Genesis 1.6

– o – o – o – o – o – o – o –

OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA

JULY 9TH, 10:05 PT

Flying through the sky was something that Ezekiel doubted he'd ever get used to. Soaring above the landscape, high enough that he was above even the tops of most skyscrapers, looking down on cars that looked more like little insects as they made their way across the highway…

It was nothing short of amazing.

Of course, being this high up was somewhat nerve-wracking at first, especially in the dead of night, but Zeke had quickly gotten used to it. The teen had simply pushed his fear down rather easily and did his best to enjoy the sensation, well aware that screaming like a maniac would not be the brightest idea. After all, it wouldn't due to panic while in the air, anyway. So, he simply engaged himself in the moment and enjoyed the rush of adrenaline in his veins.

The feeling of the wind in his face, even through his visor, was another incredible experience that Zeke never imagined he would experience. At least, not like this. The freedom of flight was nothing compared to anything else that he could imagine. It was indescribable, unbelievable and incredibly… uncomfortable.

Fighting the urge to fidget, the young teenager tilted his head slightly upwards to glance at the silver form of the person acting as his transportation at this very moment. Captain Atom had informed him a few days prior that he would be picking him up on the 9th for an important meeting with the Justice League, introducing him to some people who he would be spending some time with for a while.

A part of Zeke had been a little annoyed at that, wondering why the Captain wasn't handling his training. After all, what was the point of taking him on as a sidekick when he kept hoisting him off onto other people like he wasn't even important, right? It had been almost a whole month since Captain Atom had asked him to be his sidekick and not once had he done any kicking.

Still, even with that slight bit of annoyance, Zeke had been looking forward to the trip. He could only take so much of being cooped up in S.T.A.R. Labs, especially when the annoying research staff didn't think it important to give him a moment of free time. It wouldn't even be so bad if any of the stuck-up geniuses at Star Labs would even let him get a word in edgewise, once in a while. Constant, useless tests every single day… It was all just getting to be too much.

Dr Charles actually managed to make it bearable when she was the one working with him, but it was still annoying being poked, prodded and studied by people who often wouldn't even pause to let him introduce himself. He felt like nothing more than a lab rat in there sometimes.

"Hey, Captain?" The teen called out, his tone just short of a yell. With the rushing wind as loud as it was, Zeke had to raise his voice or risk being drowned out.

"Yes?" The man didn't bother looking down, his attention focused on flying. "Is there a problem?"

"No, there isn't a problem, sir. It's just…" Zeke paused, shifting his mouth to one side, "How much longer till we get there?" With the awkward way he was being carried through the air, both of Captain's Atom's unyielding limbs looped underneath his armpits, he didn't want to risk throwing off the superhero's concentration by making him question what he was doing.

Being turned into a splatter on the concrete below was a legitimate fear, and one he didn't want to become a reality.

"I understand that the flight has been a bit long," the captain replied, voice as calm and unaffected as it always seemed to be.

About twenty minutes, but who's counting? The teen thought to himself, once again fighting the urge to fidget. He really didn't understand why Captain Atom couldn't tell this was uncomfortable for him. I mean, it had to be an awkward position for him too, right?

"But we should be at the Zeta Tube any moment now."

"Yay. Wait, the what?"Zeke blinked, confused by the odd term. "What's a Zeta Tube?"

"You'll see."

– o – o – o – o – o – o – o –

OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA

JULY 9TH, 10:08 PT

"I'm sorry, but," Zeke stared with half-lidded eyes, surveying nothing but filthy, graffiti-laden walls and overflowing dumpsters filled with garbage bags that were themselves filled to near-bursting. "You said this is where the Zeta thing is?"

"Right through there, yes."

"Okay, but…"Zeke blinked, glancing over at the Captain Atom's statue-like figure. The man stood off to his side, both arms folded over one another as he turned his head from side-to side, glancing periodically at the grimy alley walls at their sides. The boy couldn't help but wonder if the captain could even see where they were, or if his steel-covered body even let him perceive the stench of the garbage that surrounded them. "I mean…" the young man gestured around them, both hands spreading out as he splayed his fingers outwards, "come on."

The place certainly didn't look like it was in any way affiliated with the Justice League, and with all the filth built up around it, he didn't know why anyone would ever stay here for long. Hell, he wasn't even sure why they were here in the first place other than for some tube thing.

"I admit that it may not seem like much but that's exactly the point," Captain Atom supplied, coming to a stop next to a dumpster at the end of the alley. Zeke stopped as well, watching with a raised eyebrow as the captain placed a silver hand on the alley wall, directly over a large piece of graffiti.

"I get that b-" Zeke's jaw fell open as the wall that Captain Atom touched opened up, sliding apart to display a large archway leading into an enclave with distinctly high-tech machinery built into it and a computer terminal right next to it where there wasn't one before. "What is this?"

"This is a Zeta Tube," Captain Atom announced proudly, seemingly enjoying the stunned look on Zeke's face. He gave the young teenager a slight smile, before he walked over to the terminal, the screen coming to life as his fingers met it. "Think of them as teleporters, allowing travel to any other terminal on the planet."

The planet? Zeke's eyes widened even further as he let that sink in. Spending time in Star Labs had basically acclimated him to some of the futuristic aspects of the world he had found himself in but still, there were some things that you couldn't be prepared for. The whole planet? How would you even build something like that?

"Incredible, isn't it?"

Zeke could only nod, watching as the Zeta Tube began to hum loudly, a bright yellow light filling the inside of it. Holy crap, this place keeps getting more and more insane.

"Well, let's get moving. We don't want to be late." With that said, Captain Atom stepped through the shimmering portal. Zeke blinked as the man disappeared in front of his eyes, before shaking his head a moment later.

Today's been a bunch of firsts, huh? Flying, then teleporting. The blue-suited metahuman shook his head, loosening his shoulders as he prepared to step through. And it's only 10 in the morning. Wonder what's next? Blowing air out of his mouth, Zeke stepped forward, his head meeting the golden lightshow first and-

– o – o – o – o – o – o – o –

HAPPY HARBOR, RHODE ISLAND

JULY 9TH, 1:10 EDT

"...Wow," he blinked, "that was weird."

"Recognized: Captain Atom, 0-12. Recognized: Guest, D-0-1."

All it had taken was a single step and he was somewhere drastically different, the sun's bright rays replaced by white fluorescence and hot California weather now air-conditioned coolness. Shuddering slightly to shake off both the odd disorientation and the pins and needles sensations that seemed to be making its way all over his body, Zeke stared open-mouthed at his new surroundings.

The teen found himself in a massive wide-open hall, smooth stone walls stretching at least half a dozen meters upwards. In the middle, hanging from said ceiling, was some kind of odd metal structure that looked vaguely futuristic, a descriptor Zeke could use to define at least a third of what he'd seen over the last few weeks.

"Welcome to Mount Justice," Captain Atom spoke up, drawing Zeke's attention again. "Former Justice League HQ."

Mount Justice? Zeke blinked. That sounds familiar. Why does that sound familiar?

Zeke didn't have time to wonder why that was exactly as his attention was caught up by two approaching figures. He quickly ignored the pretty girl making her way towards him and Captain Atom, despite the fact that she had green skin and was floating, and instead focused his attention on the muscular teenage boy beside her.

Specifically, his chest.

The red S and black shirt stood out vibrantly in Zeke's mind, blinding him to all else. Before he knew it, he was in front of the frowning brunette and jumping around like a child half his age.

"Ohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygod!" He couldn't believe it. He literally couldn't believe it. "You're here! You're here! You're here! I love you!"

"Wait. wh-"

"Superboy?"

Zeke barely registered the older boy's confused words or the green girl's surprised yelp as he pressed his smaller hands up against the red portion of the boy's shirt, repeatedly poking the symbol of the House of El like an infant with a mobile. "You're… You're him."

The teenage Kryptonian frowned and stepped back, keeping Ezekiel's over-eager form at arm's length. "Who?"

"Superboy!" Zeke looked up into the clone's face as he shouted the name of his favorite superhero at the top of his lungs, hazel eyes wide with excitement and fanboyish glee.The eagerness slowly began to deflate as he realized what he was doing, his hands gripping firmly onto Superboy's outstretched arm like he never wanted to let it go. Oh, crap. This looks weird, doesn't it?

The brown-skinned teen hurriedly stepped back and glanced around at the two other occupants of the cave, the green girl shooting him a wary look while Captain Atom looked more confused than he had the first day they'd met.

Zeke turned back to Superboy, the stocky teenager shooting him a look that managed to convey the trifecta of confusion, annoyance, and frustration. "Umm… sorry?" He coughed nervously as Superboy's eyes only narrowed, his half-baked apology obviously not enough of an explanation.

Despite the judging looks being shot his way, he couldn't help but scream inside his own head. I touched Superboy.

"If it helps, I just want you to know that I'm a big fan," he offered with a slightly forced grin. "Like… huge."

Judging by the scowl on Superboy's face, Zeke was pretty sure it didn't.

– o – o – o – o – o – o – o – Spoiler: STATUS Ezekiel Patrick Armstrong Age: 13 Level 1 Experience 50/250 Health 110/110* [250/250] Mana 65/65 Willpower 53/53 STR 16 (-30%) SPD 26(-30%) VIT 14* INT 14 WIS 8 CHA 10 Stat Points: 2 Cash: $375 Traits

Malnourished: Too little to eat for too long has weakened your body, drained you of vitality and made you more susceptible to bumps and bruises. (-30% to STR & SPD, Health does not gain VIT bonus, Health/Will recovery is slowed by 50%, and Will-based skills cost twice as much)

Bright Kid: While you're no genius or some prodigy, you're obviously brighter than most kids. By the time you're an adult, however, no one will care. (Before the age of 18: +75% to INT gain and +25% to speed of learning Mana-based skills/abilities) Perks: None

Skills

Power Sprint Lv 6

You'll never be the Flash relying on this alone. Still, we've all gotta start somewhere.

While active, your running speed increases by 5% per level. (30%)

Cost: 1 Will/s

Power Strike Lv 1

Not exactly a heavy hitter quite yet.

Increases the STR value and knockback of your punches/kicks by 10% per level. (10%)

Cost: 5 Will

Abilities

Gamer's Body Lv. MAX

Allows your body to exist in a similar standard to that of a video game character.

Sleeping restores HP, MP, Will and removes most negative status effects. Health, Will, and Mana regenerate at a base of 1 point every 30 seconds. Food and drink items can accelerate recovery.

Gamer's Mind Lv. MAX

Allows your mind to exist in a similar standard to that of a video game character.

Grants immunity to mental status effects, emotional trauma and severely damaging emotional states. Grants immunity to forceful/unwanted mental intrusion.