Chapter 16: Valhalla

Bruce looked around the room without really seeing it. He didn't know why he had ended up there. There was nothing special here, no personal belongings whatsoever. The only thing was that it was Superman's room.

He stood there for a long time, cut off from any feelings, or thoughts. He was just totally empty. Unable to order his thoughts in any way, the Batman was for the first time totally helpless. He couldn't accept the idea. He couldn't get over the news. It was too hard.

He didn't know how long he stayed in Superman's room, how long it was before the news sunk into his mind and he finally came to terms with it. He couldn't afford to let this loss, however, no matter how great, stop him from acting. Someone had killed Clark and it wasn't Brainiac. His hatred immediately turned to Metallo, a sworn enemy of Superman who wanted him dead more than anything. Batman made a promise to himself: he would get him.

He decided to leave the room, this time with a hatred that knew no bounds. Anyone who got in his way would suffer the consequences. It was a promise he made to himself and to Clark. He returned to the common room, where many vigilantes were present, including those who had participated in the big operation on Cadmus. If they had all had time to return, then Bruce had spent a lot of time alone.

When Batman was spotted, the room fell silent. Some were crying, others were shutting up, and the reactions were different for each vigilante. Batman spotted those present and saw that many were missing, not to mention those who had been rescued. None of the Green Lanterns were there, not the sorceress, not the Green Arrow and Black Canary.

"What information were you able to gather?" he asked as the groups looked at him in disbelief.

The Flash and Nightwing stepped up to him.

"Batman, we're not debriefing now!" Flash exclaimed in shock.

"The faster we act, the more likely we are to find the culprits," Batman replied in a neutral tone.

Red Hood stepped forward and faced him.

"They've planned their escape well. It won't do any good. Gardner and Stewart have already done a complete sweep of the lab where we were: it's blown up. There's nothing left to recover. All the labs were blown up. "

Batman didn't want to believe it. There was always a clue somewhere. Always. Nightwing followed his train of thought and said in a lowered tone.

"There's nothing. We've lost track of them. "

He refused to believe it, but from the expression he could tell underneath his mask, Nightwing wasn't lying. He cared deeply for Superman, too, and Batman knew he too would do anything he could to avenge him.

"Besides, I think we all need a break," Flash continued. "You're certainly no exception. "

Batman didn't appreciate the remark, even though it was true.

He left the room, this time heading to the room where the bodies must surely be. There he found Zatanna, Black Canary and J'onn J'onzz bent over Kara's body as they sadly arranged it. Zatanna's magic helped a lot, and he arrived just as they were placing her in a coffin. The Watchtower had such items, because of the vaults they also had, several floors below.

He then turned his head to the others, who were dealing with Superman. He too had been cleaned up and made as presentable as possible, but the veins on his face told no one what he had been through before he died. Superman and Supergirl were far from having had a peaceful death. They had certainly died in fear and pain.

Cyborg stepped back when he saw him and told Green Arrow to step back as well. As Oliver passed by, he put a hand on his shoulder, but said nothing. They didn't need words.

After them, they led the others away, leaving Batman alone. Bruce removed his hood, leaning over Clark's body. This time he couldn't hope. He couldn't believe that Clark was out there somewhere and would come back. Because he was there this time. Seeing a dead person helped one grieve, they said. Bruce had experienced too much loss to know that was bullshit.

He pulled off his gloves and ran his fingers through Clark's curls one last time. When was the last time he'd done that? He couldn't remember. He wished he could have done more. To be able to tell him more. He realized, now that it was too late, how much he should have done for Clark. For them.

What he should have said, the last time he'd seen him. If only, at that party, Bruce had gone and held him back. If he'd explained, if he'd stayed, maybe Clark would still be there. Maybe they would have arrived in time to save him.

Why hadn't he done it? Why hadn't he worried about Clark's silence? Why had he had to keep all this kryptonite stuff from him? He knew why. Because that was the way he was. Too suspicious of others, too proud, too confident of himself. Clark was dead and the last image he would have of Bruce was that he had betrayed him. And because he was stupid, he would never know how Bruce felt. How Bruce saw him.

He wiped the tears of guilt from his cheeks with the back of his sleeve. Batman wasn't crying. He stroked Clark's forehead with his thumb one last time, then put his glove and hood back on. He would deal with the culprit himself.

Then he turned to Kara, where the lid of her coffin had been placed. It was better this way. Kara's condition was not pretty, and she did not deserve to be seen like this after her death. Kara Zor-El and Kal-El were dead. The last Kryptonians. It was the extinction of an entire race and from now on, the Fortress of Solitude would remain closed for good.

At this thought, something clicked in Bruce's mind. He brushed the idea aside and walked out of the room. Outside, the others were waiting for him. Flash and Wonder Woman were there too. Diana looked tired, but she was standing. She was devastated.

"Bruce... what are we going to do with them?" Oliver finally asked after a long silence.

It was a question no one had dared to ask out loud. Batman thought about it for a moment. Kara deserved to be in the spotlight too. Clark already had his statue, and an empty tomb.

"Kara belongs in Valhalla Cemetery. She deserves to have a ceremony worthy of her. "

His throat tightened for what he was about to say. It was harsh. Too hard. He lifted his head to look over, trying to keep more tears from falling. He took a deep breath, trying to speak in a confident manner.

"Kal has already had his ceremony. I think he'll be better off at home. "

The last word choked in his throat, but no one remarked. They would have to tell their family what had happened. Bruce couldn't see himself telling Martha Kent. They hadn't done it the last time, because it had been on the news and there was no body. And then he had died in public, as Superman. This time he had died without anyone knowing. His anonymity could be maintained. Superman's death did not need to be made public again.

Valhalla Cemetery was crowded, but silent. Supergirl's death had made the rounds, and after a moment for those who wished to be able to pay their respects in the Hall of Justice, which was open to all, the procession had moved on to Metropolis.

Supergirl's funeral was initially private. Only the heroes were allowed to enter and attend the ceremony, where it was Martian Manhunter who gave the eulogy. Artemis of Themyscira and The Flash spoke afterwards, and their words were more than moving.

A lot of people were there and usually didn't show up much. Animal Man and Alanna Strange had come together and Adam Strange, Alanna's husband, arrived a little later. No one minded. Everyone was upset, and some were also there to mourn Superman, whose funeral would not be held in the same place.

Then, after the burial, they opened the doors to the civilians. Many of them had come all the way from National City and it was likely that some of them knew Kara. There were many flowers, many tears. The heroes who had mastered some form of energy or magic decided to raise their fists to light up the sky with splendid colors. Somehow it was beautiful to see.

For a while, the graveyard was still silent, before a light hum of people talking here and there rose up. The moment of mourning was over. The heroes went away in small groups for the most part, to pass the grief. For the founding members of the League, it wasn't over yet. They had decided to do the Kryptonian ceremony at the same time.

Originally, they had planned to be just JL's founders for Clark's funeral. But other superheroes, close to him, had strongly insisted on coming. So, after a long and heated conversation during which Batman strongly refused, he finally gave in. Nightwing and Green Arrow had the strongest arguments. So, when it was time to leave, they changed places.

Their arrival was amidst the great din of the Cyborg Boom Tunnel. The first thing they heard was the Kents' dog barking, alerting the landlady who came out of the house. Despite wearing his mask, Batman was unable to look her in the eye the moment she saw them. He heard her cry of protest when she realized, and then the crying that followed.

Wonder Woman and Flash came to his side while the others stood back. Only the Amazon spoke, holding Martha Kent by the shoulders as she knelt on the ground, staring at the coffin behind them. At that moment, for her, it was as if none of them were present. She was staring at the coffin with her pained eyes.

Martha cried and cried and asked to see him several times. Despite their warnings, she pushed them all away and saw for herself the harsh sight of Clark's face, irradiated by kryptonite.

This moment was remembered by Batman because of Martha's reaction. When she saw his face, she stopped crying, caressed her son's face with affection, closed the lid and after a few long breaths, managed to get her emotions under control.

"How did he die? "

Martha's voice trembled, but the look in her eyes reflected her strength of character. He admired her in that moment, and had the deepest respect for her: she was facing up when he had collapsed. Then he answered her question.

"He fought to the end, for others. That's all there is to know. "

He could feel the warning look in Aquaman's and Wonder Woman's eyes. He'd been harsh in his words, but he couldn't do better. And strangely, Martha Kent didn't seem to mind. She just nodded.

"Give me some time. "

In turn, they all nodded and watched Martha walk back toward the house.

In silence, they carried the coffin to the cemetery beyond, where Jonathan Kent was buried. They prepared the grave themselves, Jordan allowing himself to use his ring. Batman looked at the others. The Green Lantern and Aquaman kept their faces closed, Cyborg, Green Arrow and Flash did not hide their grief, and Wonder Woman and Black Canary were broken up, each in their own way. Nightwing stood next to Bruce and clenched his fists, while Red Hood stood back, his red hood making it impossible to see the expressions on his face.

It was just them. Zatanna and the Martian Manhunter would have liked to come, but they refrained for Martha's sake. They waited for a while, then she came back in her mourning clothes, but did not join them right away. An SUV arrived later. All of the heroes were suspicious by reflex, only to be surprised to notice the priest's collar coming toward them.

When they reached them, they all had their eyes on the priest. Bruce realized that he had completely forgotten that, despite everything, Clark was still a devout believer. That was how he had been raised and even after learning his true origins and receiving his Kryptonian education, Clark had obviously retained some of his faith.

And suddenly, just when he thought he couldn't fall any lower, Bruce felt himself falling. This was a whole part of Clark's life that he didn't know. He had never asked about it, never cared about it. He hadn't wondered and had never asked Clark how he'd taken it all in, how he'd lived it. And even then, he had only recently started asking him questions. Clark, on the other hand, had taken an interest in him when they had first started to develop their friendship.

In fact, Clark was always interested in other people, because other people had always been important to him. Bruce, on the other hand, saw them more in terms of his analysis of them, of the danger they could represent, and it was always linked to his distrust and his obstinacy in analyzing others. That was why he had such a solitary life, and he had convinced himself that this was what suited him best, that this was what he had always wanted. As always, he had lied to himself.

He did not listen to the priest's ceremony, nor to the words that were exchanged. He did not notice the rain falling, nor the others leaving. He kept his eyes fixed on a tombstone that had no name, that marked the presence of the place where Clark would rest forever.

He looked up at the horizon, telling himself that where Clark was, perhaps he would be at peace. He was resting beside his foster father who had raised him, forged him and whom Clark had always admired. Bruce remarked to himself that if there was any place to bury the reporter, it was here. The reporter, not the superhero.

Bruce decided to leave as darkness began to take the place of the last rays of sunlight. There was no one left outside, but the lights were on inside the house and as he approached, he heard familiar voices.

He knocked before entering the kitchen and found Nightwing, Red Hood and Cyborg still present. Martha was sitting in front of a photo album, surrounded by Cyborg and Nightwing. Red Hood was standing but still looking at the pictures. They barely looked up when he arrived. Martha showed a picture of Clark, about ten years old, proudly wearing a medal around his neck.

"That day was the first day Clark had "saved" someone. Jonathan was fixing the harvester when he got his arm caught in the mechanism. Clark had him free in two seconds. Jonathan's arm was broken, not crushed. If you had seen them, Jonathan was so proud of himself. So when he got out of the emergency room, he went and bought a medal of some kind for Clark. He didn't let go of it for weeks."

She rotated a few photos of a young Clark proudly wearing his medal, taken at different times. Bruce could not help but smile slightly as he pictured the boy perfectly. In the photos, he could see him twirling around outside, playing with his dog, he could even hear him laughing. Being happy.

The pain in Bruce's chest made him turn his head and grit his teeth. He would eventually break, he knew. But not here. He waited a moment to get his emotions back under control and bury them as best he could. He cleared his throat before speaking to Martha for the first time.

"I will leave you now. I am sorry for your loss, Mrs. Kent. "

She looked up at him and gave him a faint, grateful smile.

"Thank you for bringing him back. "

Bruce nodded and looked up at Cyborg. Without them needing to speak, Victor stepped out to open a Boom tunnel for him. As he was about to walk through the door, he heard Martha say:

"You know, Clark had a great esteem for you. "

He paused, trying to think of what to say before finally giving in and leaving. He had no strength left to speak.

Batman grunted before entering the teleporter. He had received a call from Wonder Woman, asking him to meet her at the Watchtower. It was urgent, apparently. So he had come, because he was going around in circles trying to find the hiding place of Cadmus and their enemies.

When he arrived, the Amazon Princess was there, waiting in silence with Flash and the Martian Manhunter. Cyborg arrived just after Batman.

"I have decided to contact only you. I need your help. "

She nodded for them to follow and they went into a small private room. They sat around a table, waiting for Wonder Woman to explain.

"I think I know where Brainiac is. "

She placed a crystal with the Superman symbol in the center of the table. It lit up alternately, generating a faint blue glow.

"That's what he wanted most. Brainiac wants to get into the Fortress. Now that Kara and Kal are dead, he'll probably try to get in, or get the key. He's been trying to figure out where I hid it. I don't think he had time to find it, but I would probably be his target again. Kal has given me a big responsibility. I need to get out there. I need you to go with me. I don't like surprises. "

There was a long silence. Very long. Everyone was absorbing the condensed information. Diana was always the type to give information in a block.

"Basically, because of this key, you're being targeted by Brainiac, and probably other supervillains ? "

The Manhunter answered :

"Brainiac wants to conquer worlds, take over cultures. That's why he only kidnapped non-terrestrials. As for Wonder Woman and Green Lantern, their knowledge is far more important than yours. Superman told me about Brainiac's history with Kandor. He's sure to make that one of his priorities. "

J'onn seemed lost in thought as he finished his sentence.

"Are you sure about this, J'onn? "

He and Wonder Woman nodded.

"Brainiac left J'onn and me because he had Superman. Not only does he want all the Kryptonian knowledge for himself, he wants Kandor and the Fortress destroyed. I can't let that happen. "

Diana's gaze was more than determined. She knew that in this room, no one would refuse to go with her.

"Okay. When do you want us to leave? "

"As soon as you're ready. "

Bruce set the Batwing down where the ground looked most stable and took out the camouflage mode. There was no one around, but it took them one look to know that there had been a lot of traffic. They all descended to the icy ground to observe the damage to the environment.

There were big holes in the ground, debris of ice everywhere, melted in some places and cut clean in others. The further they went towards the Fortress, the more important the damage was. Brainiac had already tried to break into the Fortress, but obviously had not succeeded. The Fortress seemed to be intact, though its shape had changed.

"I imagined it to be a bit more welcoming," Flash said, looking at the large Kryptonian structure.

Barded with large spikes, the Fortress looked more like a giant ice urchin than a Kryptonian estate. Batman wasn't even sure if the gate was really facing them.

When they had about 20 meters to go, the Fortress began to move, attacking them with extended spikes. Cyborg narrowly avoided the one aimed at him, and they all dodged to get out of its reach.

"It's alive! Amazing!" exclaimed Flash, fascinated.

"I think she's in defensive mode. Show me your key, Diana," J'onn replied.

Wonder Woman nodded and revealed her crystal, approaching the Fortress warily.

Everyone followed her as she stepped forward, pointing the small crystal straight ahead. The spikes did not move and as they approached the walls, some of the spikes retreated and disappeared into the wall to reveal a door.

The five of them stood in front of the huge door, not knowing what to do. There was no notch or visible lock to insert the crystal. After several minutes of searching, Cyborg showed his impatience.

"Didn't he tell you how to open it? "

"No. I hope there's no Kryptonian spell to speak. "

"What if you think really hard? Maybe the crystal has a telepathic link to its owner," Barry suggested.

The Amazon closed her eyes and concentrated, but still nothing happened.

"Put the crystal against the wall," Batman suggested.

She tried, and this time she was completely absorbed by the wall and disappeared.

"Diana! "

They all rushed against the wall, which for them was perfectly solid. It was impossible to enter.

"Diana! Diana, can you hear us? "

J'onn's eyes flashed for a moment, and Cyborg activated his bionic eye.

"I can't sense her telepathically, and I can't get through the wall," said the Martian.

"I can't get any more information about the Fortress despite her presence. I can't do anything more," said Cyborg after his analysis.

Barry then tried to vibrate very fast, then took off. The other three men had just enough time to see a bolt of lightning go off, then come back on, before Barry slammed into the wall and fell to the ground. He didn't get up.

Cyborg sighed and bent down to shake him off. If Flash had managed to knock himself out against the wall, then the Fortress' security system was more than just highly developed. Bruce couldn't help but admire Jor-El as a scientist.

As they all searched for a solution on their own, the spikes suddenly began to diminish and disappear into the wall, taking on a more pleasing, artistic, smooth shape. From the outside, the Fortress was something truly beautiful. Then the door opened.

A heavy, menacing growl greeted them before they had even stepped through the door. Batman recognized it immediately, and stepped forward first to face the big white wolf with his lips curled up.

"Calm down, Krypto. You know me. "

Behind the wolf, Wonder Woman frowned at a screen in front of what appeared to be a control panel. The door closed behind them.

"Softly the doggie... " Barry tried awkwardly.

Krypto growled at him even more nastily. Next to him, a weird robot-like thing that looked vaguely like a large chrysalis floated above the floor.

"Because you call that a "doggie"?" commented Victor.

Bruce removed his mask so Krypto could see him. Krypto looked at them again, his hair still bristling, then finally shifted to let them pass without changing his posture.

"He doesn't seem to like you very much for a dog who knows you," Barry said.

"Krypto is quite protective, even possessive of Kal. "

At the mention of his master's name, Krypto lowered his growl. Diana came back to them at that point.

"I'm sorry, I'm not very good at this. I had to open the door from here to let you in. The Fortress tried to warn me of the intrusion I think. Since I've been inside, the crystal hasn't blinked. It took me a while to convince Krypto to let me touch the crystals. If I were you, I would only touch with my eyes. We are not welcome. "

She gestured with her chin to the Kryptonian dog and the robot, which disappeared into a wall. They nodded and looked around at their surroundings.

"We'll probably never be welcome with Krypto. Anyway, no one seems to have made it back. That's a good thing, " Bruce remarked.

The others looked at the scenery.

"Kryptonian architecture is very different from ours," J'onn commented to himself.

"And they could do better with decor. Except for a big main room and doors, I expected better," said Barry a little disappointed.

Cyborg activated his eye to observe the structure and its container.

"Hmm. Their technology is more than advanced. It's hard for me to hack into some of their data, and I can't translate Kryptonian. Maybe with a little more time... "

"And where is Kandor here? "

No one had the answer. They looked around the rooms. Flash came upon a second control room. They didn't know what it was for, they couldn't even understand the language.

Cyborg sat in this room, trying to decipher what he could. No one wanted to leave without exploring the place. The Fortress of Solitude was so mysterious and legendary, even to them. Even though they were close to Superman, he had never invited people inside the Fortress. However, in the event of a critical situation where all of the League's safe havens were compromised, the instruction for League members was to go to the Fortress. This was a last resort, and Bruce could easily understand why.

They opened another room that opened into a sort of private lounge with even less decor than in the Cave. Kal didn't seem to have customized the place, he'd left it as it was, with white tones throughout, mixing technology and crystal. Bruce opened another room that held something a little more interesting: Superman's outfits.

"Gee, I didn't think he had a lot of different ones," Flash said in wonder.

"He explained to me that sometimes he needed to change. His suit is more of an artifact, like these. They don't have the same abilities," J'onn said.

They all looked at the costumes in the window, some still on the same colors, others gray or black. They all had the symbol of the House of El. Apart from their design, one could spot the differences by the material. Depending on the mesh of the fabric, or the reinforced parts.

"Some are stronger than others. I think this one allows it to absorb solar radiation," Diana said, pointing to a white suit.

"And this one can go in the water," Bruce added, looking at a suit with a very distinctive collar.

It was like visiting some kind of Superman exhibit. During the visit, they almost all forgot that he was missing. Bruce felt even more guilty about this. Until another room was opened, with more sights inside.

This time, Krypto firmly objected to them going down the hallway they had just revealed. He nearly bit Diana and scratched J'onn, who had the reflex to use his ability to dematerialize his body. So they decided to try again later and opened another room, the last one.

It looked a bit like a laboratory or infirmary, with all kinds of technological facilities. Bruce, J'onn and Barry couldn't help but be in awe of the room and their scientific souls soon surfaced. They searched the place to examine every object.

Barry and Bruce lingered on a large mechanical arm attached to an examination chair, the functionality of which was not obvious at first glance. No doubt this thing had multiple capabilities, but there were no instructions for use.

"How could Clark use all this without a manual? "

Across the room, leaning over another machine, J'onn answered without turning to them:

"He got his Kryptonian education. Maybe he learned everything at once. "

Barry nodded.

"Maybe. He should have left a guide for non-Kryptonians behind in my opinion. "

There was an awkward silence, where Flash realized how indelicate his words were. It was too soon. It was Wonder Woman's intervention that broke the silence.

"What's that? "

They all turned their heads in her direction. She was looking at a kind of large box with a glass lid. It was the Martian who had the answer.

"A regeneration chamber. Used for further analysis, but mostly for situations requiring major care. "

"Why would Superman need serious treatment? He regenerates in the blink of an eye," Barry pointed out.

"Superman doesn't regenerate everything. The chamber works by cellular repair and replacement, not just on traumatic injuries. Unfortunately, it didn't work for Kara," said J'onn.

Bruce quickly understood why. Kara's situation with the loss of her powers probably indicated cellular damage, and even if the chamber regenerated them, the cells would continue to decline.

"And... how well does it work?" asked Barry, obviously having an idea in mind.

"I don't know. Kal and Kara told me that this technology was very effective. It had controlled Kara's situation for a while. "

Barry took a closer look at the chamber. He definitely had an idea in mind. Did he want to take it and use it? After all, it could be useful to them.

"Can we put anyone in it? "

J'onn nodded.

"Kryptonian technology for Kryptonian biology. It won't be of any use anymore. "

Everyone looked at Barry, who looked more than a little pensive.

"Well, I'm not so sure about that. "

And Barry said out loud the idea he had. It was like starting a storm.

Index

Adam Strange : An Earth archaeologist who normally lives on the planet Rann with his wife, Princess Alanna. He is a superhero on this planet thanks to technology. He is an ordinary human, and makes occasional appearances in some JL comics. I liked the idea of evoking old and rather unknown DC superheroes ;)

Alanna Strange : Princess Rannian. Her father, the scientist Sardath, is the one who is at the origin of the arrival of Adam Strange on his planet.

Animal Man : aka Buddy Baker, it can temporarily absorb the abilities of the animals around it (example: the bird's ability to fly, the eel's electric discharges, etc.)

Valhalla Cemetery : The superhero cemetery, which is located in Metropolis. It is open to all, and even non-JL superheroes can be buried there. They allow civilians to be able to honor the heroes as well.