"Batman?"
Nightwing stared at the man before him, disbelief written all over his face. He never imagined that Batman, who had been presumed dead, would appear like this.
At the same time, a realization clicked into place. The items displayed along the passage were all familiar because they came from the Batcave.
Batman sat in a wheelchair, his eyes closed, his body completely unresponsive.
No one understood how a man believed to be dead had ended up here in such a state, but the sight alone sent a wave of emotion through Nightwing.
He turned to Cyborg. "Why is Batman here? He's supposed to be dead."
Cyborg hesitated before answering. "Right now, Batman isn't much different from being dead."
Nightwing's expression hardened. "Explain."
Instead of Cyborg, Deathstroke answered, his tone measured. "He was critically injured fighting Homelander. His spine was broken, and he suffered severe trauma to the head. Both his spinal cord and brain were damaged."
Cyborg nodded, his gaze fixed on Batman. "What matters is that he survived. Most people wouldn't. Not injuries like that."
He paused, then added quietly, "Whatever is keeping him alive, it's willpower. Something inside him refuses to let go."
Nightwing said nothing. He stepped forward, knelt beside the wheelchair, and took Bruce's cold hand in his own. His fingers trembled slightly.
This was the man who had raised him, trained him, shaped him.
"Batman can't respond," Cyborg continued. "He's in a vegetative state. But he can hear us. He just can't react."
Deathstroke's single visible eye lingered on Batman. "And you're certain of that?"
"Sometimes he reacts to my voice," Cyborg replied with a shrug.
Nightwing tightened his grip. "If there's one thing about Bruce, it's his will. Nothing breaks him."
Black Canary crossed her arms, her tone sharp. "That's admirable, sure. But I'm more interested in who broke him."
"Homelander," Cyborg said.
She scoffed. "I always thought Batman would find a way. He's supposed to be Gotham's smartest man. Turns out he just went down first."
"Watch your mouth," Nightwing snapped, rising to his feet.
Black Canary didn't back down. "I'm being realistic. Sacrifice doesn't fix anything. People die, and the world keeps moving. Oliver died, and what changed? Nothing."
Nightwing stepped closer, anger flashing in his eyes. "We all respect Oliver's sacrifice. Don't act like you're the only one who cares."
"What I see," she shot back, "is a group of people too afraid to face reality."
Cyborg rubbed his temple, clearly frustrated. Amy stood off to the side, silent and tense, trying not to draw attention. Deathstroke remained still, observing everything without comment.
Before the argument could escalate further, Cyborg spoke up.
"Batman didn't fail," he said firmly. "He left us something. Two things, actually. They might be enough to stop Homelander."
That got everyone's attention.
"What things?" Nightwing asked.
Cyborg walked to a secured safe and unlocked it with his fingerprint. From inside, he pulled out a glowing green crystal.
The moment it was exposed, Clark staggered.
A sudden wave of weakness hit him. His legs gave out, and he collapsed to the ground.
"Clark!" Amy rushed to his side, trying to help him up, but his body felt unnaturally heavy. Sweat covered his face as he struggled to breathe.
The room fell silent.
Cyborg stared at the crystal, then at Clark. Understanding dawned instantly.
"So this is your weakness," he said, quickly placing the crystal back into the lead-lined safe.
Clark's breathing steadied as the effect faded. With Amy's help, he stood again.
"That's kryptonite," he said. "It weakens me. Takes away my strength. I can't get near it."
Deathstroke studied him carefully. "You and Homelander are both aliens. You fought General Zod together. So this affects him too?"
Clark hesitated, then nodded. "Yes."
Black Canary's expression darkened. "You knew this, and you said nothing? We could have used it. People wouldn't have died. Oliver wouldn't be dead."
"I'm sorry," Clark said quietly, lowering his head.
Amy stepped forward, her fear gone. "He didn't say anything because Homelander is his brother."
The room froze.
"What?" Black Canary stared at Clark. "Is that true?"
Clark remained silent for a long moment, then nodded. "Yes. Adrian is my brother."
Shock spread across every face.
Nightwing stared at him, searching for any sign of a lie. Deathstroke said nothing, though his posture shifted slightly. Cyborg looked like his systems were about to overload.
Clark continued, his voice low.
"I've failed him. As his older brother, I was supposed to guide him, but it's always been the opposite. Adrian has always been the one fixing my mistakes. He's the one who taught me what family means."
His gaze dropped. "Now I don't know how to help him. He's trapped in something he can't escape."
He looked up again. "He's not what you think. He's not just cruel. He's broken."
Cyborg frowned. "Broken how?"
Clark took a breath. "There was someone important to him. Her name was Ann. She meant everything to him. He lost her in a way no one could accept."
Images from the meteor years in Smallville flickered in his mind, memories tied to tragedy and loss.
"Adrian doesn't go out of his way to hurt innocent people. He avoids it. But he can't handle loss, especially when it comes to people he cares about."
Amy spoke softly. "So he lost someone again?"
Clark nodded. "Our father died. And Lana Lang… she mattered to him too. More than he ever said."
Silence filled the room.
Deathstroke broke it. "So what, he's just scared?"
Clark gave a faint, bitter smile. "We all are."
Black Canary shook her head. "Fear doesn't justify what he's doing. He's still responsible."
Her eyes locked onto Clark. "And you won't stop him."
Clark didn't deny it. "I can't. I've never been able to beat him. Not even before all this. Kryptonite barely slows him down. If you try to use it, he'll destroy it before it can work."
Cyborg crossed his arms, thinking. "That's still useful information."
Clark added, "There's something else. His vision doesn't work well through zinc. I'm not completely sure, but it affects his perception."
"Zinc," Cyborg repeated. "That's something we can use."
He nodded to himself. "We can reinforce this place, make it secure."
Amy suddenly spoke up. "You said there were two items. What's the second?"
Cyborg turned back to the safe. "Something I call the Super Serum."
Nightwing raised an eyebrow. "What does it do?"
"It won't turn you into Superman," Cyborg said, "but it can increase a person's physical abilities two or three times over. The side effects are severe, but the results are undeniable. Homelander's enhanced troops rely on it."
Deathstroke narrowed his eye. "And where did you get something like that?"
Cyborg glanced at Batman. "He gave it to me before he lost consciousness."
He faced the group. "With this, we stand a chance."
Deathstroke's gaze shifted toward Clark. "You're trusting him with all this?"
"I am," Cyborg said without hesitation. "Batman trusted him too."
Deathstroke let out a quiet breath. "That might be the most surprising part of all this."
Cyborg ignored the remark and turned to Clark. "I analyzed the serum. Some of its components aren't from Earth. You might be able to help identify them. If we understand it, we might find a way to counter it."
Clark hesitated, then nodded. "I'll help. But you have to promise me something."
Cyborg met his eyes. "What?"
"We stop Adrian," Clark said firmly. "We don't kill him."