Forty-two minutes ago...
Superman's eyes opened slowly. The sun above him was full and shined brightly. So brightly, in fact, it seemed as if it was only a few feet in front of him.
He sat up slowly, his head swimming slightly. His torso was bare; his exposed skin tingling slightly.
"I'd tell you to lie back down, but you're not going to listen." The deep, gravely, familiar voice said simply.
Superman blinked against the shining light, realizing that it was, in fact, a large UV lamp, specifically designed to bombard Superman with "yellow" sun rays.
He was sitting atop a large raised slap, composed of a smooth crystal-like substance; the same substance the rest of the Fortress of Solitude was constructed of. And he instantly realized that's were he was.
The vast structure was located deep in the heart of the Arctic Circle. It was made entirely out of a type of symbiotic crystal that was native to Superman's home world of Krypton. The planets entire civilization was based on the manipulation of these crystals, which could be molded to fit any purpose or function, and took on the properties of the materials it was bonded to. The fortress itself, a structure that covered more than eighteen acres of arctic wilderness, was initially formed from a single sliver of crystal the length and size of large tube of toothpaste.
Since its inception, Superman had introduced numerous elements into the Fortress, including a green house that held nearly every form of plant life known to man, and a few dozen that were not; an integrated computer system that had since evolved into a near sentient AI; a shrine dedicated to the memory and history of the long dead world of Krypton; a gallery filled with wondrous artifacts from around the universe, including an entire city that sat inside a glass capsule the size of a large cake holder; and a wildlife enclosure that was home to numerous creatures not native to this part of the galaxy.
He swung his legs over the edge, and floated off the side to the floor.
Batman was standing with his back to him at the far end of the chamber. He was wearing his full costume, mask and all. Superman had once joked that Bruce Wayne was the mask and Batman was the face behind it. As he made his way across the space to his friend and ally, he wondered for a second how close to home his jab had actually struck.
Batman was busy examining readouts displayed on a monitor made from what appeared to be a flat, smooth, wide sheet of crystal; one about the size a large computer monitor, but shaped more like a trapezoid than a rectangle.
"How long have I been out?" Superman asked as he approached him. He stretched his arms wide and messaged the back of his neck.
"Almost sixteen hours." Batman answered; his focus still on the crystalline monitor. "What's the last thing you remember?"
Superman's brow furrowed. "I was in Antarctica. The Stangin Research Facility. It exploded… Lois!"
"She's alive." Batman said calmly.
"She is!" Superman beamed. "Great! Where is she? Were there any other survivors?"
Batman was silent for a moment. "Everyone at the Stangin Research facility is presumed dead."
Superman frowned. "I don't understand. You just said Lois was alive."
"She is." Batman answered. "The area is saturated with radiation. Kryptonite radiation. The affected area is just under a hundred mile radius. The local eco system is nearly completely destroyed. Arthur, Aquaman, is doing what he can for the sea life in the area. Green Lantern is trying to minimize the radiation exposure. He was the one that found you. He brought you here and started your UV treatment. I got here about an hour ago."
"I never felt anything like that…" Superman admitted. "One second, I was fine. I was using my X-ray vision to search for Lois. I saw the first of the bodies… and then… It was like I jumped in to a pool full of liquid kryptonite. All my powers, all my energy… it was just gone."
"Stangin was working on a form of cold fusion that utilized the unique properties found in kryptonite." Batman explained. "I have been following his work for years. If it worked, it would have been able to provide the world with a nearly limitless source of energy. Apparently … it didn't. Or it did, and someone threw a monkey wrench into the works… either way…"
"What happened to Lois?" Superman asked, his face serious, he features dark.
Batman faced him for the first time.
"There's something you need to see." He said plainly. "But I need you to hear what I have to tell you afterwards. It's very important that you don't fly off as soon as you see this. Millions of lives depend on it."
"Stop playing games, Bruce." Superman urged. "I need to see Lois."
If Batman sighed, he made no sound and didn't move an inch. "This may be… difficult… for you."
Superman gave him a hard look.
"Computer!" Batman said aloud. There was a sound like wind chimes on a breezy day. "Playback video."
The crystalline monitor flashed to life, but instead of displaying the image on its smooth surface, it projected it into the air before them.
Superman looked up at the small woman seated in the metallic chair, her black hair, wet and stringy and covering her face. But he knew her instantly. Her name fell from his lips in a whisper.
"Lois…"
And the entire scene played out before him. He watched silently. He watched her body spasm with electricity. He listened to her screams of pain, her pleas for mercy, and her shouts of defiance. He listened to the distorted voice explain Metropolis' peril. And finally, he listened to Lois Lane, the love of his life, his heart and soul; scream the name of his secret identity over and over and over.
And then, he watched her body, still and calm and unmoving; watched as the long moments ticked by silently; watched as a final jolt of current resuscitated her. And he listened still as, barely conscious and half alive; she continued to whisper her husbands' name.
And then it was over.
Batman had never taken his eyes off Superman. He watched the expressions wash over his face like waves; the confusion, the shock, the horror, the terror, the pain, the empathy, the tears, and finally… the rage.
Superman's eyes were red with the fire of his heat vision. His lips were tight, his nostrils flared as he breathed.
"Where?" he asked simply.
"I uploaded a trace program into your computer. But it's strange; the signal is being relayed through nearly every satellite network there is. Whoever sent this broadcast covered their tracks. I added a logic based 'sniffer' program to your computer's AI to help. It'll find the source, but it'll take time."
"How long?" Superman asked.
"Two hours, maybe." Batman answered. "The video was feed into every network stream around the world almost forty minutes ago. That leaves the tracer with about a twenty minute cushion before whatever is supposed to happen, happens. It'll be close, but we should be able to locate Lois before the rector goes. But there's something else…"
Superman wasn't listening. He made his way back to the large raised slab. He found his top and cape laying there.
"I told you, you need to here this." Batman urged. He didn't follow him. When you're talking to someone with super-hearing, you didn't need to follow them through the room to make sure you were heard.
"I can find her before the trace program." Superman said evenly.
"No. You can't." Batman explained. "She could be anywhere in the world, Clark. Anywhere! You would have to fly at your top speed to cover every inch of the planet in time. And that's just the surface area. Caves, underground bunkers, mines, submarines, undersea complexes. Even with your x-ray vision, you would miss something at that speed."
"I have to try! I have to find her!"
"And what about Metropolis?" What about the other two point eight million people out there?" Batman asked.
Superman had already pulled on his top, the triangulated "S" covering his heaving chest. He was now tucking the cape into his neckline.
"Whatever's happening at the plant, the others can handle it." He answered.
"There is no one else." Batman said calmly. "Green Lantern has his hands full in Antarctica. If he abandons what he's doing, it may upset the ecological balance of the entire planet. Diana is strong and near invulnerable, but she can't handle the radiation levels that a potential meltdown would generate. Neither would Flash. Neither would I."
"If I save the city, she dies."
"And if you don't, millions will."
Superman moved in a blur of speed that even Batman didn't anticipate. One second, he was standing at the far end of the chamber, over twenty yards away; the next, he was holding Batman a foot off the ground with one hand tightly gripping the front of Batman armored costume.
"Do you expect me to let her die!?" Superman roared, tears beginning to flow from beneath the crimson flares in his eyes.
"I expect you to listen." Batman answered; his voice perfectly calm as he spoke.
Superman blinked once, twice; realizing what he was doing, and quickly regained his composure. He gently lowered Batman to the crystalline floor and pulled his hand away slowly.
"Bruce…" he said softly, the fire in his eyes fading. "I-I'm sorry…"
Batman didn't respond. He just took a cautious step back.
Superman took a few staggered steps backwards and wound up leaning against a crystalline pillar. He looked at the dark clad figure across from him with pleading eyes. "Bruce…" he whispered. "She's my wife. I can't lose her."
"Maybe you won't have to." Batman began. "But you have to consider the facts. First, we have to assume Lois arrived at the Stangin Research facility. If she failed to make any of the connections between Metropolis and there, it would have raised a few red flags. Since there were none, we know she was there. This video tells us that she's still alive. Which means at some point she left the facility, and obviously, before it exploded. Based on her current state, I'm willing to bet it wasn't alone. I'm also fairly certain that whoever abducted her was behind the explosion at the facility."
"How can you be so sure?" Superman asked.
"The bombs." Batman answered. "I peeked at the forensic reports from the MHD databanks. Both devices left the same faint traces of radiation. The remaining fragments were identical in design, the casings on both were made from Depleted Promethium, and spectral analysis showed traces of "Inth Metal". I did some projections, and given the right combination of elements and conditions, the Inth Metal could cause a burst that would be similar to a nuclear explosion, while the Depleted Promethium could both contain and proportionately distribute the blast. But the math would have to be flawless. Only someone with a very strong knowledge of nuclear physics and nuclear engineering could create something so radical."
"The last time I talked to Lois," Superman added. "She said that the list of people with her was a who's who of nuclear scientist and physicists. It could have been any one of them."
"True." Batman agreed. "I tried pulling up a list of the invitations that were sent out. And I couldn't find anything. All the travel logs, ships register, airplane passenger logs, everything pertaining to travel to or from the Institute had been pulled."
"So we have no way of knowing who has Lois?"
"Maybe. But nothing is every truly deleted. It's just a matter of knowing where to look…"
"Then we're wasting time." Superman said, pushing away from the wall and making for the chamber exit.
"Think Clark." Batman called after him. "Think about everything that has happened. Think about the treats. Think about the targets. Think about what he wants to accomplish."
"He wants to turn the world against me."
"But why?"
"I don't know!" Superman answered; the frustration apparent in his voice. "Maybe I sent him to jail! Maybe I failed him somehow! Maybe he just woke up and decided the world would be better off!"
"It's a revenge ploy, pure and simple. You just need to understand what he wants revenge for. Why you? Why Lois? Why Metropolis? And why did he ask about Clark Kent?"
Superman blinked. It had escaped him that the man had specifically asked Lois about her husband. And not once… but twice.
"You think he knows?" Superman asked.
"He seemed convinced Lois was lying when she said her husbands name Clark Kent."
"But how?" Superman asked.
"We'll figure that part out later." Batman urged. "But if I were you, I'd be more concern with what that means for Clark Kent."
"What do you mean?"
Batman made his way back over to the computer bank with the crystalline monitor. "Clark Kent's wife just appeared on every television in the world, being tortured by a man prepared to destroy Metropolis by nuclear meltdown. If I was any kind of detective, the first person I'd want to talk to is Clark Kent."
"And when I show up missing, they may think I have something to do with all this." Superman added.
"You won't be missing." Batman explained.
Superman thought for a moment. True, he had robotic double gangers that he used in the past to imitate his other persona when suspicion arose. The ploy had worked before, but considering the time constraint, Superman doubted it was the case.
"J'onn?" he asked. Batman didn't answer. Superman took his silence as a "yes".
"I'll stop by the apartment on my way to the Power plant…" Superman stated.
"Good to see you got your priorities in order." Batman added.
A wave of anger washed over Superman again. "Go to hell, Bruce!" Superman spit. "Maybe if you ever let someone into your heart, you'd know what this feels like. You'd know what it's like to have to choose between saving someone you care about or losing them forever…"
And as soon as the words left his mouth, Superman wished with all his heart he could take them back.
Batman went very, very still. "You're right…" he said coldly. "I have no idea what that's like."
Superman opened his mouth, closed it, and opened it again. "Bruce…"
"Don't!" Batman answered sharply.
Superman cursed himself. He realized then that once some things were said, they could never be unsaid.
And again, he turned to leave.
"He specifically called you out." Batman called after him. "If it's a trap, you should prepare accordingly. And Clark…"
Superman stopped and looked back over his shoulder.
"If I had to choose between someone I care for, and the lives of millions of innocents… the choice would be obvious… but it wouldn't be easy."
Superman nodded slightly. He levitated a few feet into that air, and finally, he flew out of the chamber, out of the Fortress of Solitude, and into the darkness.
Batman remained at the computer terminal, his fingers skillfully entering command after command, the keys chiming softly with every press.
Saving Metropolis was a job for Superman.
Saving Lois Lane… well… Batman could only hope he had time to handle that task himself.