Chapter 89 : Powering up Superboy
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Instead of a circle, it was more accurate to call it a sphere (or part of a sphere, anyway). The device's purpose was simple : concentrate the sun's ray onto a single point or person and amplify its effect. Like a lens, but more powerful. If pointing a lens at Superboy would have been enough to grant him his powers, no doubt he'd have done it by now…
So, since he knew for a fact that Kryptonians were susceptible to magic, he used magic to amplify the effect of the sun on him. Now the problem was…
« What's this supposed to do ? » Kon-El interrupted his thoughts.
« Focus and amplify the sun's effects on a Kryptonian. »
Raising a perplexed eyebrow, the clone looked up at the sky… or rather, where it was supposed to be. The dark ceiling or sky didn't let peek the least amount of sun.
« I know there's no sun ! I'm no dumb*ss ! I have my ways… »
He retrieved a crystal from his waist pouch and threw it up toward the center-top of the sphere. There sat a hoop and underneath, something that looked and acted like a lens.
The sphere suddenly whirred to life, worrying Superboy, the main actor of this experiment, and the others, although for a completely different reason. While the clone was worried for himself and his well-being, the others wondered if this light and sound show wouldn't attract too much unwanted attention. Why did it have to be so noisy and flashy ?
And indeed, Ned realized at the moment that perhaps, he should have done this after isolating the sphere from the space around them. Or, at the very least, hiding it from sight (and hearing). As it turned out, his Kryptonian Buffing System or KBS for short was not very stealthy…
A few seconds into the procedure, Kon-El forgot his apprehension. The rest of the world outside the sphere simply… faded away. All that remained was the glorious sensation of his cells filling up with energy, like a phone battery quickly getting charged up, or the gas tank of a car being refilled. However, at this moment, to his senses, it was each and every one of his individual cells composing his bodies that were put through a similar process. With it, Kon-El could somewhat instinctively feel the powers of his body increasing.
To him, it seemed slow… Then again, the cells of his brains were also going through a similar process, making his cognitive abilities more powerful and faster. And then, it happened ! The individual cells energy connected to one another, forming a matrix. Instantly, a field was emitted from them, exuding a little from his body.
This matrix, this field was the basis for the Kryptonian's power set. It protected them from most harm, allowed them to bypass the laws of physics to fly and do other things. When the energy was focused in their eyes, it could enhance various aspects of the eyes functions. For example, eyes used and absorbed light in order for the brain to process information. However, Kryptonians could use this light and send it back, like a laser. They also had access to the ability to zoom in on things, see through etc…
Similarly, the energy field could be used inside the body. For example, in the lungs it could compress air so that they could store much more than a regular human could. This compressed air lowered its temperature (hence the freezing breath).
Another thing they could do, but rarely did given their hypersensitive ears, was focus the energy on their vocal chords and stomach to produce sonic attacks.
As Ned pondered on all of this, he cursed their biology again :
« Freaking alien nuclear Swiss army knife ! » He muttered to himself, incensed.
Still focused on the new sensations Superboy was experiencing with his body, he wasn't able to pay attention to Ned's rather rude words. Even if he did, he probably would not have minded. Finally, he was… complete ! He always thought that something was missing. During the simulations, in his early life, he had the full Kryptonian powerset. What he didn't know at the moment was that his powers weren't just limited to what Superman and Supergirl could do, however.
Perhaps because of the genetic experimentations done to him while he was gestating, or because of his hybrid Kryptonian-Human DNA, Superboy possessed a control over the energy field his cells were producing that went beyond anything the other two could do ! Using his touch, he could 'leave' parts of his field onto chosen target either to make them benefit from them, or manipulate them from a distance with telekinesis. In the same vein, if the person or animal he touched was able of conscious thoughts, he was able to access those as well. Essentially, this could make him much more powerful than either of the two…
Although Superboy didn't know of this, Ned did. And this made his frown deepen. Perhaps he shouldn't have done what he just did… His knowledge of comics and characters might not be accurate after all. And the expression 'absolute power corrupts absolutely' kept playing in his mind. He really hoped he didn't create an overpowered future supervillain !
The process slowly grounded to a halt and Superboy's form emerged from the light he previously was bathed in. He stood there, transfixed, looking down at his hands. Tears were flowing down his cheeks in silence as a smile stretched his lips. After a few seconds, he said, or rather, repeated over and over :
« Thank you ! Thank you, thank you ! »
Ned frowned was still there, though for a different reason this time. He was wondering if the procedure hadn't broken the Superboy. Flooding his body with the sun's radiation, even if they were beneficial to Kryptonian might have been too much. After all, what he did was have him experience what his kin had over a couple of decades. Supergirl orbited the sun in her pod, while Superman was raised and grew up on Earth. Superboy, on the other hand, was not even a year old. And while growing up in a tank, he hadn't seen much sun. That's what the KBS was supposed to do, basically. Give him the years spent in the sun he should have had, in just a few moments.
Now that he thought about the character more deeply, this version of Superboy was actually similar to the one in Young Justice. He previously didn't have the full strength and powers of a Kryptonian. On the other hand, he had a bunch of anger and insecurities. Probably more of the latter… Now, though, he should be on the level of his New 52 counterpart : TK powers in addition to the abilities of the Kryptonians.
Superboy stepped out of the sphere and the first thing he did… was to float and launch himself like a rocket toward the sky. He shouted in joy, flipping, rolling on one side and then the other, braking suddenly before letting himself fall. All the while, he kept exclaiming and yelling blissfully, completely forgetting their current dire straits.
Robin was the one to point it out :
« He's aware that we're still in a dangerous situation, right ? »
Ned shrugged :
« He's probably feeling over the world at this moment. Almost untouchable with the feeling of power and happiness coursing through him. It'll pass. Hopefully… »
Mel who used her helmet to follow the Kryptonian with her sight, noted inwardly that the boy wasn't just messing around. His seemingly random flight pattern was not entirely useless since she could see him scan the surroundings from the air. Still… his smile was kind of endearing. He was like a puppy with a new toy. Quite cute.
As she felt herself heat up slightly, she wondered if perhaps, she wasn't suffering from something. Bear in mind, she was smart and not clueless in the ways of the heart but… She didn't think such feelings applied to her. Moreover, she didn't believe that they could just sprout so rapidly within her. Like Ned and her other siblings, she was a creature of reason. Love at first sight… was far from what she considered reasonable.
Not to mention the fact that she had already met the clone, or seen him from afar a few times in the past and she never felt anything like it. It would be more logical to assume that she was suffering from some kind of hardware or software malfunction. Perhaps a new kind of virus that could target their kind ?
That's when the group found itself in the eye of the storm. Superboy landed near them and told them :
« Head's up, people ! They're coming ! »
Suddenly, they were completely surrounded.