Chapter 260: Fortress Of Solitude
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FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE -
The Fortress of Solitude, the isolated sanctuary of superman from the world a place where he can recharge and connect with his Kryptonian heritage, Superman and Batman walked together, the sound of their boots echoing faintly through crystalline corridors. The air glowed faintly with frost, each breath forming a faint mist. The light within wasn’t artificial it ca from the refracted glow of the Arctic sun breaking through the walls of kryptonian architecture.
Batman’s cape trailed slightly behind as he walked alongside Superman, his eyes scanning the endless designs and hovering Kryptonian symbols. Every wall, every glowing construct seed to hum with intelligence.
"Been a while since I’ve been here," Batman said finally, his voice low, the tone neutral almost nostalgic.
Superman gave a quiet chuckle, a sound that seed to warm the air. "You never leave that cave of yours unless there’s trouble. You could visit here, you know."
Batman’s reply ca sharp, almost chanical. "No ti."
Clark shook his head, smirking faintly. "Right. Of course not."
They continued walking. The Fortress stretched before them like a frozen cathedral massive halls lined with technology from a dead world. A flicker of light to their left caught Batman’s attention. He stopped, turning slightly to look through a translucent wall into one of the smaller chambers. Inside, the room was modest softer than the rest of the Fortress. A few small ntos rested near a bed a holographic image of Krypton’s red sun, a small emblem of the House of El, and what looked like a folded cape.
Superman followed his gaze. For a mont, his smile dimd.
"Well," he said softly, "as you can see... that one is Kara’s. Or was, I guess." He sighed, folding his arms. "She doesn’t co here anymore. Soti ago, she wouldn’t stop talking about Arthur...Arthur this, Arthur that." His lips twitched upward briefly, half amusent, half exasperation. "Now, she’s stopped coming altogether."
Batman’s gaze lingered on the room for a mont longer. "You seem... delighted about it."
Clark exhaled, his breath a faint cloud. "I am."
That caught Batman off guard; his eyes narrowed slightly beneath the cowl.
"Kara was lost and confused when I found her," Superman continued, his tone quieter now, voice thick with mory. "Unlike , she saw it. Krypton. Our ho... she saw it break apart. Her pod was thrown off course..straight into the Phantom Zone. She slept in stasis for years before her engines reignited. By the ti she reached Earth..." He paused, looking toward the icy floor, as though the mories themselves chilled him. "By the ti I found her, everything she loved was already gone and it was like monts ago for her."
He took a step forward, then stopped again, his shoulders tense. "She spent so ti here and then she sohow got kidnapped by Lex. You know how that went."
Batman stayed silent. His gloved hands tightened briefly behind his back.
Superman turned slightly, watching him from the corner of his eye. "I’m glad she’s even willing to smile again. I don’t know what kind of magic Arthur used on her, but it worked. You don’t like him and that’s fine. But he’s the reason she’s still... herself."
Batman’s expression was unreadable beneath the cowl, but there was a flicker of thought in his eyes. "I understand why you’re keeping Zod a secret from her," he said at last. "But do you really think she won’t find out?"
Superman frowned. "What do you an?"
Bruce’s hand lifted, the compartnts on his gauntlet sliding open with a faint tallic click. Holographic light flared to life above his forearm lines of encrypted code, surveillance feeds, and the faint outline of a familiar estate rendered in cold blue light.
"My satellite was hacked so ti ago this ’hacker’ used it for surveillance and information from ti to ti." Batman said flatly. "It took so digging, but I found the source. Arthur’s estate in Gotham."
He turned his head slightly toward Clark, his voice calm. "He already knows, Clark. About Zod."
Superman’s jaw tightened.
"And since he cares about Kara," Batman went on, "he’ll bring the fight to Zod himself. And given his record with alien beings..."
Clark groaned softly, dragging a hand down his face. "He must’ve told her then."
The hologram flickered out, plunging them back into the icy glow of the Fortress. Silence hung between them for a few heartbeats. Then Superman exhaled slowly, looking toward the ceiling as though searching for patience among the stars.
"Sotis," he said finally, "I forget how dangerous he can be, but I don’t think he’ll be reckless about this. If anything, he’ll protect Kara if necessary and he’ll take the fight away from Earth."
Batman’s eyes narrowed faintly. "You an how dangerous he already is. You have too much faith in him."
Superman didn’t argue. The deeper they went into the Fortress of Solitude, the quieter the world beca. The air grew colder, denser, as the glowing corridors of crystalline structure gave way to an inner sanctum. Full of Kryptonian machinery.
Clark’s cape brushed against the icy floor as he glanced toward the detective beside him. Batman’s eyes scanned everything, from the floating drones to the crystalline pillars humming faintly with energy.
Superman spoke first.
"Let
show you what I know about Zod... and the others who were sent to the Phantom Zone."
Batman’s tone didn’t change, but there was an edge of intent in his words.
"That’s the reason I’m here."
They turned a final corner and entered a vast chamber of light. It was circular, vast, and alive with energy. In the center stood a construct a supercomputer unlike anything on Earth, pulsing faintly with blue and white radiance. Around it, a few humanoid figures turned, sleek, silver-skinned automatons with the House of El crest on their chests. Their eyes glowed a soft cerulean.
"Kal-El," one of the robotic sentinels spoke, its voice warm but tallic. "Welco ho."
Another inclined its head toward Bruce. "Designated guest: Batman of Earth. Identity confird. Welco."
Batman’s gaze flicked to Superman. "You’ve taught them manners."
Superman smiled faintly. "They were already like this." He walked to the center console and gestured toward the main crystalline spire. "Access historical archives subject: General Dru-Zod and the Council’s ruling on his exile."
The crystal pulsed once. Light gathered at the room’s center. Then, a familiar figure erged tall, noble, dressed in Kryptonian robes that glimred faintly with starlight. Jor-El’s holographic image turned toward them, his expression calm, authoritative.
"My son," the hologram began in Kryptonian language before automatically shifting into English, "you seek knowledge of General Zod."
Superman’s eyes softened a little as he heard his father’s voice again. He didn’t interrupt.
The projection continued, tone patient, almost weary.
"General Dru-Zod was once among Krypton’s most respected military leaders. A man of conviction, courage... and a vision that, in his mind, was born of patriotism. He believed Krypton’s destiny could not end with its destruction. He sought to preserve it by any ans necessary."
The hologram shifted, displaying images of Krypton. Zod stood at their center, regal and fierce, his armor reflecting the light of the red sun.
"When the Council denied his request to prepare off-world colonization, he turned to rebellion. His plan was simple yet catastrophic, seize command of Krypton’s defense fleets and find a habitable world to rebuild upon. He chose a system with a yellow star... your star, Kal-El. Earth."
Batman’s expression hardened. "So he wanted to turn Earth into a new Krypton."
The hologram nodded. "He intended to annihilate the native population, believing them primitive and unworthy of coexistence. He called it purification, and promised that in a thousand years, under a yellow sun, Krypton would rise again stronger, wiser, guided by those who had survived its end."
Bruce’s jaw tightened. His gaze flicked to Clark. "Glad your father and the Council were moral enough to stop him."
The image of Jor-El’s face dimd slightly, his tone shifting to one of regret. "Zod was my friend once. I fought beside him, trusted him with our world’s safety. But the mont he raised his hand against Krypton itself, he beca sothing else. For his cris and for those who followed him, His rebellion failed, and the Council banished him to the Phantom Zone, a tiless prison beyond light and death."
The hologram faded, the room’s glow settling into its usual icy calm. Superman stood silent for a mont, eyes still fixed on where his father’s image had been.
Then he spoke, quietly. "He wasn’t wrong about Krypton’s mistakes... But his way would’ve made us worse than the world that destroyed itself."
Batman’s eyes studied him from beneath the cowl. "You think his motives changed?"
Clark exhaled slowly. "No, he will desire earth even more now." he then glanced at him, a faint, tired smile breaking through. "But hey, as you can see, we’re not all that bad, right?"
Bruce didn’t return the smile, but his voice softened, almost imperceptibly. "No, you’re not. But we are unlucky enough to live on the sa planet Zod wanted."
Superman chuckled faintly, though the sound carried a tension neither of them could ignore. "You know I can’t let that happen."
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If you Like this story! Check out my other stories! Solo leveling in Westeros.
&
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than check out my patreon at
"spatreon/FrenzyAren"
You can Get Access to 3 More Chapters OR 7 More Chapters if you want
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