Arctic North

A sleek jet streaked across the frozen tundra of the North Pole. The black of the plane’s hull was a stark contrast to the pure white snow it cast a dark shadow over. But what made it stood out even more was its shape—that of a giant bat.

The jet’s owner sat behind the controls, his eyes hidden behind the thin opaque white lenses of his black cowl. Only his mouth was visible, which was left fixed in what could possibly described as a scowl. Seated behind him was a man with a bald head and red eyebrows.

The Batman could see a large structure approaching on the radar. Outside the cockpit, he saw the structure with his own eyes. It was magnificent, made of crystal which refracted the sunlight in a brilliant display of color.

"That’s it," said Lex Luthor.

"Yes," said Batman.

"You don’t sound too happy," said Lex. "Issues with my involvement?"

The Batman offered no response. Lex was right, but the Dark Knight was not about to give him that satisfaction. This was Clark’s call, and although he disagreed with this course of action, someone had to be around to ensure that Luthor was kept in line.

"We’re approaching," said the Batman. "Stick to the plan."

"Of course," said Luthor. He reached into the jacket he wore and produced a revolver. He opened the chamber and saw six green bullets loaded. With a smile satisfaction, he slammed it closed. "I’ve been looking forward to this for years."

The Batman could feel Luthor’s smile and knew exactly what the man intended. As they drew closer to the approach, Batman’s hand hovered over the eject lever.

"Ready?"

"Ready? I’m practically giddy," said Luthor.

Batman pulled back the lever and the back half of the cockpit slid away. Luthor’s seat rocketed into the air. The moment the former President separated himself from the seat, his parachute opened. Once he saw Luthor land, he pressed a hidden switch on his cowl.

"He’s in position."

When Superman allowed Superboy to fall towards the ground, his body struck the ice and fell through into the icy waters. Steel flew after his young ally, throwing his armored body into the frozen water himself.

His hand found the collar of Superboy’s black t-shirt and once he had a grip on it, Steel’s boosters activated and sent him back towards the surface. He broke through and landed on the snow, cradling Superboy in his arms.

"C’mon kid," said Steel, examining the teenage hero. Steel set him down on the snow and examined the wounds. Superman had did a number on the boy, but he was still breathing. His Kryptonian physiology was at least enough to protect him from the cold, even in spite of the injuries he had sustained.

A shadow fell over the pair and Steel looked up to see Superman hovering above them, his cape billowing, his eyes glowing a bright red. Steel rose to his feet and produced his sledgehammer. Superman just regarded him with a steady glare.

"Do you really think you can stand up to me, Irons?" asked Superman.

Steel swung the hammer in response and struck the Man of Steel against his jaw. It was an unexpected blow, one that caused him to reel. Steel was instantly upon Superman again, striking with another blow. And another.

Superman grabbed the hammer and held it steady. He was about to release a dose of heat vision at point-blank range when Steel activated his own secret weapon. A high-pitched noise rattled Superman and caused him to fall to his knees.

"Sonic flare," said Steel. "Too high a frequency for the human ear to hear. But for you it’s gotta be a pain in the ass."

He readied his hammer and lifted it above his head, prepared to bring it down upon the neck of the man who inspired him to become a hero.

"You overstepped your bounds this time," said Steel.

He brought the hammer down, like an executioner would an axe. Superman unleashed his heat vision on the ice and Steel fell through it. Superman hovered into the air and blew. His frigid breath caused the water to freeze over quickly and completely, trapping Steel within a prison of ice.

Superman’s eyes went up and he saw the black jet in the shape of a bat circling around the battlefield. He flew towards it. Once he reached the plane, he simply hovered in its path.

"I know you can hear me, Batman," he said. "You realize I can completely crush that little toy of yours in a matter of seconds, don’t you?"

{I know,} said Batman, broadcasting on a frequency he knew Superman could hear.

"So why are you wasting your time?" asked Superman.

{You should know the answer to that by now, Kal-El.}

"It’s Kal-El now?" asked Superman. "No more Clark? No more Superman?"

{No, because you’re neither,} said Batman. {You’ve lost your way. Without your humanity, you’re no longer Superman. You’re better than this and you know it.}

"I’m going to make the world a better place, something I should have done a long time ago," said Superman.

{And prove Luthor was right about you.}

Superman scowled and flew towards the plane. Batman instantly pulled up and hit the thrusters. He wasn’t fast enough and Superman quickly caught up to him. Powerful hands tore one of the wings free and tossed it behind him.

The plane spun around in freefall. Batman activated the weapons system and fired off four missiles. They streaked towards Superman, who caught one of them and threw it at another. The third one was vaporized by a dose of heat vision. Superman grabbed the fourth one and hurled it at the falling Batplane.

Batman ejected himself from the plane. His cape spread wide and the wind caught it. He used it as a glider to move to safety. Superman started to fly after him, but then stopped in midair. He looked back at the Fortress and flew towards it.

Lex Luthor made his way inside the crystalline Fortress. His eyes grew in astonishment, trying to take in his surroundings completely. He approached the center podium and held his fingers over it. Crystals slowly rose to meet his hands and he took one of them from its housing, staring at it as it reflected and refracted the light.

"Astounding..." he said. "I've never seen anything so amazing. The architecture is centuries ahead of anything on Earth. It seems so fragile, but it's not."

He touched another crystal and a holographic display was projected in front of him. Luthor could not make out the Kryptonian glyphs, but the map of the planet with satellite imagery showed him everything he needed to know.

"Luthor."

He smirked as soon as he heard the voice. His hand went for his pocket and tightened around the hilt of the gun. Luthor faced his most-hated foe, with a smirk on his face. "All this time, and you never had the courtesy to invite me into your home. Your hospitality could really use some work, Superman."

"I see they've sunk to a new low by throwing their lot in with you," said Superman, hovering towards Luthor. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you where you stand."

"I'll give you six," said Luthor. He took aim and fired. One of the Kryptonite bullets struck Superman in the shoulder. Luthor fired four more bullets in quick succession. The Last Son of Krypton fell to the ground, his blood pouring from the wounds. "Reason number six," said Luthor, walking towards Superman. He kicked him across the face and knelt down. Luthor pointed the barrel right against Superman's head.

"Any last words, alien?"

The Batman landed near Superboy, who was slowly regaining his strength. The young clone coughed a few more times and Batman approached him. Superboy looked up at Batman, then looked towards the Fortress. "Okay... time for round two," he said. He took flight, but as he passed by, Batman grabbed his leg.

"No."

"Let go," said Superboy.

"I said no." The Batman pulled with all his strength. It surprised Superboy and he was thrown to the ground. The Batman stood over him, his cape draped around his body, contrasting against the snow and ice of the arctic.

"You got some nerve," said Superboy, climbing to his feet.

"I know," said Batman. "Now stand down. The rest is up to Clark and Luthor."

"Really," said Superboy. "Are you out of your freakin' mind? You're letting Clark go up against Superman with Lex freakin' Luthor as his back-up?"

"Clark has a plan," said the Batman. "We were just the first wave. The rest depends on him."

Superboy started to walk past the Batman. "Just try an' stop me."

The Dark Knight grabbed Superboy's shoulder. "I don't have to stop you. But Steel might appreciate your help. Especially after you helped him."

Superboy looked at the Batman with curiosity and worry. "What happened to him?" The Batman pointed off in the distance. The teenager focused his vision as best he could. Although he did not possess Superman's telescopic vision, his eyesight was still extremely good. He could see what Batman referred to. Superboy picked up the Batman and flew the two of them towards Steel.

When he landed, Superboy set Batman down and flew over to Steel, who was frozen in a block of ice. Superboy's eyes began to glow a bright red and he focused his heat vision, using it to melt the ice.

"Just the ice," said the Batman. "Don't melt his armor."

"I know what I'm doing," said Superboy. "Christ, I don't know how Robin puts up with you."

"I often ask him the same of you."

The ice slowly gave way and within a few moments, Steel was released from his prison. Superboy reached a hand into the icy water and pulled his friend out. Steel planted his hammer on the ground and used it to steady himself. His breathing was shallow, but he was alive.

"Thanks," he said. "Wasn't sure how long the armor's life support was gonna keep me going."

"Hey quid pro quo, right?" asked Superboy with a smile.

"You did good," said Steel.

Superboy looked at the Fortress. "Yeah, for all it mattered."

"Plan moving ahead?" asked Steel.

The Batman gave a hesitant nod. "We can only hope," he whispered under his breath.

A single figure rose from the chilled water, finding himself inside the Fortress of Solitude. He wore a full bodysuit complete with a rebreather. The suit had regulated his body temperature, keeping him safe from the cold. And now, it was time for the final phase of the plan. He climbed onto the surface and pulled his mask off, revealing the face of Clark Kent.

Clark stood and walked up the pillars that served as stairs. As he drew closer to the central podium, he saw Lex Luthor kneeling on the ground, his back to Clark. Lying before Lex was Superman himself. Clark became frozen for a moment, the shock of seeing himself—or rather, his old self—still a bit much for him.

"Any last words, alien?" asked Luthor. Superman said nothing and Luthor's finger tightened on the trigger.

"Don't," said Clark.

Luthor stood and faced him. "I don't think so, Kent. This was the deal—Superman is mine."

"You're here in case things get out of hand," said Clark.

"That's why I'm going to kill him now—before it gets to that point," said Luthor.

"That's not the plan," said Clark.

"It is now," said Luthor. He pointed the gun down at Superman's head.

"No!" Clark leapt forward and tackled Luthor. The two men rolled on the ground and Clark gripped the hand that held the gun. He slammed it against one of the crystals and Lex grunted with pain as it slipped from his grasp. Clark relaxed and Luthor retaliated by punching him. Clark fell off his old foe and Lex knelt down by him.

"You idiot!" he hissed. "Do you know what he was going to do with this technology? He's planning to monitor everyone on the planet, destroy anyone who violates his rules. You want to let that... that thing run loose?"

"Luthor..." said Clark, looking up at Lex. He rose quickly and slammed Luthor's head against the wall of the Fortress, knocking the villain unconscious. "You talk too much."

Clark sighed as he walked over to the fallen Superman. The Man of Steel pulled himself up enough so he could lean against the podium. Clark sat down beside him.

"You could have let him kill me," said Superman.

"I know," said Clark. "But I wasn't going to cross that line."

"We have before," said Superman. "Remember Zod?"

"I do, and it's something that's eaten away at us ever since," said Clark.

"So why bring Luthor if you didn't want me dead?"

"Insurance. He has the willingness to do what none of us will do," said Clark.

"But Bruce—"

"Even Bruce would hesitate. And that hesitation could mean the difference between life and death."

"Not that it really makes a difference," said Superman. "The Kryptonite is weakening me."

"The bullets aren't fully made from Kryptonite, and the stuff that is in them is synthetic," said Clark. "Doesn't even have a fraction of the radioactive half-life that pure Kryptonite has. Only good for about an hour at the most."

"Then you know what will happen once it wears off," said Superman. He looked into eyes which one belonged to him. "Clark, I'm going to turn this planet into paradise. Whether the people here want it or not."

"That's not what Jor-El would have wanted," said Clark. "He wanted us to lead by example, not by force."

"That didn't save Krypton."

"But it might save Earth." Clark sighed. "You know... after Lois... after you and I had split... I was actually happy. I didn't have to worry about carrying the weight of the entire planet on my shoulders. I could just live a normal life. I think that, deep down, I wanted to just be Clark Kent. And somehow, that wish was granted."

"Then why come here?" asked Superman.

"Because I realized something," said Clark. "I realized that despite how difficult it is, I want that burden. It's why I'm here in the first place. And I've spent so long with it that once it was gone I still wanted to help. Except I couldn't. And not having the ability to help... that's a far worse burden to bear. We need each other."

"What makes you say that?" asked Superman.

"Separate, we're only two halves of a whole—incomplete," said Clark. "I need your power and you need my humanity. Without it, we're just not effective. Superman is more than just a costume and powers. Superman is an ideal—he represents the best we can be. And when we're not whole, neither of us can ever truly call ourselves Superman."

The Kryptonian glanced down at the shield on his chest. He put a hand on it. "Do you know what this shield symbolizes?"

Clark nodded. "The House of El."

"That's not all," he said.

"Then what?" asked Clark.

The Kryptonian smiled. "Hope, Clark."

Clark reached up for the podium and produced one of the crystals. He held it out to Superman and it began to glow brightly. "It's time." Superman nodded and grasped the other end. The crystal began to glow even brighter, the light blinding both men before the light illuminated the entire Fortress.

Outside the Fortress, Batman, Steel and Superboy all shielded their eyes from the light which emanated from it. As it slowly began to fade, they saw a figure rising from the center of the Fortress, wearing a cape. As he flew towards them, they could see it was Superman, holding the unconscious Luthor in his arms. He landed on the snow and smiled at the three of them.

They knew. No questions had to be asked, they just had to look into his eyes and they knew. Superman had returned to them.

"Welcome back," said the Batman.

"It's good to be back," said Superman.

Haven

Lex Luthor was back inside his home at Haven. The heroes snuck him back inside without security even noticing. On one hand, Luthor was disappointed. He had Superman right where he wanted him and if not for Kent's intervention, the alien would be a corpse by now.

Kent's plan had apparently worked. The Fortress had somehow reunited the two beings. Kryptonian technology, it was certainly a wonder to behold. And despite Luthor's distrust of anything alien, he had to admit that the technology did have its advantages. And those advantages had yet to be fully explored. Luthor walked up to the mantle above his fireplace. He produced a small object from his jacket and set it down on a stand.

A crystal.

Luthor smiled. There would be a reckoning.

NEXT: Tree of Knowledge