STEEL THY HEART, CHAPTER TWELVE
A/N: For this story about superheroes, my true heroes are those really wonderful people who reviewed this story, or alerted this fan fiction, or gave me a "favorite story" or "author alert". You guys are more super than Superman, and I really appreciate you!
I've set up room for a possible sequel with the first part of the story. Also, for the part involving the Atom, I will reveal that I am not a doctor, so if there is any glaring error on my part with the medical drama, I apologize. Let me know without flames what's incorrect, and I will try to fix it, thanks.
There will be some more familiar faces in this chapter.
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Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and Batman sat in the small spaceship bound for Earth at long last after an exhaustive search for the junior ruler of Alton Seven. In comparison to what steps might have to be taken, finding the Prince had been the easy part. What was tougher was deciding whether or not the Justice League wanted to keep the planet on its list of celestial bodies they aided and protected.
"I still say we've got to meet with the other four senior Leaguers about this," Wonder Woman was arguing as she piloted the ship. Batman's face was, as always, looking the same, but the way he sat and the manner of crossing his arms told the Amazon that he was not pleased at the recent turn of events.
"Do you realize what the Prince has done by involving us?" the Caped Crusader argued. "He's not only gotten himself in hot water, he's placed us there, too. I think that we should vote 'no' on the renewal of ties to Alton Seven."
"I agree with you that this is a sticky mess, moreso on their side rather than ours, but our voting to possibly not extend the olive branch to Alton Seven doesn't just involve them. It involves diplomatic relations with the other six neighboring planets we have pledged our allegiance to. No matter the reason for what the Prince did, they're liable to view any negative actions on our part as a breach of good faith and as an act of war," the Princess protested.
"Wonder Woman's right," Green Lantern spoke up. "I don't like it any more than you do, but we can't just vote to wash our ties of that system. We have to tread softly, and ask the others. Anyway, it is in the by laws: all of the original seven of us have to vote on this, and the majority wins."
Diana punched the sequence codes that would enable the ship to circumnavigate the barrier separating Earth's galaxy from Alton Seven's. "It doesn't matter," Batman replied. "I know which way I'm more likely to vote unless I get a more persuasive viewpoint."
As the ship pivoted to the left and propelled itself toward the barrier, Wonder Woman thought, oh, Bruce, sometimes you're so hardnosed that you don't see the forest for the trees. I wonder if you'll ever change?
She thought about their relationship, and the joy that it had brought. If she had been as desperate as the Prince to do what he did, Diana wondered if she could go through with it? The Prince had been wrong, and he had been incredibly stupid, but he did his foolish act in the spirit of romance.
Diana could sympathize. After all, her mother had lost her head once upon a time to a hell god, had she not? And, for the Princess's part, she had lost her heart to a mortal man who was unlikely to ever return her love. Although that was foolhardy, wasn't romance about the naïve and sometimes idiotic things people did? Didn't the ones with romantic notions and actions deserve a second chance, at least sometimes?
Batman was oblivious to the Princess's inner struggle between her heart and her head. He was thinking about the consequences of the Prince's actions, and about how the others would view the ruler when all of the facts emerged. The Dark Knight stole a look just then at Diana and, for a brief moment, allowed the man buried deep inside to come to the surface. She was staring straight ahead and didn't see the longing look Bruce cast her way. His hand reached out slowly as though he meant to caress her cheek, but then it dropped as the Batman's inner wall rose up.
With his usual ability to see both sides of an issue, Green Lantern decided to wait until the incident was presented at the meeting that would be called once the proverbial doggy do hit the fan. He could practically predict how the original seven Leaguers would vote. He also knew that he would side with whoever had the best point-of-view in the end. Because his pragmatic nature told him to wait, the emerald clad superhero let himself relax for the moment so that his mind could focus on other things.
By that time, Green Lantern had dozed off in his seat, his thoughts strayed to a red headed beauty and her fiery temper. His large lips curled in a seductive smile as he recalled the night of passion they'd had together not too long ago. His mind changed just then to another woman, her oval face and warm brown eyes a sexual siren for him, too. John had picked up relations with Vixen when it looked as though Shayera and he were over, but then, the model with animal powers was going off with another man: her cabana boy, Trey.
Although it had bothered John at the time, he and Mari did set an example for the other younger Leaguers by parting amicably, and now, the former couple really was the best of friends. So, John asked Shayera to a boxing match in his neighborhood, since he knew she was interested in any kind of brutal fighting that his planet had to offer. The bird winged alien had agreed, and their relationship was rekindled. John shifted slightly in his seat and his breathing was peaceful.
Wonder Woman checked the instruments as she announced, "We're approaching the barrier. There'll be some turbulence."
Batman acknowledged her words with a scowl as he strapped himself in.
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Inside the Man of Steel, the Atom was feeling a different kind of turbulence as he reached the air ducts in Superman's lungs. The capsule was tossed around like a leaf caught in a gigantic wind tunnel. The tiny superhero was glad that he hadn't eaten lunch before this mission. He was also glad that the alien technology the Justice League had employed from the Alton system had decreased the time required to reach Superman's vital respiratory organs to a matter of minutes.
Reporting the disturbances inside the ducts to the Flash and the Martian Manhunter, the Atom finished with, "it seems that despite the superior technology, I've miscalculated the time somewhat."
The Flash checked the time elapsed since the Atom had begun his trip inside of Superman. "Yeah," he agreed, "looks like you've spent an extra 40 minutes trying to get to his lungs. What's it like in there?"
Ignoring the Flash's inquiry, the Atom checked the elapsed time on his tiny display terminal. It read: 1:50:00 and counting. He hoped nothing would go wrong when he found what looked like a secure surface where he could attach the hook which would stabilize the capsule. Mentally checking his equations and also crossing his fingers, the Atom pressed the button to fire the grappling hook to secure the ship to the side of the Man of Steel's lung tissue.
The hook fired, then it grabbed hold of a solid wall of tissue on the far left side. "Whew!" the diminutive doctor said.
"What was that?" the Flash's voice was asking. "I didn't copy."
"Nothing," the Atom responded.
He studied the dust inside and realized the amount in Superman's air passageways had all but smothered his formerly pink lungs. The offending radioactive material was lining the walls like crystal shards embedded in a mine, and it was freely floating throughout. Although the capsule still swung somewhat via the breaths the Man of Steel was taking, the Atom could tell that the way the air was circulating meant his lungs were clogged.
Don't worry, he mentally told the dying superhero, I'm gonna make sure you get the cleansing material you need right away!
"You won't die on my watch," the Atom said to himself. He pressed the buttons for the sequence that would fire the lead capsules, pausing to check the notes beside him about the Kryptonite.
"Atom?" J'onn's voice came over the communications band. "What is happening in there?"
For a moment, no one said anything; then, the Atom's voice was heard. "It's a green nightmare in here! I'm preparing to fire some capsules into his lungs. They've got a two minute window before impact on the walls followed by the release of the lead. Once that happens, if we're lucky, his breathing will be stronger and he'll recover," the small superhero told his friends.
The Flash checked the monitors and looked over at his fallen comrade. "What about the rest of him?" he asked worriedly. "He's starting to look like J'onn." He turned his head in the direction of the Martian Manhunter.
"No offense," he apologized.
"None taken," J'onn replied. While he thought the color of peridot green was appealing, the Flash was right. The last Martian didn't want Superman to be the same shade he was. That meant that time was running out.
The Atom cursed softly. He knew that if the Man of Steel was turning green on the outside, the radiation was overtaking him. Soon, the lead capsules wouldn't have any effect. He had wanted to take notes to be sure his calculations about how many capsules should be fired were correct, but there wasn't a moment to lose. Crossing his fingers for real this time, the diminutive doctor hoped for the best as he saw the capsules imbed themselves.
Outside, the Flash scrutinized the monitor. His eyes widened when he beheld the green line in the middle of the screen stop rising and falling. The Scarlet Speedster clutched J'onn's arm.
"Look…" he whispered, his voice deathly still. The Martian stared at the reading and they looked at each other, wondering how to tell the Atom what was going on.
"Flatline," J'onn said gravely.
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Sylvia Summers opened the brown briefcase containing 2.5 million dollars that Mercy Graves had delivered earlier that evening. As she counted all of the large bills therein, she thought about Lex and his generosity, or lack thereof, since he had so many more millions Sylvia wouldn't mind grabbing. Once she had him on her radar, she had taken it upon herself to work her way into Lex's inner circle so that she was indispensable to him.
She had learned to hang on his every word and to tell him how great he was in order to pump his already inflated ego despite the fact that when she was alone, she regarded him as a total bore. She particularly was finding it difficult to stay awake whenever Luthor touched her. Sylvia couldn't wait until she was alone so that she could meet her true lover.
Looking forward to the evening she had planned, she thought, there's always Charlie.
Charles Mason was a gorgeous man with bedroom eyes and the body of a dancer with the skill of a top notch bouncer. He bore a striking resemblance to that actor who had played Gunn on Angel, except that his eyes were a tawny hazel brown. Sylvia had lustful feelings towards him on sight when she had seen him at her gym during his teaching an aerobics class.
Charles and Sylvia had found a kinship in each other, particularly when they realized they had the same, avaricious goals. To that end, they made plans which involved collecting millions from a rich patsy and placing them in an untraceable Swiss bank account; getting a plane that would take them to Madrid where they could live off of the stolen funds for the rest of their lives. In Spain, Sylvia knew that they would be safe since Lex had told her that he detested that country. Yes, Lex had given her a paltry two million, five hundred thousand dollars, but she had taken much more than that (in discreet doses, of course,) so that her net worth was over five million dollars.
Sylvia ran her hand through her long, golden blonde hair. She changed into her sleek, black leather jacket and skin tight pants that caressed her lithe figure. Looking at the array of fruit scented perfumes on her dresser including the latest one from Lex, the blonde woman used the one entitled, Nightshade. It smelled like nothing she'd ever sampled before. She inhaled its sweet fragrance and continued getting ready for Charlie. Sylvia was putting on her red lipstick when she heard a knock at the door.
Who could that be? She wondered, since Charles wasn't due at her place until at least an hour later.
The young woman opened her door to an older female dressed in the midnight blue costume of a cat resembling a panther. Behind her mask, Selina's eyes were measuring Sylvia's height and weight. The Mistress of Cats wanted nothing to go wrong when she kicked the blonde assassin into Metropolis General, complete with broken ribs, a shattered kneecap and possibly a dislocated jaw.
"If you're looking for a masquerade party, Club Gato up the street is having one," Sylvia said snidely.
Selina's claws, which were bigger than in the last costume, were extended. "I'm not looking for them," she said. "I've found the mouse I want." She dropped to a fighting crouch. Sylvia did the same. Her eyes blazed with anger.
"You little fool!" she hissed. "You don't know who you're dealing with." They circled each other; then, when she saw an opportunity, Sylvia used a judo throw on Selina.
"Oh, I think I know who I'm dealing with!" the Catwoman shouted, ramming Sylvia into her dresser. Several perfume bottles were knocked over when she hit the top of it. Using her arm, the blonde assassin pushed Selina off of her.
"You're the one who poisoned Superman!" Selina shouted, each word a dagger in the younger woman's ear. "And, I'm going to see you burn in Hell for it!" Sylvia flipped Selina over onto the bed, but the Catwoman fell off of its edge onto her back.
"Not likely!" Sylvia threatened. Selina recovered enough to roll to the side when Sylvia clasped her arms into one fist and tried to slam it against the Catwoman.
They traded blows as Sylvia accused, "you think I don't know about you? You don't kill your victims! I've read all about you and I will throw you into the next century!"
Selina snorted. She yanked the bedroom rug so that Sylvia tripped. "You're just a stupid little rat who doesn't know when she's trapped!" the Catwoman snapped. When Sylvia rebounded, she grabbed the knife on the nightstand.
"We'll soon see about that!" she threatened. Sylvia was about to cut the Catwoman's throat when she felt warm. The blonde gasped slightly as she felt her air in her chest constrict. Clutching her torso, Sylvia collapsed to the floor. The phone was ringing as Selina watched her struggle to breathe.
Picking up the land phone, she said into its' receiver, "help...me...".
"Sweetness?" Luthor asked. "You sound funny. Is there anyone you need me to call?"
"Call...hos...pi—" Sylvia uttered her last words as she yanked the receiver off of the nightstand. Selina watched as she turned blue, then her chest was still. The Catwoman went over and tried to feel for a pulse, but the younger female was already dead.
"Who is this?" Selina said into the phone. No one answered. The next sound she heard was a dial tone.
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Luthor was getting a needed massage as he let Olga Frantz, his personal masseuse, do a shiatsu on his back. He heard a knock at the door.
"Yes?" he asked. Mercy came inside.
"The deed is done," she said. Luthor nodded.
"I would like to send some flowers to my lovely date," Luthor said to her. "Please have some lilies delivered to Sylvia first thing tomorrow morning." Mercy nodded, letting herself out. When she was gone, Luthor laid back on his arms and smiled contentedly as Olga massaged them.
Lilies always were her favorites, the billionaire thought.
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The Atom saw the indicators on his dashboard. Superman was not breathing, and his other vital signs were all but deteriorating. He thought about what he could do to revive the Man of Steel when he heard Green Lantern's voice.
"Atom!" his deep voice cried over the communication band.
"Lantern," the tiny scientist said sadly, "welcome home. I wish it were under better circumstances." He gave a quick account of what he knew.
"He's not licked yet," he told the other heroes in the medical area.
Green Lantern activated his ring. He sent out a signal which would alert the Guardians, who were extremely loyal to Superman and owed him a dozen favors.
"We need to tell Supergirl," Wonder Woman advised.
"But how are we gonna get Kara here? She's in deep space on a mission and it'll take days to get back here," The Flash said. "Even I know that if Supes is gonna live, we've gotta get some clear Kryptonian blood into him to flush out that toxic stuff."
Wonder Woman grabbed his hand, saying, "Kal, you are the closest thing to a brother that I have. You must make it out of this."
Batman stared at the man who he had regarded as a friend, even though he didn't admit it. If you don't make it, I'll find a way for Zara to zap me to the after life where I'll kill you! You've got the will and the strength to survive, so live! The Dark Knight thought.
As if he heard all of the thoughts and verbalizations of the people in the room, Superman's heart monitor beeped once. After a few moments, it beat again. The monitor showed that it stopped again, but as it beat a few minutes later, the heroes found hope that he could pull through.
"His heart is beating slowly," J'onn stated as he stared at the machine, "but it is beating!"
Atom's voice cut in, saying, "But we still need an influx of blood to help him. The lead capsules are assisting in his breathing; however, he might as well be brain dead unless we can get some good blood into him."
A green flash of light surrounded the heroes just then, and a Guardian who was about three feet tall with a wide blue face and Supergirl materialized in the medical bay.
"Perhaps I can help," he offered.