Chapter 3.

Alive and Kicking

Superman scanned surroundings before landing in the grove near Wayne Manor. He spun out of his Superman costume and into gray business suit. Then he supersped to the door and knocked.

Big brown door opened immediately.

"Good evening, Mr. Kent. I'm so glad to see you," sometimes Clark suspected that Alfred Pennyworth was a telepath.

"Good evening, Alfred. How's Bruce?"

"May I suggest you to ask him yourself, Sir? He is down in the cave," Alfred's voice had a hint of worry.

"That's exactly what I'm going to do, Alfred" Clark answered, wondering what's going on in the mind of old butler.

"Shall I accompany you?"

"No, thanks, Alfred, I'll find the way. And I'm Mr. Elliott now".

"I'll try to remember it, Sir".

* * *

Superman hated the Law of Unforeseen Consequences with a passion. It always found a way to strike him in the worst possible time. Or strike somebody he knew.

That Sunday two years ago was a very memorable one. Mostly because it was the first Father's Day that he had to spent alone. But also it was the beginning of downward spiral that ended by making the deal with the Devil.

* * * Flashback * * *

Usually major disasters helped not to think about people he lost. But not on Father's Day.

Jor-El and Lara, his biological parents. They died when Krypton exploded. Kal-El never had a chance to see them. Of course, he saw records in the Fortress of Solitude, but it wasn't the same thing. He couldnt touch them, or talk to them. They weren't real.

Martha and Jonathan Kent, the best Mom and Dad in the world. They were killed by Braniac's trap meant for Superman. Clark was deprived of opportunity to bury them - the bodies were destroyed. Braniac never did things halfway.

Lois Lane, his partner, and the only woman he truly loved, though she was unaware of his feelings. Her desire to expose Intergang cost her life. Hitman who planted a bomb in her car was behind bars, but nothing could bring Lois back or heal the broken heart of Kryptonian.

Kal-El didn't want to hear cries for help. He was too consumed by the pain. He wanted to be left alone. But the monster who attacked Metropolis had different plans for the Last Son of Krypton.

"Superman! I am KALIBAK! Face me, you coward!"

New God came to Earth hoping to earn his Darkseid's approval by defeating Kal-El. And he was smart enough to understand that by killing civilians and demolishing everything on his way he'd attract an attention of Superman.

Needless to say, his timing couldn't have been worse. Man of Steel was desperately looking for something large to hit, and Kalibak just gave him a perfect opportunity.

Superman attacked, strength doubled by unrestrained anger. His eyes glowed red, and he wasn't bothering to hold back anymore. They traded blows, each hit sent shockwaves through the air. Kalibak grabbed his opponent and slammed him against the wall. The house collapsed, but Superman barely felt pain. Pain was something distant, nothing to be concerned over. Superman just kept hammering Kalibak. Monster was overwhelmed by of earth-shattering blows, but New God was too proud by his victories in the past, retreat wasn't an option for him.

Superman caught the monster's wrists. For several minutes they struggled for supremacy. Kryptonian was stronger, but comparing to massive frame of Kalibak he was a lightweight. Monster used his advantage, pushing Superman back, step by step. Superman struggled to regain his balance. Kalibak headbutted him, superhero fell back a few steps and knelt down on one knee.

"I'll squash you like a bug!"

Well-aimed blast of heat vision erased the smile from monster's lion-face. Kalibak roared in pain; Superman grabbed his arm and threw him down. When Kalibak started to get up, Superman pulled his fist back and sent Kalibak flying. through building after building. Superman caught him in mid-air and threw.

Kalibak landed in the park near the outskirts of Metropolis. Half-stunned by the force of impact, he started to get up.

"I haven't finished with you yet!"

Superman's fist connected with the jaw of New God. Then he lifted Kalibak from the ground and slammed him into the tree. Kalibak pulled himself up, only to meet with a powerful left hook.

Superman fought as brutally as he'd ever done, punching and kicking Kalibak on superhuman speed, turning his face into bloody pulp, knocking the wind out of his enemy. Son of Darkseid barely escaped through the boom tube, beaten and humiliated.

* * * End of flashback * * *

The battle was over. But the story has just began.

The clash between him and Kalibak completely leveled two city blocks. Astonished by Superman's pure rage and willingness to kill, a lot of resident supervillains packed things and left Metropolis in haste.

Luminus, Weather Wizard, Toyman and Livewire moved to Gotham City, becoming an extra job for Batman, who already had more than enough on his plate.

Four o'clock in the morning, Batman was on patrol, when he discovered a hideout used by Bane and his goons. Bane was smuggling weapons to Kasnia. Robin felt that his mentor is exhaused after restless night and not in condition to fight against heavyweights. But Batman wasn't going to allow another shipment of plasma rifles to leave Gotham.

The fight was messy, Batman wasn't thinking clearly, he allowed Bane to come too close. And Bane broke Batman's spine.

But the story of Caped Crusader was far from ending.

* * *

Descent into the darkness ended when Superman entered the large cave.

He looked around with a small smile. Batcave was just as amazing as the Fortress of Solitude in Arctic, though much darker. It fitted Gotham's Caped Crusader like a glove.

Clark's eyes continuously darted from one trophy to another, he tried to figure out if something new was added to the gallery in his absence. Puppet Scarface, giant penny, goggles of Gray Ghost, Freeze Gun, old Robin suit... Ah, there's a new one - costume and glider of Batwoman! I wonder what happened to her?

Superman forgot about another new addition to Batcave. And it wasn't a trophy.

When Kal-El saw this device for the first time, he called it Iron Maiden. Dr. Mid-Nite answered with solemn expression on his face that Superman's joke isn't far from the truth. Healing machine that he invented was increasing regenerative capabilities of human body, but the cost of the recovery was pain. And what a pain it was! Even a man with a willpower as formidable as Bruce's couldn't use Iron Maiden for more that an hour every week.

Dr. Mid-Nite was unable to fix a fatal flaw in the construction, so Iron Maiden was never officially patented. Batman, learning about the machine from Clark, volunteered to test it on himself. No doubt, Bruce was determined to regain the use of his legs someday.

The process of healing could be considerably less painful if Bruce agreed to put a stop on his nighttime activities. But Batman refused to hear about leaving Gotham unprotected, or allowing Batgirl and Robin to fight crime on their own.

Superman passed over the mechanical dinosaur and met with a steel gaze of his old friend.

"Kent" it was said in the best Bat-voice. He looked intimidating even in wheelchair. Bruce Wayne's back could have been broken, but Batman's spirit wasn't.

"Hello, Bruce. How's Barbara? And Tim?"

"I'm not in the mood for a small talk, Kent. Why are you here?"

"What if I was in the neighborhood and decided to pay a visit to an old friend?"

"Kent, you have a terrible poker face. Spill it. What's bothering you?"

"Bruce, you can say that it's not my business, but I noticed that you wasn't the same after... the incident".

"After Bane defeated me?" Batman corrected him humorlessly. "I'm touched that you are concerned about my well-being so much, Kent, But there's nothing to discuss. I'm not a man who I once was. And I'll live with it".

"You don't believe you can heal?"

"Do I believe that Mid-Nite's torture device can heal? Yes. Can it heal me? I don't know. Mid-Nite never used Iron Maiden for critical injuries, by oblivious reasons. But whether I regain the control of my legs or not, glory days of Bruce Wayne, Playboy Billionaire Extraordinaire are over. I made a vow to cleanse Gotham from crime, no matter what it takes. Fighting crime was always walking on the tightrope. I made a decision to go after Bane. So don't you dare to blame yourself. My decision, my mistake, my responsibility". He braced himself, then suddenly asked asked, "Are you worried because of The Suit? My usual check-up with Leslie was yesterday, and she confirmed - no signs of addiction".

Superman took a quick glance upon black suit of powered armor with a crimson bat symbol on its chest. Unlike classic Kevlar Bat-suit, it was a miracle of modern technology.

First prototype of this armor was created by Lexcorp for Metropolis SCU. But the field test was a complete disaster. Cory Mills, police officer chosen for the experiment became addicted to power, violent and unstable. Superman barely managed stop him from killing Lex Luthor, and the project was frozen. Looking back, Clark suspected that the main reason of creating battle suit had nothing to do with law enforcement and everything - with Luthor's main obsession. What can be more appealing for Lex Luthor than defeating Superman in hand-to-hand combat, human technology versus Kryptonian superpowers?

I hope you are rolling in your grave, Lex!

After Luthor's death Superman had to deal with his dark legacy. Most of secret projects he discovered could make Dr. Mengele proud. Kal-El transferred all the data that wasn't illegal or too fangerous to the scientists he could trust – Ray Palmer, Emil Hamilton. Blueprints of the Lexcorp Police Battle Suit ended in Gotham City.

Lucius Fox gave a new life to the abandoned project when Bruce Wayne was crippled by Bane. He realized that neural interface in the armor allowed Batman to run, jump and kick just by thinking about it. Commissioner Gordon breathed a sigh of relief - Dark Knight was back, rumors of his death were extremely exaggerated.

Lucius personally triple-checked an improved suit of armor; he assured Superman that addiction to the Suit is now impossible. But Superman was keeping an eye on Batman, just in case. And he didn't like what he saw.

"The Suit is the least of my worries, Brice". Kal-El was contemplating the best way to voice his worries. "You know, I was in bad place after Lois was killed. Kept beating myself up for the inability to save Lois and my folks. I felt that I wasn't doing enough for Metropolis, so I abandoned Clark Kent persona to become Superman full-time". Kal-El lovered his head. When he became Superman full-time, he ended by making deal with Luthor and turning Metropolis into police state. Not the most pleasant memories. Luthor duped him like a five-yeard old.

"Bruce, losing touch with humanity is dangerous, and I feel that you are on the same road". If somebody as driven as Batman chooses to live outside humanity, the consequences could be scary and far-reaching.

Bruce Wayne raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

"Are you serious?"

"I wish I wasn't. You keep pushing away the people who care about you. Nightwing is in Bludhaven, and hates your guts. Who's next? Barbara? Tim? Alfred? Dark Knight can't admit that he needs friends too?"

"Kent..."

"It's a dangerous road, Bruce. You can lose yourself. Or you'll end up as a bitter old man living in a haunted house. Is that what you want?"

"What I want... You can't always get what you want, Kent".

"Bruce, just because it didn't work with Andrea Beaumont, doesn't mean all your realtionships are doomed from the start".

Bruce Wayne frowned, "Slow down, Kent. I wasn't talking about my love life. Or yours," Clark caught the smirk on billionaire's face. "When was the last time you talked to Maxima?"

"Et tu, Bruce? Maxima is in Kasnia, I haven't seen her for a few months. And that's a relief! Because no matter how much her English improved, Maxima is unable to understand the word "no". Last time we met..." Clark paused, Bruce could easily see cogs moving in the head of Kryptonian. "Wait a moment! I know what you are doing! Nice move, Bruce. If you are not in the mood to talk. I'll leave, but promise at least to think before burying Bruce Wayne completely".

"I promise".

"Good. Then I'll use the tunnels, if you don't mind. Tell Alfred that I'm sorry, I can't stay for dinner. Duty calls",

Superman straightened the cape, preparing to leave.

"Almost forgot. Lana mentioned you when we talked. She thinks Bruce Wayne is special, and definitely not a shallow playboy. Coming from Lana, it means a lot". Clark returned the smirk. "I kinda hoped to give you an extra reason to heal faster. Good-bye!" Not giving Bruce a chance for comeback, Kal-El disappeared in tunnels.

To be continued…