- Doomsday - Volume One: Gods and Monsters

Chapter 66: Junkerking

[Y/N] didn't sleep the night of the celebration, returning back to the abandoned Overwatch tower that had become their main headquarters for the time being, he had more important matters to attend to, sitting in an uncomfortable hospital chair for hours on end. He didn't need to consistently sleep, so it didn't matter much to the Doomsday. The consistent beep, beep, beep from the heart rate monitor would drive any sane man mad, but [Y/N]'s conviction surpassed that of most men, enduring the psychological warfare. Laying down adjacent to the man was none-other than his old best friend, unconscious, still stuck in his chemically induced coma, for lack of a better definition, the quantity of kryptonite used on his body seemingly immense having kept him down for so long by this point. Yet, [Y/N] had first hand experience from the same practice, and he had slept for six years straight, time he would never get back, his youth stolen away in the blink of an eye, he wouldn't wish the fate on anyone else.

However, Harry remained strong even in his weakened state, his enhanced biology kept his bodily functions working, even though the doctors urged for a rebreather to aid him, just in the event that some unforeseen may cause his condition to worsen. "You'll be stronger for it in the end, bud..." [Y/N] said aloud to himself quietly, "Just got to struggle through it for a little longer..." Managing to hide the anger and frustration, it irritated the Doomsday to no end, he had been blessed with the survival of his oldest friend, someone he concluded died years ago, in part due to his own hand. However, even after their reunion, he couldn't have his friend either, and the rest was history, it was just his luck, but he knew how to deal with the constant road-blocks life threw at him, breaking through them, eventually everything seems to break.

Moving his arm slowly, [Y/N] held Harry's limp hand, feeling his pulse, like a paranoid parent, the sight of the man with cords going into and out of his body, his face dishevelled and dark, a far distinction away from the, self-ascribed, handsome and extroverted young boy he once knew. Tell me about your relationship Doomsday... the same old voice reverberated in [Y/N]'s mind, Brainiac image cemented into the man's thoughts, but not seeing any real harm in the exposition, he obliged. "We had both been younger than ten when we first met, there were three of us, Gwen, Harry and myself, we had been the closest friends, for a time..." [Y/N] began speaking aloud, Brainiac silent. "However, it didn't always stay that way. I was..." he continued, choosing his words carefully, "Childish, with naïve concepts about the world and my own purpose, what was I supposed to know? I had been raised in an underground laboratory with no memories of my past life."

"I had this notion in my head that strength was above all, putting aside my personal feelings, and separating myself from my closest friends. It was around that time that Gwen died, many died during the experimentation process. I was one of the fortunate few who's biology perfectly matched the serum, or unfortunate depending on how you looked at it, but the negative effects on those incompatible..." [Y/N] stopped for a moment, remembering photos he briefly saw in his youth, "It was morbid, morbid and senseless." The room was relatively quiet, the beeping noise having been tuned out by this point. "Harry and I had been top of the class, but we drifted further when I applied myself towards further experimentation and combat training, while he conspired in the background forming a revolt against the scientists."

"I didn't join in as you could have assumed, stupidly. I didn't think it was in my best interests, how egotistical I was, the suffering of so many I ignored, just for my own gain..." [Y/N] looking down at his hands, thumbing his palm with the other hand, "When they did rise up, I fought against them, in attempting to protect a scientist who I considered close to a father, and I made my way through all of them. In the end, Harry and I fought a final fight, but at that point the gap between us was too far."

"I never heard from him again after that, put on ice for the better part of a decade, until now. I intend not to make the same mistakes I once did, understand?" [Y/N] quickly realising he had shared a little too much information then he had intended. Shutting his mouth before speaking further, not having shared that much about his past with anyone before, not Angela, Jesse or Reyes, had he grown that comfortable with the man living in his head? Brainiac mulled over his words, I can see how important he must be for you, and how you wish to right the wrongs of your past, it's a noble goal I suppose, attempting to leave your demons behind.