Hi, just a quick hello from me to tell you that the translation project is still going on, I'm just very busy at work and I'm losing motivation to manage all my writing projects.

I hope I'll be able to provide you with the next part more quickly and regularly. Enjoy your reading ;)

Chapter 6: Family Ties

Clark walked through the white corridors, his gut completely clenched with worry. There was a lot of bustle, his ears assaulted by the bells, the beeps of the machines, the slightly too loud discussions of the staff. No one was paying any attention to him. The strong smell of sanitizer and disease reminded him with every breath where he was, only increasing his anxiety.

After many minutes of searching, he finally found the emergency room counter at National City Hospital.

"Good evening, I'm Clark Kent, Linda Danvers has been brought into your care. "

The secretary seemed to be aware of his arrival.

"Dr. Robinson is expecting you. Go down this hallway to the left and then it's the first door on your right. Room 8. "

Clark nodded his thanks and headed in the direction indicated. He arrived at the room, where a nurse was struggling to get another man out of the room.

"Sir, you have no business here, only family or notified persons are allowed to come. "

"I am her friend! Let me see her! "

Clark was not immediately interested in the scene. He walked past them and into the room. He had just enough time to see Kara lying unconscious before his arm was grabbed.

"Sir, you can't come in without permission! "

Clark readjusted his glasses nervously, before turning to the nurse:

"I'm his cousin. Doctor Robinson contacted me. "

The other man wore a horrified expression.

"You're a liar! She doesn't have a cousin! Linda shouldn't be here! "

"Mr. Schott, I'm going to call security," the nurse warned him.

The reporter had absolutely no idea who the man in front of him was. The man was not lying and seemed convinced of what he was saying. The nurse led him down the hallway to calm him down, which worked until the doctor arrived, but he closed the door. Clark hurried to ask for information.

"What happened? How is she? "

"Miss Danvers passed out in the street a little over half an hour ago. She doesn't appear to have any head trauma but it may be an internal injury, she still hasn't woken up. We were going to take her for an MRI-"

"No tests. I would like to sign a discharge. We have our own doctor who will come and examine her. "

Clark knew in advance that the game was going to be difficult. But they had to avoid hospital stays at all costs. He was going to have to erase the trace of Linda Danvers' passage very quickly.

"Sir, you must understand that her life may be in danger now... "

"I know. But she told me that in this kind of situation she would only want to be examined by our own doctor. As you say, her life is in danger, I'd like to get it done quickly. Did you do any other tests on her? "

"Only a blood glucose test, before I saw that she did not want any intrusive instruments used on her. "

Kara had definitely taken action. It made Clark even more raw. He wanted to rush to take her to the League, but they'd made too much of a name for themselves to sneak out. He had to use conventional channels.

"Doctor, I am fully aware of the risks and am only respecting her wishes. Please let me take her."

The doctor was not convinced. But Clark had every right on his side. The doctor could not act without the patient's or his family's permission, and his life was not in direct danger. In this case, if Clark wasn't specified as such, he was her trusted contact. He had arrived just in time. The doctor shook his head negatively, but sighed in defeat.

"Okay. I'll get what you need. But I'd like to get the contact information for your personal doctor and make contact with him. "

Clark nodded, more than a little relieved that the doctor had agreed.

"Anything you need. I'll leave it with you at the front desk. "

He had made himself as convincing as possible. As soon as the doctor left the room, Clark approached the blonde and removed his glasses. He did an inspection with his x-ray vision and precision vision. But he couldn't find any abnormalities and he doubted that her unconsciousness was due to the presence of kryptonite. He was sure he knew what it was, and he had warned J'onn accordingly. He put his glasses back on and bent down to her ear.

"Kara, it's Kal. I'm here to take care of you. Please wake up. "

He stroked the blonde's hair affectionately before an orderly entered the room.

"Sir, please leave us, I have to take her away. "

"She won't be going for an MRI, or any other test. "

He turned to face the nurse with his eyes when he saw that he was the man in the hallway, wearing a white coat and some accessories.

"You are persistent. What do you want with her ? "

Clark straightened up and the man didn't dare oppose him. He decided to cooperate, since he was unmasked anyway.

"Linda is my friend. For her own good, she must not be here, she must go out! Whoever you are, if you care about her, you must help me, it's important! "

His tone was pleading and by his heart rate, Clark knew he wasn't lying.

"I'll take care of it. You can leave without fear. After all, she has chosen me as her confidant, so trust her choice. "

The man hesitated, but finally nodded. Reluctantly, he left without saying anything, just before the doctor returned. Clark signed the papers, carried Kara to the exit, and when he was out of sight, he took her in his arms and flew away with her.

He went through the teleporter to the Watchtower. If Kara was unconscious, she wouldn't have been able to withstand the trip into space. When he arrived, J'onn was already waiting for him. They went directly to the treatment wing and laid Kara on one of the tables.

"No sign of trauma. According to the doctor, she passed out in the street. J'onn, she's been unconscious for almost an hour. I'm not sure, but I don't think she has her powers anymore. I can't take her to the Fortress in this condition. "

The Martian put several devices above the Kryptonian and had no difficulty in drawing her blood, demonstrating her vulnerability. Clark was worried, really worried. The Fortress had no information about this phenomenon, much less a solution to it. To think he had all the knowledge of an entire advanced race and no solution. He felt powerless. Totally helpless.

"Is her life in danger, J'onn? "

The Martian was looking at screens.

"Not at the moment, but if nothing gets better, it will. I'm going to need Caulder's advice. I took the liberty of contacting him. "

Clark nodded and spun around. He couldn't just sit back and do nothing. He still had to look, had to do something!

"I'll go back to the Fortress, see if we missed anything. "

J'onn nodded, and Clark left as quickly as Barry, taking some of Kara's blood with him.

Bruce kept his gaze fixed on the door for an indeterminate moment. He put aside everything he'd been thinking about a few minutes before, to refocus on what had just happened. Clark had literally just planted him, after a phone call, which had just turned him upside down. The worried expression on his face did not indicate anything good.

He analyzed the scene in his head as Clark picked up the phone. Bruce hadn't heard anything, but he remembered seeing Clark contact a League member. He wished he knew who it was. The thought of hacking into Clark's phone had crossed his mind, but he figured he'd better be honest.

Bruce figured it had to be personal for the Kryptonian to react that way. The problem was that Superman was taking things too much personally. How much did he care about this phone call? Bruce snapped out of his thoughts when he heard Tim's footsteps coming down the stairs and arrive:

"Is Clark gone? "

Alfred was also attracted by the slamming of the door, as he came back from the hall.

"Mr. Clark even forgot his jacket," the butler remarked.

Bruce tapped nervously on the table, thinking of what to do. He decided quickly enough. If Clark had contacted a member of the League, he might have arranged to meet him at their headquarters.

"There's a problem, but I don't know what it is. I'll check at the Watchtower. "

Bruce got up and made his way to the Cave. He put on his suit again and used the Batpod to get to the nearest teleportation point. He gripped the handlebars tightly in frustration. He couldn't help but imagine the worst-case scenarios, wondering if someone had died, if there had been a major attack, if his secret was out. There was probably nothing that put people in danger, since there were no alerts issued, nor any League contacts.

He used the teleporter and went to the hall where Wonder Woman and the substitute Green Lantern were. When they saw him coming, they stopped talking and turned their attention to the Bat. Diana spoke up:

"Hello Bruce, do you know what's going on? We barely saw J'onn and Kal go by. They looked preoccupied. "

Batman thought, but there were still too many possibilities about the situation.

"I don't know either. Who's on call tonight? "

"Captain Marvel and Flash," John replied.

"Flash is in the control room and Captain's gone for a big ride, the Amazon added. You should wait with us for a while. They look busy. "

"There's no emergency, " Bruce tried to confirm.

"No, Captain and Flash have nothing to report. Aquaman has been contacted as well, he's not reporting anything in his oceans. Do you think they have a personal problem? "

"Everything points to it," the man in black replied.

Diana nodded and invited him to sit down on one of the benches. Bruce declined and stood, while the woman sat with the Green Lantern.

They began to discuss the Lantern Corps and their new organization in progress, which required a lot of work from Hal. Bruce was not too fond of the Air Force pilot, so he just listened. He respected the space cop's work and kept a certain amount of jealousy inside him, as he fought his fears while Bruce acted the opposite. It was while listening to John speak that he discovered that despite all that Jordan had done, he was hated by the Corps. This was, from Bruce's point of view, quite understandable. But Bruce did not condone overreaction. He could understand the anger and hatred of those Hal had hurt, but not of those who didn't know him.

He waited as long as he could before finally deciding to join Barry. He walked down the maze of corridors, wondering what had Superman so worried. It couldn't be a problem at the Fortress either, so what could it be? Bruce didn't let the questions get to him; he was going to find the answers. He found the Flash leaning over the Watchtower's surveillance monitors, just what he wanted to see.

"Good evening, Barry. Do you know anything about what's going on? "

Barry pressed buttons without Bruce even seeing him make a move. But the screens shifted to show only the surveillance of empty rooms. Looking serious, the Flash turned to his sidekick and pulled back the hood of his mask.

"Frankly, I don't think we should get involved. "

The scientist stood between him and the control console. The Bat did not appreciate the resistance.

"Show me what you saw. "

The Flash nodded his head in denial and put a hand in front of him.

"No. I don't think we should get involved. "

Barry was firm. He knew how to be firm when the situation called for it, and he knew it would take more than that for the Bat to defuse it. It was the arrival of Captain Marvel that changed the game.

"Hey, what's going on? I ran into Sup in civilian clothes, but he barely said hello. He's usually much cooler! Did something happen at the Fortress? "

Captain's naive tone slightly reduced the tension between the other two vigilantes.

"Why are you talking about the Fortress?" asked Barry instead of Bruce.

Captain shrugged and answered simply:

"Well, when I saw him come out of the transporter, his hair was still a little frosty. But I thought he had some protection and suits there? "

Barry, who obviously had more information but didn't want to share, mused aloud.

"Yes, but he probably didn't want to waste time changing, he could have come in from outside the Tower too. "

Barry's hypothesis was plausible, but why the rush? Then something clicked in Bruce's mind as a more-than-possible scenario began to take shape. He barely heard Captain reply:

"Going in from the outside? Wow, that's really cool! I've never tried that. "

Batman walked around them and reached the console in his legendary stealth.

It took him a few seconds to enter all the passwords Barry had reactivated and seconds more to access the videos he was interested in. Finally, when the images appeared, he swore before doing the same thing Flash had done before. He understood now why he had wanted to prevent him from seeing them. But on the other hand, he was slightly hurt that Clark hadn't told him. He felt a hand rest on his shoulder and turned to the blond.

"Do you know anything? "

"No. "

Captain Marvel didn't understand what the two men were talking about, and as he seemed to be ignored all at once, he left the room to join the others. Bruce removed his hood and sighed. He longed to join the small group, but he knew he wouldn't be welcome. If Clark hadn't wanted to tell him...

"You seem upset. That's rare. "

Bruce didn't pick up on what his friend said. They remained silent for a moment, going over the story in their heads. He couldn't stand it any longer, so he headed for the door. If Clark wasn't well, he'd like to let him know he could be there for him.

When he reached the room, he heard before, more than saw, J'onn speak:

"Anything goes wrong, we stop. "

"Go on, get it over with," Clark replied in a faint voice.

Bruce saw the peculiar green glow that he recognized as kryptonite. His suspicions were confirmed when he heard Clark's muffled complaints of pain. His legs moved faster than his brain could react. He rushed over to them, to see Kara lying in bed with Niles tending to her, and on the other side of a screen that probably contained lead, he saw J'onn.

Bruce walked over to see Clark in a chair, sweating as the Martian drew his blood with kryptonite. His blood poured into a special pocket behind the screen and back into Kara's veins. A direct blood transfusion. The monitors above Clark suddenly made ominous noises and the curve that should indicate his heart rate was abnormally fast. Bruce reacted at that moment:

"J'onn! You'll kill him! "

Clark's moaning subsided, his head tilted to the side and his eyelids began to close. Clark was fainting. J'onn locked the stone in a lead box and removed the needle from the Kryptonian's arm and the entire device it was attached to. Bruce approached the dark-haired man and patted his cheek:

"Kal! Wake up! "

The Kryptonian's unnaturally pale face was beaded with sweat. Clark finally opened his eyes, struggling to look at Bruce, but he was slowly coming to, as the beeping of the screens diminished. Echoing, in fact. He turned to J'onn, then to Niles, suspiciously.

"Will someone tell me what's going on? "

J'onn and Niles looked at each other, hesitant. But movement to the side brought their attention to the Kryptonian, who was getting up from his chair and leaning against the screen. He was very pale. How many pints of blood had they taken from him? Bruce turned to the two scientists, annoyed:

"Do what you need to do about Kara. I'll take care of him. "

Bruce didn't like the way things were going, but when Clark grabbed his shoulder with his man-of-steel grip and saw his jaw clench, he knew he was still in pain.

They walked until they reached the private quarters of the League members, which served more as a place of passage than anything else, but which often came in handy. They remained silent, Bruce supporting Clark a little as he walked. It was only when they approached the door that the Kryptonian spoke in a tired voice.

"Kara had been having problems with her powers for some time. They were declining without anyone knowing why... She didn't want anyone to know. "

He paused for a moment as he dialed the code to open the door.

"She fainted in the street tonight and has been unconscious ever since. I have to go to the hospital to cover her tracks... Niles is going to use the rest of my blood to create a serum before his own cells destroy the others. I didn't tell you to do Kara's bidding. "

Clark began to undress as he made his way to the bathroom. His complexion was still pale and his features were drawn, but he didn't say anything. He wasn't the type of person to feel sorry for himself. But he was sure he wouldn't be able to handle the rest, something he could do.

"I'll take care of the hospital. I'll get Barry to help with the paperwork and I'll take care of erasing any computer trail. "

Clark merely nodded his thanks.

The Bat then left the room to find Barry. When he found the Flash, he quickly explained the situation and, as he had expected, the superhero agreed to help him. This is how some of the documents at National City Hospital disappeared, and how Bruce hacked into their database via the League's console. The operation took Barry less time than Bruce to complete, but within an hour, the matter was settled.

When the billionaire returned to Kara, he was not surprised to find Clark at her bedside. The blonde was awake and smiling weakly at her cousin as she spoke in Kryptonian. Superman replied in the same language and Bruce realized that in all his years he had never heard his friend speak Kryptonian. It was... both strange and... beautiful. He didn't know how else to describe what he was seeing and hearing. Maybe he was influenced by Clark's messy wet hair, or his sparkling blue eyes, or his smile.

J'onn stepped up beside him.

"They very rarely speak Kryptonian to each other," the Martian said. "But I always find it fascinating to hear them. "

Bruce nodded and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Is she out of trouble ? "

"Niles did what he could. She'll live, but as a human. She'll still have plenty of strength, but she won't be able to lift cars. So, I guess you could say she's out of trouble. "

They watched the other two aliens talk in Kryptonian for a while longer before Kara seemed to dismiss her cousin. He laughed at his cousin's last remark, before kissing her on the forehead and walking over to his other two colleagues.

"She's fine. She had already made up her mind. I'll come back to see her tomorrow. We can go there. Thank you, J'onn, for your help. Thank Caulder for me. "

The green martian nodded in return and left the room with the other two men. When the door closed behind them, Clark ran a hand over his face, looking exhausted. With a nod of agreement between the Bat and the Martian Manhunter, the latter left them alone as they headed in the opposite direction, through the corridors.

"Some people will ask you questions," said Batman.

"I know. "

The brunette stopped walking to stare at the Bat.

"Are you okay? "

His question was serious, and his interlocutor was slightly surprised.

"I should ask you instead. "

"Bruce, I think I've known you long enough now. I know when something is wrong, don't avoid my question. "

The Kryptonian's goodness and kindness would always surprise him. They were both such opposites at times.

"We'll discuss this later, if you like. "

The Bat invited him back to resume their walk and the brunette didn't protest.

"What did you want to tell me at your home ? "

They arrived back at the quarters floor and Clark soon found himself at the door to his cabin.

"I thought you weren't well. But I think I know why now. "

Clark smiled weakly and unlocked his door. Bruce knew there was more to it, but didn't say anything.

"Thanks for your help, Bruce. "

The Bat nodded and walked in after the other man, who seemed surprised.

"I'm not sure if leaving you alone is a good idea. I didn't know the kryptonite was hurting you so much. You look like a walking corpse. "

Superman didn't answer. He quickly changed into his underwear, almost avoiding the Bat with his eyes. Decidingly, the Bat removed his costume and joined him under the sheets. When he crawled in, Clark was already asleep.

At that moment, the Man of Steel was praying that no one would pass by in the alley. No one at all. Firstly, because they were in the middle of a crime and if anyone called the police, they would definitely be arrested, and secondly, because his position was more than doubtful. He didn't even dare look up. If he did, Lois would think he was a peeping Tom. So he could only rely on his hearing to know if the young woman nestled on his shoulders and leaning over the wall of a private property was managing to pass.

"How are you doing?" the reporter asked as he heard his colleague grumbling.

"Don't you dare raise your head, Kent! And don't move! "

Clark sighed and tightened his grip on the ankles of the brunette who was pushing the heels of her pumps into his shoulders.

"Next time, bring some sneakers," he grumbled.

"Hush, you are going to make us spot! Move further to the left, there's a dumpster, I'll try to land on it. "

"Lois, don't do that! "

"Shut up Smallville, there's no one around during lunch, it's now or never! "

He sighed and finally gave in.

"Stand on the wall. "

"I know what to do! "

He rolled his eyes and complied. A few seconds later, a foot crushed the top of his head and a loud "BOOM" was heard just after his shoulders were freed from a weight of about sixty pounds. To Superman, this was no big deal. And it wasn't the first time Clark Kent had found himself carrying Lois Lane on his shoulders. Why did she have to wear pencil skirts every time?

This time, Lois had gone to spy on the Cadmus lab in Metropolis. She had done everything Clark had advised her to do and had unearthed some rather interesting information... one of which concerned the shareholders, in particular one he knew well: Lex Luthor. That had finally convinced him to follow the investigation closely.

He surveyed his surroundings, using his hearing and X-ray vision to spot if anyone was coming around. There were people on the site, but Lois seemed to be avoiding them with skill. Clark lost his smile slightly when he saw a man spot the reporter on the premises and approach her. He prepared to intervene, slightly tense, when he saw the woman land a right jab to the man and then follow it up with a kick.

One had to be careful when attacking General Lane's daughter, who had learned to stand on her own. The superhero then allowed himself to turn his attention away from Lois for a few minutes, pulling his smartphone out of his pocket. His fingers were itching to send a message to Bruce, who had not given any news since he had left him earlier that morning, at the Watchtower. He finally wrote the message, before he lost the courage to do so. After thinking about it, he thought it might be inappropriate. But Bruce had slept in the same bed as him the night before, and it had upset him so much that when he woke up, he had left like a thief. Without saying a word.

Dinner tonight, Gotham City? CK.

He fidgeted with his phone in his hands, impatiently waiting for the answer. To say he didn't hesitate for a second to risk his life for others, but sending a message to Bruce Wayne to invite him to dinner required immeasurable courage. It was ridiculous. He was an adult, confident and optimistic by nature, but the billionaire tended to throw him off balance. His phone vibrated in return.

In front of the Indochine, 9pm. BW.

Clark grinned at the answer, then ticked at the time. He typed an answer.

Late meeting? CK.

The answer came almost immediately.

Site visit and debriefing in Pemberton. Long return. BW.

The Man of Steel chuckled again. Bruce found himself stuck in official transportation far more often than he did. Using the League's teleporter and his own vehicles was faster than conventional means.

Shall we reschedule for another day or so? CK.

This time there was a slight wait.

I'll handle it. BW.

Clark relented. He put his phone away, totally satisfied, before turning his attention back to his colleague's illegal activities.

He continued to watch her for a while and realized that she was coming back to him at the same time as two guys returning from their lunch break. Clark took it upon himself to create a diversion and used his overspeed to smash the window of a truck and get their attention, just in time for Lois to get back to the dumpster and climb on. She didn't even wait to check if Clark was underneath before jumping.

Her colleague caught her like a princess and as soon as she hit the ground, she pulled him by the arm to get them away. They ran two blocks before stopping. Lois took a few seconds to catch her breath, Clark simulating rapid breathing to keep up with the effort. Then the young woman proudly waved a flash drive in his face:

"I downloaded everything and erased their surveillance tapes. We'll never get through!" said Lois with a wide smile.

"I sure hope missing our lunch is worth it. "

The brunette patted him on the shoulder in a friendly manner:

"Don't be so grumpy Smallville! I'll give you my cereal bar if you want! "

Clark rolled his eyes and followed his colleague, walking towards the Daily Planet.

"For God sake ! " Lois shouted angrily as she sent the mouse on her computer flying.

Clark tilted his head to the side to avoid getting hit by the pen she had just thrown.

"There's nothing there! Nothing at all, I tell you!" she continued, this time sending out her paperweight, a Daily Planet goodie.

Her colleague caught it in the air and put it back on the table, hastening to put her hand on that of Lois to prevent her from throwing another object, that is to say her coffee cup.

"What files do you have? "

"Classic stuff, Clark! Everything fits! Look for yourself. "

She shifted to give him room to look at his screen. Leaning on the desk, he stood reading over her shoulder, retrieving the mouse to open more files. After a very quick consultation, he came to the conclusion that there was nothing suspicious. Not at first glance.

"Maybe we should check everything. "

"But that will take hours! "

Clark shrugged.

"More reason to start now. I'll make us some coffee. "

They spent the rest of the day sorting through the information that the Daily Planet's favorite reporter had retrieved. Jimmy had joined them late in the afternoon, and by 8 p.m. they still had nothing. Just as Clark was about to give up and leave, he received a message from Bruce.

Worry in Blüdhaven, must cancel. BW.

The Man of Steel frowned. Dick was currently investigating in this city, but he didn't know if he was acting alone or as part of a team. Whatever was going on there, he likely needed Bruce's help.

Need help? CK.

Clark stood waiting for the answer. Lois and Jimmy were immersed in the monitors, not paying attention to him, while around them, half their colleagues had already left.

No. Keep you posted. RS now. BW.

The Kryptonian clenched his fingers on the screen in moderation. Bruce was going radio silent, so he wasn't going to contact anyone for an indefinite period of time. Frustrated, he put his coat down and pulled his desk chair back, drawing attention to himself. He glanced determinedly at his colleagues.

"Let's find that loophole. "

Superman narrowly dodged two swords not intended for him and delivered a left hook to Cheetah, his current opponent. He retreated back to Wonder Woman, who had managed to keep Ares at bay.

"Your opponents are tougher than I thought," the Kryptonian admitted.

"Cheetah is not as weak as she looks. Don't let her bite you! "

She had hardly finished speaking that the interested party threw herself on her. The Kryptonian then took care of Ares and used his thermovision on him, which had almost no effect. Confronting the god of war was not that simple.

Diana had called him a few minutes earlier because she hadn't been able to keep them apart. Clark had answered the call, inwardly thrilled to be able to let off steam against opponents on his level. It gave him something to focus on other than Batman's radio silence, which had been dragging on for over four days now.

Ares propelled himself toward him and drove a knee into his ribs, sending the Superman several hundred feet away, hitting the ancient trees of the Peruvian jungle hard. Their fight had moved away from the population areas by quite a distance and they were in the middle of nothing, hoping not to do too much damage.

"You're not going to resist us for long, Diana," Ares said in a warning tone, which Kal heard from a distance.

"I don't intend to surrender to you," the Amazon declared harshly.

Superman straightened up and charged Ares again to confront him in hand-to-hand combat. He grabbed him by the helmet and held his head to hit him repeatedly, taking the blows the god of war threw at him. Ares pulled away to materialize a huge axe. Kal could not get out of the way fast enough. The blade sliced through his torso and crossed out the symbol on his suit. Between that and Cheetah's scratches, he felt more vulnerable.

Ares then changed his offensive tactics and materialized a multitude of swords, which he aimed in Superman's direction. Even though he was fast, there were far too many to avoid. He received many cuts on his arms and legs and only two on his ribs. As soon as the deluge stopped, Kal gave him no rest.

He accelerated his speed and grabbed Ares to propel him into the air. He then grabbed him by the throat and they flew off to join Diana. He tackled Ares hard to the ground in the hope of stunning him. The Amazonian princess glanced at them and by mutual agreement, they exchanged enemies. Diana used her lasso on Ares and pinned him down, while Cheetah and Kal clashed using their overspeed. It took him a few minutes to get the hang of her, grabbing her by the back of the neck and pinning her to the ground as well.

Then an explosion drew everyone's attention, followed by gunfire. Kal realized that they might not even be in Peru anymore, but that they must have crossed into Colombia. He and Diana should not be seen. Ares took advantage of the distraction to get rid of his half-sister's lasso and run away. Cheetah followed suit. She turned and scratched Superman in the face before running off into the bushes. He was about to chase after her when he was held back by Diana.

"No, we'll get them later. We have to get out of here. "

He nodded and the two of them flew high so they wouldn't be seen, then flew back to the States. Their next destination was the Watchtower, where they both went to the infirmary while the Man of Steel began to feel slightly numb. Diana seemed to be looking for vials in a drawer and pulled out two, one of which she handed to Kal.

"Cheetah has poison claws. J'onn has made me an antidote. "

They both drank the medicine and within minutes he could feel its effects.

Now it was time to tend to their wounds. He and Diana were not particularly comfortable, but Cheetah's scratches were deep, and while Kal had a rapid regeneration system, the goddess' claws took time to heal. Ares' cuts, on the other hand, healed more quickly. He helped Diana bandage her arms and applied an adhesive bandage to her chest while she tended to her leg. Then it was the turn of the Kryptonian, who had four deep grooves on the side of his face, scarring his cheek and neck. His left forearm was bandaged as well, and Diana checked the cuts on Ares' weapons, some of which had already disappeared. Clearly, Cheetah's poison was slowing down his healing as well.

They both went to the control room to report on the situation and to see if their two enemies had resurfaced.

"Thanks for the help, Kal. "

"No problem, you know you can count on me Diana. Their behavior was strange, wasn't it? "

"Yes, they definitely have something in mind to work on together, but I have no idea what it is."

The Man of Steel sensed a hint of sadness in his friend's voice and understood that she still felt guilty about the fate of her friend Priscilla, who was still under Cheetah's control.

"Let's take a closer look. "

The warrior smiled at her. They looked at the screens and there was no indication that Cheetah or Ares had resurfaced. Both disappointed, they remained silent for a moment. Then Diana broke the silence, a small smile on her face.

"You look tense. Do you want to talk about it? "

He could see her coming from miles away. They went to the living room to settle down a little.

"It's a tough time at work. How are things with you and Steve? "

Diana squinted.

"Pretty good. We meet up at his place sometimes. We're taking it slow. "

There was a short silence between them. Kal stepped behind the counter of the American kitchen in the common room.

"Do you want me to make you something? "

"A soda is fine, thank you. So how far along are you? Have you started yet? "

Kal set the soda down in front of her as he took a squeeze of orange juice.

"It's complicated. I'm not in the mood to talk about it. "

Diana laughed. A frank and joyful laugh and he could perceive the warrior's joy.

"By Hera, something did happen! "

The dark-haired man sighed heavily and hid his face in exasperation.

"Rao, you are not going to let me go. "

She gave him a friendly elbow hit, which made him wince slightly: the blows of Ares had to break some ribs which were already being re-set, but remained sensitive.

"I'm here for that, after all, I'm an Amazon! "

Clark couldn't help but smile.

"Princess Snips," he said in return.

They chatted for a while, before the teleporter activated. Aquaman stepped through the portal and joined them, a bright smile on his face.

"Arthur!" Diana exclaimed happily. "I'm glad to see you! "

Superman came over to greet him and give him a hug.

"How's Mera? "

Arthur smiled broadly.

"Better than ever! The baby will be here soon. "

"We didn't think we'd see you again until your baby was born," Diana told him.

The blond man smiled slightly.

"It was my dearest Queen who urged me to go on watch. She says I'm too protective of her, and since the Atlanteans have finally accepted the idea... "

"Civil problems? " asked the journalist.

"You have no idea. " Arthur paused. "I missed the beginning of my shift? " he asked, pointing to Superman's torn suit and their wounds.

"No, you're right on time. Let's just say that Diana and I had some things to work out first. "

"So let's hope the shift goes well," Arthur concluded.

Aquaman and Superman's shift took an awfully long time. For a while, Superman was off on an initial patrol, only having to intervene if something big happened, like an alien invasion, for example. Aquaman did not check his oceans, as he was already doing so regularly as ruler of the seas. Then they stayed to watch from the Watchtower. During the time they were alone, Superman told him about the latest events concerning Kara, while the other told him about the recent events under the sea, as well as the civil war he had managed to avoid. Clearly, the birth of his child was not welcome by everyone, but Arthur had taken matters into his own hands and was firm.

From their seats, they served as liaisons, providing information or doing research for other superheroes. Some dropped by to chat with them, either to deal with the Watchtower or simply to use the teleporter again. They came across Vixen, Plasticman, Cyborg and Huntress. Huntress stayed a while to keep them company before duty called. At times like this, Superman was nostalgic for the day when he, Diana, Arthur, Victor, Barry, and Bruce had decided to join forces to fight Darkseid and his parademons. Hal had quickly joined them. Then the second wave, after long conflicts. The founders and the second wave had become very close friends and for the Man of Steel, this was his second family.

With Arthur, Kal had plenty of time to plan a visit under the sea, to his closely guarded capital. He hoped to visit them, as Kal was very fond of the Mermaid Queen, who had some similarities to Diana. Arthur and Kal eventually passed their watch to Robotman and Atom, with whom they talked for a long time before going their separate ways.

Clark enjoyed the comfort of his couch. He turned on his television and watched the rest of a football game that he didn't care for, even though he loved the game. He turned his attention to the file he and Lois had started to put together, but concrete pieces of the puzzle were still missing. He knew there was something to be gained from this information, but he still couldn't figure out what it was.

Depressed, he put the file away in a drawer and settled back into his couch. Clark didn't see the end of the game the way he thought he would. Fatigue overcame him and he fell asleep, probably not for long, because he was awakened by a slight rustling of fabric on his back. He jerked up to face a figure with his back to him. A figure that he knew well because he had looked at him for a long time. But something was wrong.

He didn't need the light to see what was wrong. The street was already illuminating his living room quite a bit because of the open window. Bruce's mask was split into several pieces, revealing part of his face, covered in blood. Clark felt concern and anger rising as his colleague lost his balance and he had to catch him. He carried him to his bed and removed his mask to look first at his head wound.

He used his powers to check the Gotham vigilante's health. He used the precision of his vision layer by layer, checking the condition of skin, muscles, organs and bones. Bruce was in bad shape. Several fractures, a punctured lung and multiple open wounds. He carefully removed his battered suit, stopped a large hemorrhage with his sheets, and used his oversight to get the medical supplies he needed but did not have.

He had to cauterize a deep thigh wound with thermovision; the pain made the Bat scream and pass out. Clark figured it wasn't too bad for him. He cleaned, disinfected and stitched up the other wounds and rubbed ointment on the bruises, both old and new that he could see. Bruce's lung had made Clark's care more difficult, but he had finally managed to temporarily solve the problem.

Once he finished his work, dawn began to break. Clark sighed, anxious. He couldn't leave Bruce alone in such a state. He grabbed his phone, tapped the screen and sent a group message to his boss and co-workers. When the Daily Planet opened, he would call Perry.

With his decision made, he disappeared from his own apartment. His trip to Gotham City and back took no more than half an hour. He had searched Wayne Manor from top to bottom, finding no one. No Tim, no Alfred. As far as he could tell, they had been gone for a few days. So that explained why Bruce had arrived at his house and not the mansion.

He packed his own things, loaded his car and took Bruce down last. Clark couldn't stay in his apartment in Metropolis. He checked that everything was in order and then started the car.

Index

Ares : God of War, son of Zeus and therefore half-brother of Diana. He can materialize as many weapons as he wants and has other powers such as super-strength, super-weapon and flight.

Atom : aka Ray Palmer. He is a great scientific genius and the head of a large advanced technology company. His suit allows him to shrink to the atomic scale. Ray has very low self-esteem, which makes him remain very often in reduced scale when he is alone in his apartment.

Cheetah : aka Priscilla Rich. First person to be possessed by the guepard goddess Cheetah. As far as she is concerned, Priscilla is trapped in her own body by the entity Cheetah. In the eyes of the current Diana, she is a victim.

Captain Marvel/Shazam : aka Billy Batson. Captain Marvel is the original name of Shazam, before it was confused with the Marvel heroine, created later. Billy Batson is a child who has earned the power of the wizard SHAZAM, granting him powers equivalent to Superman when he summons them by shouting the name. To take on the appearance of the superhero or remove it, Billy simply invokes the magic by shouting SHAZAM. He is a big fan of Superman and hates fighting him whenever he is forced to.

Darkseid : Great conqueror and world destroyer from Apokolips. In this version, the JL was created after the superheroes joined forces to fight him and his army of parademons. He is one of the JL's biggest enemies.

Huntress : aka Helena Bertinelli. She is a superheroine using crossbows and hand-to-hand combat. She has worked with Green Arrow, Batman, Nightwing and is mostly part of the Birds of Prey team (with Batgirl/Oracle and Black Canary, who are the three founders).

Plasticman : aka Patrick O'Brian. This strange superhero of the golden age can stretch at will, uses telekinesis and metamorphosis. It is said that he is immortal, but it is not sure.

Robotman : aka Cliff Steele. He was saved by Will Magnus (The Chief) who created a robot body for him, made entirely of metal. Cliff is devoted to the Doom Patrol team.

Schott : aka Winn Schott. He is Kara's best friend and helps her as a supergirl. He is secretly in love with her.

Vixen : She has a magic totem around her neck which allows her to have a very close link with the animals and to recover their attributes (strength, speed, vision, flight etc). She can communicate with them.