Mettle, Metal, Meddled - Chapter 18 - Named (Patreon)

The next day started with what was quickly becoming my morning routine. I  woke up and headed down to the gym, where M’gann, Superboy and I worked out for an hour or so. Superboy spent a chunk of time fine tuning his limit for his speed, finding that he could run a pretty decent hundred and twenty miles an hour before his legs started to ache. He could punch at a blistering speed too, wailing on a super reinforced punching bag that measured the force he was imparting.

“Superboy, that is incredible.” I said, reading the chart the punching bag made. “If you can reliably find your limit you are going to be hard to beat. Most people who can beat super strength use speed and agility. At this speed that just won't work on you.”

“Still not as fast as Superman.” He mumbled, clenching his fists as he sat on a bench.

I frowned, wondering how I should respond to that before M’gann beat me to it.

“Superboy, why does it matter if you're not as fast as Superman?” She asked, floating closer.

“I’m his clone.” He said simply. “He doesn't want me because-”

“Superboy, any person who doesn't want you because your powers aren't as strong as they think they should be is not worth your time.” She said clearly, hands on her hips. “I don’t know what his problem is but if it's that then… Fuck him.”

My eyes went wide at her curse, wondering if I was rubbing off on her. I pushed my presence closer and supported her mentally. I could feel her old wounds of being singled out and mistreated because of her white Martian status. She leaned on me mentally, standing straighter.

“You're a good person who deserves to be treated better.” She added. “Your life shouldn't be ruled by trying to be like Superman, or trying to impress him.”

“With any luck Star Labs will have an idea of what's going on.” I pointed out. “The whole team is behind you Superboy, we will do all we can to help.”

The stunned Kryptonian clone stared at M’gann for a few seconds, looking at me over her shoulder. I nodded sympathetically before adding.

“You know… it might be something to discuss with your new guardians.” I suggested. “I think they will say something similar.”

Superboy nodded in response, his expression contemplative as he walked past M’gann. He stopped between us and turned back to M’gann.

“Thank you. I… I’m going to see Lily and Sarah again today, to make it official. They promised that if we gave it a trial run and I didn’t feel comfortable then they would willingly sign me over to a new guardian.”

“I really hope it works out for you, Superboy. From what you've told me about them they seem great.” M’gann said with a happy smile.

“They… they are. We don’t know each other very well yet but… It feels like the right choice.”

Now done with our work out we each went our separate ways to clean up. We ate a simple breakfast of scrambled eggs before Superboy left to meet his new guardians and M’gann and I did some training. I was finally able to keep my spheres stable with only my palm for a whole minute, spending an extra hour down in the grotto getting it consistent.

“I’m going to meditate again.” I told M’gann as we walked up the elaborate grotto stairs. “I’ll do it tonight after you fall asleep so you won’t feel it.”

“Thank you.” She responded, hesitating for a moment before speaking again. “Warren… what are you doing when you meditate? You seem very distant and muted. It's strange.”

“I… never told you?” I asked, rubbing my forehead when she shook her head. “The entity that sent me here set up a sort of dummy training system. It's run by a fake copy of one of the best earthbenders to ever live.”

“Really? That is…”

“Insane? Ridiculous? Unbelievable?” I suggested, shaking my head. “Yeah, I know. But I need the training if I'm going to get better at any serious speed. Self teaching the most advanced techniques would be a serious struggle.”

“And you're sure that you can trust them? The entity and the trainer?”

The question made me stop in my tracks, still halfway back to the kitchen. I looked at M’gann, my brain working through my answer.

“The entity… I don’t know if I trust them.” I answered honestly. “But it's hard to consider all of this real and not at least take it at face value. I think… I don't trust them, but I don’t think they are going to do anything intentionally nefarious. As for the trainer, I don’t think it's really alive, just a complicated facsimile.”

Not long after that we went our separate ways, with M’gann heading out to see her uncle, while I hung back in the cave. I spent the better part of two hours sitting on the couch, compiling, cutting down and optimizing what I thought would be a good barebones load out for each of us to carry on missions. I was studying the specs of Captain Cold’s freeze gun, wondering how small it could be made when I got a surprise visitor.

“What are you doing?”

I jumped off of the couch, spun around and went to stomp my foot, barely managing to stop myself.

“Holy hell Batman.” I said, letting out a long breath, standing back up straight. “Goddammit. I know you have a shtick but my earthbending instincts have been real close to the surface lately. You keep surprising me like that and we are going to end up with some serious property damage.”

“Noted.” He said simply. “I have some questions.”

“Robin said you might.” I said with a nod. Unwilling to stay standing awkwardly in the middle of the living room I walked around him and headed to the fridge. “You want anything to eat?”

“No.” Came the one word answer, the menacing hero simply turning as I moved. “What is your plan for the team.”

“It's not my plan. It was my idea for sure, but now it's the team's plan.” I explained, pulling out the leftover pizza, tapping the oven as I walked by. “As for what it is, hopefully it will be something new. Something different from the League.”

“Super powered soldiers?”

“Just because we would be learning tactics similar to soldiers does not make us soldiers.” I said, resisting the urge to give the hero a harsh look. “Look, you know better than anyone that solid planning, good tactics and proper training can make even a baseline human into a force to be reckoned with.”

As I talked I pulled a tray from a cabinet and put some pizza on it, sliding the tray into the oven and putting the still half full box of pizza back into the fridge. I turned to look at Batman, leaning back onto the counter.

“I do.” He agreed, even nodding once. “And are you sure the team could handle the process?”

“No, of course not. I think they are all capable of it, but who knows?”

“Describe the plan as it stands.” He ordered.

I spent the next fifteen minutes outlining the plan, including the multiple trainers, everyone moving in and the potential for growth. I sent him a copy of the list of potential recruits M’gann and I had made, though asked him not to go farther than a background check as I figured the recruiting process should be the team's responsibility. At some point I clicked off the oven and let my lunch just sit inside.

“Your plan could use some extra details, but I understand the first goal was approval.” He said when I was finally done. “You have my support.”

“Including the eventual separation between the team and the League?”

“Yes. While unlikely it is possible that the League’s reputation could be damaged in some way, either through mistakes or through manipulation. Having another superhero team that we know we can trust but separate enough from the League to not be affected would be a worthwhile investment.”

“I’m glad you agree.”

“I’m calling a meeting of the League tonight. We will discuss this and call for a vote before the meeting is over we will-”

“No.” I said, cutting him off. “Robin is gathering information. Tomorrow, when we meet to spar again we will put together a short presentation, one outlining the basic plan, which we will present to whichever members of the League want to hear. This is not a request for permission Batman. This is the direction the team wants to move in.”

“The League is still responsible for the team.” Batman responded, his eyes narrowing. “We have final approval.”

“While the League is responsible for the team.” I agreed, but quickly continued. “It does not control the team. This is what we want, whether or not the League supports it. We aren't being unruly children Batman, screaming for candy. We may be young but we have a goal, and with some work we can achieve it. The only thing the League ‘controls’ is the quality of the resources we have access to in order to do so.”

Batman stared me down for a few minutes, waiting for me to crack. Honestly he had a stare that bore into your soul. But after what felt like minutes he nodded.

“Good.” He said. “Talking about independence is good, actually being independent is another. I will refrain from mentioning this to the League for now.”

The gray and black hero turned to leave without another word, leaving to the main room. I watched him leave, waiting to hear the Zeta-Tube go off before letting out a long breath, leaning on the counter for support.

“Better than last time at least.” I mumbled to myself, grabbing my lunch and heading to the table.

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I puttered around until the end of the day, still trying to plan out the perfect utility belt. I gathered things from the equipment storage that M’gann and I had started to explore, making sure to mark and write down what cases I took stuff from. The utility belt itself was basic, definitely not matching any costume that I recognized. It was a dark gray color and had plenty of pouches and places to keep plenty of stuff.

I filled a box full of different items and brought it to the kitchen hoping to catch M’gann and Superboy coming home so I could ask their opinions. I slowly went through the box and started tucking things inside and clipping stuff to the belt. I was hoping to convince Batman that something like this was necessary to get us some custom equipment, so this was just a proof of concept.

I clipped on a grappling hook and added an extra spool of the thin, incredibly strong wire it used, as well as the gas canister it used to fire the actual hook. I managed to fit a smoke pellet and flash bang pellet dispensers into the belt, one on either side to keep them from getting confused. I clipped a decent sized pocket knife, as well as a pair of beefie insulated pliers. I clipped on a flashlight that switched between a few modes, including UV and red light. The last thing that I wanted to add that I actually had was a variable powered stun gun taser combo.

Done storing everything that I could find I went to the grotto and spent twenty minutes carving chunks of rock into loose shapes that represented things that I wanted to add. A small rectangular that fit easily in my palm represented plastic explosives, enough to get through a wall. Another slightly larger chunk represented rations, as calorie dense as possible. After that was another small rectangle that represented a radio and emergency beacon. We needed a way to get other people's attention should something go wrong.

The final thing I carved was probably going to be the most difficult item to argue for. I wanted everyone to have access to a freeze gun. They were just too useful to not include in our load out. Instant cover, a barrier to block people, a way to patch holes, a way to stop dangerous criminals without touching them, a way to fight fires, stop water, cross water, protect cargo, help smash through solid obstacles. I knew that the League knew how the freeze tech worked, especially since there were more than a few villains who could make it.

I just had to convince them to let us use it.

After carving everything I needed I headed back up to the kitchen and started fitting everything together. It didn't take long and there were even a few places left empty, which I was happy about since it would let people customize what they carried on missions. I stood and put it on, securely locking it on. It didn't feel heavy at all, but I would have to have Robin or Kid Flash try it on to make sure. Worst case scenario Wally could use a streamlined loadout if it was too much for him, and Robin probably already had most of this stuff already.

I set the belt on the table, looking over at the clock. I knew M’gann wasn't going to be back until late, as she was spending more time with her uncle, outside of their training. Superboy on the other hand could show up at any minute, though at this point he had probably already eaten dinner.

Superboy was the first to get back, walking in after I had finished having my own dinner. He looked relatively happy through his usual stoic features. When he saw me sitting on the couch he made his way over, pausing before taking a seat. A quick glance away from the TV showed he was looking away from me, as if struggling to figure out how to bring something up.

Instead of pushing, I refocused on the random show that was on the TV, giving him time to put his thoughts together.

“I didn’t have a name.” He said finally.

I fumbled with the remote, barely catching it before it could fall to the ground. I sat up and  looked up at him with wide eyes.

“What?”

“I didn't have a name.” He repeated.

“I… What? How…You didn’t…” I stumbled over my words before stopping, pausing for a moment to collect my thoughts. “You mean to tell me this entire time… I thought you were being paranoid like Robin is!”

“No. I just didn’t have one.”

“Fucking hell, I had no idea! If I had I would have… You know how fucked up that is right?”

“Yeah. Lily was furious. She was chewing Black Canary out for at least fifteen minutes. She actually kicked her out of the house.” He said, a small smile on his face. “Sarah was much more calm. She explained why it was messed up and got Lily to relax. I know it's isn’t Black Canary’s fault but… Her sticking up for me felt really good.”

His small smile changed to a full blown grin. It was good to see the usually stoic hero smile.

“They helped me pick a name.” He said, looking down at his hand. “Kyle. My name is Kyle.”

After a few seconds I stood slowly and made my way across the living room, stopping when I  stood in front of him. I stuck out my hand, waiting patiently for him to notice. After a few moments he looked up at me curiously, slowly standing up and taking my hand.

“It’s nice to meet you Kyle.” I said with a smile, giving his hand a single shake.

“...It's nice to meet you too Warren.” He said after a long pause, his grin coming back.

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I hope you enjoyed that chapter! I would love to hear what everyone thought about Superboy's name and how his situation is going, So leave a comment if you up for it!