Chapter 34

Location: Lernean Building, Smallville, Kansas – 2003

An innocuous building still had it's lights on in the dead of night. Inside a dimly lit office, a man in a crisp suit with white hair and glasses leaned back in his chair, he was looking at a pain of monitors before him. One monitor was of a security camera recording of the group in the tunnels. And in the other was The Torch's article.

A slow smile curled at the edges of his lips.

"They work quicker than expected," he murmured, tapping a finger against the armrest.

A subordinate, standing stiffly by the door, looked to him. "Should we deal with it Mr. Whitehall?"

The man, Daniel Whitehall chuckled, shaking his head.

"It's a local school paper. Small, insignificant. Easy to erase. Easy to discredit. Let them think they've accomplished something." His fingers drummed idly. "For now."

The subordinate hesitated. "And the trial tonight?"

The man's gaze flicked up, sharp and unwavering.

"It goes forward as planned."

There was a pause, then a nod of understanding.

"We're too close to our finish line. the weapon is stronger than before. That meteor shower was a godsend. If we can perfect him Hydra will gain a weapon not many would be able to match."

The subordinate nodded and walked away.

Whitehall got up from his desk and walked to an elevator going down into a level of the building that was underground. It was a lab and room not unlike the one in the tunnel except bigger and with better equipment. It was clear this was the main base. In the centre Ted slept inside a pod.

Daniel Whitehall smiled as he turned to one of his scientists.

"Wake him up and send him on his next deployment" Whitehall commanded.

The scientist nodded pressing a series of buttons on his command centre and the pod opened. Ted fell out and instantly began to transform once more. He writhed and screamed as he transformed before standing.

The man walked forward.

"Osseous, you're nearly perfect. You know what you must do tonight. Do not let me down" Whitehall told him.

Ted nodded just before he ran off into the night and Whitehall smiled turning to the scientist beside him.

"Hail Hydra" he said.

"Hail Hydra" the scientist responded.

Location: Kent Farm, Smallville – Earth - 2003

That night Apollo awoke to the sound of screaming and mayhem in the Southside district of Smallville. Screaming and mayhem loud and desperate enough to alert his super senses and wake him.

Ted, Apollo thought as he bolted upright. Apollo instantly changed from his pajamas and then flew out of his room at speeds beyond sound.

Location: Southside, Smallville, Kansas - 2003

In the Southside district; streetlights flickered, car alarms blared, and people screamed as a figure tore through the streets with raw, unrelenting force. Ted Grahame—twisted and reshaped by meteor-induced mutations—was a walking storm of destruction. His body was covered in thick, plated bone armor, forming an exoskeleton of jagged ivory segments. The only exposed part of him was his hollow, rage-filled eyes, set deep beneath the natural armor plating of his face. A line of wicked, spiked protrusions ran down his back, bristling like the ridges of some primordial beast. He moved with a terrifying blend of power and speed, his powerful footfalls cracking the pavement.

Apollo flew in having arrived just in time to stop anymore destruction. He rammed into Ted with force hoping to knock him out and sending him flying backwards through the street. Apollo floated a little above ground before landing.

The super powered teen stood in the middle of the street, dressed in a simple blue shirt, jeans, a red hoodie with the hood pulled up to obscure his face and boots—clothing that now bore the evidence of his frantic sprint to reach the battle. His chest rose and fell steadily as he locked eyes with Ted, analyzing his opponent in seconds. The mutant teen was strong, fast, and durable. His armored hide meant direct strikes wouldn't do much. And he was regenerating—Apollo could already see the cracks in his bony plating from Apollo's blow sealing up.

Ted maybe be dangerous but Ted wasn't his enemy.

Apollo clenched his fists, inhaling through his nose. I can stop him. I can save him.

Lesson One: A Warrior Controls the Battlefield.

—Ikaris.

Ted lunged with a roar, swinging his armoured hand toward Apollo's head. But Apollo was already moving. With a blur of motion, he stepped to the side, pivoting on his heel as Ted's strike shattered the asphalt where he'd been standing. Dust and debris exploded outward. Apollo used the cloud as cover, darting around Ted's blind spots.

The mutate turned, swiping again. This time, Apollo met the blow—not by blocking it, but by redirecting it. He twisted his upper body, letting the strike graze his shoulder at an angle, using Ted's own momentum against him. Ted stumbled forward.

Apollo moved.

His footwork was impeccable—Makkari had drilled it into him during their countless races across the Kansas plains. His steps were light, precise, unhindered by gravity. He weaved through the battlefield like the wind, untouched and unchained.

Lesson Two: A Warrior Does Not Waste Movement.

—Makkari.

Apollo ducked beneath a wild swing, then spun behind Ted, delivering a precise, controlled tap to the back of his knee. The force was just enough to send the towering figure staggering forward, disrupting his balance.

Ted growled, furious. His regeneration was kicking in, his wounds knitting together almost instantly. He planted a foot, then turned with startling speed, his bone-plated arms raised.

Apollo's eyes glowed red.

A precise blast of heat vision seared across the ground—not at Ted, but in front of him. The sudden burst of molten pavement forced Ted to stop mid-charge, his footing uncertain.

Lesson Three: A Warrior Uses His Environment.—Ikaris.

Apollo exhaled sharply, shifting tactics. He needed to slow Ted down more. With a sharp inhale, he unleashed a burst of freezing breath, sweeping it in a wide arc across Ted's legs. Frost spread in seconds, hardening around his plated feet. Ted snarled and tried to move, but his steps were sluggish, the cold numbing his joints.

Apollo saw his chance. He shot forward in a blur, grabbing Ted by the arm and using his own momentum to hurl him through the air. The armored teen crashed into a parked truck, crumpling metal and shattering windows on impact.

Ted groaned but pushed himself back up.

The battle wasn't over.

Before Apollo could advance, a sharp, terrified cry cut through the chaos.

His head snapped to the side.

A child. A boy, no older than seven, cowered behind an overturned food cart. His small hands clutched the fabric of his hoodie, his wide eyes filled with fear. Ted had spotted him too.

Apollo moved.

Faster than thought, he shot across the distance and interposed himself between the boy and the rampaging mutate.

Ted lunged.

Apollo caught the strike with both hands. The sheer force of it rattled through his bones, but he held firm. Ted pushed, his monstrous strength trying to drive Apollo backward. But Apollo dug his heels in, refusing to budge an inch.

He looked over his shoulder at the boy. "Hey, kid," he said, flashing a reassuring smile. "It's going to be okay, I'm here. You're safe now"

The boy blinked up at him a mix of fear and awe in his eyes. "You're… stopping him."

Apollo nodded as he hurled Ted back sending him flying away.

"Are you an angel?" the boy asked.

"No, I wish I was but I will protect you. I promise" Apollo replied as he gave him a warm smile.

"Like a hero. Is that what you are? Are you a superhero?" the boy questioned looking at Apollo.

Apollo hesitated, then looked around—the destruction, the terror. And yet, in this child's eyes, there was something else now. Hope.

Apollo turned back to the boy, he briefly remembered what his Ma told him about what he could be and Apollo felt certain about something. Apollo gave the kid a big and confident smile.

"I'm going to be." Apollo told him.

The child hugged Apollo tightly and Apollo hugged him back but he heard Ted get up once again. This had to stop.

Ted charged at him jumping into the air and coming down to smash Apollo and the kid with both hands.

Apollo blurred and hid the kid away.

"Stay here alright let me go handle this" Apollo told the kid confidently and the kid nodded smiling at him like Apollo was something from his favourite cartoon or comic come to life.

Apollo blurred back to meet Ted and Ted threw a punch at Apollo with all his might but Apollo caught the strike midair. The force sent shockwaves through his body, but he held firm.

He turned back to Ted, his eyes blazing with determination. "You're not a monster, Ted. They did this to you."

Ted roared in frustration, trying to overpower him but Apollo held firm. He would save the kid, he would save the Southside, he would save Ted, he would save everyone.

Lesson Four: A Warrior Fights With Purpose.

—Ikaris.

With a surge of controlled power, he shifted his stance and flipped Ted over his shoulder, sending him crashing into the street. The ground shook. Apollo didn't let up. He pressed his advantage, darting around Ted like a phantom, striking pressure points where the armor was thinner—joints, the sides of the ribs, the back of the knees.

Ted fought wildly, but Apollo was not fighting just to stop him. He was fighting to save him.

He used his speed to evade every counterattack, moving too fast to be caught, he let himself feel the world around him just as Makkari taught him and he felt free, free to be himself without consequence, free to protect without worry and Apollo stopped holding back instantly overwhelming Ted.

Then he used Ikaris's teachings of fighting, discipline and precision to strike with purpose. He threw punches and blasted Ted with his heat vision. Targeting weak points. Unleashing his strength, the way Ikaris always told him to, like a warrior but he wasn't like his Uncle he didn't want to destroy this evil but rather he wanted to save him. He stopped his assault when he sensed that Ted was near the brink and then he flew him up into the air and smashed him into the ground. Ted slowly and weakly got up and tried to throw his own punches but Apollo parried and overpowered him with ease. Ted couldn't win this fight; Apollo was on a completely different level.

Apollo smiled to the kid who was peaking up from where Apollo hid him and Apollo gave him a playful thumbs up right before he knocked Ted back.

Finally, Ted let out a frustrated, agonized snarl as he staggered and fell to one knee trying to remain upright. His breath came in ragged gasps. His limbs trembled. His regeneration was slowing down.

Apollo exhaled. "You don't have to do this."

Ted's breath hitched. For a second, Apollo saw something behind the anger and control—a glimpse of pain, of fear.

"You don't have to listen to them. I saw some of what they did to you. You didn't deserve that, nobody does and I'm sorry nobody was there to help you then but I'm here now. Ted, no matter what they did to you, no matter what they said. You are a person, not a monster and not their weapon. Let me help you now, let me save you" Apollo said as he reached out his hand.

Ted flinched and his fingers twitched. Apollo's expression was one of kindness, of understanding, of empathy. Ted barely recognised those expressions anymore he hadn't seen them in so long.

Ted looked at Apollo's hand a glimmer of something in his eye and then an extremely high pitched electronic sound rung through Apollo's ears unexpectedly. Apollo collapsed in pain not expecting the sound. His senses temporarily overwhelmed him just like when he was younger and he looked up at Ted and saw he had a reaction to the sound as well. Ted turned and leaped away, vanishing into the night. The sound was a beacon for him, a recall signal, Apollo realised. Apollo quickly got control of his senses back just as the sound disappeared.

Apollo let out a slow breath, steadying himself. He was about to try and chase after Ted. Then, a small hand tugged at his sleeve.

He looked down. The boy he was protecting stared up at him with awe.

"You saved me," he whispered as his eyes shone.

Apollo knelt, placing a gentle hand on the kid's shoulder.

"That's what I'm here for," Apollo said as he smiled warmly at the kid and something in him clicked, that's what he was here for.

The boy nodded, his eyes shining with hope.

And in that moment, Apollo knew. This was who he was meant to be. Not just Apollo Kent. Not just a kid with powers. Not just a warrior, not just a protector, not just a leader, not just an alien and not just human but all of the above.

He was meant to be it all.

He was meant to be more than a hero, he was meant to be superhero.

He stood, resolve hardening in his chest. He would find Ted. He would make sure he didn't hurt anyone else, he would stop whoever was controlling him and he would also save him.

Apollo held the boy's hands and helped him find his family before flying back into the night a single thought in his head; the next time he faced the darkness—he would be ready.

Location: Lernean Building, Smallville, Kansas – 2003

The cold hum of machinery filled the chamber, the fluorescent lights above casting a sterile glow over the scene. The Hydra leader, Daniel Whitehall, paced methodically in front of the monitors, his sharp eyes flickering between the grainy footage on the screen and the bound figure hanging in chains before him.

The footage played on an endless loop—Ted, armored in bone, charging forward. And then him. The unknown saviour. Moving faster, hitting harder, winning.

Ted had failed.

Whitehall's baton tapped against his palm rhythmically before he suddenly lashed out, the crack of metal striking steel reverberating through the chamber. The scientists stiffened.

"Explain."

The head scientist, a wiry man in glasses, swallowed hard. "Sir, we—"

CRACK.

The baton sent the clipboard clattering to the floor.

"No excuses." Whitehall's voice was venomous. "I want to know why my weapon lost. Why did Osseous lose?"

Silence.

At the far end of the chamber, the reinforced steel cuffs around Ted's wrists clanked softly as he shifted. His head was bowed, his breathing slow and measured, but his fingers twitched at his sides.

Whitehall turned toward him.

"You," he said flatly.

Ted didn't respond.

"You failed," Whitehall stated, his voice deceptively calm. "I do not accept failure. Those who fail me end up dead. And yet, you live."

A long pause.

"Do you know why?" Whitehall asked, tilting his head.

Ted exhaled. He knew the answer.

"Because I allowed it, Osseous you exist to service my whims. If you aren't doing that then there is no need for your existence" Whitehall continued, stepping forward.

A cruel smirk tugged at his lips.

"Tell me something, Osseous… do you remember what you were before we made you useful?"

Ted flinched as memories rushed through his mind.

Pain.

It burned through his spine, sharp and unrelenting.

He screamed.

"Subject 16's osteopetrosis is responding to the meteorite radiation exposure. Amplifying radiation."

He thrashed, his body breaking itself apart and rebuilding at the same time.

A voice—cold, clinical—spoke above him.

"He's resisting the sedatives—"

"Let him. Pain, is transformative. What he'll become will be all the stronger for it."

Agony over took Ted, more than he believed was possible. Every cell in his body was burning.

"He's slipping. We're pushing him too far-"

"There's no such thing as too far. Discovery requires experimentation"

He gasped, choking on his own breath as something inside him changed, twisted, reformed—

Darkness.

Ted's body twitched involuntarily as he pushed away the memories.

Whitehall stepped closer, watching him intently.

"You remember," he murmured. "Good."

Ted remained silent.

"You were nothing before us," Whitehall went on, his voice almost mocking. "Weak. Dying. Now, you're strong." He gestured to Ted's armor-clad form, bone plating still covering parts of his body.

Ted exhaled sharply.

"But despite everything we've done for you," Whitehall continued, his tone darkening, "you failed me ."

Ted flinched.

CRACK.

The baton struck him across the ribs. Ted gritted his teeth but didn't cry out.

"You had one purpose," Whitehall sneered, stepping back. "Kill. That deployment was meant to show your usefulness in creating and causing mass panic and destruction. However, the reports state nobody died and the destruction was far less than you are capable of."

Silence.

Whitehall turned toward the monitors, the footage still looping. His gaze flicked back to Ted.

"What did you see in that fight?"

Ted hesitated.

"I don't… remember," he muttered.

CRACK. Another blow struck Ted's ribs.

"You will not lie to me" Whitehall spoke.

Ted exhaled slowly.

"He was strong," he admitted finally.

"Stronger than you?"

"Yes" Ted replied.

Whitehall's grip on the baton tightened. "Interesting," he murmured. "You say that like you admire him."

Ted said nothing.

Whitehall let out a slow, measured breath.

"So are you telling me that you're useless then?" he mused. "A weapon that can't defeat its target has no purpose."

A pit of dread settled in Ted's stomach.

Whitehall chuckled darkly.

"You exist to kill. That boy—whoever he is, can't be allowed to interfere again do you understand— you will either bring him here for further study and reconditioning or he must die. And if you can't do it?" His smirk widened. "Then what good are you?"

Ted clenched his fists.

"Do not let me down Osseous," Whitehall murmured, "I would hate to have to replace you."

Ted's breath hitched.

"Bring him in and we'll handle the rest, we'll break him," Whitehall continued smoothly. "Mold him. Shape him into something useful. A perfect Hydra soldier."

Ted's entire body tensed.

Whitehall turned back to the scientists.

"Hammer is still a potential asset. If we perfect Grahame, we use Hammer's military connections to mass-produce him. A full squadron of Hydra super soldiers."

One of the agents hesitated. "Sir, if we move on Hammer now—"

"We have to move now," Whitehall interrupted. "We cannot risk further exposure. The incidents with those children and Osseous' failed deployment tell me we aren't operating as in the shadows as I'd like. Hammer must be handled as quickly as possible."

His gaze flicked back to Ted.

"But that still leaves the matter of your opponent."

Ted exhaled slowly.

"He's connected to that little journalist and her friends. How else do you explain their posting of the article and his disruption of our tests? Eliminate her, Osseous" Whitehall commanded.

Ted's breath hitched and his stomach turned.

Whitehall turned toward the agents. "Prepare a strike team. Osseous will take Hammer within 48 hours—no loose ends." His gaze flicked back to Ted.

"As for the journalist… she's our key to drawing out your opponent. When she's dead or hurt he'll come running and you'll face him once more. And if he's stronger than you?"

His eyes gleamed with something cruel.

"Then we will diverge all our resources into taking him and leave you in the grave you were destined to be in"

Ted swallowed hard.

The order had been given.

But deep down, something inside him fought against it.

"You're not a weapon."

"You're a person, Ted. Not what they made you."

"You don't have to do what they say."

Ted clenched his fists.

Whitehall smirked. "Something on your mind, Osseous?"

Ted forced himself to shake his head. "No, sir."

Whitehall eyed him for a long moment, then turned to the scientists.

"Prepare the two agents collecting Hammer."

The scientist hesitated. "Sir, are you sure? With Hammer's security they'd need to be enhanced—"

"Then enhance them."

A beat of silence.

The scientist adjusted his glasses. "The serum from Osseous' spinal fluid isn't ready. We're still a very long way from it being viable for use"

"But it will enhance them will it not?" Whitehall questioned.

"It will, their strength, their speed, their regeneration but only for 24 hours, after that the mutations they gain will begin to deteriorate and they will die" the scientist informed him.

Whitehall barely blinked. "That is of no consequence." He smirked. "Cut off one head, two more shall take its place."

The scientist nodded. "Understood, sir. We'll prepare the serum."

Whitehall turned back to Ted.

"And as for you…" He leaned in, his expression dark. "You will not fail me again."

Ted said nothing.

"Prepare for deployment," Whitehall ordered.

Ted clenched his fists.

He had his orders.

But Apollo's words still echoed in his mind.

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Also read Superman(Marvel+DC) and Marvel: Hyperion.