Chapter 2: Paralyzed

"Courage is being scared to death... and saddling up anyway." - John Wayne

Metropolis

There's an accident occurring atop of Metropolis' popular monorail, citizens fighting to survive the wreckage that has them hanging off a ledge and very near death if any of them should fall.

"Superman!" The crowd yelled in hysterics. "Superman HELP!"

In a blink of an eye, Superman saves the day. "It's all right, everybody. You're safe," he assured them before leaving them to the civilian help and flying away.

Wayne Manor

"Clark?" Bruce says as he exits his foyer, he found his long-time friend in his study. "What brings you here?"

"I was wondering if we could talk?" replied Clark.

"Sure. It's been lonely here lately, how's my Godson?" he says, pouring himself a drink. "Thirsty?" he asks Clark.

He shakes his head. "No, thank you." Clark removes his eye-glasses. "Jon's good. Won his first court case the other day," he softly beamed.

"I heard," Bruce smiled. The young man was just as strong-willed as his parents. He noted the diminished look on his friends face. "What's wrong, Clark?"

Clark inhaled deeply, gathering his thoughts. "I don't know anymore. The more I try to connect with him, the more I push him away," he tries to explain sadly. Since his mother disappeared, nothing has ever been the same. Clark couldn't even bring himself to admit that Lois is gone.

"It's been twelve years, Clark. You're not the only man here who lost her. We all miss Lois too"

Long before Lois's death, Bruce Wayne, Diana and all the rest of the JLA and JSA decided it was in baby Jonathan's best interest to keep their distance. He was legally Jonathan's Godfather, and Diana, also known as Wonder Woman, is his Godmother.

For the first three years of Jonathan's life, they were very much apart of it, but as he grew older, and a little more aware, they began playing the role of acquaintance and business associate, only glimpsing at him when he wasn't looking.

"Then why do I have this feeling like it isn't over?" Clark argued, defiantly. "Like there's something out there just beyond my reach?"

"I don't know," admits Bruce, finishing his drink. "You and Lois were married a long time. You made a child together. You've even been to hell and back together, I think it's natural that you still feel connected to her"

Clark didn't reply, for the life of him, he didn't want to, not to that.

Harvard University, Fall Season

Every morning, just before the sun would come up, Jonathan would run. He'd run as far and as fast as his legs can take him. In high school, besides his academic studies, he developed an interest in sports like basketball, soccer and track.

He avoided football like a plague. Not because he couldn't play, but because of two reasons. One, he can't imagine himself wearing tights and two, his father.

It was his game, so like any misguided teenager; he stayed far away from it.

Now that he's a little older now, he regrets not having to at least try.

Looking up into the morning sky, it started to rain. Jonathan starts to quicken his steps, and as rain hit floor, so did he.

"AH!" he gasped, falling to his knees on the pavement. He could barely breathe. He coughs, and coughs and coughs, both hands lay flat in front of him, the rain drowning it. He tries to breathe as his body suddenly chills.

Something fog like surrounds him, and before he could even contemplate what had just happened, his hands and knees were buried in ice.

He looked at it, scared yet astonished.

What just happened?

Slowly picking himself up, he noticed he barely put any effort removing his hands and knees up the frozen puddle of water.

"What the…" Looking at his hands, he felt completely unharmed.

To be continued…