Chapter Fifty-One: Funeral for a Friend
Superman's body lay destroyed inside the crater, right in the middle of the city he had died trying to protect. His eyes were still as blue as the sky in summer but there was no light in them. The sun had faded out of existence.
Batman had arrived soon after the fight ended, but he was far too late... not that he would have been much help anyway. When he caught sight of his friend's body every muscle unhinged. They tightened, contracted, loosened, then finally lost all strength. Somehow he managed to remain standing but for every second his legs were forced to keep him upright it felt like they were being crushed.
Martian Manhunter and Ice were next to arrive having just recovered from their fight with Doomsday. They had heard that Superman fell during the battle but they didn't truly believe it until they witnessed the sight with their own eyes. I've had started crying almost instantly and J'onn had to lead her away from the scene.
They were all stuck staring at the motionless hero, and at the woman sobbing next to him. Silvia had screamed until her throat was dry and nothing could be produced but loud, choked coughs. She cried until there was nothing left but a raw emptiness that nibbled at her insides like a hungry rat. Her irises were threaded scarlet and her eyes hung heavy in their sockets. Her whole body was limp like each limb weighed twice as much as it had before and just moving it about was a slow, painful effort.
Still, despite how weak her body felt, she pressed her hands against Clark's chest and applied pressure in frantic intervals. She didn't have nearly enough strength to give him CPR, his chest was as solid as steel beneath her fingers, but such logical thoughts were lost to her. She tried to resuscitate him for twenty minutes straight but his body grew colder with every moment that passed.
A few medics from S.T.A.R labs finally arrived as the rescue teams did. They were scavenging the rubble for survivors and the doctors took Silvia's place trying to restart Superman's heart. Dr. Hamilton had rushed over with his own altered version of the defibrillator, one based on the little knowledge he had about Kryptonian physiology.
The Doctor rubbed the machines paddles together, preparing the electrical current before yelling 'clear!'. All the medical staff around him immediately halted any contact with Superman before he brought the paddles down onto his chest. The body barely moved an inch... maybe it didn't move at all.
"Turn it higher." Dr Hamilton yelled and one of the nurses did so. He repeated his actions but still nothing. It was doubtful that the electrical current was even reaching Superman's heart through the thick skin. "Higher!"
"But doctor..." one of the medics started but quickly shut her mouth when Hamilton gave her a serious glare. She turned it all the way up until the machine started making a buzzing sound, like the electricity was starting to leak out.
"Clear!" He shouted once more and brought the pads back down. There was a slight but barely noticeable jolt to Superman's body from the sheer amount of energy... then a loud banging. The defibrillator had blown apart. Hamilton cursed under his breath and turned towards the busted machine. "Still no heartbeat?"
A nurse pressed two fingers against Superman's pulse line and placed her head on his chest. "Nothing..."
Hamilton immediately hung his head and took a shaky inhale. "Call it..."
The medic behind him sadly shifted his gaze to the watch on his wrist. "Time of death, 4:30 pm."
The words ran through Silvia's mind tauntingly. She scurried back to his body, tearing him from the nurses grasp and holding his head to her chest. "Y-You can't g-give up... not yet!"
"I'm sorry." Hamilton said sincerely, trying to avoid looking at the bloodied body. "Even if we could somehow hit him with lightening, I still don't think it would be enough."
"B-But you haven't tried!" Silvia sobbed, voice croaky and almost inaudible no matter how much she tried to project. "Th-There has to be something... Anything!... P-Please, we owe him more than this!"
The doctor shook his head as the medics around him begun to pack. "There's nothing more we can do. We still have little knowledge of the Kryptonian body... That defibrillator was our first and last option."
Silvia's entire being ached, the source of the pain throbbing from her chest. It felt like every string of her heart had been cut one by one, every tube that kept blood flowing through her veins. The organ no longer had any use, it was just dead weight in her chest.
"Th-Then make new options!" Silvia cried desperately, clinging to any hope that Clark could be saved. "We... W-We could... H-He absorbs energy, I-If we just keep him in the sun for a little while..."
Never had Silvia seen so much pity in someone's eyes when she blurted out that option, nor so much sympathy. The doctor knew well that this wouldn't work, that the very idea was something a child would say, but she was grieving so he simply shook his head again.
Silvia racked her brain for more options. There had to be something. She tightened her grip on his body, fingers draped in his blood. "Th-There's a red sun in the Fortress! It... It dulls his powers! If we bring it here you could try to r-revive him as a regular person!"
The doctor sighed. "That's not how it works. His heart isn't human. He isn't human. Powers or no powers."
Hamilton had only just finished speaking when a noise like rocks crushing beneath heavy metal pierced their ears.
"Kal...?" Supergirl's voice cracked. She tried to step forward but her legs gave way beneath her and she collapsed.
Powergirl showed up seconds later, but the minute she saw Superman's body she shot back into the sky again. A scream followed her disappearance, one that shook the very ground they were on.
The time passed in a blur. None of them knew how long they had been there, it didn't seem to matter. Eventually a team came by to move Doomsdays body, Silvia didn't know how. She didn't care how. All she could do was stare at Clark, begging for him to come back.
"Excuse me, miss..." A voice suddenly said from beside her. "We have to take his body in now."
Silvia's gaze snapped into their direction, tears still spilling down her face and eyes unable to fully open. "Where...?" She hissed.
"To S.T.A.R Labs... there's a coroner waiting there. He needs to examine the body before rigor mortis sets in."
Silvia's world collapsed - the light Clark had ignited inside of her became nothing but darkness, the pain coming and going like waves washing away the sand. She was being forced to accept the reality of his passing, but her mind rejected that truth.
"He's not dead... You're not taking him!" Silvia growled.
Someone grabbed her arms and yanked her backwards, away from Superman's body and presenting the medics with an opportunity to take him. Silvia struggled in his grip, and he wasn't strong enough to hold her for long. She whacked her elbow backwards and heard the distinct grunt of Batman.
Silvia scurried for Superman's body again but this time someone much stronger took hold of her. Every time she twisted against their hands it felt like her arms were going to snap in half.
"Silvia... let them take him." Wonder Woman said sadly.
She wasn't sure when the Amazon had showed up, but it was of little relevance in Silvia's mind. "Let go of me, Diana." She spat as if each word was laced with poison. When Wonder Woman refused to loosen her grip she looked at them all in disgust. "How can you declare his death so easily?! After everything he's done for us!"
She screamed at them for what felt like hours but it didn't change anything. No matter what she said they still took his body away and left her there, in the crater drenched in Clark's blood.
--
The sun shone brilliantly and the virescent colour of the spring day under it's glare was offensively bright and cheerful. It was as if nature had conspired to show Silvia how the world would go on without Clark. It shouldn't. Everything should have been as grey and foggy as it was through her eyes, it should have been cold and damp with silent air. But the birds still sang and the flowers still bloomed.
Silvia walked behind the coffin like a silhouette of herself, wishing she really was as insubstantial as the shadows so that her insides didn't feel so mangled. Other heroes that were close to Superman were there too; including Supergirl and Powergirl. Others, however, were having their own ceremonies and memorials for him in different cities. Aquaman and Wonder Woman were rulers of whole countries; their responsibilities lay with their respective peoples.
It was an international day of mourning, but Silvia couldn't help but feel outrage at the idea. The same people that had ridiculed and hated him for years were now standing in the crowd, ashen faced and shrouded in black.
Worse than this was the fact that the government had insisted on keeping Superman's body and burying it in Metropolis. Regardless of how hard Silvia fought to get him sent back to his family, to be buried next to his father, they refused all of her requests. Apparently Lex Luthor had insisted he stay in Metropolis and he had much more influence than Silvia... Not to mention more money.
There was a sermon, a long one, talking about Superman's achievements and how the world will be at a loss without him. The words felt hollow though. They didn't know Clark as a man, only as a symbol that everyone wanted a piece of.
A few soldiers folded the American flag over his coffin, and finally, they carried him into the giant mausoleum. A statue of Superman stood on top of it, the 'S' on his chest as big as a small building. It was so artificial that Silvia felt like it insulted his memory. Clark was a simple man. He wouldn't want to be buried under a giant image of himself. A part of Silvia went down into that monstrous structure with Clark and died with him.
"What's he doing here?" Supergirl snarled, turning Silvia's attention away from the closing mausoleum doors.
Standing there, next to Hawkgirl, was Lex Luthor. Silvia had never felt so much rage boil through her at once. She turned on her heel, and without warning, marched in the multimillionaire's direction.
"What's the matter with you...?" Silvia sneered, teeth baring like a feral animal.
"Ah...always a pleasure." Lex said with his usual suave. He smiled at her and directed towards the crowds pouring into Downtown Metropolis. "If you'd care to look around, I think you'd find that this is a public ceremony. Legally speaking, I have as much right to be here as you do."
Silvia grabbed the man by his collar, tight enough to delay air flow. Luthor instantly raised a hand, motioning for his guards to stand back.
"I don't give a fuck." Silvia spat.
"Given your...past endeavours...that doesn't surprise me." He spoke as if he was completely unfazed by her grip, and he stared right through her with more confidence than anyone she'd ever met.
"Then you'd know what I'll do to you if you don't leave." Silvia's whole face scrunched up. She was dying to hit something, to take her anger out on someone.
"With all due respect, you need to calm yourself." Lex dropped his charming smirk. "This is a day for mourning open to everyone." He stated coldly.
Silvia tightened her hold on his collar. "You've tried to kill him, and you're the reason his family has to bury an empty casket." She snarled.
"Until you provide me with names, expecting me to do something about that is ridiculous. I'm sure you can understand why I can't hand over the body of the most powerful being in the universe based on conjecture." Lex told her.
Silvia didn't back dow but the decision to reveal Martha's relation to Superman was dangerous. She didn't want to make that choice for her. It could mean that she would never have peace and quiet.
Power Girl puffed up her chest and stepped forward, towering over all of Luthor's followers. "He isn't worth the effort, Reaper. He's trash."
Silvia didn't show any signs of wanting to let go, but she did. Luthor peered down his nose at her, fixing his impeccable tie. "He'd be disgusted by your barbarism, you know."
"Aw, hell." Power Girl grunted.
Silvia had thrown herself at Luthor, and sent the pair of them to the ground. Her knuckles slammed themselves into his face over and over, as Luthor's guards scrambled furiously to peel the vicious attacker off of the man.
Needless to say, they weren't enough to pull Silvia off. Instead, Power Girl grimaced as she watched the beating for several seconds. She then brushed passed the helpless guards, and lifted Silvia into the air with one hand. "I've waited too long to see you get your ass handed to you like that." Powergirl spat.
Lex waved, and his guards stepped backwards. He pulled himself upwards, face covered in blood and dark purple bruises. "Look at you...starting fights at his funeral. And you think I have no right to speak about what he'd approve of?"
Power Girl pulled Silvia away, as she continued trying to fight the kryptonian's unbeatable strength with aggressive roars. "He's trying to press your buttons, it's what he does. He wanted you to do that." Powergirl whispered.
She escorted Reaper back to Supergirl and gently placed her on the ground. If she wasn't so overcome with rage, Silvia may have been distracted by seeing Power Girl and Supergirl in the same place. After all, they were both Kara Zor-El; Power Girl was just an older version from an alternate reality. She stood two heads taller than Supergirl, had about triple the muscle and ten times more confidence.
"He's lucky I didn't rip his balls off and stuff them down his throat..." Silvia muttered furiously, watching Luthor stride away with his guards. He looked rather smug for someone with a possible concussion.
"I'd pay to see someone do that." Powergirl stated with just as much anger shivering in her voice. "As long as that someone wasn't you."
"Why not?" Silvia bit bitterly. "I've gotten good at it over the years."
"We've got to respect Kal's memory." Supergirl spoke up, tears still streaming freely down her cheeks. "And he wouldn't want you to do that."
Silvia redirected her gaze to the floor with a sigh. "I think he'd be expecting me to start at least one fight... He wasn't exactly dating me for my selflessness, or my patience, for that matter."
The Kryptonian's exchanged sorrowful looks but Powergirl, as usual, was the first to speak up. "You're right, I'm sorry, we all deal with grief differently. I'm not saying that I approve, but as long as you don't kill anyone..."
"Don't worry, I'm not that desperate to be rid of Clark's influence on me." Silvia tried to say with a light tone but it only ended up sounding even more pained than before.
"Well, maybe coming to Gotham with us tonight will help." Supergirl suggested with a weak smile.
"And why exactly would going there make me feel any better?"
Powergirl took over, noticing that Supergirl's voice was all but gone from the constant sobbing. It was almost as bad as Silvia's. "We're having a farewell for Kal... a more private one."
"Will Bruce be there?"
"Yes... it was his idea."
Silvia scoffed. "Then absolutely not. I don't want to spend my night listening to him complain about my presence."
"Well, he's the one that told us to invite you..."
Silvia's expression turned to slight surprise for a split second, but it quickly fell back into grief. "Why the hell would he want me there?"
"You two might not get along but he knows how important you were to Kal. It wouldn't really feel like a farewell without you there."
Silvia's eyes lingered over to the statue of Superman and she instantly regretted it. She bit her lip hard enough to draw blood in an attempt to not collapse in a sobbing mess. "I don't know... I'm going to Smallville tonight anyway."
"Come on, you can catch the train from Gotham station afterwards." Powergirl insisted. "You don't want your last goodbye to be of you beating the life out of Luthor, do you?"
Silvia's gaze fell on the statue once more. It's eyes were dim and made of stone. It had none of the likeness of Clark... not even close. She felt like she had run out of tears but she somehow managed to find more. Her shoulders slumped under the hand of death. "Alright... I guess I can spare an hour or two."
She didn't want to go. The reality of Clark's death was already hitting her too hard. It would've felt wrong to be the only one to not attend though, so she agreed anyway. She spent much of the remaining time staring at that statue, pointing out every single detail wrong with it. Silvia had memorised Clark's face, his body, his expressions... and that memorial didn't do him justice.