The cessation of hostilities brought about a sudden absence of sound that was as deafening as the battle itself had been. Around the two of them, the wreckage of Luthor’s latest mania-driven death machine lay in ruins. The man himself nowhere to be seen, of course. Superman completed a survey of the surrounding buildings, confirming no-one else was in immediate danger. At the sound of shifting metal, he turned. On the other side of the junction, Batman was emerging from the ruins of yet another Batmobile. He nodded to Superman, straightening his cowl and reviewing his injuries. Mostly, flesh wounds. Nothing Alfred would worry about.
He started to ask where Luthor was when Superman tilted his head to one side, eyes closed, brow furrowed, as if listening to something. Before he had could make a sound, Superman was gone in an after-image streak of blue and red. Batman immediately activated his comms.
“Cave, priority Alpha.”
“Sir?”
“I need a location on Red Son.”
“Sir? He’s with…”
“He just left in a hurry. Even for him. Where is he?”
Precious seconds ticked by as a single-purpose multi-billion-dollar surveillance system struggled to keep up with its only target and report back to its creator. “Kansas. At the farm. No alarms, the security system is quiet.”
“Something’s happened. Diana?”
“Still in Hong Kong.”
“Get a Batwing to me. I’ll secure the site here with local law-enforcement. And Alfred?”
“Sir?”
“I need a new Batmobile.”
“Fear not, I have one on perpetual backorder with Lucius. The Batwing will be with you in ten minutes.”
Twenty-one minutes and sixty thousand feet later, Batman guided the Batwing through the finale of its trans-continental ballistic flight. Below him fields bedecked the earth, out-cropping’s of normality emerging from the corn-coloured haze. Directly ahead, one resolved into focus.
“Any response?”
“No, sir. Security is still quiet. Whatever it is may have been resolved peacefully.”
“Or they’re all dead.”
“Happy thoughts, sir. Happy thoughts.”
The Batwing arced down. Noise suppressors kept the whine of the engines to a minimum and invisitech “borrowed” from Themyscira took care of the visuals. He landed behind the large barn and slipped out of the cockpit, uncomfortable in the bright afternoon light and open country. At the front left corner of the barn he could see the Kent’s house. There was no obvious damage. The rest of the grounds looked intact, maybe a little run-down and worn, but intact. Batman took a motion detector out of his belt and held it to his eye. There was nothing moving inside the house. Switching to heat signature, he made out one figure in what he knew to be the kitchen. Seated at a table, not moving. Female. Probably Martha, the mother.
He moved across the open space quickly and silently, pausing at the kitchen window to confirm his suspicion. No-one else was around. He moved to the kitchen door, surreptitiously trying the doorknob, which turned easily. He pushed the door open slowly, crouching to present less of a target. Martha was facing him. Her face was gaunt, and it was obvious she had shed tears short time ago. She didn’t start as she saw him. She simply acknowledged his presence.
"They’re upstairs.”
Batman stood, feeling suddenly awkward and even more out of place. He stalked over to the stairs and started up. On the landing, he could see that one of the bedroom doors was ajar. The lack of noise was something material, reminding him of the aftermath of the recent battle in Metropolis. He stepped forward and pushed open the door.
Inside the room was a bed and on it was the body of Jonathan Kent. Dead, his pallor all too familiar to Batman. Next to the bed, sitting disconcertingly still was Superman, still in costume, just looking at the body, holding his father’s hand in his own.
“Super…Clark? Clark?”
Clark Kent turned his head.
“What happened?”
“A blood vessel burst in his left parietal lobe. I can see it. It must have been during the fight with Luthor. Afterwards, I couldn’t…I couldn’t hear him. I always make a point. Made a point of keeping an ear out. For both of them. Just in case. I didn’t hear… I couldn’t over that damn robot. I could’ve…”
Batman walked over and knelt beside Clark. “Clark, I know that this won’t mean much right now, but you did everything you could. Remember that. This is… Just remember that sometimes you can’t save everybody.”
He stood up and turned to leave.
“When you’re ready, I’ll be downstairs with your mother.”
Back in the kitchen, Martha was still sat at the kitchen table, staring at a cup of cold coffee clenched in her hands. She looked up as Batman entered the kitchen. He took the cup from her hands and rinsed it out before pouring a fresh cup from the percolator.
“This will be really hard for him,” she said quietly. “With everything he can do, he hasn’t really felt this side of life. I think I know how to deal with this, but for him it will be particularly difficult. You could be a big help to him. Batman.”
Batman looked down, seeing the hint of the sigil on his chest, his black-clad hands. He thought for a moment and then reached up and pushed back the cowl, revealing his face to her. “Mrs Kent, my name is Bruce Wayne and Super-And, despite myself, your son is my best friend. I’ll do whatever I can to get him through this. Whatever both of you need.”
He went outside, pulling the cowl back into place. As he approached the Batwing, he called Alfred.
“Cave.”
“Sir. Is everything ok?”
“No. It seems Mr Kent died of an aneurysm while we were in Metroplis. Superman is with him now. Can you advise the rest of the Family that I’m going to be out of town for the next couple of days? You better appraise Diana, as well.”
“Of course. May I suggest you review the contents of storage box E in the Batwing. I took the liberty of packing a less unsuitable outfit.”
“How did you know?”
“I didn’t, but I always pack a few necessities, just in case. Anticipating the unexpected isn’t just the province of the Batman.”
“…Alfred?”
“Sir?”
“…Thank you. For everything.”
“…You’re welcome. Take whatever time you both need, we can hold the fort here. The Family will be for you when you’re ready.”