DC: Fight For The Future
Chapter Ten: Rest
AN: Well, we've made it to Chapter 10. Let's see how it goes.
Disclaimer: I do not own DC (Detective Comics) or any of its characters, I'm just writing my story in their world.
The Man of Tomorrow had been missing for two weeks. Two weeks of fruitless searching, but that ended the night Selina Kyle's friends Pamela Isley and Harleen Quinzel were hiding from The Joker.
The three women were friends, members of The Sirens of Gotham City, and it was due to that fact that Poison Ivy revealed the location of Lex Luthor's base where Superman was being held captive.
With the location Selina Kyle took the information to The Dark Knight and The Flash, and together they formed a plan, Superman would be rescued.
The plan was simple. Go in, cause all Hell to break loose, find Superman, and get him out of harms way. Simple.
The first explosion rocked the underground compound. The Flash had used his speed to run throughout the compound and place explosives provided by Batman. They moved as one, their goal the same.
Wally ran ahead first drawing the attention of most of the goons, while also searching for Superman. Batman and Catwoman stalked through the monotone halls, Bruce activating the next set of explosives as needed.
The first set of goons Wally didn't find were taken care of by Catwoman who flipped through the air gracefully claws scraping skin and kicks breaking jaws, she was efficiently graceful.
The next were taken care of by Batman, his muscles rippling as he beat the goons unconscious. His elbows and needs breaking bones and smashing teeth out. Whereas Catwoman was graceful, Batman was brutally efficient. No movement wasted but his anger made him put more force than was necessary into his blows.
The next set of explosives were set off, and the process repeated itself until Wally sped to his team mates, his chest heaving from the adrenaline. He had found Superman deep into the compound and as his arms grabbed Bruce and Selina the young man pushed his speed as much as he could, his lightening twitching between yellow to blue as his bodied blurred.
Bruce heard the voices of Joker and Luthor arguing as he was set in front of the door Wally had brought them too. Batman motioned for the other two to wait as his armored boot kicked the door fully open, it slamming against the inner wall, it's hinges broken.
A smoke bomb was thrown, and the room was filled within seconds. Batman heard the Joker laugh before he was engaged by not only the same woman from Luthor's parking garage, but Joker himself.
The fight should have been one sided in the villain's favor, yet Bruce was angry truly angry for the first time in years and it gave him the upper hand. A bat-a-rang flashed out toward the Joker cutting deep into the mad clown's shoulder. Bruce's foot crashed into the woman's side, and when she caught it against her with a grunt Bruce spun bringing his other toward her head. It snapped her head to the side and she stumbled back.
Bruce pulled himself back into his fighting stance as the Joker same forward with a knife thrust. A quick upward palm strike and Batman heard Joker's teeth crack.
A flash sped toward Batman and he felt a hand in his belt before it was gone, and another explosion rocked the compound again. Somewhere in the confusion Luthor had slipped away unnoticed, but his eyes were filled with hatred for Joker, and as he snapped kicked the woman out of the room he straddled Jokers chest. His fist hammered Jokers' face and blood sprang forth from the force.
Selina moved toward the still figure of Superman, when she saw him her eyes winded. Superman's body was covered in blood and scars. Two knifes stuck out of his chest, blood flowing out of the wounds and his mouth. Her hand reached out on its own accord and his body felt hot as her hand touched his cheek. Superman's eyes found hers and a smile lit up his bloodied face, and if Selina's heart seemed to skip a beat no one needed to know that. If her heart seemed to stop when his eyes closed, and his head fell backward limp, well no one need to know that either.
It was Selina who broke Batman out of his trance, she told him Superman was dying and for a second time Clark Joseph Kent kept Batman from killing The Joker.
Martha Kent was an old school woman. She loved her God and she loved her Family. Being the wife of a farmer was hard but gratifying work. An honest living as it were. She was a good woman. The very picture of a Southern Grandmother.
So, when her son was brought to her home bloody and accompanied by Bruce Wayne and two other costumed people, she didn't hesitate to open the door and hurry them inside. She told Bruce to store his plane in the barn and he nodded at her, a grim look on his face.
The two other people were unknown to Martha, but she would not turn them away either, she was sure Clark would explain things to her when he regained consciousness. Until then though she directed them to place him on the couch which was warm from the sun shining on it. She was sure her son would be okay, though she had muttered prayers under her breath as soon as he was laid carefully down.
Martha offered the shower to the three people, and the woman took her up as the two men changed clothes in Clarks old room.
While they were changing, Martha moved quickly pulling the pie she had left on the window sill into the house, laying out plates and pouring everyone a glass of fresh lemonade. She would hear no excuses and she made all three sit down and eat.
Martha moved to her son's sleeping form and grasped his hand tightly, prayers spilling from her lips silently, as tears slid down her face. Who would or could do this to her sweet little boy?
It was Bruce's hand that laid upon her shoulder, and she noticed the sun had moved lower in the sky. She quickly wiped her face dry and stood, gratefully accepting Bruce's offered hand.
A bark caught their attention and standing outside the front screen door was a large white canine. Martha quickly let him in and he quickly arrived at Clarks side, his nose nudging her boys hand.
"He'll be okay, Krypto." Her voice wavered yet she continued "He always is." She patted the dogs head softly, and his tongue licked her hand in response, though he didn't leave her boys side as she and Bruce walked into the kitchen.
Martha took the time to observe the two strangers in her kitchen. One was a young man with red hair and kind green eyes, though those eyes were downcast and saddened. He seemed a good young man and she patted his hand as she sat in the chair Bruce pulled out for her. The young man looked very much like a little boy as he smiled at her, thanking her for her hospitality.
The other stranger was an attractive woman with black hair and green eyes. Those eyes drifted around the room but seemed to find her sons form more often than not. Martha patted her hand too, and the woman grabbed it quickly offering quiet sympathies.
As Bruce sat down at the last available chair at the table Martha spoke "What happened to my boy?"
The tension in the air was so thick it could be cut by a knife and no one would look her in the eyes. "I may be an old woman, but I've known about my sons' activities longer than any of you. I'll ask again-" a deep rumble from another room interrupted her.
"Ma, I'm fine" Clark stumbled into the kitchen his eyes flickering between all four of them. The large canine, Krypto was a steady presence beside her son. "Do I smell your apple pie Ma? Cause I got to tell you, I'm starving."
Martha stood and walked to her son, bringing him into a hug, and her sons arm wrapped around her. She held back tears as she led him to the chair she just vacated before moving to get him the pie.
Martha saw some of the tension leave the three guests bodies as Clark sat down and smiled at them, his hand resting on top of Krypto's head.
Clark smiled as the food was set down in front of him and Martha scolded him for his bad manners as he wolfed his food down. He slowed but only just.
Martha looked her boy over; the blood was dried, and his suit seemed to be repairing itself.
It was his eyes that saddened Martha Kent. His eyes were alert but dulled, he was here but at the same time he wasn't.
Clark finished his food quickly, and his free hound found hers, squeezing it lightly.
"I'll be fine Ma, no need to worry." His voice was soft as it always was when he tried to soothe her fears. "I'm Superman remember?"
The dam that held back her tears broke and Martha threw her arms around her son. His arms wrapped around her tightly as she cried. Krypto pushed up against the both of them. They were her only family left since Jonathan passed, and she didn't know what she would do without them.
Martha quickly composed herself, pulling from Clark, smoothing nonexistent wrinkles of his suit.
"I know who you are. You may be Superman, but you're my son first." She said quietly.
Clarks hand held hers as he led her to sit down, he was gentleman as she raised him to be.
"You already know Bruce Ma, these two are Selina Kyle and Wally West" the two in question looked quickly to Clark, her boy just stared back "This is my mother, Martha Kent."
Revealing her name was not something she intended to do. It risked her son's identity. For Clark to use it meant he trusted the two strangers, and that was enough for her.
"My home is open to you as long as you need" Martha's voice had regained its strength and she spoke clearly. "Any friends of Clark are welcome anytime." She focused these words to the strangers more than the solemn Bruce Wayne.
"Thank you, ma'am," it was the young man, Wally, who spoke up first. "It's easy to see where he gets his good looks."
Martha laughed easily, "A charmer are we young man? Maybe If I was a few decades younger," This caused Wally to laugh, hard.
Martha let her gaze move to the woman, who her son had been glancing at. Maybe it was her imagination, but she thought maybe something was between them. Well if she helped save her son, then she couldn't be a bad woman.
Clark made sure that his mother was asleep before he floated down the steps away from her bedroom and out of the front door, stopping on the porch. His eyes landed on his faithful companion, Krypto a Kryptonian canine. While he was technically a dog he was much larger than any breed on earth, resembling Earth's wolves more than any dog. Clark scratched Krypto behind his ears and the animals tail wagged thumbing into Clarks leg.
Clark let his eyes roam over the three people sitting on chairs scattered across the porch, before taking the final chair for himself.
"Thanks for saving me," Clark started before he was interrupted.
"It was no problem Supe- Clark" It was Wally who spoke, his voice quick.
Bruce nodded in agreement, while Selina seemed bored with the conversation. Clark wasn't done though.
"Now I think it goes without saying but," His eyes seemed focused on Selina more than Wally "I would appreciate it if no one learned of who I am, more importantly about my mother." His voice took a harder tone when he said the word mother.
"Please Clark, there's no need to threaten me." Selina replied, her tone even yet dangerous "I know a thing or two about secrets."
Clark smiled, grateful. "Thank you, Selina." Maybe he was a fool, but he believed her and maybe that had to do with him accidently catching parts of her conversation with Bruce, when she revealed she wanted out of her life of crime.
Bruce moved stiffly as if what he was about to do was physically painful, but he held out a thumb drive with the golden 'W' of Wayne enterprises on its face.
"As promised, everything I have on you. I've already wiped the Bat Computer."
Selina took the thumb drive and carefully put it into a pocket of her jeans, nodding a small smile on her face.
"What happened to you Clark?" Bruce spoke again voice grave, "How did they capture you?"
"Same way anyone catches Superman, give him a choice. This time it was a small family, with a newborn. It was their life or mine. I'll admit I got over confident. I didn't even see the Kryptonite until it was too late, everything after that it's just a jumbled mess, until you all came and rescued me. Luthor was talking about an army of clones made from my DNA that would be loyal to him."
Why would he need or even want more of you?" Bruce emphasized "The man despises you."
"If you would let me talk Batsy," Clark pulled out the nickname smiling all the while "He was always raving about an invasion. I don't know what he was talking about, but he somehow got it in his head I not only know about it, but I was the only thing that could stop it. I thought he had finally dropped over the deep end until he brought in The Joker. I know Luthor and he would never work with that madman unless he was truly desperate. I feel like we're missing a piece of the puzzle."
"Joker is too crazy for other criminals to work with, and Luthor probably tops the list for unlikely allies." Bruce agreed.
"I would like to propose something," It was Wally who talked. "What if we pool our resources together and work together to figure out what this "Invasion" is? I mean if there could be any number of explanations, and if the four of us get used to working together we'd be better prepared to fight it off in the end."
"You boys can do what you want," interjected Selina before anyone else could speak. She pulled out the flash drive, "I'm out of this life, and I don't intend to come back."
The mood sobered, and all 3 men frowned for different reasons.
Bruce crept up behind Clark who was throwing a ball for Krypto to catch in the air. The moonlight shined down on them. Clark hid it well enough for his mother and the other two, but Bruce could see the dullness in his eyes.
"What aren't you telling everyone else Clark?" Bruce cut straight to the heart of the matter, the best way to deal with Clark when he wanted to avoid answering things. While Clark was a 'Farm Boy' at heart it did well to hide his intelligence.
"The truth?" Clark sighed out his answer, his hand petting Krypto's head.
"Preferably." Bruce replied simply.
"I thought I was going to die Bruce."
Responses:
Jrrm64: As usual Thank you for the kind words.
AN:
There will be a time skip in between the end of Chapter 10 and the beginning of Chapter 11.
There will be an Interlude between chapters 10 & 11.
Happy 4th of July my fellow Americans!
Well there is the 10th chapter done. Please review, constructive criticisms are also welcomed as are just general comments. As usual, thank y'all for reading.