Rating: T
Where else can I find this story? All five parts are on the first page of Part 5 of the original Young Justice Anon Meme on LiveJournal.
Hero
Masks, Part V
Chapter 19: Goodbyes
Conner is flying again.
Or maybe, it would be better to say that he's floating. He can't really steer, but that's fine… there isn't any place to go.
There isn't anything at all.
And yet, the nothingness feels remarkably pleasant. Like he could float in it forever.
But then there's a touch on his hand… he'd know that touch anywhere.
It's M'gann.
Her touch breaks the barrier and the pleasant nothingness breaks like the film of a popped bubble, and with it gone, a torrent of pain rushes over him.
But there's still M'gann.
He opens his eyes and tries to get up, but another hand presses down on his shoulder.
"Don't move."
He groans, but lies back. Everything hurts, so it sounds like a good idea.
M'gann stands up and brushes his hair out of his eyes. "How are you feeling babe?" she asks. Her voice is soft and sad and worried.
"Like I was gutted like a fish," he says and is surprised at the sound of his voice. It's hoarse and weak.
"Babe, do you remember what happened?" she asks. She looks so sad. He wishes she didn't look so sad.
Conner tries to remember. "Lois, she was treating Clark to hot dogs." Conner squeezes his eyes shut. "And then… and then…
"Huh. That's weird."
"What's weird, babe?"
"It was like I was back in Cadmus and Dr. Spence was grilling me. That didn't happen, right?"
"No babe.
"Superman's outside," she tells him after a short while. "So are Martha and Jonathan and Lois, and the team. Doctor Midnite wouldn't let them wait in the room."
"Can they come in now?" he asks.
M'gann nods. "I'll call them in." She doesn't move, but a minute later, Conner hears the door to the door swoosh open and the footsteps of people entering.
It's Clark and Lois and Martha and Jonathan and Wally and Artemis and Kaldur.
Batman and Robin shine by their absence. Conner doesn't say anything about it.
Everyone looks miserable. No one says anything. Conner feels like squirming uncomfortably under the weight of their silence, but everything hurts too much.
So instead, he makes a joke.
"You guys all look like you just went to a funeral. Seriously, who died?"
But no one laughs, and M'gann just starts crying.
It worries him.
"Did someone die?" Please let this not be the reason Batman and Robin aren't here, he finds himself praying.
Clark, dressed like Superman, but standing like Clark, walks up and puts his hand on his other arm. Connor looks down and for the first time, realizes his hand is in a cast.
"No, Conner… nobody's died…" but there's something uncomfortable about the way Clark's voice lingers at the end of that sentence. Like it isn't true, or like there's something else.
"That's good," Conner says because he has no idea what else to say.
"He doesn't remember what happened," M'gann tells them.
Clark takes a deep breath. He sighs. Then he looks at Conner. His eyes are so blue and so clear, one might think he wasn't human (and he isn't) but the intensity of the pain in them… there's nothing more human than that.
"You were shot," Clark explains.
"That explains a lot," Conner says. Lightly. Like it isn't anything.
"You jumped in front of me. Saved my life. It was very brave of you. Thank you." The guilt coming off of Clark is so heavy, Conner can almost feel it.
"It's ok Clark. You don't have to feel guilty about it."
"Conner." Superman bites his lip. He clearly doesn't know what to say.
"The last thing I remember is you eating hot dogs. What happened, between then and now?"
"Deathstroke. You said it was Deathstroke. He shot at me. I heard the bullet, but I couldn't duck out of the way… it would have hurt Lois. You… you jumped in front of me… took the bullet for me.
"It was Luthor. It had to have been Luthor. The bullet—God! It's such an evil weapon… it had a kryptonite shard in it. It was designed to explode shortly after impact… This… Jesus Christ, I don't know what's wrong with Luthor! These things have been outlawed in wartime since 1868!"
Conner tries to take a deep breath. It comes of as a gasp.
"You don't have to feel so guilty, Clark," he tells him.
"Conner…"
"No… I mean it. That bullet was obviously meant for me. Luther doesn't know you're Superman. If he had just wanted to shoot you dead, he wouldn't have wasted the kryptonite. If the point was for the bullet to go through me in case I jumped in front of you, it wouldn't have exploded on impact. In fact, if you were the real target, he would have just waited a week and targeted you after you moved to the Middle East. It'd be easier to hide his involvement that way. And… Deathstroke, now that I think of it, would have aimed for your head. He would have been able to make the shot, but it would have been harder for me to stop it.
"Luther hasn't made a move against you since you published the article. But, he's been targeting me. And, the first thing I did when I met him was jump in front of Wally after Mercy shot at him.
"He assumed I'd do the same for you. And he planned accordingly.
"It's not your fault. There's nothing you could have done. I didn't think it could have been kryptonite… the thought didn't occur to me. But, even if I'd known, it… it wouldn't have made a difference." He smiles weakly, trying to reassure Clark. "Besides, you got me to the Watchtower in time. With kryptonite poisoning. Can't have been easy. How'd you do it?"
Clark pulls Lois to his side. "With Lois," he says, and the two of them, standing side by side look so right. "She helped me get you to your car—thank God Batman had the foresight to line it with lead. I flew the car to Bruce's penthouse and we zetabeamed up here from there."
Conner smiles. "And people think Batman's paranoid. So, you see, Batman's planning, your quick thinking got me to the hospital in time. You saved my life!"
When everyone including Clark starts crying, Conner takes it as bad news.
He's not entirely surprised by what Clark says next.
"No. We didn't."
There's nothing he can say to that. So he just says, "Oh."
"Conner…" Lois speaks up for the first time. "I… I… don't know what—how—to tell you…"
"You're Lois Lane," he says with a smile, because someone in the room has to smile. "Give it to me straight. You don't mince words Ms. Lane."
She sniffles, then nods. The wipes her eyes.
"It was the kryptonite. Most of it was embedded in your liver… Doctor… Doctor Midnite said it was probably unsalvageable from… from… the second the kryptonite shard shattered inside of you… but by the time he was able to get to you… the… the tissue… was… oh fuck it Clark—what was the word he used?"
"Necrotic," Clark says grimly. "His exact words were that the tissue was completely necrotic."
It's a lot to process.
Everyone is silent for five minutes. Apparently, Conner's liver is dead. He licks his lips.
"So… how am I alive right now?"
"We have you on liver dialysis."
The response is automatic: "Detoxification treatment for liver failure; similar to hemodialysis and based on the same principles. Cannot support a patient for an extended period of time."
"No… It can't." Clark confirms.
"So, I'm going to die." It's not a question.
"Yes." Clark closes his eyes. Tears are streaming down his cheeks. "We don't know how long this solution will last. Certainly not a week. Maybe not even a day."
"I see," Conner says quietly. He studies Clark's features. And it's strange, because it's Superman, but it's Clark. Idly, he thinks in wonder about how the only mask Superman wears is his face. It's such a familiar face… but, now that he studies it, he realizes it's not exactly like his own, and he wonders if if he had managed to live for another decade, whether he would have ended up looking exactly like Clark, or whether time and life would have intervened. As it is, time and death have. Or will.
There's a question nagging at Conner. But he doesn't dare ask it because he's terrified of what the answer might be.
Martha asks it for him. "I don't understand," she says, her voice betrays the fact that she's been crying for a while. "Can't you just give him a lobe of yours?"
"I really wish I could…" and Clark looks like he looked when he thought Batman was dead. Like there will never be sunshine again. He looks down at his hands, like he doesn't know what to do with them. "I really don't understand. It doesn't make any sense to me. Doctor Midnite says I'm not a compatible donor. He showed me your health file. It has a big note in bold print: 'Nota bene: Superman is NOT a compatible donor.' I yelled at him. I don't understand. You're my clone; we're supposed to be genetically identical. But we're not! It doesn't make any sense. I had him test my blood again… it confirmed what was in the file. I don't understand Conner. I really don't."
Conner licks his lips. "I do."
Clark's eyes widen. "What do you mean?"
"After I… after I spoke with Luthor, I talked to Batman. He said something about why Luthor could never get the cloning process to work… something about your DNA being damaged by the kryptonite Luthor used to get it. Batman said Desmond did something different. He must have… I don't know. Fiddled with the DNA. Made it different somehow."
"Different enough that I can't give you a lobe of my liver."
"It's OK," Conner says. "It's OK. I got to live, and the cost of living… the cost of living is always dying. And that's what makes life worth living, isn't it? Otherwise… well look at people like Vandal Savage and Ra's al Ghul. And you know, if this is where it ends… that's… not exactly great, but it's not bad. Not bad at all. Better this than going like Bizarro, right?
"So, don't worry about it. I'm a lucky guy."
"Lucky?" M'gann sobs. "How can you call yourself lucky?"
He turns his head to face her and smiles, as genuine a smile as has ever graced his lips. He squeezes her hand.
"I'm sure Kid Flash agrees with me, right, KF?"
"Yeah, yeah, of course, buddy," Wally answers, trying really hard to keep himself from devolving into a bloody mess of tears.
"Because see, I've got the most beautiful creature in the whole universe by my side, and so I must be the luckiest guy alive. I didn't even have to judge any beauty contests or start any wars to be with you.
"And I have fantastic friends. And I've had amazing adventures. And you know, it's like, what? Luthor tries to clone Superman a gazillion times, and I'm the only one who doesn't fall apart? I'd call that good luck. And then, I get freed by three of the coolest dudes ever? Awesome! And like I said: best girlfriend of all time. And I even got to fly… Three year olds die all the time, but how many three year olds get to have a beautiful, smart, loving, kind shapeshifter for a girlfriend? Huh?" He smiles suggestively at M'gann, like this is another one of their games.
And she laughs, which is all he's ever really wanted. And then her peals of laughter turn to sobs, and she takes his hand and starts to bathe it in tears and kisses. "Connor, Connor, Connor, Connor, I love you so much."
"I know, I know… I love you at least as much. Actually, guys, can I get a moment with M'gann?"
Clark nods, and one by one, they turn to leave.
Once they're alone, M'gann completely falls apart.
[I don't want you to go,] she says telepathically, because she can't get the breath for words through her sobs, [I don't want you to leave me.]
Conner swallows. It's hard. It feels like kryptonite had been lodged in his throat rather than his torso. He moves his hand to cup her chin. [I know, I know… but… Oh, M'gann, I did mean what I said. I love you. I adore you. I love you more than anything. I'd cut my own heart out for you, except, you are my heart. And really, at this point, the only regret is that we won't be able to grow old together. To have a family. Oh, and that we never got to join the mile high club without the bioship.]
M'gann can't suppress the laugh that gets out through the sobs.
[But in all honesty, I'd rather have had an hour with you, hell, even a minute with you, over an eternity without you. And I want you to remember, that I love you.] His hand drifts down to her chest, right above where she keeps her heart while in humanoid form. [I'll always be with you, here.]
[I love you so much, I don't know what I'd do without you.]
[Promise me one thing,] he begs.
[Anything my love.]
[Try not to be sad. I can't stand it when you're sad. I'd never forgive myself if I made you sad.]
M'gann doesn't answer. But she gets up and plants a kiss on his forehead, and then another on his lips. He loves the feel of her on him, loves the taste of her against his lips.
[I'm going to be greedy,] he tells her.
[You're never greedy,] she says.
[I… I want to see you…]
She could answer that he is seeing her. But she doesn't. He can feel her tremble, even as she kisses him.
[Please,] he pleads.
[For you, my love.] She stands up and she starts to morph, the green skin and humanoid features dissolving into something that has only the most cursory of similarities to a human.
A fool might think it an ugly form. A monstrous form.
Conner thinks she's lovely.
She's too tall for him to reach her face, but the takes her hand—at least, he thinks that's probably her hand. [Like I said, most beautiful creature in the Universe. How lucky am I?]
[You think I'm beautiful?]
[I think the stars should weep with envy.] He pulls her hand to his lips and kisses it. [Can, can we do that soul-bleeding thing, like we did that night after Luthor?]
And as she pulls him into her, as he bleeds into her soul and has her soul bleed into his, until they're one and the same, Conner can't help but wonder how M'gann could ever have doubted that she was beautiful.
When they're done, he doesn't have to tell M'gann anything else. She knows everything there is to know about him. And she's stopped crying. She doesn't look so sad anymore. She morphs back into the green humanoid girl with red hair, and goes to fetch Kid Flash.
There isn't much to say to Wally. They just chat, about nothing and everything, about old adventures.
"You know," he says finally, "I've recently acquired a new hobby."
"Yeah. Playing matchmaker. I was trying to set Clark with Lois."
"Pretty crazy, isn't it?" Wally asks. "Clark Kent, turns out to be the Man of Steel…"
"I think it's the other way around. Superman turns out to be a mild-mannered reporter. How's Lois handling it?"
"Surprisingly well," Wally says. "She, uh, is alternating between trying to beat him up and hugging him and crying into his chest."
Conner laughs. "That's a good sign. There might be room for my evil master plan to work after all. Can I ask you to keep an eye on them? Nudge them together? They're not very smart."
"No prob. Dick'll be all over it too. We'll be a pair of regular cupids."
"You know who my next project was going to be?" Conner asks.
"Who?"
"You and Artemis. Unfortunately, I seem to have run out of time, so this is my last gambit. I'm pretty sure the way her heart speeds up when she sees you means she likes you. A lot. And, it's kinda hard to tell, because your heart is so fast anyway, but I think you like her too. So like, you should ask her out on a date. To a movie about ninjas."
Wally laughs. "You remember Byalia?"
"Yeah…"
"When we woke up, and didn't remember who we were, she thought her father had put her up to killing me. She came up with a stupid excuse about watching a movie on TV about ninja's where the ninja girl's ninja dad had forced her to kill her ninja boyfriend."
"Maybe Artemis should go into screenwriting; I'd watch that movie."
Wally nods. "I would too, actually."
Conner sighs. "But, but… if things don't work out with Artemis and you're still interested in M'gann—
"Stop. Stop. Stop. Nope. You are not going to give me permission to hook up with your girlfriend after you're dead."
Conner smiles wickedly. "Course I'm not. M'gann can do whatever she wants. She doesn't need my permission. I was going to say, that if you ever hurt her, I will haunt you forever."
"You were totally going to give me permission," Wally says. "And you won't be able to haunt me." He wipes at his eyes. "Dammit Supey," his voice breaks as he uses the old nickname, "I've got something in my eye. But like I was saying, you won't be able to haunt me. You'll be too busy being in heaven."
Conner knows Wally's lying. He knows Wally's an atheist. He doesn't believe in magic, doesn't believe in any deities, doesn't believe in the afterlife. But Conner doesn't say anything. He just smiles.
Artemis comes in next. She's even better at denial than Wally is. But he tells her about Wally. They talk about the movie. She tells him she likes to write, though most of what she writes is apparently fanfiction, and she refuses to tell Conner just what kind of fanfiction she writes, other than apparently it involves something called slash, but he has no idea what that means and she won't explain.
He thanks her for the book about Jor-El. He tells her he got it signed by Lois and Clark. She already knows it's his favorite book.
Kaldur is perfectly stoic. Kaldur is always perfectly stoic. Conner's never seen him shed a tear, not when Ocean Master shattered every bone in his hands, not when he found out his mother had died, not when he broke up with Red Arrow. Conner wonders if maybe Atlanteans don't have tear ducts.
But Kaldur tells him about the honor it's been, fighting together, having him for a friend. About how impressed he is with Conner. How far he's come since they first discovered him in Cadmus. He asks if Conner would like for him to say an Atlantean prayer.
Conner nods and listens to the ancient words.
He asks Lois who's going to write his obituary for the Planet. It's a morbid question, but he wants to know the answer.
"I will, if you'd like," she volunteers.
"I'd like that very much," he tells her. "I'm sorry about your voice recorder. Sorry I never got a chance to replace it."
"That's ok."
"I know."
"Can I ask you something?"
"Sure."
"How did you feel when you found out Clark was Superman?"
"Angry."
"That's how I felt too. It's why I ran away the other day."
"But you got over it, didn't you?"
"Yeah. I mean… it wasn't easy. But, but I think, after all this time, I finally understand him, at least a little. He really does love you."
"That's what makes it so terrible."
"What do you mean?"
Lois sighs. "Conner, I know you want me to tell you that now that I know Clark is Superman, the two of us can ride off into the sunset, that we'll have a fairy tale wedding and live happily ever after.
"But I can't lie to you.
"I… I don't know what to do about Clark.
"Two men, for whom I had very strong, very different feelings… I don't know what's real. I don't know what I feel. I don't even know if either of them are real.
"And he wasn't going to tell me. Ever."
"He was afraid," Conner explains.
"He didn't trust me.
"I love him. But I don't know who he is. All I know is that he didn't trust me. And that's going to take me a while to forgive.
"You're an extraordinary kid, Con. Really. I'm not quite as forgiving as you are. I'm actually a very petty person," she confesses.
"No, you're not. I can totally understand where you're coming from. I… I was so angry at Clark for not telling you. I said some pretty nasty things. And I think it was wrong for him not to tell you. But… I can understand, now, I think…"
Martha and Jonathan come in together. Conner has to tell them that the time he spent on the farm was the happiest in his life. They're so kind and so sad. It breaks his heart that he didn't get to know them better.
And then, it's Superman's turn.
"Robin will be here in a little while," he tells him. "Alfred too."
"And Batman?"
Superman shifts uncomfortably. "I'm sure he's coming."
"Of course he's coming," Conner says with the same certainty and conviction that he would use to assert that the sky is blue. "But… don't you know where he is?"
He doesn't ask the question he really wants to know: Why isn't Batman here?
"I called him as I was flying the car, right after I called the Watchtower and asked for emergency medical assistance. He said he'd meet us here. He immediately called Robin and M'gann who were out on patrol at Crime Alley and told them to zetabeam to the Watchtower ASAP and arranged to have J'onn pick up my parents and the rest of the team from Smallville.
"Robin was surprised he wasn't already here by the time my parents got here.
"We tried to get in touch with Bruce, but he's not responding to calls and he's turned the GPS off. Alfred reported that Bruce had locked himself in the Batcave, but then, even after Robin went back down to Gotham and hacked past the Cave's security protocols, Bruce wasn't there.
"Robin and Alfred have been looking for him."
"They haven't found him," Conner states.
"No. They haven't. But… look, Bruce and I don't always see eye to eye, but I know he loves you and I know that Bruce always pulls through when it counts. If he's not here yet, it's because of something important, and he will be here soon."
"I know." And Conner does.
There's an awkward silence. Finally, Clark says, "Conner, I promise you something. I'm going to make sure that Lex Luthor pays for what he's done to you. For everything he's done to you." There's a vehemence in Clark's tone that Conner hasn't heard since the red kryptonite incident.
"Actually, I'd rather you promised me something else," Conner says.
"Anything."
"Actually, can I ask you to promise me two things?"
"Of course. If I can do them."
"Don't… don't get yourself, or anyone else, hurt going after Luthor. I know you hate him. I know he's a slippery son of a bitch. But it isn't worth it."
"I'll be careful. I promise. What's the other thing?"
"Don't kill Luthor."
"You can't possibly be worried about Luthor, not after he's gone ahead and killed you?"
Conner shrugs. It makes it hurt worse. "Luthor is still a human being. He needs to be brought to justice, by the courts, by the law. But really, I'm more worried about you. Because I know you're not a murderer, and I don't want you to become one, especially not because of someone so ugly and petty as Luthor."
"I wish I hadn't been such a fucking imbecile."
"What's done is done. Like you said—no one could reasonably have expected you to… you know… whatever. I'm glad I got to know you, the real you, at least for a little while."
"Me too. You know, I think in all his life, Lex Luthor's only done two good things. One is hiring Desmond to make you, and the other is threaten my life so I could get to know you.
"And… there's another thing."
"Another thing Luthor did that was good?"
"No… I think that's an exhaustive list. No. Another thing that I've been thinking about."
"What?"
"I… I know you didn't really want to be Superboy anymore."
"Oh, yeah, that…"
"But… I meant it, when I said I'd like to take you to the Fortress to show you the crystals, and I'm really sorry I won't be able to do that now."
"It's ok."
"No, it's not, but… I know it's not a lot… I've never really given you anything. If you wouldn't mind, at the very least… I'd like to give you a Kryptonian name."
"I'd be honored," Conner says.
"My father's grandfather, my great-grandfather, was called Kon-El. He was a professor of philosophy at the University of Kandor and when Brainiac shrank the city, it was largely through his efforts that the majority of the population was able to escape, and everytime Lois calls you 'Con,' I can't help but think of him."
"I like it," Conner says with a smile. "Better to be named after an awesome hero than a guy in a cheesy eighties sitcom."
Clark laughs. "Anyone ever tell you, you're a great kid?"
"Yeah. Lotsa times."
They're talking about Krypton and about Lara when Robin knocks on the door.
Clark goes to open the door.
"Anyway ucklay indingfay imhay?" Clark asks, and Conner is surprised to find he doesn't understand.
"Otnay yetway. Agentway Away issedpay asway ellhay. Utbay ethay ingthay isway ehay idn'tday aketay ethay owerpay uitsay. Iway avehay onay ideaway owhay e'shay anagingmay otay etgay aroundway." Robin steps past Clark.
"Hey Conner, how're you feeling buddy?"
"Been better, but watcha gonna do?"
"Heard you're totally traught. It's really impressive. Wally says you've given us a super awesome super secret mission."
"Yeah, pretty much."
"I'll leave you two alone," Clark says softly, and closes the door behind him.
"Alfred's checking with Midnite—he made you cake, and he's trying to figure out whether you're allowed to eat it." Robin's smiling, a deep conspiratorial smirk. "It's the same cake he made for your birthday party." He steps closer. "But I know what you'll really want," and he pulls a ziplock bag out of his utility belt.
There is a cookie inside.
To be precise, a burnt, misshapen cookie. Probably from M'gann's latest batch.
"You should probably only have a bite, at least until after Midnite gives the all-clear, but I thought this was maybe a case of it being better to beg forgiveness than ask permission."
It's maybe the most thoughtful thing Robin's ever done for him.
The Boy wonder takes the cookie out of the baggie and puts it in Conner's hand.
Conner brings it up to his face. He looks at it. Smells it. It's definitely M'gann's.
He's never going to eat another one of M'gann's godawful cookies.
That's the realization that brings the dam down. He can't take it any more: he breaks down crying. Because he's never going to eat M'gann's godawful cookies, never going to get to take her to the prom, never going to be able to make love to her in the stratosphere, never going to get to marry her. He's never going to go to Clark and Lois's wedding, never going to get to go to the Fortress of Solitude, never going to eat another slice of Martha Kent's apple pie, never going to get to help Jonathan Kent with the chores around the farm again, never going to get to race with Wally again.
He's going to die.
And it's not fair.
And he's afraid.
He doesn't want to die.
Doesn't want to leave M'gann.
"Ohgodohgodohgod!" Robin lets out, clearly panicking. "No—Conner, don't cry… if you cry, I'll cry… Conner! Don't cry! I didn't mean to make you cry."
"I don't want to die, Robin," he says. "I really don't want to die. There's lots of things I want to do. I don't want to die."
Robin sniffles. Conner can't see it because of the mask, but he thinks Robin might be crying too.
"I know Conner," he says as his voice breaks. "I know. And none of us want you to die either."
"I'm scared," he confesses. "I don't think I've ever been more scared."
"I'm not going to tell you that it's going to be ok, because, it's not going to be OK—because the world will never be OK without you in it, man, just like the world isn't OK without my parents, like it isn't OK without Bruce's, but you know, there's plenty of good people up there. You'll get to meet my mom. She was such a pretty lady. Wanna see?"
"Yeah," Conner says.
Robin pulls up a picture of her on his wrist computer. And she is very pretty. Was very pretty. Soon they'll have to talk about him in the past tense.
And it isn't fair, but that's the way it is.
"Do… do you want me to get M'gann?" Robin asks.
"No. I don't want her to see me like this. Let me… let me get traught."
"You know, you don't have to be traught. You're allowed to be dis traught. In fact, you're allowed to be very distraught."
"I don't want M'gann to be sad. At all. I'm going to have to settle for not making her more sad."
It takes five minutes of silence for Conner to be able to pull himself together. He wipes his eyes dry with his free hand, and then takes a bite out of the cookie and wonders how he could ever have thought anything bad about M'gann's baked goods.
He and Robin talk until they run out of things to say.
hen, Conner finds, there's not much more to say. He asks Robin to call everyone in. Doctor Midnite won't let him eat the cake, which is too bad. But he insists that everyone else have some. Cake, all his best friends… it a slightly early birthday party. Heck, it's not even that early.
Some of the other mentors stop bye. They don't really know him very well, but that's OK. Red Tornado is phenomenally awkward about the situation, which makes Conner laugh. Captain Marvel stops by as Billy. J'onn stays for M'gann. Dinah arrives, late, frazzled… she'd been two thousand miles away from a zetabeam teleporter when she got the news.
Wonder Woman calls Clark, Billy, and J'onn out. When they come back and tell Conner they're inducting him into the Justice League. There's an impromptu ceremony: Wonder Woman swears him in.
Then the commotion dies down again. And the remaining hours go bye in silence.
M'gann holds his hand the whole time.
Conner begins to feel himself slip. It's getting late.
It doesn't look like Batman's going to make it.
A/N: Yes. I'm stopping now. Because I am evil.
I'll be honest. I cried when I wrote this chapter. In my defense, I was very tired at the time.
Original note re: Luthor: "He's perpetually tortured a young boy, for whose creation he is entirely responsible, who has done nothing to hurt him, pretty much just for the evulz. I think he just thinks this whole thing is hilarious. "Try to put me in prison Mr. Kent? I'll just make you watch as this boy you clearly care about die a painful and pointless death and make you feel super guilty about it because it should have been you. My only regret is that it won't piss off Superman. Oh well. I'd already written off the $500 million anyway." If he only knew that he actually had succeeded in hurting Superman... well Lex's life might be complete, then and there."