Arms folded, Bruce Wayne leaned back in his chair, glaring at the large monitor in the Batcave. A CNN reporter spoke to the camera, while behind her firefighters emerged from the Capitol Building.

"From the initial footage of the fight between Superman and the suspect," said the attractive, raven-haired reporter, "now identified as Garfield Lynns, also known as the costumed arsonist Firefly, experts theorize that Superman crushing the flamethrower caused the internal pressure to build to the point the weapon exploded. At last count, thirty-one people in the hearing room were killed, including Senator June Finch and five other senators on her committee. Another twenty-seven were injured, including two other senators."

Bruce shook his head. The alien son-of-a-bitch couldn't have blown out those flames with his freeze breath? Or just grabbed Firefly and flown him out of the building? Did he not know the risk of plugging up a flamethrower?

Did he not care?

"You've been watching this for three hours." He heard Alfred's voice behind him. "No doubt the reporters are repackaging the same information twenty different ways. Do you really hope to learn anything new?"

"I may if I keep watching." Bruce did not turn away from the monitor.

"I think you're only watching this to further fuel your anger at Superman."

Bruce swung around to face his butler. "You think I shouldn't be worried? Or concerned? Over thirty people are dead and almost as many were injured."

"Yes, it is a tragedy, but do you think he wanted that to happen? Remember . . ." Alfred pointed at him. "You made your share of mistakes in your early days as Batman."

"None of my mistakes caused the deaths of dozens of innocents." Bruce sprang out of his chair. "Thousands when you include the Battle of Metropolis. How much more proof do you need that this alien is doing more harm than good?"

"And with all the lives he had saved, all the good he has done, when will you realize he is not our enemy?"

"Maybe not today, but how many more incidents like this will happen?" Bruce aimed a finger at the newscast. "How many times will the authorities let him walk without any consequences? How many more will die before he believes he can get away with anything?"

"This is all speculation on your part." Alfred stepped closer to him. "You have no idea whether or not that will happen."

"Even if there is a one percent chance it could happen we have to take it as absolute fact, and we need to be prepared."

He brushed past Alfred and strode toward the glass case containing his batsuit. "And need that Kryptonite from Luthor, now."

"Are you even certain it will work?" asked Alfred.

"All the tests indicated the radiation killed Kryptonian cells. It has to work."

"It kills Kryptonian cells, you say?"

"Yes." Bruce punched in the code on the case's electronic keypad.

"Does that mean you plan on killing Superman?"

Bruce's hand froze before he grasped the handle. The word "kill" echoed in his head and sent a chill down his back.

"Are you going to do that which you pledged never to do?" Alfred's tone was somber. "Are you willing to risk your soul over something that might not ever come to pass?"

Bruce stared at the floor, clenching a fist. His shoulders rose and fell with slow breaths. A minute of silence passed before he turned to Alfred. "We're not talking about the fate of a city or even this country. We're talking the fate of the human race. I'll do whatever I have to to stop him."

XXXXX

Clark's stomach churned as he walked through the darkened streets of Washington. The images from the burned out hearing room haunted him. The sight of charred bodies, the sickening smell of burnt flesh.

All my fault.

He trudged across Columbus Circle and into Union Station. Several people passed the time waiting for their trains in front of televisions. All were tuned to news stations, and all of them ran the same story. The explosion at the Superman hearings.

Clark avoided eye contact with everyone. How many blamed him for the blast? What would they think if they knew Superman was walking right past them? He got a hint of that when he was being interviewed by the police and fire investigators. The mistrust, the fear in their eyes was evident. How many more people across the country, around the world, felt the same?

He found Lois at the platform for the train back to Metropolis.

"Clark." She hugged him tight. "I'm so sorry."

He buried his face in her neck. "It happened again." His voice was barely a whisper. "I tried to save people and . . . why does this keep happening?"

"It's not your fault."

"Isn't it?" Clark slid out of their embrace, and checked around to make sure no one was within earshot. "Maybe my dad was right. Maybe the world isn't ready for someone like me." He bit his lip for a moment. "Maybe I'm not ready for these kinds of powers."

Eyes glistening, Lois put a hand on his cheek. He waited for her to utter her usual words of wisdom, to try and make him feel better, to renew his purpose in this world.

She said nothing.

What could she say? What words could possibly erase what he had done?

They sat on a bench in silence, holding hands, waiting for the train. He thought of the Superman suit beneath his clothes, and cringed. Would the world be better off if he got rid of it? If he became only Clark Kent? General Zod and his Kryptonian renegades were all gone. There were no superpowered beings to threaten humanity. All the threats in the world could be handled by law enforcement or the military, or other costumed heroes. The sane, responsible ones like Green Arrow or the Atom, not the lunatics like Batman and the Question.

How badly was Superman needed?

Lois's phone chimed. She looked at the screen, as did Clark.

Perry had sent a text message. You still in DC?

Yes, Lois texted back.

Good. Get reax from our congresswoman and our U.S. senators on the President's announcement.

"What announcement?" asked Clark

Lois's thumbs hovered over the phone's keyboard graphic, ready to text Perry. "No, I better not ask. Then Perry will go, 'What kind of a reporter are you that you don't know?'"

She accessed a news website and played a video of the President's press conference, which aired ten minutes ago.

"Federal agents are combing the remains of the hearing room, gathering evidence from today's explosion. While they have not reached a definitive conclusion, the video from the last few seconds leading up to the blast is very troubling. Until the FBI and other agencies have concluded their investigation into today's tragedy at the Capitol, I must ask Superman to suspend all his crimefighting and public safety activities."

TO BE CONTINUED