Chapter 52: Left Behind.

More advance chapters on P@treon.com/Saintbarbido.

-0-

(General P.O.V)

The bio-ship glided silently above the dense jungle canopy, its cloaked form shimmering faintly under the amber hues of the setting sun.

The atmosphere was thick with the hum of cicadas and the occasional rustle of leaves, but inside the ship, the atmosphere was taut with anticipation.

Dropping through a hatch on the Ship's roof with practiced ease, Superboy's boots landed softly on the interior organic floor.

"We're approaching the location." He revealed to the Team. "I've disabled the surveillance systems, but stay alert. He probably knew we were coming the second we entered Bialya."

"We can thank Queen Bee for that." muttered Robin, seated at the bio-screen flicking through a series of grainy images with his fingers dancing over the holographic interface.

"She and The Brain have had dealings in the past. She's probably funding him." He added with irritation.

Jon nodded beside Miss Martian with his arms crossed. "Queen Bee, The Brain, and his partner Monsieur Mallah are all part of the Light," he explained. "The Brain's codenamed L-6. He's a genius of bio-engineering, running illegal experiments using Kobra-Venom and the Blockbuster serum. Our mission is to rescue the kidnapped scientists he's forced to work for him. But be ready for anything."

The team nodded in unison, their expressions a mix of determination and unease. The tension and hostility from earlier was mostly gone, replaced by professionalism. They were in the field now, and there was no room for anything else besides the mission.

Wally, ever curious, raised a hand. "Quick question—how do you know so much about the Light?"

Jon's lips curled into a faint, almost rueful smile. "You learn a lot while in prison," he said simply.

Shazam, stuck with them for this mission, blinked in surprise, his curiosity piqued but his words caught in his throat.

He opened his mouth as if to ask more, then thought better of it, snapping it shut with an audible click. He didn't want Jon and the others to think of him as nosy.

Aqualad stepped forward, his presence commanding as he took control of the conversation. "As Superboy said, we should expect opposition. Stay sharp."

Supergirl leaned against the wall, her arms crossed and a smirk playing on her lips. "So, what's the plan, O fearless leader? Do Powerboy, Jon, and I drop in through the roof and wreck the place? Or do we go the safe, vanilla Robin way?"

Robin shot her a glare, his voice dripping with mock indignation. "Safe? Vanilla? Look here, Miss Wrecking Ball, I am a dark creature of the night, and I shall be addressed as—"

"Superboy isn't coming," Aqualad interjected, his tone firm but not unkind. "He'll hang back on the bio-ship as backup in case things go south."

The room fell silent, all eyes turning to Jon. To everyone's surprise, he didn't argue and simply gave a thumbs-up, relaxed and unbothered.

"No problem," he even sounded easygoing.

Supergirl let out a sharp laugh, her gaze shifting to Raven, who sat cross-legged in the corner, her eyes closed in meditation.

"That means no action for lil' miss 'Show-off,' either." she teased.

Jon chuckled, glancing at Raven. "Oh, you guys can take her. She can learn how a team works from watching you. What do you say, Rae-Rae?"

Raven's eyes flicked open, calm and unreadable as usual. She gave a curt nod while ignoring Supergirl's indignant huff.

"It's settled then. Let's go punch a brain and it's dressed up Gorilla butler." Said Artemis adjusting her quiver as the Bio-ship descended.

"Godspeed," Superboy's voice came through the comms while standing on the ramp watching the team disembark.

Their figures disappeared into the shadows of the jungle.

Jon turned back to the bio-ship, his hand tracing across it's green organic surface.

He let out a quiet sigh, the sting of being left behind lingering in his chest. But he understood.

Aqualad was giving him a chance to earn back the team's trust, and that meant following orders, even if it meant sitting this one out.

Besides, this was an opportunity.

"Alright, girl," he murmured, running his palm over the bio-ship's control nodes. "Let's see what you've got for me."

The bio-ship responded with a soft beep, its systems syncing with Jon's psionic link.

A flood of alien data streamed into his mind, intricate and overwhelming.

His eyes widened in awe as he processed the bio-mechanical energy, so similar yet so different from the ki and psionic energies he was accustomed to.

It was almost like a blend of the two, a fusion of life and machine.

The discovery ignited a spark of curiosity within him, and he lost himself in the flow of information, the world outside fading away.

-The Fourth World-

-Apokolips-

-Throne Room-

The air in the throne room was oppressive and thick with the scent of sulfur and burning metal.

Steppenwolf and Granny Goodness knelt before the massive throne, their heads bowed in subservience.

The flames from the fire pit roared behind them, casting dancing shadows across the metallic chamber.

"Kalibak has proven his lineage's insurmountable power by claiming both Rann and Thanagar in your name, my Lord. Not even the Green Lantern Corp's arrival could stop our wave of Parademons. Before long, the Guardians will willingly bow down at your feet or their headless corpses will." Steppenwolf began, his voice respectful but tinged with expectation. He was the general of this war, and he awaited his master's approval.

Behind the throne, Darkseid stood motionless, his massive frame silhouetted against the raging flames.

The heat in the chamber was unbearable, the temperature far exceeding that of a star's core. Yet Darkseid's presence was colder, more terrifying.

The Omega Effect radiated from him, distorting the air and bending reality itself.

It was an authority, an order, an infinite force of destruction that made defiance impossible.

The silence stretched, thick and suffocating. Steppenwolf shifted uneasily, his confidence wavering. "Ah, my Lord?" he ventured, his voice trembling.

"TELL ME YOUR FOLLY, STEPPENWOLF," Darkseid's voice boomed, shaking the very foundations of the throne room.

The temperature plummeted, the flames dimming as if cowed by his wrath.

Steppenwolf's face paled, and he immediately pressed his forehead to the floor. "If this humble servant has displeased you, my Lord, say so, and I shall sever my tongue as punishment."

A cackle erupted from Granny Goodness, her fat form shaking with mirth.

"Ever the fool, Steppenwolf," she sneered. "You offer our Lord meaningless mortal planets while ignoring his true desire? No mere tongue would suffice for this atrocity!"

Steppenwolf's head snapped up, his eyes blazing with fury. "Curb your tongue, witch! Do not forget to whom you speak! The fury of Apokalips and Lord Darkseid's sword, Steppenwolf the Terror!"

"Like I said," Granny retorted, her voice dripping with disdain, "a fool."

"Silence, the both of you." The new voice was a hiss, low and venomous, cutting through the tension like a blade. Desaad emerged from a Boom Tube, his hooded figure clutching a Fatherbox.

The device pulsed with an ominous red light, its circuits glowing like veins of fire across it's square frame.

"Desaad," Granny spat, her tone laced with contempt. "Late as always."

Desaad ignored her, his deformed face twisted in a look of maniacal devotion as he prostrated himself before Darkseid. "My Lord, what Steppenwolf fails to understand is that this war is not one of conquest but of seeking."

He raised the Fatherbox, its alien design casting eerie shadows across the room. "The object of your desire may be close at hand. The Fatherbox has interfaced with a strange signal on an alien planet designated Adamo-2 on the fringes of the Andromeda Galaxy, just at the edge of our search range. The signal belongs to an unknown Motherbox, and the data it carries contains exotic energy—neither Godly nor Mortal. It may be the missing key to the Anti-Life Equation."

Darkseid turned, his stony visage cracking into a wide, cruel grin. The flames roared higher, reflecting in his eyes like twin infernos.

"BRING ME TO ADAMO-2."

-0-

Jon stared at the bio-ship's controls, frustration creasing his brow.

Despite scanning every inch with his mind, he couldn't replicate its bio-mechanical structure with his ki or psionic energy. It was like trying to grasp water—elusive and defiant.

"This doesn't make sense," he muttered. "Why can't I copy it? Any clue Grandpa?"

The crystal pendant on his neck pulsed and Jor-El's hologram appeared beside him. "Martian lifeforms' genetic makeup is extremely fluid, existing in both physical and astral realms. To replicate it, you would have to fuse ki and psionic energy—a bridge between body and mind."

Jon scoffed. "I've tried. Even with [Oneness], they're too different. Like mixing oil and water."

Before Jor-El could respond, Aqualad's voice crackled through the comms. "Mission's done Superboy. Scientists are safe, and we've got The Brain and Mallah. Ready for extraction."

Jon smirked, his frustration fading. "Copy that. On my way."

As the bio-ship hummed to life, Jon leaned back, still wrestling with the energy fusion problem.

For now, though, he focused on the task at hand. The ship glided silently through the jungle, cloaked and unseen while heading towards a smoking complex hidden among trees.