🥀 CHAPTER FOUR | SUPERMAN 🥀

EVERYONE WAS SILENT ON THE ELEVATOR RIDE TO THE BATCAVE. Barry kept staring up in awe at the grey walls around. The elevator came to a sudden stop and a wide door opening, the light shining through. Everyone stepped out and Barry's eyes were wide as if he were a kid in a candy store. 

"Wow. It's like a cave," Barry said enthusiastically before running around the cave and the blue lightning flashing in everyone's eyes, "Like a Batcave." Everyone stood in a circle and Bruce called out to Barry who was sitting the Batmobile while looking around. 

I stood with my hands in pockets while putting weight on left leg, Victor held the Mother Box which was the topic of conversation. 

"My father called it the change engine," he started, "It was found by the British after World War I. They studied it but they couldn't even date it. It's so old. It was shelved, until the night Superman died. Then she lit up like Christmas. They brought it to STAR Labs where my father recognized it as a perpetual energy matrix." 

"That's sound cool," Barry added, "I thought it was like a nuclear bomb." 

"A Mother Box destroys as it creates," Victor explained, "It's a cycle of life, but a million times faster. My father thought it was the key to unlimited energy. New formulas, cellular regeneration, but it's too volatile to control." 

As Victor spoke, I realized that his father used the box's energy on him. To bring him back and to keep him alive. I wondered if the box would be able to bring my parents back but even that felt impossible. I wanted them back more than anything but it wasn't the top priority right now. The world needed saving. If there was no world, where would they go? 

"He used it on you," Bruce said. 

"I was in an accident," Victor started, "I should've died. My father thought that he could use the Mother Box to rebuild the broken parts of me with a few cybernetic enhancements. Instead, he built a living a machine. I may be stronger than its host." 

"Too much. Too much life." Bruce added. 

Arthur stepped up to the group after looking around the Batcave, "What's on your weird mind?" He asked towards Bruce. 

"Muscles, coordination. Basic cellular integrity. A human can only absorb so much. The Mother Box was designed to reshape a planet." Bruce explained. 

"What does that have to do with anything?" I ask. 

"So, what if you were stronger than a planet?" Bruce asked, "Your cells lying dormant, but incapable of decay. If you were in a conductive field, a boost from the Mother Box-" 

"Could bring "him" back to life." Barry interrupted. Everyone stared at each other with looks of awe on their face. The thought of being able to bring Superman back sounded impossible but it wasn't. 

"The Kryptonian ship has an amniotic chamber, which would be perfect-" 

"No." Diana interrupted. 

Bruce turned to Diana, "Diana." 

"Bruce, no!" she disagreed, "You have no idea what kind of power you're dealing with." 

"Even if there was a fraction of a chance-" 

"That what? That we could raise a monster? Like Luther did?" Diana asked with her arms folded across her chest. 

Bruce was starting to look annoyed, "We have tech Luther's never even seen." 

"Superman is dead." Diana spat, everyone was quiet, "We all wish he weren't." 

"We don't know what state he's in," Bruce started walking closer to Diana, "We know we can't bring him back but this is science beyond our limits. And that's what science is for. To do what's never been done. To make life better." 

"Or to end it. Technology is like any other power, without reason, without heart, it destroys us. You're risking lives. Theirs and maybe countless more." Diana said, standing firm on her decision. 

"We don't have time for a control group," Bruce stated, "Is it a risk? Yes. But its necessary." 

"Why? Because of your guilt?" Diana spat, she regretted the words as soon as she said them, "Bruce, I was there. You didn't kill Superman. At some point, even you have to learn to move on.

Bruce went silent, "Did Steve Trevor tell you that?" The tension in the room increased as Diana gave Bruce a look before pushing him back with her hand and sending back. I straightened my back as Diana turned around. 

Bruce regained his strength as he rubbed his shoulder, "Superman was a beacon to the world. Why aren't you? You're an inspiration, Diana. You don't just save people, you make them see their better selves. And yet, I never heard of you until Luthor lured you out by stealing a picture of your dead boyfriend." He walked around Diana before standing in front of her, Diana remained strong. 

"Bruce," I warned, "Don't overextend yourself." 

"You shut yourself down for a century," he ignored, "So let's not talk about me moving on." 

"You know," Barry intervened, "That if she kills you, we'll cover for her." The comment made me smile. 

"We are not enough," Bruce started, "Each of us in our own way has held back and I promise you, Steppenwolf is not out there talking about ethics. He's trying to burn down the world. The way we're going to stop him is by using his power. This power, against him." 

Everyone listened intently to what he was saying, I still wasn't sure about the fact of bringing Superman back. 

Victor stood with his arms folded across his chest, "I agree," he started, "I don't like the idea of reintegrating with the Mother Box. But I was running the numbers while you were being an asshole, and there's a high probability that we can bring him back." 

"Right, but we mean, bring him back, in like a "Yay! He's back!" way not in like a pet cemetery scenario." Barry added. 

Arthur stood behind Diana, "You lose something when you die. Even Superman. Maybe not his mind. Maybe his soul."  

Bruce turned his head towards me, "What do you think?" 

I slowly walked over towards Diana, "I'm going to have to side with her. We don't know how he's is going wake up. He might not even be the same person if we bring him back. This God's work, not ours." 

Bruce sighed, "I have a contingency plan for that." 

"If he wakes up and you're the first thing he sees, you'll need one," Diana added. 

After the whole debate about whether to bring Superman back or not, Bruce left to work on some stuff. The plan was already decided that we'd bring him back, and he sent nonother than Barry, Victor, and I to retrieve his body. 

On our way to the graveyard, we carried our shovels and walked silently under the night sky. Barry stood between Victor and I and he looked as if he wanted to say something. He kept licking his lips and fidgeting his fingers.  

"Is there something you want to say?" I asked looking over at Barry, he looked at me with nervous eyes. 

"I, don't you guys feel like this is wrong?" He asked. 

"What? Exhumating the body of a dead superhero?" I asked cocking my head to the side, "Yes, it does, but we have no other choice. Let's just find his grave." 

After a few minutes, we had located the grave. In grey letters it read 'Clark Joseph Kent', my chest felt heavy knowing my parents were buried nearby. The three of us looked down of the grave before Victor stuck the shovel in the dirt, "Let's get to it." 

After what felt like forever, there was a huge hole in the ground and we still hadn't felt the casket. "You know, I can do this a lot faster. I just--is it weird that it feels disrespectful?" Barry asked. 

I rolled my eyes, "Barry, come on," I started. 

"Yep," Victor replied as he shoveled. 

"Do you feel a sense of confidence that we're not doing something horribly wrong?" Barry asked Victor. 

I stopped shoveling and then sighed, "Barry, can you please shovel?" I asked. 

"Not really," Victor answered. 

"Okay, then why are we--" 

Victor interrupted Barry, "Because I saw Steppenwolf up close. The stories Diana told us? And I believe them." 

Barry kept shoveling, "But we're going to stop him," 

"That's the plan," Victor said while shoveling. 

"That's the plan!" Barry said sticking out his fist, waiting for one us to bump it. Victor looked at him weirdly so I returned the fist bump, Barry's cheek turned slightly pink. 

"You got struck by lightning, huh?" Victor asked. 

"Yeah... that's the abridged version," he answered, "And you?" 

"Explosion," Victor answered, he looks at me, "What about you?" 

I wiped the sweat off my forehead, "There's nothing special about me. I don't have any powers, I'm just normal." I answered. 

"We're the accidents," Barry responded. 

"You're not accidents, neither of you are," I said, we remained silent for a few seconds before Barry's shovel made contact with something. We looked at each other curiously. We got it. 

The coffin was going to be taken back to Bruce to continue the plan, I told Victor and Barry that I would meet them since I had something to do. After they left, I walked towards my parent's grave. At this point, I already knew where it was. It had felt like months since I last visited, I found myself never having time anymore. 

I reached the grave and saw a picture taped at the tombstone, it was a family picture, the one I had back home. I sat down on the grass with dirt underneath my fingernails and clothes. I took in a deep sigh as I hugged my knees close to my chest. 

"Hey mom, hey dad," I started, "I know it's been forever but I'm making you proud, I'm going to save the world." The words came out low like a whisper, I heard footsteps behind me which made my body tense. 

I turned my head around swiftly and saw Barry, "Woah, I'm not an attacker," he said quickly. 

I sighed deeply before getting up and rubbing the dirt off my clothes, "Barry, why are you here?" 

He stuck his hands in his pockets, "I-I know what its like to lose a parent and I thought--that you needed someone to talk to. Y-you seemed so closed up and I-" 

He was rambling. "Barry, it's okay, I understand. I've been at this for years." 

Barry turned slightly red, "I'm sorry, I'll just leave you alone." 

"Wait," I stopped him, "I need some company, it does suck being alone. Why don't you tell me about your parent?" 

Barry's lips curled into a genuine smile, "O-okay," 

We sat down at the grave and started talking about our parents, it felt normal talking to someone even if I didn't know him all that much. I guess that anything would be normal now, since in a matter of a few hours, Superman would be alive.