Zodiac (DC)

It was the next day after my visit to the gym and I woke up early to start with my daily workout regime. Ever since I came to this world, I have maintained an exercise routine to help keep my body in shape. 

I knew some might find the idea of doing so boring or some might feel too lazy to stick to it, but to me who had spent almost his entire life bedridden I felt truly blessed with this new body perhaps even more so than gaining superpowers. Not they aren't a blessing too but compared to being able to take a full deep breath without it hurting or being able to do whatever I wanted whenever I wanted to, it was the small things that people took for granted that made me happy to be alive.

An hour later I was done with my workout routine which consisted of body weight training along with some stretching exercises to keep my body flexible.

I was on my way to my room since I decided to go check on my online store and see if I had made any new sales.

I always found it pleasing to see my numbers go up and having more money was always a good thing. Afterall if you had enough of it, that was a superpower of its own. I mean look at Batman and Lex Luthor, sure both of those guys were smart and not be underestimated, but what truly made them dangerous were their resources.

Lex Luthor had enough money to open multiple secret labs that allowed him to research things like Kryptonian DNA and who knows how many other alien races, not to mention whatever weapons his army of scientists and researchers had come up with.

The justice league received most of their funding from the Wayne Corporation, from the space station that served as their headquarters to the Zeta tube teleporters that had waypoints in most cities in the world and let's not even mention the various vehicles, medical supplies, devices, and other miscellaneous expenses they spent.

After I was done checking my online store and confirming I now had 50,000 dollars in my bank account. I decided to go and see if there was anyone who wanted to go hangout or something.

I was thinking about taking a walk around town, grabbing some breakfast and trying to see if I could find a place that offered sculpting lessons.

I had an idea I wanted to try with my Rat talisman and if it worked it could possibly be a game changer, but to test it I had to do a few experiments and see if they worked out.

I walked into the recreation room and found Superboy sitting on the couch watching the T.V but it was just static. ' Huh, weird but to each their own I guess '

" Hey man I was thinking of going out and getting some breakfast and visiting a few places. Want to come with me? I'm sure it'll be a lot more interesting than staying couped up here all day." I said.

Superboy gave me a grunt and said, " Why do you want me to come, can't you just go on your own?"

Ah, I see he's still bumped out. Time to try and see if I can convince Mr. Emo to go out and see the sun. Honestly with all the grunting and brooding he's making a hell of an impression of a certain Avenger.

" Come on man, I'm sure those Kryptonian cells of yours could use some sunlight. It can't be heathy staying here all day. I'll even let you pick out where we eat and who knows maybe you'll find something that interests you." I said.

He raised an eyebrow, " Something interesting like what?"

I shrugged, " Who knows, I guess you'll have to come and find out."

" Tch, fine. Let's go." He said, getting up from the coach and heading towards the teleporter room.

A few minutes later we arrived in the bustling streets of the Happy Harbor, and before long we arrived at a street that had a small diner, we both went in and were hit by the smell of freshly brewed coffee and sizzling bacon that filled the air.

It was enticing to say the least.

I glanced over at Superboy, who seemed to be taking in the sights and sounds with a hint of curiosity. His stoic demeanor softened ever so slightly, and I couldn't help but smile. Perhaps this outing would be good for him after all.

"This seems like a good place, want to give it a try?" I asked, he nodded his head, so I went ahead to place our orders and found a booth right beside the window. While we waited for our food to arrive. I shared stories of my time in Gotham and the fight Megan and I had with Killer Croc which seemed to draw his interest.

It was subtle, but it was there, maybe he was starting to see the appeal of exploring the world beyond the confines of our base.

After we enjoyed our meal and left the diner, we wandered through the streets, exploring various shops and attractions. Superboy seemed more relaxed now, his guard lowered as he took in the sights and sounds of the city.

Eventually, we stumbled upon a small art studio and I thought this might be the perfect opportunity for Superboy to learn to do something other than fighting and whatever those Genomorphs psychically implanted in his head.

"Hey, how about we give this a try?" I suggested, gesturing towards the studio. "It could be fun, and who knows, maybe you'll discover a hidden talent for sculpting."

Superboy hesitated for a moment before nodding in agreement. We entered the studio and were met a by a cute brunette manning the front desk. She greeted us with a wide smile and seemed particularly interested in Superboy, not that he noticed mind you.

" Hi, I was wondering if you were offering sculpting lessons. Me and my friend here wanted to see what courses are available. Do you also do commission work, I was thinking about having a small statue being made, about this big." I said, holding my hands out to show her how big I wanted it to be.

" Sure thing we offer 3 types of courses, we have wood sculpting, stone sculpting and metal sculpting. We also have... "

After a rather lengthy explanation I signed up for stone and metal sculpting. Since, wood won't suit my purposes. While, Superboy signed up for wood and stone sculpting.

The receptionist said that classes we will be starting the day after tomorrow, which was good since I didn't want to wait too long. 

" Alright, all that's left is to sign your names and we will be good to go. The sculpture you ordered will be ready on Sunday, so you can come pick it up at the end of the week." The receptionist said. 

I signed both my name and Superboy's and paid for both of us, since it was my idea and left the studio after taking a picture of next week's schedule. 

Whilst walking along the pier with Superboy, he suddenly stopped me and asked." What was that back there? "

I took a moment to examine his complicated expression and said." What do you mean?" 

" When she asked for our names, you wrote down Conner Blackwood for my name. Why did you do that?" 

I raised an eyebrow, " Well, since I couldn't just write Superboy and it was just a formality I chose a random name to write down. I couldn't exactly ask what your name was, since it would have looked strange and its not like you had a name. "

He furrowed his eyebrows, " But, what's wrong with Superboy. "

I sighed, " Look man I don't know what to tell you. Your situation isn't exactly normal and there's a lot of stuff you need to figure out. I don't mind helping you out if you want, but I think taking it one step at a time will be good for you."

" You have to have a civilian name and even if you plan on being a superhero, there is nothing wrong with having a life outside of it. This lifestyle is very stressful and can get exhausting. Most of the Justice League have a life outside of hero work because at the end of the day that's what keeps them sane and grounded in reality. You don't have to be Superboy everyday of the week. " I continued. 

At that, I was met with silence so I decided to let him work through it, while we continued our walk. 

He started to say, " I think... "

*Boom*

"AAAAAHHHHHHHH!"

We could hear panicked screams in the distance and what looked like a giant tornado rising up to the sky. 

"Jasom, are tornadoes common to Happy Harbor?" Superboy asked as he looked at the scene with shock. When he didn't get an answer he turned to see that I was holding a communicator.

" Superboy and I are on scene, there seems to be an elemental manipulator attacking civilians on the pier. We are going to try and hold him off until the team gets here. Over. " 

" Received. I'll alert the team. Delay for as long as you can. Over. " Red tornado said. 

Superboy looked at me, " How did you know that? We haven't seen..." 

" We can talk about this later. We have to get over there quickly. I'll go first, so try and keep up." I said, before flying towards the factory.

I arrived at a destroyed factory and saw some workers running away screaming.

The culprit was wearing a red armored suit with a single black line going down the center. On top of the armor was yet another set of greyish blue armor connected to two pipes on the shoulders.

Honestly he looked like some kind of twisted version of Ironman, you know if Ironman was a plumber. 

Superboy arrived right after me, " Who's your new friend?" He asked landing next to me. 

"My apologies," The man said in a deep voice.

"You may address me as Mr. Twister," He said. To prove the point of his name he created two tornadoes and blasted them right at us.

(Chapter End) 

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