Men of Steel

Chapter 6

Ever since Harry had declared himself not human, the building he was in had been in a tizzy. The lady had only stopped trying to get more information out of him when a nervous looking man cracked open the door and told her that he had arrived. Kad-El was most curious about who 'he' was. Perhaps it was a cop? If it was a scientist of some sort though, Harry was out of there, Statute of Secrecy be damned.
Listening intently with his advanced hearing, Harry tried to figure out when the woman would be bringing the newly-arrived man back. There were many scurrying footsteps, harsh breathes, and fluttering heartbeats, but it was only after a good ten or so minutes that he heard two sets of feet walking towards him. Sure it was the woman and the man, Harry tried to deduce what he might look like. However, that's when he realized the sounds were off. The woman had all the right sounds, the footfalls, the heart's lub-dub, and the lungs swooshing, but the man only had light feet and a very slow heart. There was no breathing to be heard, and that definitely piqued Harry's curiosity. Was he wearing some sort of breathing tube? The lungs would still expand though...
Turning to look at the door, the Kryptonian tried to keep his own heart from beating faster as he heard the sliding of a key card and the turning of the door handle.
It was when the door opened and a Herculean man entered that Harry felt his breathing catch. He was staring into a face so much like his own, and Harry could tell that this man was just as astonished as he was.
Eyes the same sky blue as his widened before the man paled and lost his footing. Harry's saving-people-thing activated almost instantly, and he was quickly out of his chair and catching the man by the shoulders before he could even think. It was a little odd with their height difference, but Harry paid it no mind.
"Hey, you okay there, mate?" The wizard asked, his eyes searching for any more signs of fatigue or shock in the man's face as he walked him over to the chair the lady had been sitting in earlier. The man's eyes were glassy though, the same way Hermione said Harry's own were when he was stuck in a memory. The mystery man sat down silently and placed his head in his hands. He didn't move other than to shake his head from side to side at random intervals.
Harry didn't want to take his eyes off of the man. He was worried, but also deeply curious. The wizard took the time to inspect more of the man than just his face, and what he saw was confusing.
The man was defiantly deserving of the description 'Herculean', as he was a big mound of muscle. His clothes did little to hide this fact, as he was wearing bright blue spandex and a red cape. There was an 's' emblazoned on his chest, and Harry had absolutely no clue why he was dressed the way he was. Maybe the man was a wizard? It would explain his terrible outfit and the shock of seeing him. The breakdown didn't quite line up though. Wizards didn't do exercise either.
"...You broke the handcuffs."
"Huh?" Harry looked at the lady, who was still standing in the open doorway, frozen. Then, he followed her gaze and saw his handcuffs broken into pieces on the concrete floor. "Oh. Yeah. Really sorry about that." Harry scratched his head sheepishly as he said, "I forgot they were on."
The blonde made a choked sound. "You forgot... they were-" She cut herself off and shook her head. "You know what? Never mind."
She walked further into the room and bent over to look at the man's covered head. "Superman?" She said tentatively. Harry was confused, but he decided to wait it out. There was no way this man was named 'Superman'. That wasn't an actual name.
However, the man did respond to the word and looked up at the woman. He seemed to come back to his senses as his posture straightened and his hands fell to lay in his lap. There was still a blank look on his face though.
"I apologize, Agent Magdalene, but I need to be leaving now. I'm also taking this man with me." He stated blandly as he suddenly stood up. Harry brought up his arms up just in case he'd need to grab the man again, but this 'Superman' was steady on his feet this time.
"Superman. I don't know what that just was, but you were called here-"
"I'm sorry, Ma'am," Mystery Man interrupted, "but we really need to go."
And that was that, apparently. The man wasted no time in grabbing Harry by his waist and racing off out of the room and down the hallways. For some reason, the wizard didn't feel scared or worried at all. The man's grip was oddly gentle, and so Harry just dangled in his arms, idly wondering just where this crazy person with superhuman abilities was going to bring him.
It only took them moments to race through the exit of the building, and as soon as the man stepped foot outside, Harry was shifted into a fireman's carry. Not a moment later, 'Superman' took off into the air. Harry would have gasped in surprise if the force of the liftoff hadn't taken his breath away. Oddly enough, Harry realized his lack of breath didn't bother him as much as he thought it should.
"So you think you're not human?"
The question brought Harry out of his pondering and turned his attention to the man that was simultaneously carrying him and flying.
"Yeah. I figure you aren't either?" Harry asked, though it was really more of a statement. There was no way a regular human could be flying. Harry didn't even think a wizard could carry the weight of two men in the air without a broom.
"You're right. I'm a Kryptonian from the planet Krypton," the mystery man revealed. Harry turned his head away from the clouds they were flying near to look at the man's face in shock.
"Really? You've got to be kidding," Harry deadpanned. There was no way he was that lucky.
"I'm not. That's why the government picked you up. No one is supposed to know I'm not just a super human." There wasn't a single hint of a lie on his face as he spared a second to look at Harry with a small smile.
The wizard shook his head in disbelief. He'd ask more about what they were later. "Is that why they call you 'Superman'? A bit unoriginal if you ask me." Harry sighed as he turned to look back at the sky. "But what can I say? My title's not much better."
The man's face twitched oddly for a second as it tried to decide between keeping his smile and frowning before the superhuman decided to just laugh. "I guess you're right. However, Superman is just my superhero name."
Harry frowned lightly as he spotted a cloud shaped like a niffler. "A superhero? Like in those old comics?" Harry paused as he thought before he continued, "Oh, is that why you're dressed so weirdly?"
Superman laughed again as they started to descend. "I take it I'm not very popular in the UK then?"
Harry shrugged inelegantly. "I wouldn't know. But could you tell me where you're taking me? Is it your 'secret lair' or something?"
Touching down, Superman looked at Harry oddly before he set him on the ground. "The Fortress of Solitude? No, that's nowhere near here. We're going to the Justice League base."
Harry held his hands up as Superman tried to guide him onto a stone platform. "Whoa, hold it, mate," he said. "I was cool leaving that crummy place behind but the Fortress of Solitude? A Justice League? What's all this about?"
Superman looked taken aback. "You've never heard of the Justice League?" he asked, obviously perplexed.
"Nope, sorry," Harry denied, crossing his arms in front of his chest to guard against the strange look Superman was giving him.
"...I see. Well, we're a group of superheroes that originated in the United States. We work hard to keep people safe, and after saving the world a few times, we're now basically Earth's best defense against any large threats."
Harry nodded along, his eyes narrowed in thought. It all seemed rather unbelievable, but the man had just flown through the air and he himself was a wizard, so it wasn't out of the realm of possibilities.
"So, what? The Colonies thought I found out your secret and tried to figure out if I was a threat before I could actually become one?"
Superman smiled lightly, as he shrugged. "Pretty much," he said. "I don't necessarily condone what they did, but that was the reasoning they had on file."
There was silence for a moment before Superman ducked his head. "I'd also like to apologize for how I acted back there. I was... shocked... to see you and wasn't in the right frame of mind."
Harry waved it off. "It's alright," he said. "It's not like I haven't had people after me before. I do hope you'll help clean up the mess though, yeah?"
Superman eyed Harry strangely again, before he nodded. "Yes, I'm sure it won't be a problem. I would, however, ask if you could come with me? I'd like for one of my teammates, another superhero, to check to see if my hunch about you is correct."
Harry relaxed his stance. His fellow Kryptonian sounded sincere enough for him. Perhaps this wouldn't blow up in his face.
"Before I agree, what is it about me you want to check?"
Superman looked down at the ground with a sigh. "Well, I... had a twin brother. When we were sent to Earth, his pod got damaged in orbit and went spiraling out of control. The onboard systems lost connection, and it is believed the pod was destroyed on impact."
Harry's eyes widened. They were both Kryptonian, and they looked very similar. If he was a little older and not so malnourished, they could have even passed as being identical. "You're parents," Harry blurted, "were they named Jor-El and Lara Lor-Van?"
Superman's eyes widened too. "...Could you... please just step onto the platform?" He asked hoarsely.
Harry's mind started whirling as he complied, the implications behind Superman's reaction rendering him mute.
Could he really have a twin brother? But they weren't even the same age...
Within a moment of being on the stone platform, a bright beam of energy hit the two Kryptonians, and the sensation that followed was a lot nicer than the squishing of apparation.
Harry and Superman reappeared in the silvery hallways of the Justice League's off-world base with another muscular man draped in black standing in front of them.
"Batman," Superman ground out before Harry could ask about the stranger's outfit, "could you perform a DNA test please?"
The man's masked face turned minutely to look at Harry, and if the wizard could see underneath the mask, he was sure the man would be glaring at him.
"Follow me," Batman said. Harry was confused by his low, hoarse voice, but the man was already walking away down one of the halls.
The walk to wherever Batman needed to go to do a DNA test was short and tense. The awkward silence that surrounded them could have been cut with a tickling spell. It was upon entering a room fully covered in white and silver with machines Harry had never seen before placed all over that he broke the silence.
"Wow..." he breathed. It looked like something out of a science fiction book he had read once when he was still in elementary school.
The black figure walked over to a huge computer monitor and began typing away, much faster than Harry had been able to.
Superman walked closer to the man, watching the screen, and so Harry followed.
After a few moments, a transparent little slot opened up next to Batman on a console right above where he was typing and the black-cloaked man turned to Harry. "I need a piece of hair," was all he said.
Harry was a bit taken aback by his short attitude, but plucked a stray piece of black hair off of his head anyway. "Err, yeah, mate. No problem."
Batman took the hair silently and placed it in the slot before it retracted back into the computer. A small loading bar appeared in the bottom left corner of screen while Batman went back to typing away.
It didn't take long at all for the results to come back though, and Harry likened it to the magical test the goblins had done to him. He hadn't known technology had come this far since he was a kid.
A large picture of a DNA strand appeared in the middle of the screen with several pieces of data scattered around it, connecting to different parts of the strand. After a few clicks and a bit more typing, another DNA strand appeared next to the original one, and several small pieces on the original strand turned red. Batman straightened up after another moment, but kept his gaze on the screen. "He is definitely Kryptonian. Your DNA and his are nearly identical in the same way human twins are." Superman blew out a harsh breathe, his upper body curling in on itself. Harry awkwardly shuffled closer to him and patted him on the shoulder comfortingly. "However," Batman continued as he turned towards the wizard, "a few of his chromosome pairs come from a human source, which shouldn't be possible."
"Err," Harry stuttered, his brain kicking into overdrive again. Could he really tel them? "So, you're my brother then?"
Superman shot him a weak smile. "Do you think I could... give you a hug?"
Harry smiled as the idea of him having a brother finally sank in, and he felt lighter. "Yeah, come here," Harry laughed as he was engulfed in a tight hug, his brother resting his head on Harry's shoulder. It felt... good. Great even. Mrs. Weasley's hugs could never compare to one given by his own brother.
"I'm so sorry I never looked," Superman choked out, his body shaking as he tightened his grip on Harry. "All this time-"
Harry shushed the man softly, his heart going out to the brother he already felt so attached to. His only connection to his real family. The only one who actually wanted him. Harry felt his heart lodge itself in his throat as he hugged Superman back as good as he got.
After a few minutes, the newly-reunited brothers reluctantly let go of one another. Superman stayed standing close, however. "Where were you?" He asked, his voice much calmer than before. Harry could still detect hints of sadness in it though, after all, he had been hearing that voice his whole life.
"That's something I'd like to know as well," Batman interjected, turning around from where he had been staring at the computer screen.
Harry looked at the data-filled screen for a second before he shrugged. He didn't really care about the Statute of Secrecy right now. This was his brother. If there was any trouble with Batman hearing about magic, he'd cross that bridge when he got there. "I've been going to a boarding school in Scotland ever since I was eleven, but in the summers I live with my aunt and uncle in England. And before you ask about the boarding school. Those human parts of my DNA? This probably has something to do with that too," Harry sighed before he continued. "You see, I have no clue exactly how everything happened, but apparently I was adopted into a family when I was little. Perhaps I was found by them? I don't know. But magic is real, and through a dark ritual, I was injected with it. I only found out I was Kryptonian a few weeks ago when a ton of restrictive magics were removed from me. Before then, I thought I was just a normal wizard. Or, as normal as I could be, given my life so far."
Superman and Batman were both standing at attention, before Harry's brother put a hand on his shoulder. "Harry, you can do magic?" He asked, his face a mix of confusion and seriousness.
"Yeah," Harry replied nonchalantly, taking out his wand. He twirled it for a second and his magic easily responded, changing his sleeping shirt and pants into a more-respectable pair of jeans and red t-shirt.
"Wow," was all Superman said as he looked at Harry's new clothes.
"You said someone performed a dark ritual on you? There are more magic users out there then," Batman stated, typing away on his computer once again.
"Yes, that is correct. The people who I had thought were my parents were a witch and a wizard. They died protecting me shortly after I must have been adopted by them, and then I went to live with my mom's sister." Harry winced before he turned to Superman. "Sorry," he said.
Superman shook his head with a reassuring smile. "No, it's fine. I call my adoptive parents that as well."
"'Protecting you'? Am I to assume there is a secret society of witches and wizards living in England that has its own government and criminals?" Batman demanded.
"Uhh," Harry blinked. "Yeah, that's basically what it is."
Batman gave no response and turned around to begin typing at a much faster pace. Harry turned to Superman, and his brother shrugged. "He's always like that," he admitted.
"Huh," Harry offered, before his mind jumped back to his new brother. "Where have you been?" He asked.
"I grew up in Kansas with my adoptive parents. They found my escape pod and took me in. My human name is Clark."
Harry frowned lightly. "Escape pod?" He asked. "How do you know it was for escaping?"
Clark crossed his arms and sighed, looking at his feet. "The mainframe contained a prerecorded message from our father. He told me what had happened to cause him to send us to Earth, and that's when I found out that everything was destroyed." His brother looked Harry dead in the eyes as he said, "We are the last Kryptonians."