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SM/DC Chapter 77 : Unexpected Reflection - 2
🕑 Added 2025-04-02 20:51:28 +0000 UTCArthur Blackwynd stared at the figure standing before him, his own face reflected back at him, but something was… off. His expression twisted in a mix of amusement and disbelief.
"They actually made a clone of me?" he muttered, scoffing before shaking his head. ‘When the hell did they even manage that?’ Then, like a bolt of lightning, the answer struck him.
‘My fight with Doomsday...’
Arthur exhaled sharply, recalling the sheer brutality of that battle. His blood had painted the battlefield, scattered across the lab.
"Idiots," he thought, a smirk forming. ‘This thing should be nothing more than a mere human. the nature power isn't from my DNA, it's something deeper. More spiritual, especially since I have a the Syst...’
But before he could dwell on the thought, his glowing eyes caught movement, his clone had closed the distance in an instant.
“What—?!”
A fist came rocketing toward his face, barely giving him time to tilt his head. The air pressure alone sent his clothes fluttering as the punch narrowly missed his jaw. Arthur’s smirk vanished.
"How?" he muttered, stepping back as the clone pressed forward with relentless aggression. Each strike came fast, precise, and heavy. Arthur weaved between the attacks, but the sheer force behind them was undeniable.
He clenched his fist, summoning his power. Ruler’s Authority activated in an instant, an unseen force gripped his clone, halting its movements mid-swing.
Arthur exhaled. "Can you even talk?"
His clone didn't answer. Not a word. No emotion. Just blank, unfeeling eyes staring back at him.
Arthur scowled. "Tch. Figures."
He tightened his grip and with a powerful kick, sent his clone flying backward. The impact was devastating, the clone crashed into a reinforced steel wall, leaving a crater of twisted metal in its wake.
For a moment, Arthur thought it was over. But then
A guttural, pained groan escaped from the clone’s lips. It clutched its head, fingers digging into its skull as if something inside was breaking. Then its eyes snapped open, now glowing a deep, menacing red.
Arthur's still surprised by all of this.
“What the hell—?”
And then
BOOM!
Twin beams of searing heat erupted from the clone’s eyes, wild and uncontrolled. The force of the blast tore through the lab, scorching walls, melting steel, leaving nothing but devastation in its wake.
Arthur barely dodged, flipping backward as the heat vision cut through everything like a raging inferno.
‘I see now...’
The clone continued to scream, its power spiraling out of control.
Arthur’s gaze darkened. "The bastard cloned me… with Kryptonian DNA," he muttered under his breath. His fists clenched as realization dawned. “Guess he couldn't replicate my powers... so he compensated.”
With a single thought, his doomsday bone gauntlets materialized in his hands. Arthur took a step forward.
"What a strange feeling..." he muttered, eyes locked onto his berserk doppelgänger.
"Fighting a clone of myself…"
His grip tightened.
"Yet, I should put him out of his misery."
****
Alarms blared. Red lights flashed across the high-tech corridors as Batman’s squad tore through Cadmus’ security teams like a surgical strike. Guards fired wildly, but it didn’t matter.
Cyborg blasted through a barricade with a charged sonic cannon, sending guards flying. Green Arrow launched an EMP arrow, frying their rifles. Black Canary let out a concussive scream, throwing an entire squad against the walls.
And The Flash? The Flash was everywhere. A blur of motion rifles vanished from enemy hands, tasers turned on their wielders, and soldiers collapsed from rapid-fire punches before they even knew what hit them.
Then, the walls shook.
BOOM!
A reinforced steel blast door was sent flying, crashing into the far wall with a deafening crunch. From the dust emerged a squad of enhanced warriors, The Ultimen.
Wind Dragon, his body wreathed in swirling air currents.
Longshadow, towering over them, his body expanding to colossal proportions.
Juice, his body crackling with unstable electricity.
Downpour and Shifter, the hydrokinetic twins, grinning with malice.
Batman’s eyes narrowed. "As expected, They’re using their experiments as attack dogs now."
Wind Dragon smirked. “Batman. You shouldn’t be here.” His voice was calm, but the storm around him wasn’t.
Green Arrow nocked an arrow. “Woah there... just Batman? , can’t you see us as well ?.”
Shifter growled, “You don’t understand what Cadmus is doing here. You shouldn’t interfere.”
Black Canary rolled her shoulders. “we’ve heard that line countless times before.”
Longshadow’s massive fists clenched. “Last warning. Stand down.”
Batman’s response was instant. "Flash."
Before they could blink, Flash was already moving.
He disarmed Juice in an instant, sending a shockwave of electricity frying the walls instead of them.
He slammed into Shifter, stunning her mid-transformation.
He turned to Batman mid-motion, “What next, Bats?”
Batman was already moving, his cape billowing. "We were prepared for this outcome, We take them down."
Perched on a high security catwalk, Red Hood watched the chaos unfold. Smoke, sparks, debris, pure mayhem.
He sighed, adjusting his helmet. "Good. At least those things can buy me enough time to find the heads of Cadmus, without Bruce’s interference."
****
Arthur exhaled sharply, his breath misting in the cold, sterile air of the facility. His clone stood before him, its chest rising and falling in ragged breaths, eyes burning red with residual Kryptonian energy. Arthur flexed his fingers, Ruler’s Authority coiling around him like phantom chains.
"Let's end this."
His clone moved first, launching forward with blinding speed, fist cocked back. Arthur barely tilted his head, the attack grazing his cheek, but then
TWIN BEAMS of heat vision erupted from the clone’s eyes.
Arthur cursed under his breath and ducked low, but the sheer heat grazed past his face, searing his skin. He winced, feeling the sting, the scent of burnt flesh filling his nostrils.
A scar.
“Tch. Annoying.”
Before the clone could fire again, Arthur raised his hand and the air cracked as Ruler’s Authority took hold. Invisible force wrapped around the clone's limbs, yanking him into the air.
Arthur yanked his arm back then SLAMMED him into the ground.
The floor cratered beneath the impact.
The clone tried to rise Arthur was already on him, a devastating knee to the gut, followed by a vicious elbow to the jaw.
CRACK.
The clone staggered, but it recovered unnaturally fast, throwing a wild haymaker. Arthur ducked, pivoted, then drove his heel into the clone's ribs.
WHAM! The clone smashed through a steel console, sparks flying everywhere.
Arthur didn’t stop. He called upon Ruler’s Authority again, pulling the debris from the wreckage and launching it at his clone like spears.
CLANG. CLANG. CLANG.
The clone blasted them apart with a roar, but Arthur was already in front of him.
A lightning-fast flurry punches, knees, elbows, Arthur was overwhelming his own clone.
Then, with a deadly flourish, Arthur’s Kryptonite sword materialized in his grip.
The clone’s red eyes widened.
"Too slow."
Arthur swung in a brutal arc
SLASH!
The clone’s arm was severed at the shoulder.
It screamed, clutching at the missing limb, crimson spilling onto the floor.
Arthur spun the blade, rolling his shoulders. "Hurts, doesn’t it?"
The clone's eyes burned hotter, its remaining hand clenching
But before Arthur could finish the job
BOOM!
Something slammed into him like a missile.
Arthur was sent flying, crashing through rows of equipments, sparks flying as his body tore through steel and machines.
He groaned, pushing himself up from the rubble.
He knew exactly who it was, after a single glance.
Emerging from the dust, standing tall with arms crossed
Superboy.
His piercing blue eyes locked onto Arthur’s.
“I won’t let you do whatever the hell you want,” Superboy growled, taking a step forward.
Arthur grinned. "For some reason, you look more human than my clone."
Superboy’s expression hardened. “Don’t compare me to that...”
Arthur scoffed, rolling his neck. "Tch. This guy really just can’t help himself."
Superboy frowned. "What?"
Arthur wasn't talking to him.
A dark shadow loomed behind Superboy.
Before he could react.
Doom's Massive first crashed into his back.
Superboy was sent flying, smashing through a reinforced steel pillar.
Doom followed, roaring, slamming his fists into Superboy in a relentless, bone-crushing assault.
BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.
Arthur sighed, walking toward them. "Why are you here? I can handle them myself."
Doom paused mid-strike, glancing back at Arthur before kneeling, growling lowly in apology.
Arthur sighed. "Nevermind."
He turned away, stepping back toward his crippled clone.
The clone’s eyes flickered red, rage still burning in its gaze. It clenched its remaining fist.
Arthur lifted his Kryptonite sword.
"No, you won’t."
One clean, powerful swing.
SHING!
The clone collapsed. Dead.
Arthur exhaled, closing his eyes for a moment.
Then, cracking his neck, he looked toward Doom and Superboy, a smirk tugging at his lips.
"Now… where were we?"
****
Deep inside Cadmus – Cloning chamber observation Deck
The room was bathed in the glow of flickering monitors, each screen displaying a different nightmare unfolding.
Arthur Blackwynd butchered his clone with terrifying ease.
His Shadow Legion ran rampant across Cadmus, tearing through security.
Doom was pummeling Superboy into the ground like a savage beast.
Lex Luthor gritted his teeth, his hands gripping the edge of the console so tightly his knuckles turned white. His calculated smirk was gone. His usual aura of control and superiority? Shattered.
Then, Arthur’s sword cut clean through his clone.
SHING!
Lex flinched, his eyes widening. "No. No, no, NO!"
He slammed his fist against the console.
"This doesn’t make any sense! That clone had the same physiology—no, it was ENHANCED beyond him! It should have been a match! It should have..."
His voice cracked with rage as he turned toward Emil, eyes wild. "PATHETIC!"
Emil sighed, rubbing his temples. "I told you. That clone was merely a human, using an unstable Kryptonian DNA was even a bigger mistake. It was an experiment, Lex. A half-baked one at that, very unlike you. In fact he did us a service there. If it had lived any longer, it would have mutated into something even worse a monstrosity beyond our control."
Lex's face twisted in fury. He whirled on Emil, jabbing a finger at him. "Everything is falling apart! Do you realize that?! Our security is crumbling! The Ultimen are being torn apart! Cadmus...MY Cadmus! is being brought to its knees!"
He grabbed a nearby chair and hurled it across the room, sending it crashing into a wall of monitors.
"AND IT'S ALL BECAUSE OF ONE DAMN BOY!"
His breathing was ragged, his mind racing. But then
A realization struck him.
His hands stilled. His posture straightened.
His eyes gleamed with something dark.
A slow, sinister smirk crept back onto his face.
There was… one last option.
Lex turned back to Emil, his voice dropping to a chilling whisper.
"I have one last resort."
Emil’s expression darkened.
Lex ignored him, already typing commands into the terminal. The room trembled as hidden mechanisms began shifting beneath them.
"I've been working on something for years now. Something… special."
He exhaled sharply, his fingers hovering over a final authorization key.
"No test subject has ever survived exposure, i don’t even know where they exactly disappeared to."
His lips curled into a cruel grin.
"He’ll be the first to take the full force of it!"
