Bruce lies in his bunk, chewing over the information gleaned from the briefing and the meeting with the rest of the expedition team. Superman has not been seem since the impact, and some form of radiation is rendering all attempts at remote photography useless.
Wayne Labs scientists have assured them that the radiation poses no threat to humans, but will likely cause malfunctions in any electrical systems the closer they get to the impact site. There has been a high level of degradation in the satellite photos of the site, and visual confirmation is unable to be made. This will require a team of people to physically reach Superman.
*Lucky thing I've cultivated a reputation as a modern day explorer, no one seemed suspicious. Bruce Wayne is exactly the kind of person to mount an excursion to a frozen wasteland. I'll just have to act relatively inexperienced, but not incompetent.*
Bruce's thoughts are interrupted by a knock at the cabin door. He pulls himself into a seated position, swinging his legs over the side of the bunk.
"Come in."
The door eases open, and Alfred takes a half step into the room, closing the door behind him,
"Begging your pardon, sir, but the princess and I were about to be off. I just wanted to wish you safe travels on your voyage, what with these treacherous waters and all."
"I appreciate the concern, Alfred. But why are you traveling to Themyscira with Diana?"
"Master Bruce, I believe someone has to ensure your yacht ends up back in the Wayne shipyard."
Bruce smiles.
"And I'm sure you'll be leaving as soon as Ms. Prince departs, no sightseeing on my dime?"
Alfred frowns. He draws himself up even straighter than usual, looking down his nose at Bruce.
"I will have you know that in my time working for you, I have accrued over five hundred paid vacation days, and I intend to use every one of them consecutively."
He smiles and winks.
"Just as soon as you do, Master Bruce."
8 Days Later
The last snowmobile sits, icy flakes gathering on the treads of the immobile vehicle. It has fuel, everyone agrees that it is mechanically sound. Just like all the others in the past few days, it is, for all appearances, in perfect working condition. The team declares it a lost cause, and begins to distribute the load among themselves, leaving much behind.
In the distance, they can make out the jagged mound of the impact site, its disturbingly angular silhouette disrupting the eerie flatness of the surrounding plain. The wind, unimpeded in it's journey across the tundra, pulls at the adventurers' clothes; seeking a way past the layers of cloth and polypropylene to nip at the flesh of the explorers.
The group plods on, ignoring the wind as they have ignored the bone-deep chill of the southern extremes since they began their journey. Bruce falls in line as they trudge toward the blight on the landscape that is their destination. Allowing his mind to wander, he steps in the footprints left by the others in the snowy earth.
10 Months Earlier
Daily Planet Exclusive
The recent explosion at Star Labs was disastrous, but it has also shown the world a new kind of hero. "Superman" and the "Wonder Woman" were quickly on-site to assist in the disaster response.
Officials estimate that at least one third of the survivors would not have been found if not for the help of these "SuperHeroes." This event has pushed the existence of these powerful individuals into the public eye.
Despite some critics, chief among them Billionaire Lex Luthor, public support of this new generation of heroes is overwhelming.
-L. Lane
Following the Star Labs incident, a series of explosions begins to be reported around the world. Specialists and investigators are perplexed at the lack of any signs of explosives at these locations. Terrorist activity is assumed to be the cause, but no group claims responsibility. The destruction continues, with as many as 19 cases reported in a single 24 hour period.
Further investigation leads to the discovery of identical damage that has taken place in rural, often undeveloped or unoccupied areas. Fears of attack turn to conspiracy theories. Climate change is blamed, as are various government agencies with acronyms for names. Eventually, extraterrestrials make their way into the conversation.
Fears begin to circulate that this could, in fact, be an attack by some alien race, perhaps drawn to Earth by the subatomic research being performed at Star Labs. The rumors are viciously derided by most media outlets, as well as on social media. An internet forum begins a rumor that gains a surprising amount of traction, ironically or not, that Superman himself is an extraterrestrial, as his abilities are simply not achievable by normal men.
Superman has not been available for comments to the media, as usual.
The eventual re-opening of Star Labs draws much controversy, having been barely half a year since the initial explosion. As a precaution, and to quell public alarm, the Laboratory's directors reach out publicly to request that Superman attend their first test of the newly rebuilt particle accelerator. Superman obliges, and the day of the test sees thousands of people gathered outside Star Labs, desperate to catch a glimpse of the famous hero.
The test starts up, and after a tense moment, everyone breathes a sigh of relief. The test is successful, the machinery shuts back down and the monitors begin displaying technical data. Superman congratulates the scientists on their accomplishments and wishes them all luck in their endeavors. Outside, Superman agrees to a rare photo-shoot with the fans gathered. As the crowd surges forward, a massive explosion rocks the square.
Photojournalist Jim Olsen captured the following footage:
The image pans across the wreckage of downtown Central City, focusing on Superman moving large debris at the direction of the CCFD. The image zooms out to show the wider destruction, when suddenly a blinding light blows out the image, and the audio is distorted by a massive BOOM.
The image comes back into focus as it zooms in on the bright blue and red of Superman. The dust settles, revealing a young man lying on the ground at the feet of the Man of Steel. The dark-haired youth clutches the hero's legs tightly. The image focuses on the crying teenager. He looks up at the superhero, terrified.
"Please, help me."
Now
They have set camp for the night again, despite the sun still grudgingly refusing to dip below the distant horizon. After an unsatisfying dinner of tinned meat and vegetables with the team, Bruce retires for the night. Crawling into his single tent and securing the flap, he wriggles into his thermal sleeping bag and zips it closed. He rolls onto his back, staring at the low roof of his tent as he tries to find a comfortable spot on the light foam padding of the tent floor.
*What happened to you, Clark?*
Giving up on comfort, Bruce rolls onto his side and closes his eyes.
3 Months Earlier
"Because the technology doesn't exist, Clark. Unless you want to strap this kid to a slab and keep him drugged up for the rest of his life, there's nothing my company can do."
Clark Kent runs his fingers through his unruly hair, raking the curls off his brow as he growls in frustration.
"What if you tried examining the tech from my pod? Maybe it has some sort of special properties?"
Bruce shakes his head, "Not that would be helpful, I've already checked."
"Well, what abou- Wait, when did you check?"
"Not important."
"It just isn't right, Bruce."
"Look, I'm sorry I broke your trust about the pod, but-"
Clark holds up a hand to stop his friend. He looks around the dimly lit cavern, collecting his thoughts. Bruce is disturbed to see despair in the man's face, for the first time he can recall.
"I can do so much, you know? I can do what no one else can, but I don't know how to save this kid."
"Clark, I know you're strong, but-"
"You don't get it, man. I'm not just strong. I never really messed with my powers when I was a kid, but I've been testing my limits ever since you talked to me all those years ago."
He begins to pace about between the display cases and shelving units. His voice grows more intense as he continues.
"I can melt steel, see through almost anything if I concentrate, blow wind so cold it causes things to frost over. I can hold my breath for what feels like forever. I've been to the bottom of the ocean, miles offshore. Hell, I've been to space, man, I even made it to the moon one time in 15 minutes."
He looks back to Bruce with a small smile of embarrassment.
"Guess I got carried away there, but I'm just saying that it really feels like I should at least be able to do something, because it seems like I can do a little bit of everything."
"Hold on, space?"
Clark grins, his eyes lighting up with pride.
"Space."
Bruce turns to a nearby computer console and begins quickly typing into the attached keyboard, muttering quietly to himself, "15 minutes..."