AMU: Ultraboy: The Beginning

[johnreiter902]

For this short one, I do not have a record of the writer's name

Ultraboy: The Beginning

Raphael Rodriquez slumped against the alley wall, a hand pressed tight against his guts in a desperate attempt to hold them in. And to think, things had been going so well tonight too, up until the point when they had suddenly turned sour.
They were just about completed with their usual pick up and everything was going smooth as glass when suddenly they were jumped by a rival gang; Sinbad's men, trying to move in on Delgado territory. Before they knew what was happening the bullets had started flying and he saw Keith go down with a 9mm through his skull.
$#!*, the kid was only twelve years old, he thought. They'd taken him in when his mother died, gave him a gun and a family and a purpose in life; just like it had been for Raphael when he was a kid. That was what life was like in the Slums.
Life... and death.
The next thing he knew he'd taken a bullet himself, in the stomach. Somehow he had managed to crawl away, but it was a futile gesture.
"You're going to die here, Raphael."
He wasn't sure if the voice was actually someone else speaking or if it had just came from inside his own head. As far as he knew, there was no one else in the alley; he was going to die here, all alone, so it would make a perverse sort of sense if his mind had started playing tricks on him, making him think there was someone else out there, watching over him.
"Bleeding to death, alone in an alley after a drug bust gone bad; it's probably the end you deserve," the voice continued, and now that Raphael was starting to get a bearing on where it was coming from, he knew it wasn't just his imagination. "But I'd hate to see all that talent go to waste..."
Darkness was already starting to creep into the edges of his vision but still, with a supreme effort, Raphael managed to lift his head towards the sound of the voice. It was coming from above him, from the sky above his head.
"Yeah," he croaked, his voice muffled by the blood that bubbled up his throat. "And who are you supposed to be? My guardian angel?"
Ultraman smiled down at him, cruel and ironic. "Not even close."

Clark Kent stood on the balcony of his brownstone apartment, looking out over the city's skyline. Centropolis, the City of Tomorrow. His city. Everything the eye could see belonged to him; and his eyes could see very, very far indeed.
"You seem awfully quiet tonight," came a feminine voice from the bedroom behind him. Clark turned to see his wife Lois striding towards him, her naked figure unashamedly framed by the moonlight. She was beautiful, he thought, the most beautiful woman on the planet. On any planet. And she was his, too, despite what certain others might think. "What is it?"
"Nothing," he grunted, turning back towards the city. "Just thinking about a few things."
"Funny you should say that," she purred, slipping her arms around him from behind and sliding her hands up his massive, naked chest. "So was I."
"Not that," he replied. Although, he supposed, it really did have some connection, didn't it? In any case, his wife was not about to have her advances brushed off so easily. "I'm being serious Clark," she said, spinning him around to face her. "There's something that I want to talk to you about."
Clark took a sharp breath; he didn't like being ordered around. Sensing his mood, Lois took a step back, lowering her gaze to the floor. "Clark," she said her voice almost a whisper. "I want a baby."
With a surprisingly gentle touch her husband reached down, lifted her chin and, in a rare moment of genuine tenderness between the two most powerful and corrupt beings on the planet, kissed her softly on the lips.
"So do I," he said. "Lois, I'm more than just Clark Kent, I'm Ultraman, the most powerful, the most feared man in the universe. I've built an empire here on Earth and I've been thinking that, although my hybrid Kryptonian physiology will give me a longer lifespan than I would have had as just plain old Clark Kent, I want an heir, a son that I can leave my name, my empire and my power to."
He paused for a moment, thinking about what his own fathers had given him; Jonathan Kent, through his contempt and abuse, had given him the desire which burned within him to stand over and control the weak. And Jor-El, through his twisted surgeries and sadistic genetic manipulations, gave him the raw, unrestrained power to make those desires reality. "Come with me, there's something I want to show you," he said, taking her hand. "And you may want to put some clothes on first. Or not, it's your choice."

He led her to the Flying Fortress and his laboratory, stopping only long enough for the two of them to change into their uniforms. "This might not be what you had in mind, but hopefully it will do until we can find out for sure if our... fractured biology's are even compatible," Ultraman explained as a large tube, large enough to hold a fully grown man, rose out of the floor before them. In fact, as the hissing steam of hydraulics faded away Superwoman could see that it did contain a fully grown man; or at least, close enough. Inside the tube was a young man of about 16, his powerful physique on prominent display thanks to his complete lack of clothing.
Needless to say, Superwoman was impressed.
"I heard about the cloning ruse that White Martian bastard Te'lar cooked up," Ultraman said, making some adjustments to a computer console attached to the tube. "Of course, Optimus proves how much of a bad idea trying to clone me is, but it still got me thinking about other possibilities..."
Inside the tube small fingers of electricity started dancing across the youth, jolting him back to consciousness. "Instead I did what Jor-El had done to me and spliced Kryptonian and human DNA together. The problem was finding the right subject. I checked the database of every law enforcement agency in the country until I found him. Superwoman, I'd like you to meet Ultraboy."
Stepping out of the tube, the young man looked at him with disgust. "Ultraboy? Hey man, I ain't no boy!"
Superwoman chuckled. "Oh, he is most assuredly your son, Ultraman."
The youth turned to look at her, obviously liking what he saw. "Babe, you want something to call me when you're screamin' my name in the sack, you can call me Ultraman!"
Moving at blinding speed, the real Ultraman grabbed the teenager by the throat and threw him across the room. "Hear this, boy," he snarled down at the impudent brat, "there is only one Ultraman and that is me! If I allow you to live and if you prove yourself to me, then perhaps one day you will have that name. But until that day comes, if it ever does, you better remember just who it is that's in control here!"
Ultraman clenched his fists. He was going to enjoy teaching this snot-nosed kid how to respect his elders.

Ultraboy paced the length of his `room', an expressional white cube with nothing but a dishevelled cot for furniture, now dressed in a blue body suit emblazoned with a red U. Branded, he thought, like I'm his property. He was still hurting from the beating he had received from Ultraman when he heard a sound coming from above. Faster than he had ever thought possible he flew up to the source of the sound and punched a hole clean through the metal ceiling; pulling his hand back, he managed to tear the hole even wider, as if the roof were made of issue paper.
Unholy $#!*, he thought, just how strong am I? Before he could be too amazed by his new powers, however, another young man suddenly leaped down through the hole towards him. Instinctively Ultraboy jumped back as the new youth did a forward somersault in mid-air, landing gracefully on the small cot in the corner of the room. Standing up, he turned to face Ultraboy, giving him his first good look at his unexpected visitor; he was about Ultraboy's age and was wearing a red and black costume, with a stylised letter T emblem on his chest.
"Hi, I'm Talon," the youth said, extending a hand in what seemed to be a gesture of friendship. Not sure what else to do, Ultraboy took the offered hand... and was immediately thrown against the far wall. "First lesson; never take anything for granted," Talon smirked, casually looking down at him.
Ultraboy stood up, his eyes beginning to glow a bright red. He was getting very tired of being thrown against walls today. "Whoa there chief, easy on the heat vision," Talon backed up, his hands raised in an `I surrender' gesture. "I was only making a point! I knew that couldn't hurt you, you're as invulnerable as Ultraman! I just came here `cause I wanted to talk to you."
Slowly his eyes started to return to their normal, non-lethal colour. This Talon kid was right, it hadn't hurt him; at least, not physically. After what Ultraman had done to him, it was going to take a lot to actually hurt him from now on. And it certainly wouldn't hurt to hear what this guy had to say. "Alright, talk," he said. "But you better make it worth my time listenin' to you."
Talon smiled deviantly. "Oh I will," he said, hopping off the cot. "You've heard the name Talon before, right? You know who I am?" Ultraboy nodded. "Yeah, you're Owlman's little Boy Toy Wonder..."
"I'm his partner!" Talon snapped, jabbing a finger into Ultraboy's chest. Ultraboy merely raised an eyebrow. Looks like I hit a nerve, he thought, filling the information away. Knowing stuff like that could come in handy later on down the line. "But that does, indirectly, bring me to my point for being here," Talon continued, calming down. "The Crime Syndicate thinks that they're all that; people always giving them tribute, kissing their asses... well I say it's time that I had some of that action! That we got a taste of the sweet stuff!"
Talon put an arm around Ultraboy's shoulders, pulling him into a conspiratorial huddle. At least Ultraboy hoped that was all it was meant to be; if he tries anything fruity I'll break his wrist. "I'm in the process of getting together my own clique, teenagers like us, kinda like a junior CSA. I'm thinking we could be called, hmmmmm... the Young Offenders!"
"Wow, you really did just think that up on the spot, didn't you?" Ultraboy dryly replied. Talon ignored him. "Come on, what do you say? In or out?" he asked, stepping back to take in Ultraboy's reaction. Quick as a whip Ultraboy's hand shot out, grabbing Talon by the front of his tunic and lifting him off the ground.
"I'm in, but let's make one thing clear," Ultraboy said, his eyes once again flashing red. "I'm in charge, got it?"
Talon just looked down at him. "Yeah, well, your Anti-Kryptonite charge has to run out sometime, and then what? Listen, just follow my lead and before you can say `Superwoman's a dirty slut', we'll be up to our ears in cash, drugs, chicks... you name it." For a dangerous moment the two teenage terrors regarded each other, until finally Talon felt his feet once again touch the floor.
"Alright," Ultraboy said with reluctance. "But you better come through."
Talon shot him a cocky grin. "Trust me."

Talon touched a finger to his lips. "Shhh," he hissed as Ultraboy lumbered up the corridor behind him. Did the oversized slab of meat have no idea what `sneaking around' meant or what? "If we get caught now, not even Owlman could save us from the mother of all ass whippings."
Ultraboy snorted. "Yeah, you and Owlman would be the experts on ass whippings, wouldn't you, `Toy Wonder'?"
Talon ignored him, instead turning his attention back to the heavy steel door in front of them. "Just a few more feet and we're out of here," he said as he examined the door lock. Having been trained by Owlman, possibly the greatest thief the world had ever known, picking locks came almost as naturally to him as breathing. This one, however, was proving to be a different story. "Must be Kryptonian," he muttered to himself.
Ultraboy was watching impatiently over his shoulder when suddenly, before he realised what was happening, he found himself looking straight through the wall, at the tumblers of the lock.
"Uhm, maybe you better slide that pick a bit to the right," he said, "you're about to hit a wire that leads to some kind of clay looking stuff."
Booby trapped. Talon nearly kicked himself for not thinking of it... or of all the possibilities of his new partner's powers. "Of course, you have x-ray vision... damn, why didn't I think of that?" Talon said. "Ok, can you tell me if the tumblers are almost in place or not?"
"I could... if I knew what the Heaven I'm looking at," Ultraboy snapped. "We haven't all been trained in the finer points of back-door entry by Owlman."
Talon glared back at him. "Are they all lined up nice and even on the tension bar?"
Ultraboy concentrated and once again he was looking through the wall. "No, there're two more... one is sitting low and to the right, the other is notched, with three cut-outs..."
Talon grinned as he felt the last tumblers click into place. "Thanks! Y'know, you're gonna be good to have around," he said, flashing Ultraboy with another cocky grin. "Know what I mean?"
Ultraboy glared back at him. "Don't push your luck."

Within minutes the two teenage criminals were out of the Flying Fortress and, thanks to Ultraboy's ability to fly, on their way to Talon's hideout.
"How did you even get up to the Flying Fortress in the first place?" Ultraboy growled. "If this is just some excuse to get me to carry you..."
"Hey, a master criminal like me needs to have some secrets," Talon sneered. Ultraboy merely grunted in response.
After an awkward flight they arrived at Talon's `crib', a place that he had set up for when he needed to get away and spend some time by himself after the crimes he committed. While it wasn't the equal of Owlman's Aerie, the Owl's Roost, it was equipped with the latest drugs, alcohol, weapons, high tech gadgets, stereos, DVD players, video game systems and computers set up with untraceable ISP addresses and pirated remote DSL internet access.
In other words, everything a teenage criminal mastermind could ever need.
Talon punched in the security code and when the door opened, he ushered Ultraboy in with a flourish. "Welcome to the Talon's Nest," he smiled. "Make yourself at home... but keep your hands off my babe."
Ultraboy was about to ask who he was talking about when a girl with long blonde hair and wearing a blue top and skirt, high boots and a bandana tied around her head entered the room. Talon sprinted up to her, took her in his arms and planted a kiss on her that made Ultraboy roll his eyes.
Overcompensating much?
"Yo Ultra, this is Crossbow," Talon said, indicating the girl he had just had his tongue down the throat of. "Babe, this is Ultraboy."
"Mmmmm, he sure is," she said, her eyes burning with lust.
Talon slapped her across the face. "Watch that mouth, bitch," he snarled, his face dark. "I saw him first."

Talon sat down on a couch that was piled high with fast food wrappers and dirty magazines, pulling Crossbow down onto his lap at the same time. Ultraboy leaned against a wall, trying to decide exactly what he should do now.
Just a month ago he had been Rafael Rodriguez, a gang-banger operating out of Centropolis' Hob's Bay District, or as it was more colloquially referred to, Suicide Slums.
Suicide? More like homicide, he mused to himself as he contemplated what had brought him here, to this point; being imprinted with Ultraman's genetic structure, chilling with deranged super-criminal teenagers. Growing up in the Slums it had been dog eat dog, and there was never enough dog to go around. After a bust went bad, Ultraman had come to him with a choice while he lay bleeding out in an alley; become his `heir' and enjoy all the power and privileges that came with it... or die there and then, alone and surrounded by filth.
Needless to say, it wasn't much of a choice.
He cocked his head in the direction of Talon and his `girlfriend'. "Alright, let's say that I'm interested in joining up with your," he grimaced at the name, "Young Offenders, what's in it for me?"
Talon jumped up like an over-enthusiastic puppy, dumping Crossbow unceremoniously onto the couch. "Excellent!" he said, clapping a hand on Ultraboy's shoulder. "What's in it for you is what's in it for all of us... power, riches, whatever we want man!"
Ultraboy looked down at the uniform he was wearing, the one Ultraman had dressed him in while he was still unconscious (and was it just him or was there a creepy pedo side to all these super-criminals?). "If I'm gonna do this, then I'm gonna do it my way," he said. "After all, I've got a rep to protect."
Talon smiled, understanding what Ultraboy was hinting at. "I kinda figured that so I did my homework, `Rafael'," he replied, hiking a thumb towards a door behind him. "In the bedroom you'll find a package with your name on it. Think of it as a... `Birthday' gift."
Ultraboy glared at him. "If I don't like it, you'll be the first to know," he said, letting his heat vision flare for just a second, long enough to give his eyes a suitably demonic glow.
Talon simply shrugged, flashing Ultraboy with the same cocky grin he'd given him earlier.
"Trust me."

"So what d'ya think?" Talon asked as Ultraboy emerged from the bedroom. Ultraboy couldn't help but smile as he pulled on his new leather jacket, the final touch to the outfit that Talon had laid out for him. He had to admit, the queer little freak had down his homework after all.
"I guess it'll do," he said, not wanting to give Talon too much satisfaction.
"Hey, it's a lot better than those baby pajamas' Ultraman had you in," Talon replied. "All you needed was the little dickie-flap on your butt..."
Ultraboy jabbed a finger at Talon, his face dark. "Don't push your luck, faggot!" he snarled. "I'll twist your head off..."
"Hey, anytime you want to fight, we'll fight!" Talon snapped back.
"Boys please, save the aggression for the bedroom," Crossbow said derisively, inserting herself between the two super-teens. "Or better yet, save it for rest of the world."
There was a moment of deadly silence as they sized each other up, until finally Talon's face broke into a wide grin. "She's right! What'd you say, Ultraboy? Truce?" He thrust out a hand in a gesture of peace. Ultraboy looked down at it wearily. "Yeah, I think I'll skip the handshake this time," he said with a wry smile of his own.
Talon laughed. "Good call," he said, clapping his hands around Ultraboy and Crossbows shoulders and drawing all three of them in close. "Watch out world, here come the Young Offenders!"