested."

"What happened to Heat Wave?" Superboy asked.

Harper smirked. "The DEO's hired him. Said that they could use a field agent with experience."

"What about you?" Superboy asked. "Where are you heading next?"

Harper shrugged. "Back out to New York. Lian and I are gonna hang with the JLI for a while and see what happens next."

The two shook hands. "Good luck," Superboy said.

"You too, Kid," Harper said with a grin.

"What are you guys going to do?" Superboy asked Tenzil.

"Well, we've been talking and we realized that we don't know how many more labs Dr. Donovan may have had out there. We're going to stick together and find any more of us that there are."

"How'll you find them? I don't think ol' Dabney'll be too forthcoming with that sort of info."

"I shall accompany them," Dubbilex said as he stepped up beside Superboy. "I should be able to sense their thoughts and track them."

"And Roquette's coming with us to help with any medical problems they may have. We're all set!" Tenzil said with a grin.

"But how'll you get around?" Superboy asked. "You guys got a cab coming."

"With this," Serling said, carrying a small box. "I'd hoped that this wasn't trashed in the explosion." She opened the box and tossed what was in it to Tenzil, who eagerly slipped it onto his finger. He grinned as he lifted off the floor.

"All right!" he yelled. "Flight rings! Let's go, Legionnaires!"

Cosmic Boy, Dream Girl, and Timber Wolf flew up beside him. Dubbilex took time for a handshake and then he joined the others in the air.

Serling was crying as she kissed Superboy on the cheek. "I'm really going to miss you, Kon," she whispered.

"It's okay," Superboy said. "You never know. We'll bump into each other again." Serling smiled and flew into the air where she took Tenzil's hand. The six Legionnaires flew out of the tunnel and were gone.

Superboy pulled a backpack filled with rescued belongings onto his back and walked for the cave entrance. He left many memories behind him. A videotape that broke his heart. A friend whose body burst into flames. The way Serling looked at him. The way Cannon, although gruff, had always smiled a little when he spoke to him. He looked down and saw a charred photo album. He flipped through the photos, pausing only to look at one of the assembled Rogues' Gallery that had belonged to Heat Wave. Finally he pulled one photo out of the book and let it fall to the ground. Superboy smiled as he looked at the picture of him and Superman together. It had been taken by Jimmy Olsen not long after Superman had returned from the dead. He slid the photo into his backpack and continued walking past memories. A cage that had held a gargoyle called Grokk. The scarred floor where the Whiz Wagon had once been parked. A hall where he had been chased by the young Newsboy Legion.

Finally Superboy reached the exit. He looked up into the sunlight and felt the memories withdrawing and returning to their tomb. He launched himself into flight and never looked back.

The End

Just a quick note here. This is going to be my final issue of Superboy. Hopefully, soon the book will get going again with a new writer. I'm sure that it's going to be good, and I'm sure that it'll go in some great new directions.

You're not getting rid of me, either. I'm still doing Titans West here, and Gambit over at Marvel Anthology. I've also got a project planned that'll deal with one of the supporting characters from here.

It's been a lot of fun, guys. Hopefully this party's only getting started. See you in the funny pages!

David B.

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