The Green Lanterns finally left Earth. Their figures rose into the sky until they became tiny points of light and disappeared among the clouds. Alex remained still for a few seconds, staring at the place where they had vanished. He had too many questions in his head and almost no answers.
Superman approached him.
—Are you okay?
Alex looked at his hands and slowly moved his fingers.
—I'm not sure. All of this is too strange. Not long ago, I was dead, and now I'm here, with this body... —Alex paused.— I don't even know what I am.
Superman watched him for a few seconds before answering.
—You don't have to figure everything out right now.
—Do you think I'm still human?
Superman took a moment before answering.
—I don't know. But you're still you. I think that's what matters for now.
Alex looked up.
—And what am I supposed to do now?
—First, we're going somewhere quiet. Then we'll see what we can find out.
—Where?
—Metropolis. We can talk there without having half the planet trying to figure out what you are.
Alex let out a small laugh.
—Sounds good.
Superman extended a hand, and Alex took it. A moment later, they rose from the ground.
At first, Alex tensed at the movement, but he quickly got used to it. The wind struck his face as Superman accelerated, leaving the cities and highways farther and farther behind. From that height, everything looked small, but Alex's perception allowed him to distinguish details that would have been impossible to see before.
Superman noticed that Alex was looking down.
—What do you see?
—Too many things.
—Is that good or bad?
Alex thought for a moment.
—I don't know yet.
Superman smiled.
—Exactly what I wanted to hear.
A short while later, Metropolis appeared on the horizon. The enormous buildings reflected the sunlight while the city continued moving beneath them.
Superman descended into a secluded area, and the two of them landed.
Alex looked around.
—It's a lot bigger than I imagined.
—Wait until you see it from above at night —Superman replied.
Alex smiled, but before he could say anything, he stopped. He had felt something.
—Wait.
Superman turned around.
—What is it?
Alex looked toward one of the buildings.
—I'm not sure. There's something over there.
—What?
—Some kind of... energy. It's different.
Superman looked in the same direction.
—Can you tell me exactly where?
Alex pointed at the building.
—Inside. I think it's coming from one of the upper floors.
Superman looked at him.
—Do you want to get closer?
Alex hesitated.
—Yes, but I don't know what's going to happen.
—Then we'll take it slow.
Alex focused his attention, and a small vibration ran through his body. For a moment, the air around him seemed to react.
Alex closed his eyes and took a deep breath until he managed to stop it.
—That wasn't under my control.
—But you managed to stop it —Superman said.
Alex looked at his hands.
—Yeah. I guess that's something.
Superman nodded.
—One step at a time.
Alex breathed again and focused his attention on his hands. A small glowing sphere appeared between them.
—I understand this one already —Alex said.
—Are you sure?
—More or less.
Alex compressed the sphere until it disappeared.
Superman stared at the empty space.
—Where did it go?
—I don't know.
Alex focused again. The sphere reappeared several feet in front of them.
Superman raised his eyebrows slightly.
—You didn't do that before.
—No.
Alex repeated the movement. This time, the sphere appeared behind him.
—It looks like I can choose where it appears.
—Are you moving it?
Alex shook his head.
—No. It's like... it stops being here and appears there.
Superman remained thoughtful.
—That's different.
—Yeah.
Alex made the sphere disappear again and then created several smaller ones around him.
—I can also sense where they are even if I can't see them.
—That could be useful.
—Or pretty dangerous.
—That too.
Alex let out a small smile.
—I like that you don't try to tell me everything is going to be okay.
Superman smiled.
—That wouldn't be very honest.
The small spheres disappeared, and Alex looked toward the ground. A stone caught his attention. He picked it up and began examining it.
—What if I try something different?
—What do you have in mind? —Superman asked.
—I'm not sure.
Alex focused his attention on the stone. It slowly began to deform until it became a small sphere.
Alex opened his eyes in surprise.
—Now that I didn't expect.
Superman stepped closer.
—What did you do?
—It changed. I didn't break it or crush it. I changed its structure.
Alex focused again, and the sphere returned to its original shape.
—That's new —Superman said.
—Too new.
Alex picked up the stone again. A moment later, it disappeared from his hand.
—What...? —Alex looked around.
Superman also searched with his eyes.
—Did you lose it?
—No. I can sense it.
Alex pointed toward a spot several feet away. The stone appeared there and fell to the ground.
Superman stared at the object.
—That wasn't a normal movement either.
—I didn't move it. I just... put it there.
—We've done enough for today.
Alex looked at Superman.
—Because I did too many weird things?
—Because you're starting to do too many weird things in a city full of people.
Alex laughed.
—Fair point.
Superman looked up at the sky.
—There's someone who might be able to help us understand this.
—Batman?
—Exactly.
—Is he as good as they say?
Superman smiled.
—Depends on who you ask.
—What do you say?
—That he asks too many questions.
Alex smiled.
—Then I think we're going to get along.
A short while later, the two of them rose into the sky again. Gotham appeared on the horizon, and as they approached, Alex noticed the change in the atmosphere. The city was darker, quieter, and far less illuminated than Metropolis.
Superman landed on the roof of a building, and Alex followed.
Alex looked down at the streets.
—Definitely different.
—Yeah.
—Is it always like this?
—Almost always.
A deep voice sounded behind them.
—Glad to know you're both enjoying the city.
Alex quickly turned around. Batman stood a few feet away, completely still.
Alex studied him for a few seconds.
—You must be Batman.
—And you're Alex.
Alex looked at Superman.
—How does he know my name?
—I told him about you —Superman replied.
Batman stepped a little closer.
—I want to know what happened.
Superman nodded.
—I'll tell you everything.
As Superman explained what had happened, Batman remained silent. He didn't seem surprised, but Alex could tell he was paying attention to every word.
When Superman finished, Batman looked directly at Alex.
—Can you repeat any of those things?
Alex thought for a moment.
—Probably.
—I want to test it.
Alex crossed his arms.
—Are you always this direct?
—Yes.
Alex looked at Superman.
—Now I understand what you meant.
Superman smiled.
—I warned you.
Batman began walking toward the edge of the building.
—If you want answers, we'd better go downstairs.
Alex followed him.
—Where?
Batman stopped and looked back at them.
—Somewhere we can run the tests without anyone interrupting us.
Superman immediately understood.
—The Batcave.
Batman nodded.
The three of them descended into the Batcave. Alex looked around at the enormous screens, vehicles, and equipment spread throughout the facility. After everything that had happened since he had awakened in that void, he finally felt like he was entering a place where he might be able to find some answers.
Although, for some reason, he had the feeling that Batman's tests were going to bring him many more questions.