STEEL THY HEART, CHAPTER SIXTEEN
A/N: Thanks to all for your reviews concerning chapter fifteen. This chapter picks up pretty much where chapter fifteen leaves off as Superman comes to see Selina.
Selina was about to take off her dress when she heard a knock at her window. She drew back her drapes and opened her window to see the Man of Steel outside.
"Hello," he said cheerfully. "I hope I didn't come at a bad time."
"No, you didn't," Selina responded. She opened her window wider so that the Man of Steel could enter her apartment. He climbed inside and gave her an appreciative look.
"You're back, I see," Superman commented. "How was your date?"
"It went very well," Selina said, closing the slight distance between them. He saw the frown on her face.
"Do I detect a note of disapproval?" he asked.
She crossed her arms and her green eyes held damnation in them. She said, "You didn't have to send Clark Kent to show your gratitude or your interest in me! I imagine he must have felt very awkward coming between us. I should throw you out on your butt!" The Man of Steel was contrite.
"You're right. I shouldn't have sent Clark ," Superman started, not certain how he could escape his predicament. Perhaps his pretense, particularly with a woman he really did have feelings for, was not the best idea he had.
Maybe I should just tell her, one side of his mind thought. No, not yet! His other mind cautioned.
He took a breath before saying, "He owes me a dozen favors so I decided to…".
"Use him?" Selina finished.
"Believe me, it might seem that way, but it really wasn't like that," Superman replied. "Clark and I go way back, and I didn't perceive my asking him to take you out as using him, or you. I just didn't want you to be sitting all alone, waiting for me to come and being hurt when I didn't show up, so I asked him to cover for me until I could see you."
Selina pointed to the phone on her table and said sarcastically, "you know, there's a remarkable invention, which was created in the late 1800's. It's called a telephone. Have you heard of it?"
Superman could give tit for tat. He told her, "Yes, I have. The telephone was invented by several scientists and persons and it actually dates back thousands of years. There are some notable names attached to it, like Antonio Meucci and Philip Reis, to name a few. Alexander Graham Bell is credited with being the one to get the patent in 1876."
"Cute," she countered. "Did you memorize that from Wikipedia?" She folded her arms and walked over to her window.
Superman was angry. He had done his best to explain his actions, but Selina wouldn't listen to his side of the story. For that, he was irate.
"So let me get this straight," he said. "You'd rather I didn't save the passengers on the 777 in order to see you in a timely fashion? And you would have preferred I call you rather than letting Clark Kent treat you to a nice evening out?"
Selina felt instantly guilty. Although he hadn't done the right thing by involving another man the grand scheme of things, his heart was in the right place, and she couldn't help feeling a little guilty about accusing him. She turned back around.
"No, I wouldn't have wanted you to not rescue the people on the plane," she conceded.
"And I'm sorry I did what I did," he said. "I will use the telephone next time if I'm detained." Superman thrust out his hand, asking, "So, friends?"
Selina shook it, saying, "Friends." The cats meowed their approval of the pair's making up.
The Man of Steel chuckled, saying, "That makes it unanimous." He inquired, "To celebrate, how about a quick flight?"
"'A quick flight?'" Selina echoed. "With you, now?"
"That's generally how it's done," Superman replied.
Selina pictured soaring amongst the stars, seeing the lovely buildings of Metropolis up close. She knew she couldn't resist. "Will I need my coat?" She asked.
"No," he answered, pulling out a box from her balcony, "but you might need these." Selina opened it and saw two white space suits. She peered at him and raised a brow.
He told her. "We'll need them for the trip we're taking."
Intrigued, Selina slipped into the suit. Superman did the same. He helped attach her helmet to her suit and put on his. When he had secured the zippers and buckles, the Man of Steel scooped her in his arms and flew out the window.
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The killer phased through the door to the victim's apartment. Withdrawing the instrument of destruction from a pocket, the annihilator glanced around. There were many places to hide the device. Finally locating the perfect place, the enemy set it and smiled.
Time to die, she thought evilly.
Fazing back through the front door, she left the apartment. As the individual phased out, a wave of euphoria gripped her. A moment later, however, shakes and a cold sweat followed. The killer knew that more of the chemical which had become a lifeline was required. The feeling would pass, and all would be right again. She would pay a visit to Luther Corp., the new home of the Phaze drug, and the villain would help herself to the miracle medicine. She waited for the symptoms to abate then headed to the lab.
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Superman flew Catwoman to a private airstrip outside of Metropolis where the Javelin, the ship the Justice League used, was docked. He placed her on the passenger side of the giant, oval vessel, its silver wings in the back reflected by the light of the moon. Reaching inside the pilot's area, he programmed the coordinates he sought.
"This is one of the many ships we use in the League to fly out into space," he explained, giving her its name.
"You can't fly us there without one?" Selina asked. Superman shook his head.
"I'm not able to sustain enough oxygen necessary to breathe out of Earth's atmosphere for long periods of time," he confessed. "Besides, even if I were, you wouldn't survive."
He saw her teasing expression as she remarked, "I understand my situation, but I thought you were indestructible."
"Many people make that mistake," Superman told her. He strapped her in and, after checking her suit then his, proceeded to give the ship a tremendous push and sent it hurling into the vastness of space.
Selina's eyes grew wide as she saw stars whizzing by at supersonic speeds. Even more amazing to her was the fact that she wasn't dizzy or lightheaded. Letting himself inside, Superman checked the display panel and after a moment adjusted the controls so that his passenger would be comfortable in view of the rapid changes in gravity and pressure.
"Are you OK?" the Man of Steel asked.
From behind her helmet, Selina managed a quick, stiff nod. When he was satisfied, he turned the controls and headed for the moon. When she saw where they were going, Selina recalled what she'd read about how long it took for astronauts to reach the moon. Generally, it took at least three days. With the Javelin's unprecedented speed however, it seemed like mere minutes were passing by. When the surface of the moon came in range looking close enough to touch, Superman released her from her chair and flew with her outside, letting the ship land in a small crater.
"This is a view very few get to ever see," he said. His arm fanned out as he directed, "Look…".
Selina saw craters larger than the biggest football fields on Earth. They were a brownish grey and, like the pictures she'd seen in documentaries, were crusty and round with jagged edges. She wondered suddenly what Isis , her premiere cat, or all of the others, would think if they could be here in a space station or something.
They'd probably all go crazy! She thought.
There was an eerie silence, though, that she knew her cats might have welcomed. It was downright refreshing and a welcome change to the bedlam of noise that Gotham and Metropolis provided on a daily basis. Standing next to her, Superman looked like he was in awe of the heavenly body they had landed on.
"One step for man, one giant leap for man and womankind," he breathed. "I always wanted to say that!" He looked as much as he was able toward Selina and asked, "Are you still all right? You're not dizzy or lightheaded, are you?"
"Goodness, no!" Selina exclaimed. Unable to contain her excitement any more, she wrapped her huge arms around him and hugged him. Superman returned her embrace.
Selina broke off a moment later, shouting, "I can't believe it! The moon! We're actually on the moon!" The Man of Steel grinned.
"You said that already," he joked. He gestured for her to follow him. Under her watchful eyes, Superman leaped from a smaller crater to a larger one not too far away. Selina followed in his footsteps, feeling for all the world as though she were jumping on a trampoline.
"Gravity on the moon is only about 17% in comparison to Earth," he said. Selina smiled, thinking about all the women she knew that constantly complained about their weight. If they could come up here and leap like this, they would never again worry about that little detail!
Superman's voice interrupted her thoughts. "Don't leap too high or too far," he cautioned. "You might fall off of the surface."
Selina gulped, then said, "Thanks for the warning. I won't overdue it."
They jumped for about 45 minutes, each trying to out distance the other. When she started taking deep breaths, Superman took her hand and pointed straight ahead. There, nestled like a precious jewel amidst the black velvet of space, was the Earth.
It sported a semi-circular configuration at that angle, with white swirls atop blue, black and green. It was the blue that was the most dominant color. Selina knew that the royal color was the Earth's oceans, and the green were the masses of land. The planet looked as though it was standing still, but she knew that the Earth continued twirling and spinning. She never thought that she could get enough of this view of her planet.
Superman said in a reverent voice just then, "Sometimes, I take the Javelin and come out here all by myself to see my second home."
"Do you come out here often?" Selina wanted to know. "Do you land here after you've saved someone?"
"No," the Man of Steel replied. "I come here mostly when I've had a frustrating day after fighting off one of my many enemies or the government officials who want nothing more than to bury me alive in a Kryptonite tomb!"
Selina was shocked by his confession. She would have thought that he would come to celebrate, congratulating himself on a job well done, but not when he was angry or frustrated. Her eyes fell on the Earth once more as she heard him speak again.
"See, sometimes when I'm faced with enemies like Darkseid or Mongul or others who could literally kill me with a force beam without breaking a sweat, or when I see humans at each others' throats and I know I can't do anything about it, I fly out here," he said. "When I see the Earth like this, after a trying day, I see how innocent and pure it looks and I remember why my job is so important, and why preserving humankind just as it is is so vital."
Selina thought about how he viewed the Earth. She could sympathize with Superman, having to keep his powers constantly in check. She wondered what it would truly be like to have his godlike powers. He could have, if he'd wanted, destroyed everything or subjugated human beings to his whim, like the ones he fought. But, she supposed that when he saw the planet from this view, all of the petty insecurities people had and the squabbles they got into melted away to reveal the goodness and decency inside.
"Do you ever regret it?" Selina asked suddenly. The Man of Steel's helmet turned as he regarded her.
"I mean, if Krypton were here, if your planet had survived, would you have returned forever?" She wondered.
Superman considered her question. He had gone out in search of what he'd thought was Krypton, and he had wondered what it would have been like to stay there permanently if he'd found something significant. When his search had proven fruitless and he'd returned to Earth, he had come to the conclusion that he wouldn't give up the friendships he had with people in Metropolis and Smallville. He also wouldn't trade all of the experiences with the League as its heroes went to aid people. Blessed with a job that he absolutely loved, and the best adoptive mother in his life, he wouldn't trade his existence on Earth with a fantasy life with his biological family.
"Not for one moment," he replied honestly.
Selina was touched by his statement. Her hand reached out to grab his. When she saw him smiling back at her, she pulled him toward her then tackled him. Superman tackled her back and the two leaped and played for several moments. He had never felt so happy as he was now. Superman wished that he could stay on the moon for a long time, but he knew that his duty as Earth's protector lay ahead.
"We've got to go," he said reluctantly.
Selina pouted. She had really been enjoying herself, and the end of the trip was something she wanted to postpone as much as possible.
"Please," she begged, "just a few minutes more."
Superman melted at that sound of her voice. "All right," he said.
For the remainder of the time they were on the moon he talked to her about some stars which were actually planets. For another hour Selina absorbed every word. Finally, he put her back in the ship and both headed home.
He landed the ship on the far side of the airfield; then, before the technicians could get a good look at his date, Superman lifted her out it and once they returned their suits, flew her home. As he soared high above the clouds, Selina rested her head on his shoulder. He breathed in her earthy scent, thrilled that he'd made a favorable impression. At the same time, though, he started regretting having made that choice to take her to the moon. Would she, he wondered, think that the date with him earlier paled in comparison?
If she did, could he live with that knowledge and not be disappointed?
They stood at Selina's front door, each not knowing which move to make next. She had never been with someone like Superman before. With Clark , it had been easier. He was a mortal…a very special mortal, but human nonetheless. But Superman was…well, Superman. What did one do with the Man of Steel, a man whose strength and power rivaled a god's? A being who could have any woman he wanted?
She seemed indecisive, so he decided for her. He leaned in and, with no holds barred, kissed her gently on her lips. After he pulled back, they looked into each other's eyes. Moments later, the spell was broken when his super hearing picked up a call for help. The Man of Tomorrow gestured behind him.
"I've got to go," he said reluctantly. "Someone's in trouble."
Selina said, a little depressed that he was leaving, "It's okay. I understand."
He caressed her cheek, suggesting, "So, maybe we'll see each other another time in the near future?"
Selina nodded her assent. Like a bolt of lightning, the Man of Steel took flight. She let herself inside, counting her blessings at having had two extraordinary dates in one night.
Tomorrow, she decided, she'd see who she liked more. For tonight however, as she prepared to go to bed, she'd bask in the attention and adoration from both men.
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Later that night, the Man of Steel let himself into his apartment. He switched on the lights in his living room and started to change into his pajamas when he heard a ticking sound.
"Oh, my…" he started.
He trained his super hearing on the source of the ticking. There was a miniature clock that he'd gotten when he'd done a story on Germany 's nuclear arms deal. But it wasn't there. There was the radio he'd gotten when he had saved a dee jay from his cronies who were trying to kill Jimmy Cannon, the Metropolis Wiz. No results there.
The Kryptonian's eyes fell on the cabinet with his Kerth awards for outstanding journalism. From behind the third one, he heard an uncommon ticking. His vision pinpointed the location of the deadly device and the wires attached to it. When he verified that it was not linked to a mercury switch, he grabbed the small black ball after disconnecting it from the wires.
He flew out of the glass doors over his balcony and into the night sky. Without a sound, the bomb detonated, leaving soot on his costume and a slight tear in his cape. The Man of Steel frowned as he considered the deadly impact left in its wake. Obviously, someone wanted Clark Kent dead, but in such a way that had he not had super hearing, he would not have known about the bomb's presence until it was too late. He wondered if it could have been the enemy that Selina and he faced.
But why would she attack me and not go after Selina directly? He wondered. Unless, the bomber wanted to find a soft spot, something that would make the Catwoman suffer before the slayer murdered her.
He fingered the only trace left of the silent weapon: a small piece of metal with an inner round ring attached to it. His look determined, Superman flew to the one man who he knew could tell him more about it.