Invincible // Superman

Chapter Fifty-Five: Superboy

"I hope you don't mind that I'm wearing this." Steel finally spoke in a serious tone. "I wanted to pay my respects to Superman in the best way that I knew how... and this symbol, his symbol, shouldn't just disappear from Metropolis altogether. With Supergirl and Powergirl focusing their attentions elsewhere, it seemed like it might leave this city to ruins if I didn't take it up."

Silvia nodded, slumping back in her chair in utter exhaustion. "You deserve to wear it more than those fucking new guys. As long as you're not claiming to be Superman, then I don't have a problem with it."

"Your confidence means a lot, Silvia. I won't let you down." He said, posture straightening and hands moving to rest on his hips. In some ways, he was more like Clark than any of those pretenders. "Though that new one, 'Superboy', is a bit of a problem. He's the reason I've been so busy of late."

"Is he really that much trouble? He's just a kid..."

"Yeah, just a kid with the powers of a Kryptonian. At least an adult could control themselves." Steel leaned against the door frame, his costume giving a metallic 'tink'. "He's destroyed a large section of Downtown Metropolis, and when I tried to stop him he pushed me through a building... filled with people."

Silvia cocked her head to the side. Now that she hadn't heard of. "So... he's a villain?"

The man shook his head with uncertainty. "I'm not sure... He looked terrified of me, of the people around him, and even of his own abilities. I don't think he even knew what he was doing, or at least not the gravity of it."

She stared at him for a while with a raised eyebrow. He was tense, his back arched and his eyes on the ground as he recalled the memory. Digging her thumb nail into the cheap pine top of Victor's desk, Silvia scoured her mind for an explanation. This boy didn't exactly sound like a cold blooded killer, at least not to her.

"Has anyone seen him since then?" She asked, nail burrowing deeper into the wooden top.

Steel shrugged his large shoulders, now averting his gaze to the window where nothing but the blank emptiness of the sky could be seen.

"He went to the Justice League a few days ago." Victor replied calmly. "He wanted to join but no one knew what he was. It was a risk, one that Bruce wasn't willing to make, so he turned him away."

"Bruce kicked a confused little kid onto the street?" Silvia huffed in frustration. "Of course he fucking did..."

"Can't really blame the man, I mean, without Superman we've been more vulnerable. A boy claiming to be a Kryptonian and damaging half of Metropolis isn't exactly going to warrant trust."

"He should have gone to the Titans. Starfire would have taken him in..."

"Kori's got a good heart but she's naive. The fact that she'd welcome him is reason enough to be suspicious of the kid."

Silvia fidgeted in her seat. She felt extremely uncomfortable knowing that a little boy was out there alone. "Is there any way you can find him for me, Vic?"

"Well, I can't find him... but I can help him find you." Victor swerved to the other side of the room in his rolling chair, pulling out a draw and rummaging through the various items inside. "We can use the signal watch."