[center][img]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/445351464320106498/870668188650733618/SB4.png[/img][/center][indent][sub][color=white][b]SEASON TWO[/b][/color][color=e20025]  One Universe: Unlimited[/color][/sub][sup][right][b][color=white]SUPERBOY #2[/color][/b] [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iECixGaKVk4][color=e20025]Broken Boy[/color][/url][/right][/sup][/indent][indent][indent][indent][hr][/indent][/indent][/indent][indent][color=white][sub][b]Cornelius Blue College [color=e20025]♦[/color] Blue Valley, Nebraska [/b][/sub][/color][/indent]
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Superboy stood on a stage overlooking a sparsely populated auditorium. There were a few dozen blank faces staring back at him, eyes glazed over with exhaustion. Somebody in the back row was [i]snoring[/i]. It was doubtful anyone could've heard him; it was a quiet, stifled sound, barely above a whisper. It screamed like a bullhorn in Superboy's ear as he tried desperately to wrap up the last stretch of his 'presentation,' if you could even call it that.

[color=lightblue]"...And that's why Cadmus has decided to give Cornelius Blue's Technical Sciences department a grant of over fifteen thousand dollars: because today's young minds are-"[/color]

The words caught in his throat at the sound of a phone ringing in the audience. Mandisa's [i]Good Morning[/i] rang throughout the hall for several seconds too long as the sleeping man jolted awake, hands shooting into his pockets as he searched for the phone. A sleepy series of chuckles drifted through the audience. through the audience. Superboy forced a smile. 6:30 sharp. That was probably the man's alarm, if he had to guess.

[color=lightblue]"Tomorrow's future."[/color] Superboy sighed, hands falling to his hips. This was his eighteenth stop on Cadmus's media tour across the country. At least the last few had been in decent locales at normal business hours- and not Bumfuck, Nowhere at ass-o-clock in the morning. Everyone was exhausted. The audience, the Cadmus crew, even Leech. Superboy was the only one present that didn't even [i]need[/i] sleep yet he wanted to crawl under the covers and lie there for eternity more than the rest of them combined. He was a goddamn superhero! And they had him handing out grants to colleges in [i]Nebraska[/i]? [color=lightblue][i]'Where even is Nebraska?!'[/i][/color]

After an awkward beat of silence a polite clap started up. He gave the audience a curt wave and started to walk off stage. [color=lightblue]"I'll be around for fifteen backstage to answer questions and, uh, sign shit. Have a good rest of your mornin,' people."[/color]

[color=fdc68a]"Excuse me!"[/color] Someone called out from the audience. [color=fdc68a]"Mister Superboy, sir-"[/color]

He quickened his pace, stepping off the platform into the back room of the theater hall. Rex Leech was sitting on a stool nearby, a cup of coffee in one hand and an L-pad in the other. There were three similar cups crushed up in a basket at his feet. [color=lightblue]"You tryin' to kill the planet yourself, Rex?"[/color] Superboy snorted, nodding his head toward it.

"If only I could," the older man sneered bitterly without looking up from his work. "That speech was god fucking awful. Seriously, you gave those kids more money than they've probably ever seen n' they're falling asleep in their seats? Christ, kid."

Superboy's nostrils flared. He felt a familiar heat building up behind his eyes as he tried not to glare at his manager. It took considerable effort to keep his voice at an even keel. [color=lightblue]"The sun ain't even up, man, lay off."[/color]

Rex must've heard the anger hidden behind the teenager's bitten tongue given the serpentine smile creeping up his face. He set his device down and shifted his attention to Superboy. "Yeah? What's your excuse for Hub City, then? Chicago? Detroit?" Leech chuckled, though the sound lacked for mirth. "Dud after dud."

[color=lightblue]"Your script's are shit!"[/color] Superboy all but snarled. Regret mixed with barely contained frustration fell across his expression. He'd been taking shit from Leech for months, yet somehow the last week had been different, somehow. It was harder than ever to just shrug off his bullshit. It wasn't like Superboy to bite back- not like this.

Leech barked out a laugh. "How 'bout you write 'em yourself, tight pants? Or did the lab jockies not even bothering filling that skull'o yours with anything useful? You got one job: talk n' look pretty, and you can't even get one'a those right!"

Fists balled and teeth clenched, Superboy took a step toward his boss. The pressure behind his eyes grew even hotter.

The other man didn't move. A smug, self-satisfied look on his face, Leech stared Superboy down. "What? You finally fed up, shithead? Gonna do anything with all those muscles'a yours?"

[color=fdc68a]"...Sorry, uhm, am I interrupting?"[/color]

Two heads swung back toward the direction of the stage where the voice had come from. A young man in cargo shorts, a tacky vest and a t-shirt for Cornelius Blue's robotics team stood with his hands shoved into his pockets. He had that awkward look on his face that said he knew he shouldn't be there but that he wasn't planning on leaving, either. No one said anything, so he took that as permission to continue.

The student pulled an odd looking device from his pocket, flipping it open. It looked like a cross between a TV remote and an old flip phone. "I-I had a pitch, actually. If you have a sec. This is a-"

"-Uh huh. That's great, kid." Rex coughed loudly, rising from his seat. "You can tell Superboy all about it," he patted the hero on the shoulder. "Crew's headed to IHOP for breakfast. You're free 'til the WGBS interview at eleven. Don't create anymore disasters until then, okay?"

Superboy sulked in silence as Leech walked off, staring into space as he tried to cool off. The other boy, seemingly oblivious to the darkness of Superboy's expression, approached and reached out a hand. [color=fdc68a] "I'm Simon! Simon Valentine. Its nice to finally meet you!"[/color]
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