Can You Read My Mind?

It was late. The sun was already nearing the edge of the horizon as the soft chimes that hung near the barn's door continued to accentuate the feeling of a day's end. A very brisk and calm breeze swept everything by as the sky slowly turned from its poignant calming blue color towards a cooler swathe of purple and orange.

Even the clouds which reflected some of that color off to their sides were now unwinding as the rays of the waning sun swept through the small crevices between the wooden planks that made up the barn in its entirety.

It was already steadily darker inside the structure but a small gas-lit lamp that hung above the table illuminated the patches of dark that were creeping in. Hung from a wooden beam, the lamp's hinges made it creak every so often as the cool breeze entered the barn.

Accompanied by the soft sounds of the crops, primarily wheat and corn swaying against the country backdrop made Riley's work much easier than usual.

There was a slightly audible clang when she deposited one of her favorite scalpels back down into the metal tray. The sound of dripping blood and extremities from various plastic bags around her continued to enter her senses, they slowed eventually of course, but to her, those sounds as well as the natural tones of nature around her made her relaxed and calm.

Well, calmer than most days of course.

The young girl continued to hum as she extracted a sticky mass of organs and such from his current subject. She smiled to herself as she cleanly got everything out, almost without fuss, perfect to some degree that most people would agree on.

Perfect, especially for the people whom she cared for.

She turned her head slightly towards the head of her patient and smiled, teeth out and as much as her lips and face can muster. What she got in return was the patient moving as if excited.

She could tell that they were excited or seemed to be.

Maybe.

It was not like she totally knew after all, they had an issue with their throat and the man was a certified heavy smoker, so much so that his larynx looked pretty bad.

Yes, the man was bad. Did they not know that smoking was bad?

Riley huffed to that as she saw her patient continuing to wiggle a bit more. She still had a lot of work to do, but doing this for hours on end, especially with the man's entire family which had their own set of problems, will of course tire her out. Despite all of the many additional stuff that helped make her body better and much more suited, a girl will always feel fatigued.

Mentally, that is.

She wiped her face with a bloody towel as she took a deep breath.

She did well today! She did a lot that she was sure Uncle Jack would be proud of.

Even if it was finicky and annoying at times, it was fun.

Not as fun when they did bigger things, but fun, nonetheless.

With a grin on her face, she now started to keep her tools and toys away as she hummed a tune while doing so. She wished Uncle Jack or at least Sibby could sing her a song or two when she rested or when she was tucked to bed.

She had a lot of favorite songs to hum. She did not have a terribly good voice, that was much more Shatterbird's thing, but whenever she was alone or working, she always loved to hum.

However, as she was finishing up the day's work she did not seem to notice or think that the entire farm was much too quiet than usual. It was only when she walked away from the barn and looked around that she started to get confused.

She called out their names.

Her friends. Her family.

Oddly enough while some were rude and foul-mouthed (she carried her swear jar), they would usually give something out in response to make her feel relaxed.

"Uncle Jack?" she asked innocently as she opened the door of the house in the farmland, they were in. She had just checked their van, abandoned, strangely enough, but not suspicious enough to warrant any sort of doubt in her mind.

Yet as minutes trickled by and the more, she explored around the house, she started to frown and grow worried. Even Sibby was always present when she wanted to be.

But no… it seemed far too quiet at the current moment as she wondered where everyone was.

She sat on the dining table of the house and looked up at the bloody family picture hung on the wall. The family whom she helped had a little girl like her as well.

They were smiling at the picture, hopeful.

Full of love and caring.

Just like her own family too.

While she was lamenting such things, she heard the sound of the chimes that were hung on top of the door to the backyard being rung. She stood up and fixed her dress, of course, she had nothing to worry about.

Her family was strong. They would never leave her, she made sure of it after all.

With a smile, she walked towards the backyard door and opened it…

Only to see a stranger in blue-pajama-like tights with a red cape behind him and a distinct red and yellow shield on his chest. Riley felt strange, especially since the man wore his underwear over his pants.

"Hello there! It's going to be dark soon, so I went ahead to grill something nice for dinner." The man said as he sat in the backyard by the tree stump, a makeshift grill right before him, what seemed like a beef steak on it, and a few extra tree stumps around him that he seemingly invited her to sit on.

Riley looked around for Uncle Jack and the rest, they were nowhere to be seen.

Her hands slowly curled into fists.

The sounds of the embers of flame that popped within the grill made Riley slightly agitated. The man was an intruder and as her mind started to rack around all the possibilities of what to do and what happened to her friends and family, she ultimately realized in that very moment that the man before her was dangerous.

Nonchalant and plain-looking as he was from the costume to the exposed face.

There was just a feeling deep inside her gut that told her about it as the friendly-looking man continued to smile at her.

She consciously placed her left hand inside her pocket and carefully took hold of her special knife there. Even in situations where she was unprepared or when Uncle Jack and the others were unprepared, they always managed to turn things in their favor.

It did not change even as many people throughout the years came and went to try and hurt them and her family.

Yet, there was this slowly sinking feeling deep inside herself that made her scared due to its implications. Doubly so, when she realized that when she was working, she hardly heard any sound.

There should have been sounds or tremors. She made sure every part of her family had heightened senses than a normal human being, so she could have picked up something, anything.

But this man seemingly had none of that.

"Why are you standing there all serious little lady? You'll tire your legs out and based on your look you're probably really exhausted. I know I would even with my super strength and super physiology because when I come home when the day's work is done, I get cramps in my lower back. Nasty little things." The man said as he laughed to himself.

Riley did not react to his joke. Was this an attempt at trying to dissuade her? Distract her?

Fool her?

She had been pranked before by Uncle Jack and the others, so she knew that she was a big girl that did not get tricked that easily. Unconsciously her face turned into a pout that made the strange man laugh further at her expense.

In response, she tightened the hold on her favorite knife.

"Come, sit with me. I'm sure you're hungry. I'm sure your friends will be fine." The man offered, his voice so surprisingly genuine and sincere that Riley fidgeted in place and weighed her options.

Inevitably, she walked towards the man and sat on the tree stump overlooking his position as she thought about all her contingencies. She knew that they were unsavory, especially to herself, but she was ready if it meant protecting her family.

"There we go... you know, my Ma used to say that if they ever had a second child I would have been a great big brother to them." The man chuckled again while reminiscing as he looked at the embers of the grill. "I'm not sure if I would have been good at that role, but my cousin Kara, emotional and zany as she is at times was someone that always trusted me, followed me, and even looked up to me."

The strange man then met Riley's own eyes.

"You remind me a bit about herself when I first met her. Headstrong. Determined and always protected those that she loved with a vengeance."

Riley watched as the man hummed to that memory as she clutched her special knife tighter again.

"Where is Uncle Jack? Where are my friends?" she asked bluntly.

The man perked up at her voice but answered her regardless.

"Oh, I gave them a time-out. Cheery fellow your uncle was… I offered to talk with him, but he was very rude, so I invited him and his friends to a special place where they can cool their heads down a bit."

Riley felt her redundant hearts beat a little faster.

"Where is this… place?" she probed as she readied herself. The man did not look fazed at all even with how serious her face was. If anything, he seemed amused at it.

"Oh, it's a secret place you see. I got a key to it back in my Fortress of Solitude but just know that they will be fine. I even got a few friends down there that would make sure they are safe and sound. One of them was a friend of my father's once, and he is a great conversationalist that I'm sure your uncle can relate to."


"You… don't get out much, do you? I'm sure we can make out a deal! My friends can help and I'm sure with your assistance we can do so much more for the world. I guarantee it." The man, Jack Slash said as the rest of the Slaughterhouse 9 who were behind him looked nervous at the floating man that was watching them with a keen, enduring stare.

Even Jack Slash himself was a bit unnerved, especially with where they currently were.

"Come now, I'm sure we can talk, great minds such as you and I can get along quite well. Especially with our tastes in grooming our facial hair." He said in a ploy to compliment the man, to get a reaction out of him as it seemed like most of his friends behind him were no longer with their abilities or powers.

Even Crawler, bless him, had returned to being a normal-looking bum.

"So… what do you say?" he asked with some confidence left, a bead of sweat trickling down his face much to his chagrin.

"Kneel." The man muttered.

"Excuse me what did yo-

"I said KNEEL. KNEEL BEFORE GENERAL ZOD!"


Riley doubted the man's words, but he seemed very sure of himself.

"I promise you… they will be fine." The man once again said with sincerity as he leaned back on his seat, seemingly to relax as if she was not exuding enough of a threat against him.

She wanted to sneer, to attack him right now, but hearing what he just said, she was unsure.

One thing she was sure of, however, popped into her head.

"Sibby will get you. She'll beat you back and you'll be happy that you did not hurt my family." She threatened with confidence that her Uncle Jack had taught her but the man seemed unconcerned.

"You mean the tiger woman?" the man asked with a bit of a blush to his face which Riley did not understand. "I can't deny that she's beautiful and powerful, but I'm old-fashioned little miss. I already have a woman who I am very happy with at home and while we aren't married yet, I'm glad to say that she's the one."

Riley looked at him like he was an odd person. He most likely was.

The man then raised his index finger as if remembering something as he smiled. "However, I could not let the moment slide when I saw her of course. I managed to gather my friend along who is pretty lonely these days, so I encouraged them both to meet."

"What?" she said in shock and pure utter confusion.

"They looked happy together the last time I saw them. I hope it pulls through since my friend is a nice guy, once you get around his eccentricities that is."


"Come on, out of everything you have faced so far, this is the one that has you scared?"

"Bizarro am not afraid." His imperfect clone said with honesty and shame. He wore a perfect three-piece suit at that moment along with a bouquet to match. He even had a box of chocolates by his other arm.

Yet even with the many battles and turmoil that his clone had survived against his many premature years of existence, it seemed like he was undoubtedly unsure if this was the right thing to do.

"You think too much. You have to realize that everybody deserves love. Even someone like you can have someone that cares, trusts, and follows you to the end despite what you may think of yourself. Nobody is exempt from that, and I'm sure even if it's not now or later, you can find that person eventually with all the love and devotion that your heart can muster and aspire to."

Bizarro, the imperfect clone of Superman looked at the original with a worried face.

"Bizarro not trust you. B-But… Bizarro will not try."

Superman grinned as the Tiger Woman looked at the both of them.

"That's the spirit."


Riley stared in disbelief.

It was not true. Certainly, it wasn't right?

Sibby would come out and save her. Uncle Jack and the rest will get out wherever they were taken.

They would survive! All of them! She made sure of it.

She wanted it!

Feverishly, she took out her knife, not bothering if the man could see it. She was angry. She was ready to punish this man for all the indignation and humiliation that he gave to her and her family.

She will make sure of it! She promises it!

Riley stood up as the man who continued to look unconcerned even as she exuded such an aura of danger, seemed to not care as she sneered at her with every sort of malice that she could conjure.

She then screamed.

"WHERE IS UNCLE JACK!? WHERE IS MY FAMILY?!"

"I already told you, little miss. I am not someone that stoops so low to lie to a child such as yourself."

"I DON'T BELIEVE YOU!"

She then lunged at the man with her knife, filled with so many germs, viruses, and diseases that any indirect touch would kill a man instantly even if it did not break through any skin. As she did so, the blade instantly snapped, not even a wound to be made against the pajama-like tights of his costume.

The metal skittered down to the ground as Riley grinned.

"That's rude." The man said as he continued to look unconcerned. He did not even bother to sit up from his position. Riley continued her assault as she spat on the man's face, but her spit seemingly evaporated before it could even hit his plain, confused and disappointed face.

She took a step back and snapped one of her teeth inside her mouth as she released a potent smog of deadly gas from her face.

She smiled once again, that concoction was so potent that it would have-

"Hm. Did your family ever tell you that smoking was bad for your health?" a voice from the smog said as suddenly the man inhaled all of the visible smoke into his lungs instantly. What horrified Riley was that it was clear her concoction had worked, for the ground down to the grass and crops where the smog had touched were reduced to a withered mess to the point that even the tree stumps and the grill he was sitting by were in worse shape than before.

The man himself, however, was unaffected.

"H-How? Even with all of your powers some of them could have been enough to-

"I am Superman little miss. That entails being Super-Resistant too!" the man cheerfully said as he crossed his arms with a smile as he stood proudly in place. "My cells and body are as Super as I am! You can even say that I have a Super-Body built for health and never-ending endurance." He then flexed both his arms as Riley took another step back weighing her options as she thought about her patients in the nearby barn.

"Of course, even with a body such as mine, I do encourage young boys and girls like you to keep up with ensuring their health and safety at all times. I know that if I can do it, so can you too."

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" she screamed as she tried to activate her patients to fight through a neural link, but as seconds ticked by she realized that there was something wrong.

"No! It should have worked! Everything would have been fine! Everything would have been back to normal as it once was!" she screamed as her breath became ragged.

She did not want to run, even if she severely wanted to.

But by doing so she would leave everything behind. She would leave her family behind.

She would be…

She would be left alone again.

She clenched her fists in frustration as she seethed at the man. Her eyes were now downcast but desperate as she mustered all strength and bravery she had and screamed in defiance.

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHH!"

She tried punching the man with all her strength. She attacked him with everything she had, from unleashing the rest of her contingencies even if it would inevitably kill her, to even biting him with what force she could muster even if it would fail.

Minutes passed as Riley continued to scream. The sun now dipped over the horizon as the scenery now darkened and paled.

The small girl continued to attack desperately as her failing body continued to fight for a family that she feared she had already lost again. The anger turned into despair, and the despair turned into sadness as she continued to hit him but her blows and attacks became weaker and weaker with each onset…

Until she now started to cry into his uninjured chest.

She cried loudly into the silence as her fists limped weakly at his body, her arms which were enhanced were now tired from everything as she sobbed.

"Y-You took them away from me."

She grabbed at his costume as tears flowed down with each breath.

"Y-You took my family away… y-you…"

Riley's spirit had broken. She felt her legs give way as she leaned into the man's chest. Then she felt the man's arms place her into a fulfilling, sincere embrace.

She continued to cry as flashes of memories came to her mind. Memories, those that she had locked away deep inside herself resurfaced into bits and pieces as she wailed.

"Why… w-why did I leave them? Why do they always… leave me?" she said in a weak voice.

She asked that question again and again in her head as she clung to what comfort was being given to her knowing that she would die soon without much of a fight.

"Why?" she once again muttered.

She then felt the man's embrace on her tighten. Almost as if on cue, a comforting breeze wheezed by as she felt his red cape envelope her like a blanket.

"I'm here little miss. You can trust me that I won't ever leave you."

The man then settled them down to the ground as Riley continued to cry.

Eventually, she realized that she was not dying. That she and the man before her were not wasting away or bringing forth a disaster to their surroundings. No, what was simply there in that very moment was Riley being held in the arms of a strange man that embraced her as if she was just a normal girl with a simple problem.

Not as Bonesaw, but as Riley as she figuratively once was.

She looked up at the man who continued to smile at her. He then wiped the tears from her face as well as fixed the stray strands of hair that covered her eyes.

"W-What did you do?" she meekly asked.

"Whatever do you mean?" he asked back as Riley could no longer feel the augmentations or any of the things that she had installed into her own body anymore. Her breath was now normal as a human being could be and her senses were returned to their base standard. She could no longer feel the extra added layers of enhancements under her skin nor the redundancies in terms of organs in her body.

She felt… normal again. Mundane.

Plain as the man before her at that very moment. Even the devices she had in her pockets and body were no longer there.

She looked up to meet the man's eyes again, for she was scared. She was scared of what the man could do to him now that she was left in this state.

How could she trust him after all of this?

"W-Who are you?" she asked.

"Just a friend. That is if you want me to."

"D-Do I have a choice?" she asked, afraid to know the answer.

The man giggled lightly as he stroked the top of her head gently. "Of course, you do. Everyone has a choice. I believe that's a freedom that everybody should always remember about in times where it feels like they are lost against the darkness."

"E-Even me?"

The man's smile was not full, almost unsure but he looked at her again like he had an idea.

"Say, does the little miss wish to see something beautiful?"

"What do you mean?" Riley said with a tilt of her head, still not trusting the man that much.

"Oh, I feel like it's better if you experience it yourself rather than being left as a surprise." He then let her out of his embrace and offered her his hand.

"But, in order for me to show it to you, you have to trust me."

Riley looked at the outstretched palm, unsure as she met the man's eyes once more.

"I'm not sure if I want to."

"Why?"

"Because… because I'm scared." She said with all honesty.

"I see…" he then knelt right in front of her and smiled to make her relaxed and calm. "What if I promise you that I'll do everything in my power to keep you safe?"

"Y-You… you promise?"

"I do." The man said as Riley saw him smile. She then reached her hand out, not to take the man's hand but to offer her pinky.

"Pinky Swear?" she asked as the man chuckled. His laugh was infectious. It was calming.

"I swear Little Miss." He said as he conjoined their pinky fingers before he stood up and once more offered his hand towards her. "Now, take my hand and everything will be alright."


"How does it feel?" he asked as they soared across the clouds. Riley clung to him tightly as she fearfully tried to look at the man's face. They rose higher and higher into the air as the clouds and vapor danced around them like islands against a sea of blue and air.

Riley watched around the man as she clung to him. She kept trying to keep her eyes fixed on the man's face as he flew in silence and with a perpetual, free smile while the sounds of nature roared around them. The sky was like a canvas as far as she could see.

The main jewel was the sun that illuminated the world as they flew further away from where they once were. Entire landmasses were passed by the scant few seconds as Riley wondered why there were no external forces that would eventually be more or less violent to her mundane fragile body…

…or the fact that she could still breathe the oxygen in the air even if logically speaking at this height it would be terribly unfeasible or impossible to do so?

All of these things rattled her head even as the feat of everything in itself was impressive from a technical standpoint.

But she was not enjoying it as much as the man wanted, she was still scared. Untrustworthy towards the man as they continued to soar the skies against the blue backdrop, their shadows being blinded by the sun for a moment as they flew on.

Part of it was that she was not technically that amazed anymore nowadays, she had seen a lot with her family. With Uncle Jack. Even flying at these speeds and heights never registered to her as impressive so even if the man wanted to make her feel better, she would only be lying to herself if she did not say the truth.

"I… I don't know." She tried to say, fearful of how the man would react.

What she got in exchange however was an understanding look of contemplation.

"Well, I didn't say flying was for everyone… but, believe it or not, this isn't the surprise at all."

Riley perked up from those words as she stared into the man's blue eyes in curiosity and anticipation.

"I got your attention now huh? No little miss, I'm afraid we barely even got to the surprise just yet. I just wanted to take the scenic view." He then held her closer as Riley hugged his torso tighter.

As soon as he said those words, Riley felt them elevate much more into the sky.

High above. Higher than anything that even the Simurgh could hope to reach.

Clouds began to dissipate, the landmasses below became smaller, and the blue tinge of the sky now started to darken as Riley's eyes marveled at what her eyes and body were experiencing. Slowly her face turned into awe with her mouth parting slightly open when she could finally see the dark expanse.

Stars high above the heavens. Out of reach and out of sight for the most part, as they continued to fly higher where no other man minus those who had walked against the moon could dwell on.

The sun became much brighter against the heavy black ink of space as she looked down and saw the Earth curve into the spherical shape that everyone knew it by.

Riley was speechless. She continued to stare in awe as she felt the man's hold lighten a bit while she clung to him. His cape fluttered as if there were still wind resisting against it as his unending smile blinked like one of the many stars in the great expanse.

It was breathtaking…

It was just…

"Wow…"

She then felt another surprise take root in her head as she realized she could still hear her voice. She could still breathe. She was not frozen nor killed by the vastness of space.

She was still alive.

Riley turned her head towards the man's face. He looked at her and winked.

She could not understand what was happening but with all her amazement, all her awe with what was happening, she managed to make out a small but genuine laugh of excitement.

It was like something was lifted from her chest. She felt great. Amazing even.

No longer was there a shroud of haze in her head that seemed to gloss on her mindset and emotions. She now felt free. Freer than she had ever felt before.

So, she continued to laugh in relief. In happiness as she and the man flew into Space together, smiling and being happy.


"Wow." She said again as reality sunk in that she was now sitting on the moon overlooking Earth just by the horizon and the sun right behind it.

When she and the man landed, she could still not believe it. Yet she was here and after bouncing around with minimal gravity due to the Moon's nature she continued to laugh and smile in pure utter bliss with what she was experiencing.

The man himself joined her later as they laughed and played a bit against the Lunar surface which few if any could even brag that they have been to in the first place.

Eventually, they both settled down next to the American Flag that was stuck to the ground close to them. The man sitting beside her as they looked at the Earth, miles away from where they were, showing off all its beauty against the vast starry painting-like expanse of space.

"It never stops surprising you, does it? Especially with a perspective such as this. My Pa always said that everybody should cherish their home even if the world is against you, even if things are hard…"

He then turned to Riley who was listening in, intently. "… because if you look into it deeper, the beauty of everything is still there. It is still the same warm beautiful home even with all the imperfections and it is still the same beautiful home where all our love and dreams started."

He then turned back towards the blue planet with a comforted smile.

"Nothing could replace it, even if anybody tried to. You would always return to reminisce on it. Of what you lost, of what you left behind."

The punctuation of those last words made Riley's heart race a certain way. She looked back towards the Earth and remembered everything that she had left behind. Everything that she ever lost.

She then placed both hands on her chest and smiled, painfully in sorrow and joy.

"T-Thank you."

Riley heard the man laugh in a good-natured way as she turned to him.

"Don't thank me yet little miss, the surprise isn't over yet."

"It isn't?" she asked, a bit of excitement entering her tone. The man merely nodded as he stood up and dusted his back as if there was still Earth-like gravity.

"As much as I want to show you the history of when the first man landed on the moon, we still need to head to our next stop."

"Where?" she asked in anticipation.

"You will have to believe first in order to make the journey."

She tilted her head in response to his words.

"I'm going to make you believe that you can fly."

Riley stared at the man, curious as to what he meant. It was impossible, right? She was just Riley…

An ordinary girl. She was not like him.

"How?"

"That's the easy part, you just have to stand straight and soar!" he said as he levitated. She grew scared as he floated upwards away, scared that he was going to leave her until she shook her head and tried to calm herself down.

She then tried to get rid of all of the thoughts in her head and wished to whoever was listening that she believed. That she believed that she could fly.

Riley then opened her eyes, with a determined face she then looked towards where the man was floating and jumped into the air. She managed to get a few meters into the air before she fell once again into an arc downwards.

She jumped again as soon as she landed, higher this time as she outstretched her hands to reach the man who was cheering her to go on until she fell again. Moondust filled her vision and senses as she swept them away with her arms. She grew frustrated and scared once more as she tried…

Again, and again until she urged herself to believe and leaped.

She neared the man's outstretched arms who were waiting for her but merely inches away she started to fall again and landed on the surface once more.

She punched the ground weakly as she sat in place.

"I… I can't do it. I'm not you. I'm just me…" she said in sadness her head drooping downward.

Riley then felt the shadow of the man fall against her as he offered her a hand. She took it as she looked at him. "Hey… don't try to be me. Try to be yourself. Believe in yourself as much as you trusted me."

She then nodded weakly as she took his hand and once again she took a deep breath and believed.

She closed her eyes and she allowed herself to be free. To be free of any doubt or any negative thoughts that had strained her head over the years. She reminded herself of the memories that she cherished. The memories that were locked and lost long ago.

The moment she closed her eyes, she could almost cry with happiness.

She was flying!

She felt herself swimming against the stars! Against the empty air as she saw the man laugh and clap to her delight. She flew around him in circles, she soared higher than she ever could as if mimicking her experience earlier from Earth…

And she discovered a new freedom that she had never thought she would ever have.

Eventually, the man now flew beside her as he took her hand.

"Are you ready?" he asked with all his heart as Riley nodded with all the joy in the world.


There was a great boom even though sound did not exist against the great expanse of space. Two individuals soared at speeds that no one on Earth can feasibly perceive as Riley continued to laugh and experience joy from their actions.

They had passed Venus during a fly-by as the man and Riley discussed and laughed at how stinky the planet smelled. They continued onwards and waved at Mercury as Riley gawked at how incredibly close, they were to the bright colors of the Sun.

Sailing against the very visible wonders of space, the man held Riley's hand side to side together as they finally arrived and circled the center of their known Solar System.

Riley tried to reach forward and touch the surprisingly unharmful delicate heat of the Sun's rays as they basked in its glory. The beautiful star that their home orbited made them both amazed and in awe.

After that, they continued onwards circling the Sun like a slingshot onwards to the void as they passed by Mars where Riley swore, she saw white and green Martians waving back at her and her friend.

Moving past the Asteroid Field where she played hide and seek were the Gas Giants where her friend inhaled some of the chemicals comprising their entire being and was now sporting a varied sense of effects from him turning blue or red at one point, to even minimizing his voice to a very low pitch.

She did the same as well as they enjoyed every moment before continuing on against Saturn's rings and eventually…

A Comet. The wondrous bright and blue-green color of the conglomerated pack of ice and rock danced like an aurora against the blackened, starry void as Riley watched in awe.

Her friend even let her get close to touching the glowing ice particles left by the Comet's wake as it passed them by quietly with nary a sound to its unrivaled beauty.

Riley looked at her hand, chilly as it was but remembering the sensation of the beauty of nature that she experienced close at hand. She turned to her friend and grinned, her cheek muscles were already starting to ache with how much she was smiling with the time they spent together.

She could not describe it in simple words but she finally felt as if she was no longer alone…

And with Superman, as he called himself, she knew that she was in safe hands.

"We still got a few stops to go little miss. Let's make them all count." He said.

Riley's excitement soared, almost equal to the astronomical units that they had traversed in this entire journey.

And she was hungry for more as she flew beside him.


They had made a lovely and fun journey together against the cosmos.

They journeyed to planets and places that she could not even dream of thinking about. From the friendly ring-bearers of that Space Police force (whom she sneakily took and hid a ring from) to a race of flying Birdmen and even a set of planets with Fauna so wild and different from Earth that even Superman did not want to get near of.

Especially that black-rose thingy plant that seemed alive and had a habit of latching onto people.

She laughed when Superman described what the plant did when it latched onto its unknowing victims. They were rudely interrupted by an alien and his space gladiator competition, but they managed to escape and free everyone who was imprisoned.

They then approached a weird green man who had bottled cities as his collection as Superman showed her the value of life with each planet that they touched and visited. She was still scared of herself, of what she could do, and the carelessness that she displayed against anyone who she did not trust…

But she was confident enough to do the right thing as Superman guided her in the process.

At least she thought she could.

They moved again as he explained why there was a wall full of faces on the edge of the universe and that she should always look out for a weird small guy that would pop in and out from time to time just to mess with people.

She wondered why and questioned what he meant, but he told her that if he met said person, he would understand why.

Continuing on, they even visited a few worlds that were a bit hostile to them, chief amongst them was this fiery planet where a gray bald man angrily whined at their presence as his lasers that curved and followed them across stellar distances made them both laugh in excitement as they eventually outran it.

The weirdest occurrence however was a giant Starfish that wandered against space and tried speaking to them as he made smaller clones of itself that Riley took as a souvenir.

She named him Jarro the Star.

He was cute as she stuck to her hair and danced by her shoulder whenever he felt like it.

As much fun as she had in this journey Superman told her finally that they were now heading to their last stop and that she should close her eyes in doing so.

It made her sad, especially with the journey that they took together, that this was all finally ending… but she did not want to fret too much.

She trusted him and she knew that Superman would do what was best for her.

Taking his hand one more time, they both safely flew toward a very familiar planet.

The very Blue Planet that she had once stared at when she first got to Space.

Earth.

Safely descending as clouds and winds buffeted their faces, all the while Jarro chirped by her shoulder as if scared, they managed to slowly touch down back towards the ground.

Which was a simple farmstead.

Not the farm where they first started their journey, but a simple and similarly ordinary farm that overlooked a great field of crops and plants against a warm, homely sunny horizon. The entire scene breathed an atmosphere of calm and comfort as she heard the squeaking sound of the windmill in the background. Some birds were even heard as they flew or perched by the nearby buildings.

Some even pecked on the strangely dressed scarecrow that carried Superman's insignia.

She smiled a bit as she heard Jarro chirp by her side, amazed in a manner that he could communicate with.

Riley wondered where they were as she saw Superman guide her to walk by her side. Hurriedly she did as they walked towards the house. It was quiet but melancholic compared to the relative chaos of their space-faring journey.

"What is this place?" she asked as the man stopped for a moment and breathed in the clean, countryside air.

"Home." He simply said with such finality that she understood quickly how much the whole place meant to him. The emotion on his face was so interesting to Riley's eyes that she managed to remember what home was for herself.

Before she could say anything else she suddenly heard the distinct sound of a dog barking at them happily. Both of them turned as she heard Superman giggle in delight. Riley instantly saw where her friend had been looking as between the corn fields there was a white dog that ran faster than she had ever seen a dog can towards them while it barked.

When he neared the final stretch Riley opened her mouth slightly in surprise when she saw the dog fly. He had a collar on too which was clipped by a red cape and Superman's symbol.

The dog then happily lunged in her direction as Riley tried to defend herself while laughing.

"Easy on her Krypto!" she heard Superman say as Riley felt the loving dog lick and play with her as his tail waggled in pure utter bliss.

"Hey there!" Riley grinned as the dog calmed down a bit and faced her. Krypto then affectionately rubbed himself against Riley as he then circled and flew around Superman.

"Krypto's been my best friend ever since I was born little miss… and I'm happy to see him so excited around you without so much as a fuss."

Riley chuckled as she saw the dog lick Superman's face.

"But as great as this entire reunion is, we still got something to do before sunset."

"What is it?" she excitedly said as Krypto ran back to her side, her hand touching his head as Jarro chirped almost angrily in jealousy against the dog.

"Oh, I'm sure you'll like it, simple as it is." He said confidently.


Clark laughed to himself as he knew Riley did not particularly like what they did around the Kent farm. However, despite her dislike as time passed, she noticed that the girl continued to have fun even if they were doing normal farmwork such as harvesting and cleaning some of the tools that they were used.

He could feel it as he watched the little girl happily playing with Krypto against the mud pit where the pigs were being fed.

Strangely the Starro fragment seemed to happily play along with the dog whom he was jealous of as the three threw mud at each other. Some of it even hit him as he leaned and watched against the fence.

Riley, in her mud-covered face, laughed at him as they saw each other's gazes.

He smiled. Seeing her like this. Being a normal kid.

Being a child once more.

The peacefulness of seeing the troubled girl get out of her scared shell before made him feel fulfilled and happy. A few hours later when they were both working in the field, she kept asking him if he was doing everything correctly almost as if she was scared if she did something wrong in the first place.

That small little detail made him frown.

He was observing her alright ever since they had started the journey…

And try as Clark could he knew that he could never change the girl outright that simply. Even with his teachings about what was good and bad or what was right or wrong in their journey, the girl still had issues.

She merely followed what he had to say, just to appease him. She did not show any indication that she learned those lessons wholeheartedly. Even if she did for a little bit, he was sure that like the talkative man that would rival the Joker in terms of boasting, he knew that the girl now latched on to him for any sort of support or comfort.

He frowned at that notion as he cooked them food.

With a sigh, he knew it would not be an easy process. He turned his head towards the girl who was singing towards "Jarro" and Krypto as they managed to meet gazes again. She continued to smile like an innocent girl, one that was far removed from the girl she once was.

Clark smiled, he had to hope.

And he knew, delicate as Riley's position was, he knew things would be alright in the end.

"Do you know how to sing?" he heard her ask.

"I know a few… would you want to hear some?" he replied.

She immediately nodded with as much fervor as she could muster as he relaxed.

Superman's voice was terrible.

It was not bad as some of the truly terrible ones Riley had heard back then, but he was as terrible as Uncle Ja-

Riley instantly stopped herself. With a sigh, she clenched her fists as she looked at the sun setting on the horizon. A scenic view that mirrored when the first they had left Earth.

She heard Jarro chirp by her shoulder as she looked at him.

The cute starfish alien landed in her hands and danced as if trying to make her feel better.

She laughed and thanked him as she thought about more of her situation.

Feeling unsure, she knew that her thoughts still left her in a complicated state. The more that their journey progressed and the more she experienced things with her new friend, no…

… her savior, she realized that memories of her time before when everything was still right had finally resurfaced. She remembered them clearly now.

No longer was there any taint in her head or a fuzz in her memories that she adamantly locked away. There were still some things that she could not remember but the whole or the main points that stuck with her started to fracture her own heart.

A tear trickled down her cheeks as cradled the very concerned Jarro who was wondering why she was starting to cry. He even took something from her bag and offered it to her as he jumped back into her hands.

Riley wiped the tear from her face as she took the green ring that she made as a souvenir from the friendly space police. She then saw Starro and hugged him.

"Thank you." She said as she closed her eyes. She was still not whole or entirely happy, but she could make do. Riley tried to return her breathing to normal as she felt a gentle hand touching her shoulder.

"Little Miss. You might want to open your eyes again." He said gently as Riley slowly did.

From her tear-stained eyes, she looked up towards the man who was now sitting beside her as he urged her to look forward, towards the scenery before them… against the fields of wheat.

Goosebumps and a heavy sense of weight entered Riley's eyes as she tried to parse and understand what she was seeing.

There, in the middle were translucent presences, who were substantial enough to be recognized, standing while waving at her.

They were… they were her family.

Riley sobbed loudly as she ran and met them. She cried with as much as her tears could do as she leaped and embraced the translucent figures. She felt their warmth again.

She felt their touch and loving gestures.

"M-mom… d-dad…" she whispered against the tears as she felt them talk to her. She felt them speak as their embraces deepened.

She did not want the moment to end as she was now…

Home.


They were now gone…

They said their goodbyes. They gave their loving embraces.

Riley was now left alone in the middle of the field, looking upwards against the now familiar setting horizon which was no longer the Kent Farm, but back where they began.

She still had tears in her eyes, but she felt content. She felt happy.

Fulfilled, she felt Jarro dance again in her palm while she chuckled when wiping her tears.

It hurt to see them go, but Riley was not wholly sad.

What pain there was in her chest was finally gone as she felt the presence of Superman walk beside her and offer her a hand. She took it without question as he was now back in his suit. The red cape waved against them like a comforting blanket, staving them off from any harm.

She sighed deeply as she looked at him.

"W-Was that real?" she asked, ultimately, upon everything that they had experienced.

She knew this was not a pleasant dream, but she wanted to be sure.

"Do you believe it so?" he asked.

Riley affirmatively nodded with a smile against her still teary face.

"Then it was little miss. All of it."

She looked at the sunset again, it was as if no time had passed ever since they had started their journey. It was like they never left as they took in the scene side by side.

But it seemed like time was no longer by their side as Riley heard sirens behind them and the footsteps of three individuals just a few good meters away from them.

Riley instantly embraced her savior. Her Superman.

"I'm scared," she admitted. "I don't want you to go. I don't want you to leave."

She felt his gentle hand stroke her head as Jarro similarly embraced her neck.

"I'm not little Miss… but we have to face our fears eventually and knowing you with everything that you have been through, I know you won't disappoint me," he said as he leveled his gaze at her with that wonderful empathetic smile.

She started crying again as she looked at him. "Please… I don't want you to go. I-I don't want you to leave as well."

"I'm not going to Riley." He finally said to her, speaking her name made her all the more happy but also sad. "I will always be there for you, even if I'm away… I can promise you that."

Riley understood what facing her fears meant and what he wanted out of her, but she was still scared. Not for herself or the now present guilt that lingered within her, but of not seeing her savior again.

She tightened her embrace as she felt him reciprocate equally with as much as a gentle touch could give.

"You promise?" she asked as Jarro seemingly 'cried' as well on her shoulder.

"Pinky promise." He offered as they both did the deed with a small laugh.

They then stood up together as he held her hand, she clung to him as she felt an object being placed on her palm. She opened it and saw a device that had a single button and a symbol on it that was reminiscent of his 'S' shield.

"Make sure to keep it in your person. One call away and it will be like I never left."

She clutched it tightly and tearfully looked up at him with a smile. "T-Thank you… t-thank you so much!" she admitted with pure sincerity and innocence as her savior moved closer and kissed the top of her head.

"You are most welcome, little miss."

She slowly let go of his hand as she walked behind them, seeing the three figures waiting for her. But before she could go further she tearfully looked back towards Superman who stood there behind the beautiful sunset as his cape waved into the air.

He waved back at her with a smile as Riley did the same.

She was happy.

And as she clutched the device in her hand…

She believed.

She finally believed that she would see him again.

Someday.


EPILOGUE

Rebecca watched as Challenger escorted the now fragile but peaceful Bonesaw away in hand. There was no point trying to aggressively arrest the Slaughterhouse 9 member especially when the man or the being before her who showed so much care towards the girl stood and silently watched them.

She did not want to anger or do anything toward the slayer of the Hopekiller.

Especially now when he had neutralized the 9 without any casualties, nor even any deaths as she recalled the family which they had saved from the barn where they were peacefully sleeping without any injuries. The unknown before her had also brought them the rest of the 9 who were all naked and bruised against the front of the property.

There was still one member that was missing, but she was sure the unknown before had dealt with the black-and-white bitch swiftly to the point that there was nothing left of her.

*A scream is heard at the other end of the world as the black and white woman ran away from the flying monstrosity that was enjoying their 'date'.

Going back to the present, Rebecca realized that she had to make sure this interaction was peaceful regardless of what she wanted to say and ask of the man before her.

She had to be careful, especially with Miss Militia standing behind her and continuing to watch the scene.

Normally she could get a good read on the people that she interacted with but it was useless against this unknown. With a small sigh, she gathered herself as she saw the man perk up at the inevitable conversation.

"You do understand this doesn't exonerate her for all of the wrongdoing she's done, correct?" she politely asked as the man smiled at her expense.

"I do, but I believe everyone deserves a second chance. Even you." He cryptically said without any malice, but with the way how his eyes understood her, she almost stepped away in fear and nervous tension.

How did he know?

She heard the man giggle as she tried to say something back as he was now floating upwards.

"I urge you all, fellow heroes to never falter in your quest to save the world. To never stop believing in hope. To never stop believing in doing what is right." He said in finality as winked at her one more time before a loud sonic boom was heard and he was gone once more.

Rebecca was left to digest what he said as she felt the tension of her nerves settles down.

Then…

She blinked in place. Shocked.

But amazed as she realized that her lost eye had returned after all these years. She could see clearly again. Her once scarred face was now returned to what it once was.

She continued to touch her restored eye with her shaking fingers within what space her helmet could muster as she felt Miss Militia behind her stir in concern.

"Ma'am? Are you alright?"

She was unsure how to answer that question…

Or any question at that very moment as she looked towards the now starry sky.


AN: I hope I gave the very idea of Superman justice here. This took a bit of a while due to the nature of the chapter and what needed to be conveyed. I tried I think at least 5 times just to get this right because I wanted to show how much I loved the character.

I hope that effort came through at least, but I am happy I finished this.

As for questions and clarifications, I will point out again that this Superman is basically the Silver-Age version at the base with all the good things and qualities that came forward throughout his history distilled into one package.

Powers aside, if you ask me how long their journey took, I can give you the presumption that they journeyed for at least 9 months but only a few spare minutes passed in Earth Bet. Did they cross dimensions toward DC at one point in that journey? Of course. Does it make sense? No.

Did Riley keep all her souvenirs? Or her flight powers? Yes on the souvenirs. No on the flight capabilities. But she has a Lantern Ring… so… meh.

Anyway! I hoped you guys enjoyed this very warm-in-tone chapter, I assure you this is just a stop for now but I will promise that in the next few days the next chapter will come which will be must shorter and much more lighter in tone…

Especially with a certain Imp involved and a fedora-wearing lady.