The Titan 28

Chapter 28:

– Titus –

It turned out that pain was a pretty good motivator, or maybe Lex Luthor was just always a little bitch. Grail didn’t have to hurt him much more before he started spilling names. Whether they were accurate or not, we’d have to verify ourselves, but at least we got the name of the secret villain organization out of him.

“They call themselves The Light,” Grail said, sneering down at Luthor, who was still whimpering on the floor.

“What a fucking edgy name,” she muttered, rolling her eyes. “And coming from me, that’s saying something.”

Batman stood a few feet away, watching the scene unfold. He didn’t look particularly upset about Grail roughing up Luthor. Honestly, I think he was just relieved she hadn’t outright killed the bastard. As long as she kept things in the “acceptable brutality” range, he wasn’t going to stop her.

I turned to Batman and then to my unconscious "brother" lying sprawled across the floor.

“So what now?” I asked.

Batman exhaled, rubbing his chin. “I’d suggest calling Superman, but—”

“Hell no,” I interrupted, scowling. “Superman already hates MY existence, and I’m fucking perfect.”

Grail snorted in amusement. Batman just looked at me, unimpressed, but I didn’t care. 

What I said was true, in a sense.

Match, though… Match was completely fucked up in the head. And I'm pretty sure the reason for that was because he was a full Kryptonian clone instead of a mix like me. 

I had no doubt that if Superman found out about him, he’d demand Match be either locked up forever or put down like a rabid dog. I wasn’t about to let that happen. I had already lost enough brothers before this. I wasn’t going to lose another one.

Batman didn’t argue with me. Instead, he shifted his focus back to the situation. “For now, we should all get out of here.” he turned towards the still breathing scientists and strongly suggested that they all find new career fields. It was fucked up, but nothing they did here could actually be held against them since cloning wasn’t illegal. The only one who could really be punished was Luthor since it was his “product” that went on a killing spree. At least that’s how Batman explained it.

“Fine by me.” I walked over and picked up Match, slinging him over my shoulder. Hopefully, he'd stay asleep for a while. 

Grail, meanwhile, crouched next to Luthor. He was still groaning, trying to crawl away like a cockroach with a broken leg.

“You bitch,” Luthor spat, his voice hoarse with pain. He glared up at Grail, his face twisted in a mix of rage and humiliation. “The Light won’t stand for this! You think this is over? You think you can just break my leg, beat me up and walk away with no repercussions?”

Grail tilted her head. “Yeah, pretty much. That’s exactly what I think. And I hope the Light comes after me, it’ll save me the trouble of hunting them down myself!”

Luthor clenched his teeth, trying to prop himself up on his elbows. “You have no idea who you’re fucking with. You’ll pay for this. I’ll make sure of it.”

“Aww, that’s cute,” she said mockingly. “You still think you’re in control here.” She reached out and flicked his forehead hard enough to send him back to the floor. “Face it, Luthor, you lost. And trust me, I don’t give a fuck about your little threats.” Luthor seethed, but before he could say anything else, Grail smacked him over the head hard enough to knock him out cold. “Oops,” she said flatly, before tossing his limp body over her own shoulder. 

The three of us made our way to the elevator. Batman hit the control panel, and we started heading up.

Batman folded his arms as the elevator ascended. "Luthor gave up those names a little too easily. He’s arrogant, but he’s not an idiot. He wanted us to have that information."

I frowned. "So you’re saying it’s bullshit?"

"Not necessarily," Batman said. "Some of those names were the most wanted villains in the world currently, but the supposed leader is a name I've never heard of. I’ve never heard the name ‘Vandal Savage’ before. You’d think the head of a supposed secret villain organization wouldn’t be some unknown." Batman did have a fair point there. The name never came up in any of my implanted memories either.

Grail scoffed. "Well, isn’t it your fucking job as the detective or whatever to figure that shit out?" She smirked at him, but her amusement was short-lived when Batman turned his glare on her. She flinched. Almost dropped Luthor, too. "How the fuck do you do that?" she muttered to herself, shaking her head. "I shouldn’t be afraid of a regular-ass human in a bat costume…"

I gave her a wry smile. She rolled her eyes at me.

The elevator dinged, and we stepped out back into the ruined barn. The cows had wandered back in, ‘mooing’ curiously as we emerged into the fresh air. Well, technically the whole place still smelled like cow shit. But it was better than all the stuffy chemicals in that underground lab.

Too bad that fresh air came with the sight of Superman slowly landing in front of us. And he wasn’t alone. Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, and Martian Manhunter were with him.

Superman was pissed the second he laid eyes on Match slung over my shoulder.

Wonder Woman landed beside me, her expression tense as she glanced between me and the unconscious clone. “Are you alright?” she asked.

I gave her a cheeky grin. “Yeah, I’m fine. Match here is tough, but I’m better.”

Superman wasn’t amused. “It already has a fucking name!?” he growled. His landing was so hard that the ground trembled beneath us. 

The poor cows let out panicked moos and bolted again. Superman didn’t even glance their way. He was too busy marching toward me with his fists clenched at his sides.

I noticed Batman subtly shift his stance beside me, his hand inching toward the pouch on his belt. Probably reaching for the kryptonite, just in case.

I really hoped we weren’t about to need it. Something told me we were though. 

“Hand ‘it’ over!” Superman demanded, eyes locked onto Match like he was some ticking time bomb. 

…Which, ok, yeah he kind of was. But Superman shouldn't know that...yet.

Green Lantern—Hal Jordan—clearly had no clue what the hell was going on, but even he could tell things were escalating fast. “Whoa, big guy,” Hal said, floating closer, hands raised. “Maybe let’s take a second to—”

"Don't tell me what to do!"

Manhunter, who had been silent up until now, hovered beside us. His eyes glowed as he focused on Match. The second he did, his expression twisted into shock. 

Shit, did he just try to read Match's mind...?

“Oh dear…” Martian Manhunter’s voice was troubled. “His mind is a chaotic mess. He’s no different than a wild beast!”

That didn’t help.

Superman’s jaw tightened, his fists flexing. “Of course it is!” he snapped. “Which is why we need to put it down now. Hand it over!”

I actually froze for a second. Did I hear that right?

“Wait, what?” Green Lantern frowned. “Put it down…? What the hell are you talking about?”

Superman didn’t even acknowledge him. His burning gaze was still locked onto me. “I’m not letting an insane clone of myself run free. I’ll handle it myself if I have to!”

Silence fell over all of us.

Diana stepped forward, putting a hand on Superman’s arm. “Clark, you don’t mean that. You swore to never take a life!”

Superman barely looked at her. “Clones aren’t alive,” he snapped. “They were grown in a test tube.”

I scoffed, barely able to believe what I was hearing. “Oh, so clones aren’t people now?” I glared at him. “Pretty much every single Kryptonian for the past thousand years was born in a damn test tube. Except for you of course, Mr high and mighty.”

Superman scowled. “That’s different.”

“How the fuck is it different!?” I snapped.

"Doesn't sound any fucking different," Grail added with a nod.

He didn’t answer. He just reached forward, trying to take Match from me. My arm moved on instinct, slapping his hand away. The force of it made the air vibrate around us.

Superman’s eyes flashed red.

Mine did too.

I knew this day would come eventually. The day my so-called father finally pushed me too far. If he wanted to throw down, then we’d throw down. Right here, right now.

Diana moved between us before it could escalate further, her hands raised. “Enough,” she ordered. “Both of you.”

Of course, it was at that moment that Match chose to wake up on my shoulder.

I barely had time to register the movement before I felt his grip clamp onto me like a vice. A split second later, I was airborne, sent hurtling through the walls of the barn like a goddamn wrecking ball. I smashed through wooden beams, shattered a metal trough, and crashed into the dirt outside in a heap of splintered debris.

I heard Grail cursing in the distance, followed by shouting from the others. Then came the familiar sound of an animalistic roar, the kind only Match could make.

Shit.

I launched myself back into the air as fast as I could, but I was already too late. Superman and Match were locked in mid-air, exchanging rapid punches so fast that they blurred out of view. Every impact sent shockwaves through the air, rattling the ground and shattering what little was left of the barn. Sonic booms echoed across the field as the two of them zipped across the sky, colliding and rebounding off each other like wrecking balls.

Green Lantern, Diana, and Martian Manhunter hovered nearby, watching the chaos unfold. But none of them looked particularly eager to jump in.

"Well, shit..." Batman muttered.

I turned to him, raising an eyebrow. "Did you just curse?" I've never heard him actually curse before. 

Batman ignored me, eyes locked onto the aerial battle.

Too bad I didn't have time to tease him about it. 

The temperature around us spiked as Superman and Match unleashed their heat vision at the same time. The beams met in the middle, colliding with enough energy to level a small town. The entire sky lit up in a way that broke every rule of physics, the sheer force behind the clashing energy sending ripples through the clouds.

Was it bad that I was kind of rooting for my insane little brother? Nah. Superman was a dick. Fuck him. He seriously needed to pull his head out of his ass and get over whatever this was when it came to clones. If he didn’t want supervillains cloning him, maybe he shouldn’t go around leaving his DNA all over the damn place!

“...This is why cloning super-powered beings is illegal under the Guardians’ laws,” Green Lantern complained as we watched Match get behind Superman before suplexing him straight into the ground, leaving a massive crater in the dirt.

“You know no one in the galaxy fucking respects the Guardians’ laws, right?” Grail snorted at Green Lantern. “You space cops are viewed as a joke.”

He huffed in indignation. “We maintain order across thousands of sectors—”

“Yeah, yeah, and yet half the universe is still a shithole,” she cut him off with a smirk.

Diana ignored their bickering and turned to me and Grail. “How did you stop Match in the first place?”

“They choked him out,” Batman answered for us.

“That’s odd. I thought Kryptonians don’t need to breathe,” Green Lantern said, frowning.

“We don’t need to breathe air,” I replied. “But we still breathe… something.” I suspected we were directly processing solar radiation or some weird Kryptonian biology bullshit. It didn’t make sense from a human physics standpoint unless you were me and actually experienced it.

“Why the fuck are you all just standing there!?” Superman shouted down at us as he continued trading punches with Match. "Help me get rid of it!" Superman actually had some genuine bruises on his face. But Match looked even more hurt and even more pissed off. He was running purely on rage, which wasn’t enough against years of experience and actual fighting techniques. Still, Match wasn’t giving up. Every punch sounded like a bomb going off, and each time one of them hit the dirt, it sent shockwaves through the farm field.

Diana looked like she wanted to fly up and help Superman, but she hesitated.

Grail unceremoniously dumped Luthor onto a pile of cow shit as she cracked her knuckles. “I guess we’re stopping your little brother a second time.”

I thought about it for a second before turning to Diana and Grail. “You two handle Match. I’m making sure Superman doesn’t try anything stupid.”

Diana looked at me with concern. “Are you sure, Titus?”

I nodded. “I’m not losing another brother. We’ll stop Match ourselves and then find a way to fix his mind...”

"His mind is a mess, but I can at least try to keep him asleep if you can all capture him again." Manhunter apologized for the way he reacted the first time. He couldn't help but feel partially responsible for Superman's reaction. 

Grail and Diana blasted off into the air, heading straight for Match as he tried to tackle Superman again. Diana reached him first, blocking his path and slamming her shield into his chest, sending him spiraling backward.

Grail wasn’t far behind. She swung a heavy punch at Match’s jaw, knocking him off a mile backwards.

Meanwhile, I shot up in front of Superman, blocking his way as he tried to chase after them. He skidded to a stop in midair, his eyes narrowing as he glared at me. "Get out of the way, Titus," he ordered me.

As if I'd actually listen to him at this point...

I crossed my arms and floated there. "Not happening."

"This isn’t your responsibility. Move!"

I held my ground. "Match is my responsibility, not yours. I’m not letting you kill him."

Superman’s frustration boiled over, and he rushed at me. I barely had a second before his fist swung at my face. I caught his wrist, the impact shaking the air around us.

"Seriously? You’re doing this now?" I gritted out as I tightened my grip.

"You’re forcing me to!" he snapped, his other hand swinging toward my gut. I twisted away just in time before shoving him backward. He flipped in midair and came at me again, throwing another punch. This time, I dodged and countered with my own, hitting him square in the jaw. He staggered back, rubbing his face. He looked pissed!

In the distance, Grail and Diana continued their struggle with Match, both of them doing their best to subdue him without hurting him too much. Manhunter was moving closer as well, likely preparing to intervene when he could. But I couldn’t focus on that right now.

Superman and I were about to have it out for real, and there was no backing down. 

At least, that's what I thought. Until a glowing green rock came flying at me from below. I caught it out of the air without thinking.

Batman had thrown me his kryptonite.

Superman came rushing at me again, only to realize too late what I was holding.

"You bastard!" Superman groaned as his body immediately weakened, his flight faltering. He crashed down into the dirt with a heavy thud.

You’d think after getting beaten by this shitty rock for years, he would have come up with a countermeasure for it by now.

Shit, I could think of a bunch of ways. Just ask one of the League’s magic users to enchant an amulet or something that blocks the radiation from kryptonite.

I was kind of glad my 'father' was too arrogant to do something that simple.

Meanwhile, Diana had managed to get her Lasso of Hestia around Match’s throat while Grail held him in place in the air. The two women pulled as he thrashed and kicked, his rage still burning hot. But it didn’t take long before his movements slowed, then stilled completely as he passed out again.

Manhunter flew toward them rapidly, his eyes glowing as he used his mind powers to ensure Match wouldn’t suddenly wake up again.

I lowered myself to the ground and tossed Batman his kryptonite back. "Thanks."

Batman gave me a nod before pocketing it again. "Let’s hope we don’t need it a third time today." 

Superman glared at everyone from where he lay on the ground. His cape was torn, and dirt covered his suit from the fight. He looked furious, not just at me but at everyone around him. Diana put her lasso back on her hip as she flew toward him.

“Clark, Match is contained,” she said, landing beside him. “No one needs to die today. We handled it peacefully. Well... peacefully enough....”

She offered her hand to help him up, but he slapped it away and pushed himself up on his own.

“I’ve had it with your shit!” Superman snapped, pointing a finger at me. “You attacked me, a founding member of the League!”

“You attacked me first!” I shot back.

Superman ignored me completely and turned to the rest of the League members. “Titan is hereby kicked out of the Justice League!” he spat, using my hero name like it was poison in his mouth.

I blinked. “Wait… can he do that?” I asked, turning to Batman and Diana.

Batman frowned. “Technically, he can temporarily suspend a member of the league as a founding member, but he can’t permanently remove you without a vote from the rest of the founders… and we all know he won’t get that.”

“We’ll see about that!” Superman snapped, turning to Manhunter and Green Lantern. “You two are with me, right?”

Green Lantern shifted awkwardly. “Uh… not really?” He scratched the back of his head. “Look, I get you’re pissed, Supes, but I’ve been watching Titan since he joined. He’s been nothing but an exemplary member. Plus, he came here with Batman. I don’t see anything that justifies a suspension, let alone a full-on kick from the League.”

“I must agree,” Manhunter added.

Superman clenched his fists, clearly holding back his frustration, before blasting into the sky and heading straight back toward Metropolis with his cape between his legs! 

“Jesus,” Green Lantern muttered, watching him go. “He isn’t under the effects of red kryptonite again, is he? He’s been acting so fucking weird these last few weeks!”

Batman opened his mouth to answer, but paused, he actually looked like he was thinking about it. “I don’t know,” he admitted.

I crossed my arms and let out a slow breath. “This is the only version of him that I’ve ever known.”

“Yeah, he’s a dick,” Grail said bluntly, walking back over to where she’d dumped Luthor. She grimaced as she looked at him. “Ew… he’s covered in shit. I’m just gonna leave him here.”

Diana sighed, shaking her head. “Superman was one of the kindest men I’ve ever known. This… this isn’t like him.” She turned to Batman, her face serious. “Can you look into it?”

Batman adjusted his cape. “I have a lot of things on my plate, but I’ll make time for it.”

Green Lantern and Manhunter gave me a nod before teleporting back to the Watchtower.

Batman turned to Grail and me. “You two handled yourselves well in that facility. No one could have expected Luthor to create an unstable Kryptonian clone. However…” He narrowed his eyes slightly. “Please refrain from flying around Gotham and slapping the shit out of criminals again...”

Diana had been nodding along approvingly until he said that last part.

“Wait—they did what?! I thought you two were going on a date!? How did it turn into all of this anyway?”

"...It was a whole thing."

XXX