Supervillain pulled his hand from the nob. “Your point, Captain?”

“How many of these poor children need to die before you two realize there isn’t any getting Child back? How many more before Scientist is too broken to keep trying? Before you finally stop adding to that grave pit in the garden?”

Rage ballooned in his chest, threatening to break his ribs. “Scientist is brilliant, if any one can bring him back-”

“No one can bring him back.”

“Captain-”

“Sir, no one can bring Child back, not even Scientist. This isn’t healthy for you two or fair on the children you bring into short existence before ripping them back out of it.”

“They aren’t children!” Supervillain roared. “They’re just clones, mockeries of my son, failed resurrections!”

Captain finally moved to fully face him. The disgust on his face was jarring to Supervillain, startling and unfamiliar. “Even with all your power you aren’t a god Supervillain and neither is Scientist. You can’t bring people back from the dead. Child is gone. He’s never, never going to come back to you.”

Supervillain’s rage flipped around wildly with the soul crushing grief that had taken over far too much of his life. “He’s not-!”

“He. Is. GONE. You’ve thrown away five perfectly good children that you might have grown to love and now you set another one up for slaughter like a pig. That’s all you two are doing; making pigs for slaughter. What has Clone ever done wrong by you besides deciding he didn’t like something that Child did? He isn’t your son, none of them will be, not because he isn’t Child, but because you decided so the second he was made.”

Silence blanketed the hall. The tension could have been cut with a knife. Distantly the ticking of a clock counted seconds away. Finally;

“You have gotten far too comfortable with speaking to me in such a disrespectful way, Captain. We aren’t your friends, we are your superiors, and I expect you to treat us as such. Never question our work again, just follow your orders.”

Captain’s features hardened. “Of course Sir. I’ll go clean the bathrooms as punishment and I’ll be sure not to let myself care for you two again.”

Supervillain growled as Captain strode off with a sneer. His white knuckled fists crackled with energy. Captain didn’t understand, he didn’t grasp the devastation that came with losing Child, nor the pain of having the clones turn out so different from him.

He thrust the door open. The clone was seated with its back to the door, cross legged on the side of the bed. It was smaller than the rest, maybe younger? Scientist had taken it out of the growth tube sooner than the others.

“How did he die?” Clone asked without turning around.

“What?” Supervillain growled.

“Child,” Clone mumbled slightly. “How did he die? No one will tell me, and I’m going to die too either way, I figured asking you personally before it happened wouldn’t hurt…”

Wouldn’t hurt? Thinking about that day always hurt. His teeth nearly cracked from how tightly his jaw clenched. “What makes you think you deserve to know?”

Clone twisted a little scrap of cloth in his hands. He seemed less scared of his imminent death than the others had been. How odd. “Nothing, I guess. I was just curious really, everyone looks…I don’t know, kind of sick when they think about it. I guess I just wanted to know what would make everyone feel so bad. No one seems to feel that bad about me dying I don’t think. It must have been really bad then.”

Supervillain’s eyes stung. “It wasn’t just how he died, it was the fact that he’s not here.”

“Why isn’t anyone sad about that with me then?” 

It was clearly just an innocent question, a child clone trying to understand, but it made fury lick against Supervillain’s ribs. This stupid thing really thought it mattered as much as Child had? “Why would anyone be sad at your death? You’ve only been alive three days, no one knows you, no one loves you. We love Child; that’s why we aren’t sad about you.”

“Oh.”

A long stretch of nothing happened where Supervillain only watched the little clone. He noted that Clone worried at the cloth in much the same way Scientist worried at her sleeves when she was having trouble with an experiment. His eyes creased the way Supervillain’s did when he overworked.

Odd…none of the others had shown similarities. Or maybe they had and he’d been too blind to notice it?

A wobbly, thick-with-tears voice broke the trance Supervillain had fallen into. “If I had been alive as long as Child, would anyone be sad at me dying then?”

‘Would anyone love me then?’

The insinuated question lingered in the air. Supervillain clenched his jaw tighter. Why was his throat suddenly thick with a pesky lump, why did tears track down his cheeks, why was he hesitating at such a stupid question?!

Dragging air into his rattling lungs burned like drowning. 

He couldn’t do it.

He couldn’t do it.

Supervillain turned heel and threw himself out into the hallway. Several henchmen flinched as the door slammed shut. He couldn’t choke out the order not to clean up, there was nothing to clean up after all, and as he rushed to get to his bedroom he heard the clone’s door creak open and poorly muffled exclamations of shock.

---

Telling Scientist was less frightening than he thought it would be. She had been angry at first, furious about having to see a false Child running around any longer. He ended up sleeping in a spare room that night and the next. Eventually though she had sought Supervillain out.

He had been in the study failing to read when Scientist found him. “I don’t know why I thought killing them wouldn’t affect you…they look just like him…”

He set the book down and gestured her into his lap. “I promise I didn’t want to hurt you by not-”

“Oh Hon, I know you didn’t.” Scientist curled in close. Her warmth was a much welcome comfort. “I couldn’t kill them myself because they looked like him, of course so many of them would be detrimental to you. I’m so sorry Supervillain. It was selfish of me to ask you to dispose of them so I wouldn’t have to.”

Child used to sit with them in the library, snuggled right beside Supervillain as Scientist curled in his lap, the pair of them listening as he read whatever book Child had picked out. A lump formed in his throat again. God did he miss those moments. His chest ached. He hated that ache and how familiar it had gotten. 

“I…I can do it again. I think I just need more time to brace myself. I’ll get rid of him Darling, I just need some time.”

“Okay dear.”

---

A week later Supervillain was back at the clone’s room preparing himself for what had to come. Only he wasn’t in the bed like last time. Clone was curled up in the egg shaped wicker chair on the balcony. He was so small that Supervillain had almost missed him. “I’m sorry…”

Supervillain furrowed his brows. “You’re sorry?”

“For upsetting you…the guards told me asking about Child made you hurt. I didn’t mean to. I’m sorry.” His brows furrowed together. Supervillain wasn’t exactly being courteous to this child, why was he apologizing? “Are you gonna do it now?”

“Pardon?” Supervillain startled. Right; kill him, Clone was asking if he was going to kill him yet. “Oh. Yes, I am.”

Clone nodded before twisting around into a more cozy spot, pulling a pillow up to his chest to cuddle. He rubbed his face on the fabric a bit before going still. “Okay, I’m ready.”

No tears...no fighting...no begging?

This wasn’t right.

“Aren’t you scared?” Supervillain found the words leaving his mouth without permission.

“Yeah…I’m really scared…but seeing me hurts you and your wife. One of the guards told me that. He said seeing the others did too so you got rid of them so she wouldn’t hurt anymore. I don’t want to make anyone hurt…”

“...getting rid of you won’t make it hurt less.”

Clone blinked up at him with watery doe eyes. “It won’t? But you don’t know me.”

‘You don’t love me.’

“No, it won’t.” Supervillain let his legs give out and landed in the second egg chair with the soft thump. “It’s not having you here, it’s having him gone.”

“Then why are you sad when you see me?”

“You look like him. You’re meant to, of course, but you aren’t him and that…” Supervillain chuckled without humor. He ran his hand through his tangled hair that he realized he’d forgotten to brush. “I don’t know why I’m telling you this.”

“Does it make you feel better?”

“I don’t know. A little, perhaps.”

Clone thought for a moment. “Then…I can listen until you want to get rid of me…if it’ll help.”

Supervillain pulled his hand down his face. What was he doing? He hadn’t let the others talk but here he was, sitting down with Clone as if he were...

“Did you really want to know how he died?”

That’s where it started, telling Clone how Child had begged to join the heroes. How they had made a deal with the agency to never cause further harm as long as Child could apprentice with the best hero in the city.

How that hero had betrayed the trust that Scientist and Supervillain, that Child, had placed in them.

How the agency had covered it up as an accident to save face.

The funeral, Scientist’s desperate attempts to bring Child back, the toll of taking the lives of children who looked like Child just so Scientist would hurt less.

Once he started talking about it, Supervillain couldn’t stop. He choked on his words at times, bit back tears unsuccessfully, but for the first time in a year the grief ebbed if only just a fraction.

When it was finally all out Supervillain looked over to Clone, who was shivering. It was pitch black out. How long had he been talking?

Supervillain wasn’t sure why but he grabbed the throw blanket on the edge of the bed and tucked the child in with it. He knelt down so he could be face to face with him. “I’m sorry, you shouldn’t have this hanging over you...”

“Supervillain?”

He whipped around to see his wife by the door. Horror washed over her features. “Scientist-”

“You haven’t killed it, have you?”

“I-”

“You said you were going to get rid of it now, not talk to it as if it were him.”

“Please listen-”

“You lied to me, Supervillain! You said it would be gone by dinner but it’s nearly midnight and you’re coddling it!” She threw herself about and stormed out the door.

Supervillain launched to his feet. “Wait! Scientist please-” The door slammed behind him as he bolted towards the shrinking figure of his wife. “Scientist!”

Henchmen and guards leapt out of his way as he tried to catch up with her before it was too late. He didn’t care about the shouts of surprise, or the hushed questions that trailed behind, he only cared about stopping his wife from taking a child clone’s life.

He didn’t catch up to her until she was in her lab. “Scientist, listen-”

“No! I won’t have that thing in my home anymore! I want Child not some clone.” She spat vitriol with the words.

Something hot and bitter built up in his chest, an emotional bile leaving a horrid tang at the back of his mouth. “They’re ALL clones! Even if we had Child back in a new body it would just. Be. A clone!”

Scientist whipped around. There was a syringe fulled with a liquid he didn’t know clenched in her fist. “I can get him back; I have to get him back!” There was a crazy light in her eyes that Supervillain had never seen before. “I have to get him back, it’s my fault- I have to...I HAVE TO GET HIM BACK!”

“Scientist!” Captain’s voice cut through their argument. She looked to him. “Put the needle down.”

Tears streamed her reddened cheeks, nose scrunched with frustration and rage. Her knuckles turned white around the syringe. For a terrifying moment Supervillain feared he would need to overpower her to get her to stop.

Then her face fell. Relief flooded him as her arm went limp and the needle clattered on the floor.

“I can’t…I can’t do it, can I?” 

Captain shook his head. “No.”

The way Supervillain’s heart fractured hurt so much worse than he could ever describe, swearing he could almost hear it. He didn’t want to admit it out loud but Scientist needed to know the truth. “Child is gone and we…we can’t bring him back…” He tried to swallow down the lump in his throat. “...and I can’t take having another son dead…”

Scientist looked at her hands with horror.  “...we went too far…Supervillain we-...we killed our children…” She broke down, collapsing into Supervillain with a devastated cry. “We’re no better than Hero!”

“No, we’re worse...” He dug his fingers into the back of her lab coat. “And it’s about time we made that clear.”

Supervillain handed Scientist off to Captain with a pointed look. Captain nodded. “I’ll make sure she’s well.”

“Clone too, he was-”

“Already in bed, sir. I had the others care for him as soon as you left the room.”

“Good. I don’t know when I’ll return.”

“Understood.”

---

The streets were quiet, the people locked away in their homes as if they could sense Supervillain’s rage flooding the city. He followed the route he knew Hero took for patrols.

Soon he was rewarded with a figure crouched at the edge of a roof. She was stocky and short, her hair tied up in a thick ponytail.

“Nope, it’s quiet here. ETA for base is about an hour. I want to check the low income districts one more time.” Supervillain padded up behind Hero silently. “Alright, I’ll check in in thirty. Hero out!”

“Hero out, indeed.”

She flipped around with a yelp. Her expression only became more frightened as she took in his towering form. A smirk pulled his lips. “It’s been quite some time. A year, right?”

Hero swallowed before trying to control her expression. “Since the funeral. You and Scientist...are doing well I assume? You haven’t kept in contact with the agency.”

“Why would we speak with the people who didn’t punish our son’s murderer?”

“The coroner declared it as an accident, Supervillain.” Her pointed glare only cased the burning rage to flair.

He sneered at her. “But it wasn’t, was it?”

Hero’s fear morphed to rage. She balled her fists as she stepped closer to him. He had to keep from throwing her as her face pushed right into his. “I deserved better than a villain kid as my sidekick. I’m the greatest hero in this city! He should have been put with Astra or Blackout; someone who’s just as much of a joke for a hero as your kid was.”

Supervillain held up a small remote. “Child idolized you. He used to say he wanted to be just like you when he grew up.” He hit the button on the remote. Hero flinched and grabbed at her ear where her communicator was. “I’m glad he never got the chance.”

“What was that? What are you-”

“EMP. Scientist designed this one. I don’t want you calling for help before I’m done.”

Her face paled again, bravado leaving in an instant. “You won’t, you can’t! The agreement-”

“Means nothing if Child is not here. We agreed to stop so long as he was training under you; he is no longer training.” His fingertips lit up with energy. He lifted them close to her face and the green reflected in Hero’s widening eyes. Supervillain considered his next move with a devilish grin. “I’ve been holding in quite a lot of pain this last year.”

“Supervillain-”

“I think it’s time I let some of it out, wouldn’t you? It’s so much more healthy to the grieving process.”

“Don’t be hasty!” Hero’s voice broke. Satisfaction rushed him as she scrambled to add back the distance she’d closed.

His laugh echoed in the empty streets. Deranged, heartbroken, lethal. Supervillain had missed the utter terror in her eyes. This was who he was at his core; a weapon that reveled in the destruction it caused. A predator killing just to see the blood painting the streets and bodies left in it’s wake.

For Child he would deny that part of himself; for his son he would sacrifice everything but his wife. Power, money, satiating the blood lust, he would give it all away for his son.

But Child was gone. Child was dead.

“Eleven months of stewing is hasty to you? How odd, it only took one for you to kill my son.” His tone was hard. It was clear he wouldn’t back down.

Hero tried to step back again but only found air. Supervillain closed the distance. Energy crackled from his hands all the way up to his shoulders. He felt a deep gratification as Hero decided to scramble from the building and run.

The hunt was on.

---

Supervillain loved when the agency begged. One of the lower heroes was cowering by the door, clearly wanting to be elsewhere.

“Supervillain, I’ve been sent to request-”

“Another peace meeting, I know. I’m afraid we no longer have interest in such agreements.” He ran his hands through Scientist’s hair. It was a shame the request had come during family time. Clone Kid was asleep in Scientist’s lap, she was leaned on his side, the book he’d been reading abandoned on a side table.

Blackout swallowed thickly. “Please, it’s been months. The agency is willing to do anything.”

He raised his brows. “Are they? Absolutely anything?”

“...yes.”

“Fine. We’ll pace ourselves.”

“They want you to stop-”

“That is not a possibility anymore.” Blackout looked like he swallowed a rock. “We will pace ourselves if they denounce Hero and reveal what they did to Child.”

At this Blackout bristled. “What does it matter what Hero did to them? They’re dead and you have a new Child! Why would you need-”

Energy crackled up Supervillain’s hand, ruining the arm of the couch and waking Kid. Scientist shifted so he could stand. Rage boiled in every cell. “New Child? New? Child?! Kid is not Child, he never was and he never will be. Child is gone because of your Hero and it’s a dishonor of his memory to hide it!”

“A dishonor like cloning him and pretending it never happened? Using his DNA as a plaything to create a little fake so you can play house again?” Blackout’s rage disappeared instantly as the words registered. “No, wait I didn’t mean-”

Supervillain lunged. His hand wrapped Blackout’s throat as he slammed the hero against the wall. “Don’t you dare pretend to know why we made Kid, you insolent moron!”

Blackout clawed at his hand desperately. “I’m sorry!”

“Hmm.” Supervillain tightened his hold. “Hero was right; you are a joke. Not even a little fight.” Energy surged through his hands and the body hit the floor. “Captain?”

“Yes sir?”

“Have that delivered to the agency. Maybe they’ll get the message this time.”

“With pleasure.”

He turned back to his family. Kid was rubbing sleep from his eyes with a yawn as Scientist stretched out her legs. A softer smile pulled up the corners of his mouth. “We still have time before I need to go to my meeting, would you two like to walk with me?”