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I fled…

Well what did you expect me to do?

It felt like a dam had burst inside me. I had lived so long fearing people, in painfully awareness of how different I was, how much I could hurt the 'average human' if I wanted to, and how much I could help them. It had felt like all of mankind was against me then, but it wasn't, it was just afraid. He had been given a chance to do right; to go from outcast, to freak, to helper, to hero, to savior, to god.

And then I had blown it.

And there sure as all hell weren't going to be second chances for me.

Not after what I had done.

And now when all of humanity actually was against me; when I had no hope left, all my arrogance melted. Melted like a Popsicle left on the pavement in summer. One second it was there, the next it just…wasn't.

"And he finally realized the great folly he had done." -JRR Tolkien

It came to me just what I had done. As if I had been under the control of a spirit of great malevolence and was finally free. For a second I just stood there absorbing it all, and then I fell to my knees and wept my heart out, and I fled to my temple of solitude.

They arrived at Washington, they found it empty so the divided up into parties to search for me. The biggest one, led by Batman himself, came to the right place.

They camped outside for five days, they made no move and neither did I. it was clear that they had all the time in the world and I had none.

So I pondered, and finally I came to a decision. The sixth day in the freezing cold I walked out, naked except for a thin cloth wrapped around my waist at the navel that went a bit lower than my knees. I felt no chill though, as I walked slowly towards the camps, when I was close enough for them to see me I sat down and started doodling in the snow.

It wasn't long before one of them came to me; before I could even lift my head he started yammering. "We have nuclear weapons we do, we could have you done for in less than a minute if that what we wanted, and we have kryptonite gas, if you get anywhere close to us we'll-"

"I know" I said, "I come in peace"

The youth started cursing and muttering expletives about me and calling me names and reminding me once again of how perfect their defenses were, even adding once or twice how incredibly brave he was in coming all the way out here to talk with me. I listened patiently to his babble until finally he said "I was sent to ask you why you had deemed to show yourself."

"Tell them I wish to talk to their leader" *scoff* "and I comply with any protective measures they wish to take, but I will not go until I have had a word, or I am killed."

The kid looked at me in incredulity for a second, and then ran straight back. A few minutes later he came running back with a glass filled with green liquid in his hand. Even from afar, I knew it was; the stone that dulled by blade.

"He says you are to drink the whole glass in front of me, before he comes to talk to you."

I looked at it for a few seconds, before thinking it was better than dying anyway. I lifted the glass with numb fingers, numbness which had nothing to do with the cold, and downed it in one. I fell back against the snow and waited while I struggled to remain conscious, my stomach hurt like you wouldn't believe.

I was in so much pain that I couldn't even hear his footsteps as he came. It was only when someone decided to throw a snow covered rock at my face did I get up and look.

There he was the figment of my nightmares, as per custom, all in black. We regarded each other for a second before he lunged forward and punched me in the face. Blood gushed forth from my broken lip as I regarded him balefully.

He licked the bit that stained his glove, "Blood" he said in his gruff voice, "You really did drink it" he said with an undertone of wry amusement.

"Surprised?" I choked out.

He looked at me calmly, as if nothing was going on in that scheming head of his.

"Look Bruce, I know you won't believe me but I have seen the light. When I saw you all turn against me it lifted whatever spell was on me. I had a revelation, a moment of truth. I've changed now, all my arrogance, my hate my cruelty, it's gone I swear. I'm back, Bruce I'm back! This is me again! You have to believe me please, I am not the dictator, I am superman, I have been resurrected, give me another chance Bruce please, look in my eyes, and tell me", I caught his gaze "Don't you believe me?"

He stepped closer…and closer, so close I could smell his warm, sweet breath on my cheek. He had been drinking, and for some reason I was oddly disappointed.

"I believe you" he said, he had a knife in his hand, a simple unadorned blade, as if to prove that even the mightiest are no better than us. "So I'll make this quick."

And in that one moment of clarity, I realized. I wasn't the only one who had fallen.

And as he lifted the blade, I smiled and said to him "Don't worry Bruce; there might be hope for you too."

He smiled too.

The blade fell.

THE END

Thank you all so much for reading and making it this far, I love you guys so much.

If you have any comments or suggestions I would love to hear them.

Goodnight.