Week 16

Day 108 (01/22)

Kent breathed a sigh of relief. A false alarm. His EOD wasn't going to go off again.

"Nothing to report, I'm bringing Joe back. "

He rubbed his eyes as he looked at the screen. It was pretty cool today. He was so used to being warm during the day that he was surprised to feel the cold during the day. Maybe it was because he was tired. Damn nightmares.

"You look really bad," Prince said at the time.

Kent made a face. It was the third person to make that remark to him during the day. Wayne had been the first, going straight to the point in his cold tone. Ross at breakfast had made the remark in a more subtle way, and here it is now.

"Are you two ganging up on me today? "

Jordan burst out laughing as Kent picked up Joe. Queen had a smirk on her face when he replied:

"You look like hell for that one. "

Kent shot the blond guy with his eyes and the other three burst out laughing. Wayne called them to order.

"We're going home. "

The Major walked towards the team that had warned them. They were already about to leave.

"You've finished? " asked the Lieutenant-Colonel who had called them.

Wayne nodded.

"Yes, we've finished. "

Lieutenant-Colonel Stellan pursed his lips before saying:

"Then I am commandeering you under my orders. We're going to the American Embassy. There is a suspicion of a bomb attack. They need reinforcements. "

Wayne nodded.

"At your orders. "

Kent pouting as he climbed into the vehicle. Another long day awaited them and the situation looked tense.

He kept his eyes fixed on Wayne's helmet, sitting in front of him in the Humvee. They had slept together a few days before and since then, they had never talked about it again and they hadn't really had the opportunity with all their interventions. Maybe it was better that way. The tension between them was gone, the team was working better, and they were able to act normally.

He was out of his mind when the radio came on and they were receiving directions from the vehicle in front of them. Clearly, the situation was more serious than Kent had imagined.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

The Embassy of the United States of America. This sad-looking building was really very big. Wayne's team followed Lieutenant Colonel Stellan. They went to the crisis post that had been set up 200 meters from the entrance of the Embassy, which was being evacuated and where a barbed wire and sandbag roadblock was being set up. On the spot, it was General Martinez, a marine, who commanded the crisis cell.

"General, an additional deminer was brought in. "

Martinez turned to them and frowned his thick eyebrows.

"Which one is he? "

The whole team had come. Kent stepped forward and saluted.

"Me. Sergeant First Class Clark Kent, sir. "

The General blinked his eyes for a moment before signaling him to move towards the building plans.

"Your reputation precedes you, Kent. I hear you've got nerves of steel that's kept some Marines in line. Never mind. We've already sent two bomb squad members to inspect the building. We've got Arden in the lower east wing and Johnson in the lower west wing. I'm sending you upstairs. "

Kent looked at the plans and hesitated before responding.

"There is a basement. I'd like to inspect it before going upstairs. "

The General nodded.

"Go ahead. Let us know how you're doing. Channel 2. "

Kent nodded and saluted.

"At your command, General. "

Jordan helped Kent put on his bomb squad outfit while Wayne inquired about the building. The deminer was stressed. The embassy wasn't a small target and he knew that upriver there were Marines trying to find out why and who was targeting them. It was a direct attack on American soil. This incident was really very serious, if there was a bomb inside.

"Constant contact, okay?"

Kent nodded to Wayne.

"As usual, Major. "

The officer nodded his head and Kent headed towards the established roadblock. He was let through and walked towards the building alone. He made a grimace, thinking that with the evacuation measures, he would probably have to take the stairs to go down with his heavy protective gear. What a chance it would be when he came back up.

He went up the few steps and entered the main hall. Kent must have recognized it, the inside was much more welcoming than the outside. It was his first time in the building. He took the time to look at the signs and immediately found the stairs that would take him to the basement.

"I'm going down," he said on his canal with Wayne.

He knew that the General had notified the other deminers of his arrival. Kent would talk to them when he had finished inspecting the basement. He wondered if the deminer named Arden was Stephen Arden, the guy he had worked with before. He'll find out when they get out of there.

Kent cautiously pushed the doors of the parking lot airlock. The electricity had been cut in the building and so the electronic locks were all open. He would have no problem getting back in. He knew that normally vehicles were searched at every entrance to the embassy. They had the K-9 unit to detect explosives and soldiers searching the underside of the vehicles.

Of all the vehicles visible, Kent felt he had to prioritize his actions to be most effective. If there was a bomb, it had to be in a vehicle that would not be suspected at first glance and would be unlikely to be searched. At least, that's how it would do it.

It wasn't exactly protocol, but Kent preferred to follow his instincts. He walked over to where about ten utility vehicles were parked: maintenance vans, mail vans, delivery vans for supplies or food, laundry, etc., and then he walked over to a place where a dozen or so utility vehicles were parked. He would never have believed that he could find all this in an Embassy parking lot.

He began his search. He emptied all the containers of the vehicles, searched all the trunks, opened all the parcels he had on hand that could look suspicious with their weight and size. Kent was allowed to go beyond the diplomatic protection of objects in such situations and he could search absolutely anything he wanted. Because here we were in the United States of America and a terrorist threat was paramount.

He could come across some really curious things in these packages, and Kent preferred not to be distracted by his findings. He spent a long time in his dig, until he opened a small refrigerated delivery truck. He cleared out the delivery packages and realized that there was a false bottom. He had found something.

Kent emptied all the contents outside and searched the bottom. When he found a way to knock the wall down, he came across what he was looking for.

"I've got something. In a refrigerated truck in the basement. "

He examined the device he had in front of him. The device was very carefully organized, attached to the truck for stability and seemed to be connected to a circuit in the front of the vehicle.

"Co-py. "

As for the explosives, it looked like a chemical mixture. It was difficult for him to assess the force of the explosion without knowing the components of the liquids in front of him and their concentration. He also didn't know if any mixing had taken place or not yet. He then noticed that the various wiring and hoses were all black.

"IED with delayed triggering, by chemical reaction. I don't know how much time we have, or what it can do. I need a helping hand."

Kent recorded everything he had in front of him from memory. To make a report, that would be extremely important.

"Copy…ent….one."

He sighed. Damn parking lot.

"I can't hear you, repeat. "

"... someone. "

There were some parasites. The crisis station would quickly find a way to amplify the signal now that they knew the trigger was not remotely controlled.

"I….ing... Kent... floor. "

He recognized Stephen's voice, who was answering him. This was good news. Stephen was on his way. He looked at the different tubes and noticed that what was going to the front of the truck was a slightly wider pipe. He looked for the ends of the pipe. One was connected to a yellowish, transparent liquid and the other was going towards the car. Gasoline?

He got out of the truck to go to the front when he saw Stephen arrive. Kent showed a smile, even though behind his helmet, we could not see his face much. They didn't look like much with this outfit.

"It's a piece of shit, isn't it?" Stephen said, greeting him with his hand.

"Yeah. And we've got a front row seat."

Stephen answered by raising his thumb. He went to the back of the vehicle and climbed up to take a look at it. Kent entered the front with a little difficulty.

"It's connected to gas cans under the front seats." Kent said after opening the small skylight.

Stephen looked up at him.

"Cut them out of the cans. We don't know what triggers the chemical reaction, so we're going to have to separate everything."

Kent agreed with him.

I'll do that and join you.

They went their separate ways. Kent enjoyed working with him. They had adopted a dynamic of working together that he really liked and that seemed very natural. They were a great fit.

It only took Kent a few minutes to properly separate the cans from the pipes and prevent the liquid from escaping. Then he went back to the back of the truck. Stephen had already managed to separate the connection of one tube from the others and was trying to get it out of the device. Kent stayed back so as not to hinder him and as soon as he succeeded, he wedged the tube behind them and they went back to the other components.

"Do you recognize the products?" Kent asked.

He didn't see Stephen wince, but he could tell by the distortion of his voice when he answered :

"Not at all. We'd have to open them up to smell them, but we'd be taking a risk. Some containers are opaque, we don't know what's inside. "

"The inside lining has to be stronger than glass. Maybe it's more corrosive. "

Stephen raised his thumb to nod.

"It's possible. Let's be careful. We're going to have to take them all in. "

And that would obviously mean unhooking them all. He then heard his radio crackling along with his colleague's radio. Wayne's voice reached them very clearly:

"Kent, do you copy? "

"Five out of five, Major. Arden is with me. "

"Copy that. Johnson, what's your status on the inspection? "

"I'm moving to the second floor in a few minutes, sir. "

"Copy. "

Kent released a second tube. Stephen was already having more difficulty with his own. Things were about to get more complicated. Several tubes seemed to be of the same component and it was impossible for them to know which one was really the most dangerous.

"Damn it's stuck behind!" Stephen swore as he tried to reach a pipe.

Kent watched him for a moment.

"Wait, I'll shift this for you, go ahead. "

Stephen managed to reach the pipe and untangle it. The pipe was released a minute later. When the blond man pulled it out, he made a sudden backward movement that surprised Kent.

"What the hell is that!? "

Kent leaned over to see what had scared him. His blood only went around and his heart rate quickened.

"Welcome to my world. "

"Is that the Dentist?! Do you think it's him?! "

Stephen straightened up, standing away from a tube full of teeth. Kent easily dislodged the tube and checked that there were no others, then put it down. The tube was small, but there it was.

"I don't know. Let's wait to defuse all this before we jump to conclusions."

His colleague shook his head negatively.

"Hasty conclusions?! These guys are sick, THIS guy is sick! He scared the shit out of me! "

Kent turned to Stephen to see fear mark his features. Stephen couldn't help him like that.

"We need the special containers for the tubes. Can you get those? "

Stephen shook his head.

"You've got some fucking balls. « Man of Steel », huh. "

He got out of the truck, radioed his exit and asked to have his equipment ready. Kent blew for a second. He was really afraid it was the same guy. If it was, it would indicate so many things. And if it wasn't the same guy, it would indicate even more. He didn't have to think about it right away. He had to focus.

Kent looked at the tubes in front of him. There were quite a few left. He had a preference to go after those whose tube container was not visible first. So he followed his instincts, which so far had not been wrong. He was struggling between the different hoses but he got through it. Rather quickly, he had to recognize it. He was rather satisfied that the adrenaline generated by his fear was making him perform better.

When Stephen returned, Kent had had time to remove two tubes and was about to release a third. Stephen stored the tubes in a large case prepared for that purpose.

"I left with the teeth. I gave it to them. "

Kent raised his thumb to show him that he agreed.

"You did the right thing. There you go. "

He handed him the tube he had unhooked. Stephen put it away and closed the first case. He opened the second one and went to Kent.

"Well, we should be okay, right? "

Kent was pretty confident. They could easily handle this IED. As long as the chemical reaction didn't happen, they were safe. And by dividing everything up...they were increasing their chances as they went along.

"I think. We're doing pretty well. "

He heard Stephen release a small sigh of relief with a smile. They placed two more tubes in the briefcase. They only had three left.

"It's a pretty ingenious connection," Stephen remarked as they got a better view of the device.

Kent nodded his head on reflex.

"Very clean, very ingenious. No colors. "

This last detail really reminded him of the other bomber's technique. He was careful not to tell Stephen.

"He's clearly a pro, this one. "

Stephen took his tube out and placed it. Kent gave him his and continued while the other made room for the last tube. Then he opened the chat channel while Kent manipulated the last component.

"This is Arden, we're okay with Kent! We're going back up with the components. "

"Copy. We'll have to do the rest of the building excavation. "

Kent handed him the last tube. Stephen put it away and they each took a case that now weighed a lot, in addition to the weight of their reinforced cover. Stephen walked past. Kent followed him.

"We were really lucky," Stephen said with a chuckle. "Attacking the embassy. Do you realize what a huge thing this is? It's an open war, right now! "

Kent laughs back. Their laughter was nervous, but it relaxed them a bit.

"I don't even dare to imagine the faces our leaders make. They must be boiling right now. "

Stephen turned to him:

"I'm telling you, they're going to rain missiles! "

Kent nodded his head when suddenly the ground began to shake, knocking them both down. Kent had just enough time to see the roof of the parking lot fall on them.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Clark felt dizzy even before he opened his eyes. He felt bad. His situation was not good. He knew it. But his head was spinning so much... He could feel the blood pulsating at his temple. He was on the floor. What was he doing on the floor?

He tried to move and realized that his arms and legs were blocked. There was a weight preventing him from moving. Clark felt his panic rising and wanted to see what was happening. He opened his eyes as his heart beat as if he was running a marathon. Black. It was completely dark. A nightmare.

"Hey! HEY! HELP ME ! "

He shouted. He shouted, until his chest hurt too much and he ran out of breath.

"Clark ! "

He froze as tears ran down his temples. He was terrified. He couldn't wake up.

"What's going on?! Get me out of here," he cried again in spite of the pain.

A voice, very close to him but muffled, replied:

"Clark, there has been another explosion. We are buried! "

What? An explosion? Clark tried to shake himself free when a sharp pain in his head froze him in a single blow as he gradually regained his senses. The basement. The embassy. The bomb. Kent saw Stephen's face again before everything fell on them.

"Steve? "

The voice that answered him was really close but choked by the rubble.

"It's me. I thought you were dead. "

Clark fluttered his eyes. He had to adapt to the dark. But he couldn't really see beyond his visor, which had been broken by an object, soiled by dust and had become almost opaque. It was impossible to see. Maybe he could move his head...

He stiffened when he saw what was going through his helmet. A metal reinforcement bar landed right next to his head. He moved a little. No. The bar was touching his head. Damn it. His heart resumed its accelerated palpitations as tears rose in his eyes and he panicked again.

"I think... I've got a bar in my head... "

He couldn't take his eyes off the bar that was so close to him... Clark moved. Both his hands, his fingers, his feet. He breathed a sigh of relief.

"What?" Stephen asked.

Clark took a few more breaths to calm himself as he began to clearly feel the bar.

"I have a bar that went through my helmet. I don't know where it lands. I can't move, I think... I think I have rocks blocking me. "

Stephen must have been close, because he could hear it despite the weight of the stone he felt on him.

"You must have taken a blow to the head and been unconscious. Maybe that's why you're only talking now."

Clark frowned. He would have liked to turn his head towards his colleague's voice but he was stuck.

"What do you mean, "just now"?"

Stephen replied in a sad tone.

"I think I've been shouting for help for hours... "

His voice died in deep silence. Hours?! What about help?! What were they doing?

"Did you try the radio? "

The other bomb-disposal officer answered in a discouraged tone:

"All I've got is crackles. I can move my arms, but my legs are stuck under a fucking wall. "

Clark made a grimace.

"Are you losing blood? "

There was a long response time. It worried the Man of Steel.

"I think they're crushed. "

Clark held his breath. He sensed that Steve wasn't saying everything and he felt the anguish squeeze his heart.

"What's the matter? "

Again, he had to wait for an answer. The seconds seemed really long to him.

"In their state ... I should be in pain but ... I don't feel anything. "

Clark's heart missed a beat. It was a very bad sign.

"Don't move Steve, okay? Try to stay still until we know for sure. Your legs may have lost a lot of blood and are numb from the weight of the stone. We don't know for sure. "

He was trying to be as reassuring as possible.

"You're right... "

Stephen was not convinced. Neither was Clark. They were in trouble.

Silence fell again. Clark was listening but nothing to do, he heard nothing, no shouting, no barking, no work in progress. He broke the silence after what seemed like endless minutes.

"Do you think... do you think they think we're dead? "

Stephen let out a weary sigh.

"If I were them, that's what I would believe. We're in the basement, Clark. Do you really think they're going to take the time to look for us when the embassy just blew up? "

Clark clenched his teeth. He didn't know what the protocol was for this kind of situation, he didn't know what it was like for the others on the surface. He didn't know... he didn't know what happened to the others. Bruce. Bruce would look for him. He wouldn't leave him. Clark refused to believe otherwise.

"We're going to get through this, Stephen. My team won't let me. "

He heard Stephen let out a big sigh.

"They won't be able to lift tons of rocks by themselves. "

Stephen was right. Clark would have liked to take a deep breath, but he was stuck. His rib cage wasn't compressed, but he felt a weight. He may have had internal injuries. He wiggled his toes and fingers to reassure himself. He felt numbness in his limbs, but he could still feel them. They must have been there for hours.

"We're going to be okay," Clark said determinedly.

Stephen laughed.

"You're very confident. "

Clark smiled.

"I tend to always want to be hopeful. My team will do everything they can to find me, even if they think I'm dead. "

"I hope you're right. "

He hoped so too.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Clark's mind was fighting fear. There was nothing more oppressive for him than the situation he was currently experiencing. It was frightening. Was he going to end up buried alive? Would he die slowly, under rubble, invaded by the cold? Would he never see his comrades again? He would never know how Barry and John would recover from their injuries, he would never know what had happened to the rest of his team, if Diana, Hal, Ollie and Bruce had not suffered blast damage on the surface. Nor would he know what their relationship with Bruce would have been like.

Clark felt ridiculous, thinking about it in this kind of situation. It seemed so futile to him. His whole behavior with Bruce had been ridiculous. He had been attracted to Bruce for a while. He had clung to him beyond the boundaries of their ranks, beyond the boundaries of friendship. Did Bruce see it that way too?

He looked for signs in his memories, in Bruce's behavior. His head hurt, but he visualized all of Bruce's attentions, all of his emotional gestures, all of his attempts to comfort him. Somehow that reassured him a little. If there were emotional gestures, there must have been an attachment that went beyond simple sexual desire. Maybe he and Bruce were on the same wavelength, but they were not good at making it clear. If so, would they both be willing to take the risk of continuing? Between their ranks, the army, the war...

He heard Stephen coughing and went out of his mind, but still hoped he could keep Bruce close to him longer.

"Clark... are you still there? "

He cleared his throat to answer:

"Yeah... let's talk a little? "

"Definitely. "

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

"The Chiefs... are still better... than the Jaguars... "

Clark struggled to keep his eyes open. They had been waiting for help for a long time. Hours. He had already lost consciousness twice, according to Stephen, and both of them were trying to keep talking to each other regularly to stay awake. After talking about all sorts of topics, they had come to talk about the NFL despite their dry throats.

"Yeah... I think they... had a bad season... last year. "

The Kansas Chiefs were Clark's favorite American football team. It was his favorite sport. But he had to admit that his team wasn't really excelling in competition. He looked for what little saliva he had to answer.

"Yeah... they got knocked out right off the bat... But there was a change of players this year so... "

Clark shivered. He was cold. It must have been dark for a while for the temperature to be so low. He couldn't see as well as he used to, and aside from the cold and fatigue, he didn't feel much. His limbs had become too heavy for him to move them.

"We'll see if that changes," he said.

He heard Stephen nodding with a grunt. He spoke less. Clark was afraid that every time Stephen didn't respond, he would be dead. And his fellow bomb-disposal officer must have felt that same fear every time Clark lost consciousness. Fear of being alone, in the dark, waiting for death.

"We've got to hold on... "

They had to hold out until help arrived. Since then, they should have arrived, right? Bruce still hadn't let him rot here, had he? Bruce wouldn't do that to him... Clark would get scared and rambunctious.

"Yeah... "

Clark tried to fix the end of the bar above him, but it was hard to see it in the dark. There was no noise around them. There was nothing around them. No one was trying to clear them away. They had to get used to it, no one would come looking for them. They were not a priority. He shivered.

"I'm cold. "

It made him chuckle with laughter to say that. He was rather resistant, he didn't often feel so cold.

"Lucky... "

Clark frowned.

"Why? "

He heard Stephen's little laugh. A yellow laugh. It squeezed Clark's heart to hear that.

"I wanted to... move... I thought... I thought... I was numb... "

Clark felt his eyes getting wet. It was now certain that if Stephen's spine had been hit, the damage would be irreversible. And that damage... Stephen had at least lost his legs. If not more.

"We can still get through this... We have to believe it..." he answered, his throat tightened with emotion.

When Stephen replied, Clark could clearly feel the emotion in his voice as well. Stephen was desperate.

"Clark... my arms... I can't move them... I can't hold on... I'm tired... "

"You have to hold on! Ok?... We're soldiers. We'll hold... trust me. "

The bomb-disposal expert put all his determination into his voice.

"You're right. "

They waited several minutes, then Clark started the conversation again to stay awake.

Day 109 (01/23)

Stephen had given him a big scare. He really did. For a while, the bomb squad hadn't responded at all. Then he finally did answer him, while Clark, overwhelmed by the desperation of dying in this situation, had finally resigned himself to rotting in the rubble. He felt as if time no longer had a hold on them. That they had found themselves in an infinite loop where time was no longer passing.

"Do you believe that black holes really exist ?" Stephen asked.

If he could have nodded, Clark would have.

"Yeah. I guess so. Somewhere... far out in the universe... "

Clark was passionate about astronomy. For him, he was sure that one day, we would be able to obtain proof of the existence of black holes, in another way than by lines of calculations.

"I feel like we've fallen into them... We're in the dark, time is running out and... it's like we're floating. "

Clark laughs softly in the image. It was real. He had that impression. His body was so heavy that he didn't even feel it anymore. His head kept spinning, and he often passed out apparently.

"You're not wrong... My head is spinning so much... that I feel like I smoked a 10-meter joint weed..."

Stephen laughed.

"Only ten meters?. You must be pretty damn high! "

Clark laughed back.

"Yeah, totally. "

They were silent for a moment. Clark could feel his eyelids getting heavy again and he forced himself to blink to stay awake.

"Clark, can you hear? "

He reached for his ear.

"I don't think so. "

He then heard Stephen shouting. Spontaneously, Clark did the same, without really understanding why. But if Stephen was right, two voices were better than one.

"HEY! HERE! WE ARE HERE! "

Clark screamed as much as his lungs and dry throat would allow. He even panicked to change his language, in case the Iraqi authorities helped him.

"HELP! HELP US ! HELP US ! "

Clark stopped and Stephen did the same. The Sergeant was not sure if he could be heard through his helmet and under the concrete blocks. Maybe if they had dogs?

Clark shouted. He shouted incessantly, until he heard noises, bursts of voice, barking. He cried. He cried because he had found hope again. Because they were going to get out of there alive. Next door, he heard Stephen laughing with joy.

"You did it Clark! You were right! "

"We did it together Stephen! "

The barks were all close. Clark shouted again.

"HELP US! "

Clark couldn't stand to scream anymore, but he did. His heart missed a beat when he heard:

"ARDEN! KENT! "

"WE'RE HERE !" they replied in one voice.

And after a few noises, Kent heard sniffles and more dog barking. Close by.

"THEY ARE HERE !" cried the same voice that had called out to them, probably the rescue workers.

And that's when he knew he would really make it.

It took longer than he thought. After finding them, the blocks of stone that had collapsed on them had to be extracted without causing another landslide, and they had to get out of there as quickly as possible. Unfortunately for Clark, the metal bar in his helmet was causing problems. They were going to have to cut it off to separate it from the concrete block it was attached to and free it.

The operation made it impossible for him to know what was happening to Stephen next door. When his field of vision cleared, he was again covered by a protection for the sparks from the bar. The vibrations of the cut and the noise made Clark fall into unconsciousness. When he opened his eyes again, he had just been placed on a stretcher and pulled out of the rubble with an oxygen mask over his face.

When he came out, the sun blinded him. It was daylight. They had spent all night in the collapse. His head had been immobilized by a large cervical collar and he was unable to turn his head to see the embassy, or Stephen, or even a member of his team. Instead, several people were checking his pupils, pulse, oxygen saturation and everything else that followed. Clark was completely immobilized. His arms were strapped down and he couldn't remove the mask to talk.

And it was among all the faces of the rescuers that he saw him. That metallic gray look above all. Unique. His eyes had found him as if he was a marked target. Clark tried to talk to him. Bruce made his way and took off the mask.

"Steve... how is he? His legs... "

Clark saw something pass through Bruce's eyes. Behind this neutral expression, he was hiding something.

"We're taking you to the hospital. I'll find out. "

Bruce was released for a moment by a paramedic to infuse him.

"You're lying. "

And when he saw that his superior wasn't reacting, he added:

"He's paralyzed, isn't he? Bruce... he saved my life... he's the one who heard you and screamed... I need to know... "

He ran out of air and a rescuer gave him the mask. He then saw Bruce frowning, a very unusual thing. Clark glanced at him insistently. His desire to know his friend's condition versus the desire to preserve him. The bomb squad got into a vehicle and before the doors closed, Wayne held the door open.

"Arden is dead, Clark. I am truly sorry. By the time the paramedics got him out, he had long since bled to death. "

Bruce was then pushed away by a rescuer and the doors closed on him. Clark kept his eyes fixed on the exit as he couldn't realize what he had just learned.

Day 113 (01/27)

Kent stared at the man in front of him. Big braids on uniform shoulders, well shaved, easily discernible muscles under his clothes and deep brown eyes. His gaze was determined and firm. The ticking of his fingers reflected his impatience. Next to him was Colonel Hall, slightly backwards, who tried to be as neutral as possible. Surprisingly, he had not yet opened his mouth. General Morales cleared his throat.

"As I told you, your information is valuable and we need it quickly. "

Kent looked at him again. He had awakened from his operation the day before and after cutting off his sedatives and painkillers, he found himself wide awake with an unbearable migraine and fairly severe chest pains. From what he had been told, he had been in a coma for several days. And then, as he was taking a long time to respond, the General would repeat again. Kent took him by surprise when he opened his mouth first.

"It was a chemical bomb with a time delay. "

The General nodded, showing his impatience.

"Yes, we knew that already. What we want is your conclusions. We are at war, Sergeant. This was a direct attack on our homeland. So if you could make an effort... "

Kent was pondering an answer when Hall decided to take a step forward. He cleared his throat to get the general's attention.

"If I may say so, sir, the Sergeant has had neurosurgery recently. If we want accurate information, I suggest we give him more time to rest. "

Kent was sincerely surprised by this Colonel's intervention that he could not see in the painting. He nodded his approval.

"I will write my report as soon as possible and send it to you to save you the trip. I am not forgetting my duty. "

The General seemed upset, and then he finally nodded his head.

"Very well. I wish you a good recovery, Sergeant Kent. "

"My General, my Colonel. "

They greeted each other and the superiors left the room. Kent relaxed.

His information was valuable because he was the only survivor of the bomber. He had survived, and on top of that, he was doing very well. The metal bar had fractured his skull without damaging his meninges or his brain. His injury was only superficial and luckily there were no after-effects. He had also escaped the crush syndrome. His body was trapped in a space too small for him to breathe properly and all he gained was a sore rib.

And that's all he had. No broken bones. Well, except for the skull. A chance like that shouldn't exist. Just because it wasn't fair to the others. It wasn't fair that Stephen suffered such serious injuries and died when he was only two meters away from him at the most. It wasn't fair.

He put one hand over his face to hold back his tears. Clark could remember that scene over and over again and everything he could remember... He couldn't tell when he hallucinated Stephen. At what point his fellow deminer had died and at what point his mind had manufactured his presence to hold. And that, not knowing where that distinction was, made him sick. Shameful.

He was plagued by shame and guilt. He then heard knocking at his door and quickly dried his tears before allowing him to enter. A nurse. She quickly checked his condition and came out, announcing a visit. Kent was still dreading the arrival of another soldier. And so it was. But not just any soldier.

"Hello man! "

A big smile stretched across his face.

"Barry! I'm super happy to see him! "

The Flash, leaning on a crutch, entered the room and sat down on a chair. His presence really pleased Clark.

"How are you doing?" Clark asked immediately.

Barry laughed.

"I should be asking you that question! I'm fine, don't worry. I'll be with you in a week. John says hi. He's still bedridden, but he's fine. As for Stone, he's fine but I couldn't go see him. "

Clark nodded. It was news he needed. Good news. He needed good things to happen again in this world of hate.

"I have a headache but I'm not going to complain about it. "

Barry made a small grin and Clark didn't doubt for a second that the soldier knew what had happened.

"I wanted to see you first. The guys are waiting outside. Should I tell them to come? "

Clark nodded. He needed to see faces he loved. Barry knocked against the hallway window in the bedroom and the next thing he knew, Hal and Ollie were inside. Clark saw Bruce staying in the hallway, but just knowing that he was there made him feel better.

"You scared the hell out of us, Steel," Hal said, tapping the end of his bed.

"It was quite impressive. I admit I thought we'd lost you," Ollie said in a less cheerful tone.

Clark smiled at them.

"I thought I wouldn't see any of you again. "

Hal winked at him.

"You could have waited longer to see us, but Wayne managed to get us through. We're going to pick up the Flash ourselves next week, and you with it! "

"I'll get out before then. Depending on my condition, I'll probably get out the day after tomorrow."

"That's good news. We'll finally be all together! It's not that I hate working with Diana, but we miss you Barry! "

The blond boy curtsied theatrically and stood up, leaning on his crutch.

"Yeah, I definitely want to come back! Well, we'll let Clark rest a little if you want him to come home soon. "

The other two nodded their heads.

"Yeah, we'll let you go. Take care of Clark! "

"Yeah, see you in a few days! "

The three soldiers came out. Clark sighed, a slight smile on his lips. He really loved those guys. May heaven keep them alive for a long time to come. The world needed nice guys like them.

The door opened again. Bruce walked over to the bed, that cold expression on his face. Their eyes met again. Clark didn't open his mouth. He didn't know what to say. Bruce didn't say anything either. Standing at a distance, he only reached out his hand to touch his fingers. A light and discreet physical contact. Bruce was there. He would always be there. That's what it meant. Clark took it that way. Like a gesture that was meant to be comforting.

Bruce squeezed his fingers tighter before he let go. They were active soldiers. They couldn't have more than emotional relationships. They were neither legally nor morally permissible. They were both playing a very dangerous game which, if discovered, could ruin their professional and social lives. But Bruce had taken a risk. A high risk that made his act even more valuable to Clark. They had no right to care about each other. They weren't allowed to sleep together. They weren't allowed to love each other.

Bruce gave him the military salute, which Clark gave back to him, and then he left the room in the deepest of silences. By this time the deminer knew that Bruce was willing to take a risk. The question was whether he could do it and whether he could live with it all. Thoughts that were futile, because deep down he had already made his decision.