Jon Kent: Made Of Steel(Superboy Self Insert)

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-Jon's P.O.V-

Blüdhaven wasn't a city for light. Even its streetlights were dim, like they'd given up trying. Tonight, the gloom felt fitting for what we had planned.

Raven floated beside me in her cloak, a quiet shadow with her hood pulled low.

Wisps of her dark energy curled around her like a storm held in check.

Her presence radiated an eerie calm that contrasted with my white blazer, pants, and the bleached skull mask covering my face.

The disguise wasn't just for theatrics; it gave "Dagger" the anonymity I needed. Raven was Cloak. Together we were, Cloak and Dagger- a homage to two characters from the studio next door with light and darkness powers similar to our own.

"Good call reaching out before you decided to take Luthor on alone," Raven said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Even if I'm not thrilled to be relegated to Plan B."

I winced under her accusatory gaze. "I admit I jumped the gun by going after him solo. But I had no choice. Luthor is a problem that needed handling yesterday."

Raven stopped mid-glide, her piercing gaze locking on me. "You're carrying too much, Jon, spiralling out of control. Protecting Connor is one thing, but if you break yourself doing it, then what?"

I shrugged off the concern, my voice steady. "If I break, I know you'll put me back together Rae Rae. End of story."

"You're too confident in my capabilities."

Her sigh cut through the silence, but she didn't argue further.

We reached our destination in silence. A warehouse in a dilapidated section of the city.

---

The warehouse stank of oil and stale air as we slipped through the shadow portal. I glanced at the portal's creator. "Well, Cloak?"

"I detect three life signs ahead. They're here," my partner said evenly.

"Good. Let's not keep our friend waiting."

The walk to the center felt longer than it should have, every step echoing in the cavernous space. Finally, the scene I'd been waiting for came into view.

Lex Luthor sat bound to a chair, his pristine suit rumpled and stained with sweat.

Even gagged, his eyes burned with contempt and defiance, the kind that refused to waver even when faced with a losing hand.

Beside him, his ever-loyal Mercy Graves shared his predicament, her glare sharp enough to cut steel.

Behind them stood Deathstroke, leaning against a stack of crates. His orange, silver and black plated armor gleamed faintly under the dim light.

His massive frame exuded menace. And that was without drawing the blades on his back or the half a dozen guns X-ray vision detected.

One sharp lone eye swept through us.

"You're late, Mr.Dagger." Deathstroke said flatly, his deep voice carrying an edge of impatience.

"Traffic," I quipped, smirking beneath my mask.

The Terminator wasn't amused. "Let's get this straight: I don't babysit, or act out a kill. This was a one-time deal. If I'd known you were this much trouble, I'd have doubled my fee."

Plan B had been simple: in case Plan A failed(thanks for that Dad), I'd already put a bounty out for Luthor on the Dark Web, ensuring his "death" would throw everyone off the trail for in actuality it was an abduction.

Deathstroke had delivered, and now the real work could begin.

Cloak stepped forward, a brown sack of appearing in her hands from a shadow portal. She dropped it at Deathstroke's feet, spilling a handful of gleaming shards.

"Amazonium, metal blessed by the Olympian Gods. Same stuff as Wonder Woman's Braces and Tiara." I said, crossing my arms. "Harder than Promethium, and no radiation leaks. With your connections, I bet you have the means to forge it."

Deathstroke crouched, turning a shard over in his hand. Even with his mask on, I could sense his approval. "Rare material," he admitted. "We're square—for now."

Whish...

I threw him a business card with the Cloak and Dagger motif, carved with a delicate use of heat vision.

"Good. If you want more, you know how to contact me."

Deathstroke snorted, slipping the card into a pouch, and with the sack of Amazoniun, disappeared into the shadows without another word.

---

As silence fell over the warehouse, I turned to Luthor, stepping closer until I was looming over him.

Our eyes met and the silence stretched. Once again, I had him where I wanted. But this time, there wasn't a Superman to save the day. Which meant there was still time to extend his suffering.

"This doesn't have to take long," I said, my voice cold, despite the laughter of accomplishment threatening to escape me. "You're going to tell us everything we want to know. One way or another."

Luthor's muffled response was almost amusing, but I wasn't in the mood for games.

I turned to Cloak. "You ready?"

"Oh yeah, I've been practicing. Still not as good at It as reading emotions so..."

She nodded with a wide vengeful smile, stepping forward as dark energy rippled around her hands. "...He'll hurt as I break through the walls of his mind."

I smirked, glancing at Luthor. The flicker of unease in his eyes was satisfying. "Good. Let's make sure he's veeerrry uncomfortable."

Raven placed her glowing fingers against his temple, her voice calm but firm.

"Feel free to scream. It might help," she said, though I doubted she cared.

---

Luthor tensed immediately as her powers connected, his body jerking against the restraints. His eyes rolled back slightly, his mind instinctively erecting barriers.

"His defenses are strong." Raven murmured, her brow furrowed. "But not invincible."

"Focus on what we need," I instructed. "Start with the Cadmus programming for Connor."

"How can anyone be this...inhumane? This evil? The things he's done..."

Raven's expression tightened, her hands trembling slightly.

"We'll make him pay for everyone's he's hurt, Raven. I promise you."

I placed my hand on her shoulder, comforting her.

The shadows in the room seemed to grow thicker, pressing inward as she pushed deeper.

"Found it," she said finally, her voice tinged with disgust and unease. "The phrase Cadmus installed in Connor… It's 'Red Sun.'"

The words hit like a punch to the gut, but I forced my expression to remain neutral. That phrase was a loaded gun aimed directly at Connor's soul.

"Good," I said tightly. "Now keep going. Find out how they captured you."

Her energy pulsed again with noticeable strain, Luthor's muffled screams intensifying in the process.

Her movements slowed, her voice softer. "They were watching me for months… but it wasn't just Cadmus. Someone gave them the information they needed. Someone familiar...someone related to me..."

"What do you mean?" I asked sharply, the grip on her shoulder tightening subconsciously.

Cloak's breathing quickened, the darkness spewing off her growing erratic. Then her eyes snapped open, wide with shock. "It was him. Trigon."

Her words stopped me cold. "Your father?"

Cloak nodded, her jaw clenched. "He sold me out. He told them when and how to strike, to exploit the moments when my powers were weakest."

My fists tightened, heat rising in my chest as the memory of my brief encounter with the Demon flared up. "Why would Trigon work with Luthor?"

It made no sense.

Raven's voice slightly shook as she looked deeper into Luthor's memories. "It wasn't about Luthor. He didn't care about him. Trigon wanted to push me—to break me."

My stomach churned.

"The gem," I said grimly, eyes falling on the red stone on her forehead.

Raven nodded again, her voice barely above a whisper. "Cadmus wanted to crack it but failed, so they started extracting every bit of power locked away in the gem. If successful, my dark side would take over and open a gate for Trigon to emerge. He used Luthor and Cadmus as pawns to get what he wanted."

"That...Asshole. What kind of Father would put their own kid through that."

I found myself getting angry.

"Ugh...I'm so pissed off it's making it hard to enjoy Luthor's pain."

Said villain groaned faintly, body jerking against the chair as Raven's energy surged again.

"And the 'Worst Dad In History cup' goes to- mine. Still feel like complaining about yours?"

Raven bitterly asked.

Sure, Dad wasn't winning any parenting awards but he would NEVER hurt me like that. Maybe I was being too hard on him?

"The experiments," Cloak continued, her voice hardening. "They were designed to amplify my rage, my pain, as a tether to bring 'HER' out. They almost succeeded. If you hadn't rescued me…"

Her words trailed off, heavy with unspoken emotion. My fists clenched so tightly the knuckles ached. The thought of how lost and miserable she was when we found her, made my blood boil.

"What else?" I demanded, my voice sharp. "What are his contingency plans for Connor? For Trigon? For Superman? For Superboy?"

Raven's brow furrowed, her breathing uneven. "A dozen for Superman-mostly involving revealing his identity, his family or framing him, none for you, except interest in your d.n.a but Cadmus has a backup trigger for Connor, 'Solaris Override'- which would essentially drive him to a murderous rage. As for Trigon, Luthor is aware of my Father's agents in his network. He's waiting for the right moment to betray him, except Trigon's watching… always watching. He would have crushed Luthor like an ant."

---

Finally, Raven stepped back, her energy dissipating as she staggered slightly. I reached out to steady her, but she waved me off.

"I'm fine," she said, though her voice was strained. "We got what we needed."

Her words were meant to reassure, but the look she gave me said something else.

She'd been betrayed by the person who should have protected her the most. And I wasn't about to let that betrayal define her future.

"Luthor's only the first on the list. We'll make them all pay. Cadmus...Trigon...no one will be forgiven."

My words brought a small smile to her face.

"Thanks Dagger."

I turned to Luthor, his face pale and slick with sweat. The defiance in his eyes was still there, but it was muted now, laced with fear.

I stepped closer, my voice low and venomous. "Hear that? You were just a pawn in a bigger game, Lex."

That said, someone wasn't thrilled with what we'd done to her boss.

Mercy's glare could have burned holes through Cloak, but Raven was unfazed.

"Why is she looking at me like that?" Cloak asked, her tone curious.

I chuckled. "Mercy used to be an Amazon. She probably doesn't love the idea of you handing Themyscira's precious metal to Deathstroke."

Raven scoffed. "She gave up her Amazonian pride the day she started working for Luthor. She's in no position to judge."

Mercy tensed, but I didn't give her a chance to respond.

Instead, I returned my attention to Luthor, stepping forward to rip the gag from his mouth.

"Ah," I said mockingly, "much better. Now you can say whatever smug garbage you've been saving up."

Luthor coughed, his voice venomous as he spat, "You… insufferable 'child.' You think this changes anything? You think you've won?"

I smirked, slowly pulling my mask off to let him see my face. The moment recognition dawned on him, his usual bravado faltered.

"Y-you?!"

"This isn't about winning, Luthor," I said softly, leaning in close. "This is about making sure you never hurt anyone I care about again. Ever. You're going to disappear forever."

---

From behind, Cloak coughed. "Question about the plan Dagger, why not finish him off now? It'd be quicker. And feel pretty carthatic."

"Because death isn't permanent," I replied, my tone flat. "Not for people like him. There's always cloning, magic, or some other loophole. But the Phantom Zone? That's forever."

Raven raised an eyebrow. "But you said the League took away the projector. Unless you've got a plan, this is just wishful thinking."

I grinned. "Funny you should mention that."

As if on cue, a Boom Tube activated behind us, the bright light spilling into the warehouse.

Robin stepped through first, the Motherbox in one hand and the Phantom Zone projector clutched in the other. Powerboy followed, my brother's grim and unreadable face, twisting to hate upon spotting Luthor. As for the latter, he seemed mute in shock.

"Miss us?" Robin asked, his smirk as cocky as ever.

I stepped forward to take the projector.

"Right on time, Rob..." I said, going for a fist bump.

Expectedly, Robin planted his fist right on my belly. I found myself bending down in unexpected pain.

"H-how?"

I bit out.

Robin waved his hand, where a Kryptonite ring sat on his middle finger.

"You deserved that. And you know why. Now we can bump."

"Right. Sorry, won't happen again."

I shook my head and collided fists with my best friend.

---

The hum of the projector filled the room as I powered it on, the soft blue light illuminating Luthor's face.

Standing with my friends, I aimed it at him, my eyes glowing faintly with heat vision.

"Any last words?" I asked, my voice cold.

Luthor sneered, his arrogance still intact despite his situation. "Well played, sidekicks. But do you really think your mentors would approve of this?"

I smiled. "They'll never know. Because the only person who could tell them is about to vanish into a phantom wasteland."

His sneer faltered for a split second before returning with a vengeance. "You haven't won, Jonathan Kent. I'll be back. And when I am, I'll make sure everyone you love suffers for this."

My heat vision flared, slicing through the air and severing his limbs. The smell of burning flesh filled the warehouse, and Luthor screamed in agony.

Robin winced, his jaw tightening, but he said nothing. Connor's expression remained unfazed, as if he'd seen this coming all along. And Raven, Raven had a dark smile that slightly raised concern in me...

I leaned down, meeting Luthor's gaze as he writhed in pain. "The Phantom Zone locks your body in its current state. That means the pain you're feeling? It'll never go away. Enjoy eternity, Lex."

"Damn you!" he roared, his voice hoarse. "You'll pay for this!"

I didn't respond. With the press of a button, the portal opened, swallowing Luthor and Mercy whole. Luthor's screams echoed briefly before fading into silence.

---

The projector's hum stopped, and the warehouse felt eerily quiet again.

I stared at the spot where the portal had been, my breathing heavy but steady.

Then, without hesitation, I turned my heat vision onto the projector, reducing it to molten slag, destroying the only key in existence to the prison that was the Phantom Zone.

"Good riddance," I muttered, the words carrying the finality I felt in my bones.

Raven stepped closer, her voice measured. "And now?"

I exhaled, finally letting the tension leave my shoulders. "Now we're free. Now we move forward. Together."

Connor placed a hand on my shoulder, his grip firm but comforting.

He looked unsure and kept glancing around, embarrassed. Taking a deep breath, he found courage and stared into my eyes to say,

"Thank you. Brother."

I was taken aback by the Sincerity in his voice.

"Don't mention it."

I nodded with a smile, pulling him into a hug.

"It's what family does."

We broke the hug at Robin's teasing. Boy Wonder was having fun at the expense of a blushing Connor.

As for me, my eyes returned on the scorched floor where Luthor had disappeared.

For the first time in years, going all the way back to the bridge incident, the weight of Lex Luthor's shadow finally lifted. The biggest threat to my family was gone. I could breath easier.

All that was left was to cover our tracks.

"Hey Cloak, your telepathy good enough to wipe memories yet?"

I turned to Raven and asked.

She looked around at the others and shrugged,

"It'll probably hurt. A lot."

"Good enough for me. Muhahahaha!!"

I cackled like the villain my 'Dagger' persona demanded.

"Suddenly, I feel scared."

Robin muttered, trying to back away.

"You're not alone..."

Connor echoed.