Beyond was exhausted, he never expected it to be this cold. Two months since he and XIII ran away. Seven weeks since they separated in an attempt to throw Cadmus off their trail. He directed XIII to the Daily Planet at Metropolis, even if the super clone was a naïve little idiot, at least Superman would be able to recognize him and keep him out of Cadmus’s reach. While he planned for the super clone’s well being, he miscalculated horribly on his own. Rarely did he need to leave headquarters in the past. He had forgotten to take the changing seasons into consideration. Running away with nothing more than the clothing on your back during November, now nearing January was not his best idea.
He wasn’t certain why he was exhausted. He did what he could to keep himself alive, taken food where he found the cleanest and drank water from the snow he melted and heated with the RSS. The RSS was a red sun simulation and radiated heat. If he hadn’t taken it, he might not have lasted as long as he had. He took great caution in using it. Increased radiation would attract attention. Fortunately, his genetics was developed to resist mutations, but there was a risk of over exposure. He limited himself to using the RSS for only a few short hours every day.
“Hey kid, what are you doing out without a jacket?” He hadn’t notice he slipped into plain sight in his tiredness. A gloved hand rested on his shoulder, stopping him from walking any further. “You’re going to freeze your butt off at this rate, where are your parents?” The man asked.
“I’m…” He murmured as his vision started to blur. He recalled the man looking very worried with his red locks of hair peeking out of his silly looking wool hat.
“Kid?” The man look panicked as everything started to fade. “KID!”
Beyond blacked out. His body needed rest badly. He was in no condition to worry about his drive or the RSS falling into the hands of a stranger. When he next woke he found himself in a bed surrounded by machines. An IV was stabbed into his arm, feeding him medications and much-needed nutrients.
He sighed in dejection. Two months was how long he lasted running away from Cadmus. He should’ve known it was impossible. He was about to call out for the guards when he realized the equipment around him was substandard. The model number on the machine was a few generations behind. Glancing about the room, he noted the sterile smell in the air and the breathing of other children around him. Where was he?
How long was I out? He wondered sleepily as his eyes threatened to drift off again.
“Oh! You’re awake!” A nurse cried out in surprise but quickly silenced herself to keep from waking the other children. “How are you feeling?”
“Where am I?” Beyond asked as she fussed over him and helped him sit up. He was too weak to do so himself.
“You’re in Central Hospital.” She answered before pulling out a thermometer strip. “Open.” She said before stuffing it under his tongue. “The Flash brought you in about three days ago.”
Three days! Beyond was in disbelief. He was out that long?
“What on earth were you doing running around without a jacket with a hundred and four degree fever?” She fussed. “You’re lucky Flash found you when he did. Or else it would’ve been too late. You caught pneumonia.”
Beyond tensed. “The Flash saved me?”
The nurse pulled the strip out of his mouth and checked it. “Ah good, your fever is gone. Just some rest and a good meal and you’ll be better in no time.”
“Where are my things?” He asked. His clothing was replaced with a hospital gown.
“They’re in storage. You’ll get them back when it’s time for you to go. Now, what’s your name and how can we contact your parents?”
“…” He didn’t answer. Even if he lied, Cadmus would be in Central the moment his runaway status was noted. Remaining nameless was his only choice at the moment. His time in Central was up he needed to leave.
“You stay here, I’ll get a doctor to check on you.” She said before leaving.
Beyond waited until she was gone before trying to climb out of bed, but his body refused to move. He dropped back against his pillow exhausted, but he hasn’t given up yet. He would have to wait until his strength returned. He sorely hoped Cadmus doesn’t decide to come to Central looking for him.
“Hey! You’re awake!” A cheery voice interrupted his breakfast the next morning.
“WOAH! It’s the Flash!” The other children said excitedly.
“Hey kids!” The man greeted them before approaching Beyond’s bedside. “You gave that guy a fright when you passed out on him. He was running around with you in his arms screaming for help. So how you feeling?” He asked.
“I’m fine.” Beyond reply quietly before resuming to his meal. That guy? He must’ve meant the stranger he blacked out on.
Flash gave a low whistle. “You’re a cold little popsicle aren’t you? Hmm… Though, you probably would’ve been one anyway, with you running around with a jacket. So, mind telling me why you were running like that?”
Beyond glanced up to him, then to the children they were listening intently. Even if he wanted to talk to the man, he wouldn’t talk in front of a bunch of children. “Yes, I do mind.”
Flash glanced between him and the children before he gave a knowing smile. “Ah, you’re a little shy aren’t you? We can fix that.”
In seconds, he found himself wrapped in bed covers and taken to another room.
“I wasn’t done with my breakfast.” Beyond complained before the man laughed.
“I’m sure you can get another one. Hmm… you remind me of someone.” He pondered before shrugging. “So why’d you run away from home?”
“… I didn’t run away from home.” He wasn’t lying. Cadmus was not what he considered a home.
“But you did run away.” Flash continued. “I don’t recognize you from any of the orphanages or any of the families in Central… So you’re not from around here, are you?”
That startled Beyond, he hadn’t expected the Flash to know the population of his city so well to notice that he was not even part of Central.
“Ah, don’t be so surprised, it’s not hard to notice you’re not part of Central. Gotham right?” He asked kindly.
To Beyond the Flash was the strangest one out of the original seven in the Justice League. His rogues’ gallery was a joke. Trickster was nothing more than a poor imitation of the Joker. Captain Cold was a blue-collared worker with a toy. Mirror Master seemed to have potential to be a dangerous if not for a passing rumor that Flash shoved his own weapon down his throat. Captain Boomerang was probably the only capable rogue in his gallery.
It was strange that it was this man’s death that caused an alternate Superman to become a Justice Lord. Cadmus fretted over the matter greatly since Lex Luthor became president. He spent hours trying to find out why this man was so important in keeping the Justice League from turning into the Justice Lords. Yet, every time he came up to the matter of Flash, he met with a deadend.
“I guess you don’t want to talk about it.” Flash concluded when he refused to talk. “Well, I won’t make you tell me if you don’t want to, but there are people here to help you if you would. They’re really nice, so you don’t have to be scared.”
Beyond glared at him, he wasn’t scared of him or the hospital staff. “I’m not scared.”
Flash was startled by his glare. “A tough guy aren’t you?” He teased, ruffling his hair up affectionately. “If you’re not scared, you can tell uncle Flash all about it. I’m all ears.” Beyond was quite certain the glare he gave Flash was one questioning his intelligence. “You know… you really remind me of someone… Batty…”
“I’m not going back.” He murmured. Flash was persistent.
“Can’t blame you with what’s going on in Gotham right now.” He sighed.
Beyond resisted the temptation to ask what happened to Gotham. “I’m tired…” He rubbed his eye trying to convince the speedster to return him to his room.
“Ah, right you’re recovering. Sorry.” Flash picked him up and returned him to his bed. The man didn’t leave immediately after. In fact, he stayed to talk with the other children in the ward. The man confused him greatly, why have the need to converse with the common-folk? It’s just wasting time. “I’ll see you tomorrow… Uh, what’s your name again?”
“Anthony.” He found himself lying automatically before covering his mouth in surprise. The man caught him off guard, he wasn’t expecting him to talk to him again when he gotten that tidbit of information.
“See ya Anthony!” Flash said cheerily before disappearing from the room.
Beyond glared at the spot where the man stood. He will return the next day, which meant he needed to run away before he gets back. Given his discharge from the hospital was likely tomorrow or the day after, he doesn’t want the Flash or anyone else to stick him into the orphanage or keep him in custody until his parents were found. He risked enough to rest in the hospital for four days already. He’ll have to leave before the reports of missing children reach them.
His problem now was in the form of two other children sharing the same room with him and the locked pediatric ward. Even if he managed to bypass both of them, he still needed to retrieve his clothing and the RSS before he could leave. He spent the majority of the morning plotting his escape. It wasn’t until after lunch that he proceeded with his plan. He needed all the energy he could muster to get out of this civilian fortress.
The children weren’t a problem, after lunch they took their naps. Judging from their sizes, he waged a guess that they were around five or six years of age. They must’ve mistaken his age since he was so small for a nine-year-old. The RSS and his clothing weren’t hard to find, the storage wasn’t too far from the patients’ ward. He even managed to swipe a jacket from another bin.
The vents was likely his best friend. Allowing him to sneak into a bathroom outside of the pediatrics ward sneaking into an empty office. He hacked into the computer and made a quick search of his location and directions on how to leave Central. At the sound of a jiggling doorknob, he made haste to leave, not bothering to cover his computer tracks. The information on it was useless for anyone looking for him.
Slipping on the jacket and pulling the hood over his head, no one noticed that he was a patient. He followed a family out of the hospital before hitching a ride on a bus to the train station. In the two months he was in Central, he made it a priority to familiarize himself with his surroundings. He survived by foraging and practicing his poor thieving skills. Food he could’ve gotten out of the trash, but clean water, he needed to buy before there was snow about.
Of course, it wasn’t easily being a thief. He was caught on three separate occasions. Fortunately, for him, the people of Central were generous to let him off with only a scolding. No one bothered to drag him off to the police. Had it been Gotham, he was certain that he would’ve gotten more than a scolding.
Nightfall neared when he reached the station. Beyond expected that it would be difficult to sneak aboard one of the trains since he was without XIII, but he never expected Flash to show up.
“Have you seen a little boy? Around six years old or so, about ye high.” Flash lowered his hand to Beyond’s height. “With black hair, blue eyes? His name is Anthony.”
Beyond frowned. He underestimated the Flash. With the idiotic front he placed around his persona. He never expected the speedster to actually have enough brains to narrow his location. Beyond glanced at the list of departing trains and spotted Metropolis departing soon. He wanted to go to Gotham, but oddly, it wasn’t on the list. He would have to check why when he gets to Metropolis. From what he gathered in the hospital, something must’ve happened.
Without XIII there to help him sneak onto the train, he hid behind the luggage carts waiting for a distraction before slipping in. If the other passengers noticed, they didn’t comment about it. Once on the train, he kept himself hidden, staying away from the windows and seats. Flash could still easily run through each train. He hid in the bathroom of the train until it reached Metropolis.
Once there, he repeated the same method he had in Central, except without getting sick and hospitalized this time around. He spent three months hoping to find XIII and possibly find out what happened in Gotham. Unfortunately, the big blue boy scout was the only one he spotted in the skies. XIII was nowhere to be seen, but he wasn’t worried. It was likely he was just relocated by the man of steel. It wasn’t likely that the man would try to take care of both XIII and the city. Especially when it was much easier to dump XIII off to his parents and Supergirl.
The library was a treasure of knowledge. Unfortunately, he didn’t manage to get into one until the second month. He used the first month to scout for possible places to rest and eat. Places he will least likely run into a rogue fight with Superman. He knew the banks, the shopping districts and the bay were hot spots for these conflicts. There was a small chance that these conflicts might spill over to the other districts, but he’ll have a higher chance of survival knowing where the red zones were.
Fortunately, the number of destructive crimes takes place during the day rather than the night. It was rare that Beyond needed to keep an eye out during the night when he slept. Breaking into the library had taken sometime since he was without equipment, but he needn’t to worry about being caught by the Kryptonian. The man rarely patrols during the night. Modifying the security recordings was a simple matter of placing the footage on a loop.
Not that it mattered anyhow. There was nothing valuable to steal from a library. The cameras were only there to keep an eye on vandals. The computers had no password protection, giving him no trouble going into the system to search for news on the last six months. Gotham suffered a massive earthquake plunging its residents into hell. Plagues and chaos raged through Gotham while the government refused to send any assistance. President Luthor had denied the Justice League from helping. All bridges and transport to Gotham were severed.
Going through the reports, Beyond found Gotham renamed to No Man’s Land. It was written off from the United States. Bruce Wayne attempted to save Gotham, by bringing the matter up to the courts, but because of his airhead playboy persona, it backfired. A poor miscalculation. Batman was probably at his busiest now, no doubt spending little time with the Justice League. If Beyond was still in Cadmus, he would have suggested to use this time to attack the Justice League. Without Batman, there was a greater chance for Cadmus’ success, but that was no longer his concern.
As the weather warmed, he needn’t to worry about catching pneumonia again, but there were more pressing matters at hand. He needed to clear Project Batman Beyond from the Cadmus’s database. When he left he only bothered with destroying his Justice League archives. At the time he didn’t think his files were important, there was no point in Cadmus trying to recreate the project. It took too much time and they wouldn’t get the results they were looking for. However, in hindsight, he realized that Cadmus could use those files to hunt him down. There were plenty of character evaluations and other information on his person. Dissecting his train of thoughts wouldn’t be hard with that at hand.
He needed to hack into Cadmus’ system, but he can’t do it with any common computer, it can’t handle what he needed. Lex Corp would be the best choice considering how Luthor was connected to Cadmus, but going there would be equivalent to surrendering himself. He had no equipment. He was extremely young and would look out of place in a company that developed weapons for a living. Not to mention, Superman patroled near the building quite frequently.
It wasn’t worth the risk. His second option was to sneak into Gotham and see if he can scavenge anything from Wayne Tech, but considering how dangerous that city was. It wasn’t going to be easy. Even if he managed to get into No Man’s Land, he would still have to deal with what chaos the government left it in. From what he gathered, Batman’s rogues carved up the city into territories when it was abandoned.
Risking Gotham was probably more dangerous than attempting to break into Lex Corp, but he was determined. Between the two, the opportunity costs in Gotham were more appealing. If he failed at Lex Corp, he would be sent back to Cadmus most indefinitely. If he failed at Gotham, the worse that would happen was death. At this point, he rather die than return to Cadmus. If he had a choice, he much preferred to be alive and out of their reach. Determined, he would attempt Gotham, but he wasn’t going to charge in blindly. He decided to give himself one last test before venturing into the dangerous and abandoned city.
“Excuse me miss.” Beyond said shyly as he tugged on the woman’s sleeve.
“Beat it kid, I’m busy.” The woman said as she looked about the streets for a taxi.
“B-but.” Beyond trembled his lower lip. “I’m lost.”
She sighed exasperatedly as she knelt down and placed a hand on his shoulder. “All right, don’t go crying on me now kid. What happened?”
“You’re going to help me?” He sniffled.
“Lois? Is something wrong?” A mental grin crossed Beyond’s mind as the man he was looking for approached them. He really wondered how dense the people were in Metropolis. The man was wearing only a pair of glasses to hide his identity.
“The kid here is lost. Deal with him for me will you Smallville?” She said as she flagged down a taxi.
“But—” The man of steel attempted to protest, but she left, leaving him with Beyond. Clark Kent, sighed before kneeling down to the boy’s level to talk to him. “So what’s wrong?”
“I-I was supposed to be at the train station with my mom. W-we were going to Baltimore, but I accidentally got off the bus with this lady I thought was my mom. Now I don’t know where I am!” He hiccupped.
“Now, now, it’s going to be all right. Does your mom have a cell phone?” He asked.
Beyond nodded. “But I don’t remember her number.”
“Do you remember the number of anyone that has it?” Clark asked.
“No…” He shook his head dejectedly.
The man of steel sighed. “Which station is she at?”
“Penn Station.” He replied rubbing his eye.
“All right, what’s your name son?” He asked comfortingly.
“Jacob.” Beyond lied.
“Okay, we’re going to go to Penn Station together okay Jacob? We’re going to find your mom.” Clark reached out a hand for Beyond to hold.
“O-Okay.” Beyond hiccupped before grabbing hold of the man’s hand. They took a taxi to Penn Station and Clark took him to the platform in search for his supposed mother.
“So how does your mom—” Clark paused in mid-question looking like he heard something.
“Is something wrong mister?” Beyond asked with an innocent tone.
“Can you stay here for a second?” Clark asked.
“But you said you were going to help me find my mom.” Beyond protested.
The man’s face paled. “Just stay here, I’ll be right back!” He said before running off.
Beyond watched him disappear before a smirk crossed his face. It worked better then I thought. He strolled out of the station and hitched a ride to the pier. He wanted to see how far he could trick the blue boy scout in playing his game, but regardless if he succeeded or not the distraction would have came into the picture. Hours, prior to approaching Lois Lane as a lost child, he went to Penn Station and snuck into the control booth to reroute the tracks for two trains.
His self-imposed test was to see how well he could do in convincing Superman that he was a child in need and how long he can keep up the charade. The trains were merely a precaution, if he had failed, the Kryptonian would be distracted enough for him to escape. Stopping two incoming trains from colliding with one another should be more than enough time for him to get out of the man’s hearing range. And it served well to his purpose. He deemed himself ready to take on the nightmares of Gotham.
By the time he reached the pier, there was no sign of the man of steel. He snuck aboard a ship that made illegal runs to Gotham City. He recalled Penguin from Batman’s rogues’ gallery having control over shipping lanes. Despite Gotham’s current status as No Man’s Land, it was not likely Penguin’s business was affected anyhow.
Sneaking into the cargo ship wasn’t a problem with his small frame. He was able to slip into tight areas where no one would think to look, but leaving was a different matter. Had it not been for the dark knight’s appearance, he was sure he was caught. He used his distraction to leave the ship and moved into the shadows. Once safe, he turned his attention back to the flurry of fists and guns. Only he realized it wasn’t Batman that was fighting, it was Batgirl.
Strange, he seemed to recall Batgirl was out of commission for quite some time. He hadn’t stayed long to watch the fight. Beyond wasted enough time as it was. With the city in chaos, he needed to familiarize himself as soon as possible. It seemed near impossible, the city was a desolate wasteland and its inhabitants were cunning and desperate.
Resources were scarce. The people that hadn’t managed to leave before the earthquake was competing with one another for what little were left. Beyond was almost regretful that he left Metropolis, but he wasn’t. Gotham, No Man’s Land, was the safest place from Cadmus at the moment. They wouldn’t dare to venture into this danger zone. It would be suicide even with their capabilities.
It was suicidal for him to even venture into this city. He found no food, no water and no haven. He managed a week before collapsing outside of Robinson Park. Before he lost consciousness, he spotted shadows approaching him. Whatever it was, he hoped he won’t feel a thing when he died.
Beyond hadn’t expected to wake up in a comfortable bed of plants and greeted by a plant-like woman.
“You must be hungry.” She said as she offered a bowl of fruits to him.
He stared at her warily. She was part of Batman’s rogues. Poison Ivy, the mistress of plants. She wasn’t bothered by his stare. She was patient letting him think, letting him decide. The fruits she offered looked delicious, tantalizing, but then again she could have easily poisoned it. Either he die from starvation or from food poisoning. Oh the irony, he was given choices by someone else for a change. And he knew there was only one answer. He grabbed the first apple he saw and devoured it in haste before reaching for the next one. If he was going to die, he might as well die full.
“Slow down, no one will take it from you.” She soothed. Beyond kept an eye on her as he ate, who knows if she would attack him like this. “The other children found you at the edge of the park. How long have you been wandering Gotham?”
Beyond swallowed the mouthful of peach and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. There was no harm in telling her. “A week.”
“Would you like to stay?” She asked.
Why was she offering food and shelter in this wasteland of a city? Was she expecting some sort of return? But what returns can she expect from children? He looked down at the dripping fruit in his hand. He was in no position to reject. There was no way he could survive in Gotham.
“Yes…” He murmured as he polished off the rest of the fruits.
The woman gave a small smile, it wasn’t threatening nor was it menacing. “You must be exhausted. You can rest a little longer before I introduce you to the other children.” She said before retrieving the bowl from him and tucked him back into the odd plant-grown bed.
His body couldn’t agree more with her suggestion before he slipped into a peaceful slumber. His guess was that the fruits were drugged to create this false sense of security, but it wasn’t until later that he found the woman was genuinely trying to help him and the other children. She claimed that she only cares for her plants and they were just there to help her tend to her garden, but he could see she cared for all these children.
A month in her care, he noticed the children differed from other children he met. They weren’t as dependent as the brats he came across. Compared to them, they were like miniature adults. They adored Ivy to no ends showering her with affectionate hugs and sweet words. Beyond showed no such affection towards the woman, but he had great respect for her. The only thing he could do for her was to not shove her away when she decided to dote on him. She regularly rotated among the children. Everyone got equal amounts of love and affection from the woman.
It seemed like he was going to remain in her care for a long while, at least until the appearance of Clayface. The blob came to bargain with Ivy to supply a food auctioning, using the children as laborers. She refused, wanting no part in his schemes. She even attempted to kill him with a poisonous kiss, but it had little affect against him. She was overpowered and imprisoned in the chamber below the lake. Beyond and the other children were delegated to growing and harvesting the produce in his ruling.
Beyond found himself confused and lost. His instincts and training told him to survive, told him to draw no attention to himself, but his thoughts returned to the woman again and again. She cared for him as if he was her own. She protected him when he and the others were threatened. His chest gnawed painfully. Why did it bother him that the woman lost and tortured by this monstrosity?
He endured the slave labor for a month before Batman and Robin came along. Beyond watched the conflict in a safe distance. He made sure to take note of where the duo dropped their equipment as they fought, so he can retrieve them later. As the fight progressed, the other children took cover. Rose, one of the girls, tried to drag him away from the fight to take refuge with the other children. He reluctantly left the fight and waited with them until it was over.
Minutes passed, but the fight felt like it went on for hours. The group huddled together hoping that Batman and Robin would emerge as the victor and their caretaker Ivy would come back safe and sound. Fifteen minutes later, an explosion shook the ground, the group whimpered in fear while Beyond distracted himself with listing the locations of the dropped weapons. There was no use to doing nothing as he waited for the fight to end.
After what seemed like an eternity, Ivy returned with Batman and Robin following closely behind. The children embraced Ivy in tears of joy. Beyond kept close to the group to avoid looking out of place, but his attention was on the dark knight. He looked rugged, unshaven, exhausted and disheartened.
“Ivy, a moment.” Batman spoke lowly drawing the woman away from her adoring children.
Robin stayed behind asking how they were fairing with what happened. How was it with Ivy and Clayface, but Beyond’s attention was other the other pair. Batman was going to leave the children in her care. He would not be taking them away from her while the city was still in chaos. In exchange for her freedom, he bargained for her to supply food to the other survivors in the city. That was the last he saw of the dark knight.
The next time another visitor came about was a month later. This time it not was not a foe, but an injured friend. Harleen Quinzel, Harley Quin, Joker’s henchgirl. If not for her costume, Beyond wouldn’t have recognize her when they found her. She lost her hat, her blonde pigtails hung limply at her face. Her face littered with bruises instead of her white-faced makeup. Her costume was torn. Joker had attempted to kill her again. Ivy was furious at the clown, but hadn’t gone after the man in favor of healing the young woman back to health. Beyond avoided her like the plague, still recalling the clown’s haunting laughs. The henchgirl had not stayed long much to Ivy’s annoyance. The blonde woman insisted she returned to the Joker’s side.
Another month passed and summer came to an end, Gotham was no longer considered No Man’s Land. Batman managed to take the city back from the grips of hell and the city was reinstated. With the city slowly returning to its previous galore, the park was no longer a haven for Ivy. Even at the threat of herbicide the woman refused to leave. She would rather die with her paradise than to give it back.
Her attempt at martyrdom failed when Rose was accidentally poisoned. The woman surrendered immediately at the threat of the children. That gnawing pain at his chest returned as he watched her cuffed and shipped away to Arkham. He didn’t stay long enough for the authorities to send him to the orphanage. The moment Ivy was gone he snuck away from the group and disappeared among the crowds.
Life in Gotham resumed as relief efforts and the Justice League entered the city and assisted its rejuvenation. Weeks after Ivy’s imprisonment, Beyond resumed to his original plan to break into Wayne Tech to use its equipment to hack Cadmus.
Doing it during the night was would risk a run-in with the dark knight. He wanted to put off meeting the man as long as possible. His only alternative was to break in during the day when Batman would stick out like a sore thumb and Bruce Wayne was busy with meetings. He searched every nook and cranny, memorized all the guard shifts just to get into the building undetected.
Beyond had no trouble hacking into Cadmus. It took no more than half an hour and even less to destroy the files on him and XIII. His relief was short lived when an arm locked around his neck and his assailant pulled him into a headlock. A gloved hand quickly covered his mouth to prevent him from shouting. He was promptly blindfolded and carried off.
From the sounds, he could recognize the firing of a grappling hook, a rush of wind and the billowing of capes they ascended. Who was it? How did they find him?
“What were you doing in Wayne Tech?” A familiar voice snapped.
It was Robin, but from the direction of his voice, he wasn’t the one that grabbed him. His assailant was silent with a firm grip at his neck, but judging by the small hand, it wasn’t likely the dark knight. He sighed, relieved that they weren’t Cadmus or Batman. Without needing to worry about his life, Beyond promptly fell asleep. They wouldn’t send him back to Cadmus without interrogating him first. Until then, he had nothing to worry about.
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