Fall of Justice

Most Wanted

Police helicopters filled the sky. The streets drowned in red and blue. Sirens polluted the predawn silence. News choppers soon followed the GCPD's example, scouring the skies for the alien.

Finally, a spotlight fell on Superman as he hovered in place among the skyscrapers, his unconscious cousin in his arms. He knew he couldn't go back to the penthouse in fear of being seen, but he would not leave Kara alone in a cell, not after what she had been through.

"Superman," the police helicopter called out "...land and return the suspect to police custody, this is an order. We have the means to bring you down..."

Superman looked up to the light, his eyes awash in the white. He had done so much, given so much of himself to help people, always with a smile, and now, when he needed them, they had no capacity to understand what he was going through nor the desire to do so.

He felt betrayed. He understood their fear, and therefore their hesitation to leave control to anyone but themselves, but this wasn't about him, it was about a girl who had lost everything and everyone she had grown to love. A girl who watched her birth mother die only to experience the same with her adoptive one.

No, the police didn't know all of this, but after all he had done, the lives saved, they didn't need to know, all they needed was his word, or so that's what he believed. He could see cameras from above and below, the whole world, ready to judge, ready to call him a fugitive. He wanted to explain, but he wanted his cousin safe first. Wherever he was, the Joker was watching and Superman knew they weren't safe out in the open, not even The Man of Steel felt secure when it came to the Clown Prince of Gotham.

Bang! A bullet ripped toward him from the helicopter above. Superman dodged left as it cut across his arm. He looked down, blood oozed from the wound. A kryptonite bullet, inches from Kara's head. His patience burned to nothing like a neutral match finally struck.

Superman rose to the helicopter above like a devil of folklore, his eyes glowing blood red. The men inside trembled, the shooter dropped his gun in terror. Superman held back as he subdued himself from the damage his anger begged of him. He burst from the sky with a deafening boom.

#

Lois watched the street below in quiet awe. Where there was once traffic and horns, this day there was nothing. Cabbies had no one to swear at, their yellow cars moved with ease along mostly empty streets. Busses ran miles without pulling over. She turned back to the TV, assaulted once again by the image which had been running on repeat across all stations; Superman's red eyes aimed at a police helicopter.

"The shot was fired by accident by a new recruit," said Cat grant, speaking to Camera. "The officer who fired the bullet has not yet made a public statement but our sources in the GCPD have confirmed that he did not mean to shoot Superman. Now, we move on to this, everyone has been asking who was the girl Superman was carrying during the incident. I have the answer and you're not gonna believe it. Certain members of the Gotham PD, in conjunction with officers of the Bristol Township PD, have released a statement to CATCO, why me? Because in the past I've treated them and their stories with respect and sincerity, now it's important to note, this is not an official police statement. This is a statement by some officers who feel it absolutely necessary for the public to know what's going on, okay and here it is, and no they have not signed their names in fear of reprimand, but I know one personally and can assure this is authentic. And I quote, 'Kara Danvers was arrested late last night on suspicion of murder, she has also been identified as the alien referred by the press as Supergirl, a supposed relative of Superman though there is no confirmation of that. Four bodies, including two children were found brutally murdered in a residence in Bristol County where miss Danvers was found. The suspect had the murder weapon in her hand upon the primary officers' arrival at the home, as well as the blood of all four victims on her clothes and person. Miss Danvers was acquainted with the victims. We have also confirmed that miss Danvers has spent the last few months in Arkham Asylum and escaped last night after killing a guard. Soon after she was arrested, Superman broke into the police station and took the suspect by force. Their whereabouts are as of yet unknown'.... This on top of everything else, the bloody picture, the silence from Lois Lane, my long time personal friend--"

Lois gasped at the inaccuracy of that statement. "Bitch..." she whispered.

"...We've entered a whole new ballgame now folks," continued Cat. "Stay tuned as we'll be bringing you more updates on this story as it develops. Unbelievable..."

Lois clicked off the TV. She remained in the middle of the living room, still as a statue, the cold air creeping over her skin, making her shiver. For a moment she felt lost, the same feeling she had on her first day at the Daily Planet, as if she didn't know her place, as if she had no place. Helpless.

And then she remembered how she got past that feeling the first time around. She jumped into action, moved herself forward, interrupted meetings, investigated cases others were too afraid to go near.

Lois ran to her room and rummaged through the suitcases she had never bothered to unpack. At the bottom she found what she had been looking for, her jeans. She had enjoyed living without the need of ever wearing anything besides sweatpants and boxer briefs, the one secret Clark was never allowed to tell anyone, but she knew it was time. It wasn't safe for her to leave but it wasn't safe for Clark and here either. He always plowed toward danger for others, and now it was her turn to do the same for him.

She hesitated at the door as she remembered what had happened to Kara's friends and family. She too became a target after the photo of her being carried by Superman became public. The world didn't know what their relationship was, but they knew he was in tears when they arrived, and they knew he took her from the hospital without authority, to an unknown location. If the Joker was looking to do damage to Superman, Lois Lane was on the target list. She pulled open the door and marched out.

#

"It's okay," Clark said. Kara recognized his voice but she couldn't open her eyes against the harsh bright light of the morning sky. "Just a bit at a time," he told her. Finally she was able to see, and what she saw was beautiful.

She was lying on a hill, the sun had just risen over the horizon, bathing everything in a light she had almost forgotten existed. "Hey there," he said, smiling down at her. She sat up and looked at him. His red cape and blue suit made her feel safe, like she was home, his gentle familiar voice was everything she didn't know she'd been missing. "Kal," she said, her voice trapped in her throat. "I'm so sorry--"

"No, don't apologize... it was an accident," he said, kneeling down to her. "No one's mad at you. Lois doesn't blame you. We love you."

She nodded, her eyes filled with tears. Only now did she realize how much she needed someone to tell her the things he was telling her, the things she had convinced herself weren't true anymore.

Like a latent wave, she began to feel the sun. The lethargic feeling she had woken up with every day for the last few weeks was entirely gone, as if she had been tired but hadn't been able to rest in so long that she forgot what it was to feel okay.

"Where are we?" she asked, standing up and surveying the area. She could see a large house in the distance.

"On top of the Batcave. This is all Bruce's land."

"I've never seen it in the daylight."

"It's quite something," he said, but his tone was weak.

"What's wrong?" she asked. He crossed his arms.

"I acted impulsively... I took you from the police station... lost my temper, the police came after me. It's a mess."

Kara only now began to remember the events of the night before. The police, Harley, the blood, the orderly. The nightmare was real. "I killed someone..." she said, almost entirely to herself. He took her hand.

"Dick said you were attacked. We don't know what happened but we'll work it out together. Don't Put it all on yourself, you didn't set out to kill anyone."

"But I wanted to, there was a second or two where I..." she looked up to him, the firm ground beneath her feeling as if it was about to give. "Kal... I'm so lost."

He took her in his arms, his breath shook like hers. "I am too," he said, then pulled back and looked into her eyes. "...We'll find our way."

"Clark, Kara," Bruce said as he moved up the hill behind them. "Sorry to interrupt--"

"Everything okay?" Clark asked.

Bruce took a moment, "It's Lois..."

Clark straightened up, alert. Bruce continued...

"She's on TV."