Bruce screamed when he awoke and hit his head against the top of the bright chamber. He rubbed his head and looked around, smelling something weird. Nothing. The room actually smelled like nothing. He struggled to see and looked down, seeing the fading purple bruise near his ribs. As he got up, he winced slightly and noticed he was only wearing the pants of his emergency Batsuit. His utility belt was on the floor beside the platform and he picked it up, watching the door in front of him slide open and the light above go dark.
"What the..." he said, too tired and confused to curse.
He looked outside the hallway and walked out of the room, seeing that his boots were gone and his gloves as well. He walked down the hallway in a daze and held onto the cold wall. He tried to remember how he got there and could only recall cold winds and the sounds of a deep-voiced man. The way the hallway was designed, it made him feel like he was being abducted by aliens. Actually, he was technically.
Bruce saw Superman in front of him. He was sitting in a chair that looked like a pilot's seat and didn't even try to walk quietly.
I've been an ass. I'll admit it. The man...alien did save my life. He did it for the same reason I have my code. I have to respect that. He isn't the threat I should be concerned about.
"I see you're up." Clark said, noticing by his walking that he wasn't trying to be a threat.
"How long was I out?" Bruce asked.
"Six hours."
Bruce sighed and put his head down, knowing what he had to do.
"Thank you."
Clark turned around and gave a nod in Bruce's direction.
Bruce awkwardly stood behind the chair and looked around.
"You're in the Arctic, just in case you were wondering." Clark said.
"Hm." Bruce said with a nod.
He watched as Clark put his phone on the desk beside him and Bruce raised an eyebrow.
"Where the hell do you keep that phone?" he asked.
"My greatest power." Clark said sarcastically.
They both shared a brief laugh and Bruce wiped his mouth, trying to search for the right words.
"Listen Kent," Bruce began, getting his attention.
"I really am sorry for trying to..." Bruce said, his voice trailing off.
"For trying to kill me?" Clark responded quickly.
"Yes."
"Well, I"m glad you actually have emotions. That's good to know." Clark said, getting up and walking past Bruce.
"And listen," Bruce said, following Clark as they walked down the long and cold hallway.
"I underestimated you and I shouldn't have been so forward."
"Forward? How about flat-out psychopathic, relentless murder?" Clark interjected before he continued.
"Listen, okay? I guess its because I'm not used to having people around me that understand what I go through. I suppose since you've always had your abilities that you've grown capable of..."
"Being normal? Acting like everyone else?" Clark responded, not stopping as he turned another corner in the large beacon ship.
"Yes. I've only been doing this for a little over a year."
"So, you have an excuse? I see." Clark quipped.
"Hey," Bruce said, grabbing his shoulder.
Clark stopped moving and resisted his temptation to rip his arm off.
"I'm trying my best to understand you. Let's help each other."
"I have bigger problems to worry about. You'll be taken home soon enough after I prepare." Clark said.
"Prepare for what?"
"Your corporate best friend, Lex Luthor. Remember him?"
"What'd he do to you? Use that green rock too?" Bruce asked.
"No. He tried to hurt a friend of mine and I know he'll be searching for me after I saved them. Would you please leave me be so I can try to figure out a plan?" Clark said, his voice growing louder.
"Hey, do whatever you want, Kent. But remember...it takes a bit of effort to get rid of me." Bruce said, following Clark as he entered a room where the hologram of Jor-El waited.
"I could toss you to the moon if I wanted. Do you realize that, Wayne?" Clark said, facing him eye-to-eye.
"Does it look like I'm even remotely afraid?" Bruce spat in a sharp and quick reply.
As they bucked up in front of each other, Jor-El's voice echoed throughout the large room and they both stopped moving, staring at the wise hologram.
"You should be. Both of you." he said calmly.
"Who are you?" Bruce asked walking near him.
"I am Jor-El. Son of Kal-El and former resident of Krypton."
"His birth father?" Bruce asked, pointing to Clark who stood still and felt disturbed, not feeling the man's physical presence.
"Yes. And you are Bruce Wayne. CEO of Wayne Enterprises; previously owned by Thomas Wayne." Jor-El said in an emotionless quip.
"Are you a computerized...hologram?" he asked, circling Jor-El and confused by his state.
"I am the memories of the real Jor-El. My DNA was encoded with the key that let my son enter the beacon ship. This may be hard for a Earth dweller to understand but I am Jor-El." he explained.
Bruce's mind was exploding with ideas and theories. The aliens of Kent and Zod's origins were far more advanced than he could ever imagine. This was literally the greatest discovery in all of mankind. He was going to ask Jor-El questions about life on Krypton and how Kent had his powers but he suppressed that and only asked one: what was that rock all about?
"Can you give me a good explanation for the green rock that nearly kills your son when he is near it?"
"It is Kryptonite. The rock is made from the material that made up the planet of Kal-El's birth. The planet was destroyed due to our tampering with the biology of the planet. The pieces shot throughout the universe and the nearby solar system was also made from Kryptonite, and it spread everywhere. SOme pieces eventually hit Earth and some fragment were contained in the shuttle that brought my son here. The rock was harmless on Krypton due to our red sun; but here, the yellow sun gives him powers like no one else, and the element is harmful, releasing a certain kind of radiation that will kill him in long exposure." Jor-El explained.
"Are you sure he needs to know all this, Jor-El?" Clark asked, uncrossing his arms and walking towards the two men.
"You two need to learn the concept of trust. If you do not work together... this world will be in jeopardy." Jor-El said.
"What do you mean?" Bruce asked, standing beside Clark.
"You both have a common enemy. Lex Luthor. He is the biggest threat to the planet."
"What does he have to do with you?" Clark asked Bruce.
"Shall you tell him or shall I?" Jor-El asked Bruce.
Bruce knew exactly what he meant.
"Yesterday, Luthor met with me so I could tell him I would'nt merge with his company. He attempted to kill me and injected my with a poison. From the Styno plant in the Amazon Rainforest. It creates a cancer in your body. No cure. I made a suppressant that will slow the poison down for about three months. I need to find the antidote... if Luthor has one, that is. That room couldn't take away the Styno poison?" Bruce asked.
"No. It only takes away physical injuries. Anything involving... neurological or diseased effects must be taken care of elsewhere." Jr-El said, searching through his English vocabulary.
Bruce nodded, rubbing his chin and looking at Clark.
"How soon can you get me to Gotham?"
"Within the hour. It'll take maybe fifteen minutes to get there." Clark said, nodding to Jor-El as he walked out of the room with Bruce behind him.
"Remember to work as a team." Jor-El said calmly, appearing behind the door as Clark opened it and startling Bruce, making him see that Jor-El had disappeared from his previous location.
"He does that a lot." Clark sighed as Jor-El abruptly disappeared again.