Jon Kent SI: Made of Steel Chapter 11: The Starro Affair Part 1/3.

Chapter 11: The Starro Affair (Part 1/3)


(General P.O.V.)


“...And this, drum roll please… is the Batcomputer. You can gawk, but don’t touch.” Dick announced, his smirk widening as he tilted his head slightly, a glint of pride in his eyes.

“Nice.”
Jon replied, his tone flat and uninterested as he glanced at the high-tech supercomputer dominating the center of the cave.

“It’s all so impressive,”
he added, but his voice lacked any real enthusiasm.

Dick frowned, eyeing his friend with mock disapproval.
“I was expecting a bigger reaction, Kent. But you just sound… whelmed.”

Jon’s blasé response had been the same for every marvelous thing Dick had shown him—the giant penny, the dinosaur, the Batwing. Normally, people were blown away by the Batcave’s grandeur. Dick certainly had been the first time he’d stepped foot in it.

“Oh, I am impressed.”
Jon said quickly, sensing Dick’s disappointment.
“I mean, who wouldn’t be? This is the Batcave. I just… Is it always this dark and dreary?”

“Of course it’s dark and dreary!”
Dick shot back, his tone tinged with exasperation.
“That’s Batman’s entire M.O.! How can you not be—”

He paused, noticing the gleam of amusement in Jon’s eyes,
“You know what, Kent? You have terrible taste. Let's move on to the real reason I brought you down here.”

With a quick press of a key on the console, the Batcomputer’s massive display flickered to life, revealing three blank feeds.

One by one, the feeds connected, and the first showed a red-haired boy wearing headphones, sitting in a bedroom adorned with Justice League posters—mostly of the Flash.

“Dude, where were you? You totally bailed on me mid-game… wait, who’s that?”
The boy asked, his fingers moving at an inhuman speed on the gamepad in his hands, his gaze flickering to Jon for a split second.

“Patience Wallman.”
Dick replied, his focus on the Batcomputer,
“Let me get the others first…”

“Aaand done. Connection established to Atlantis. Hey Kaldur, Speedy.”
Dick greeted as the second feed came to life.

“Good evening, Richard.”
Came the calm voice of a dark-skinned teen with closely cropped blonde hair, who appeared on the screen. He was inside a wide training chamber submerged in water, surrounded by racks of unique weapons that immediately caught Jon’s interest.

“Dick, now’s really not a good time. I’m dealing with an oversized lizard trying to eat me.”
A different voice interrupted from the third, still-blank screen.

“I know, I know, but hear me out. Today’s kind of important. It’s my—”
Dick began, only to be cut off.

“Ooh, sounds like a Killer Croc problem. Need backup, Speedy? Of course you do… I’ll be there in a Flash, hehe…”
The redhead on the first screen said, disappearing from his room in streaks of yellow light.

“No! Wally—wait!… And he’s already gone.” Dick grumbled, frustration evident in his voice.

“Sorry, Dick, I’ve gotta go too. Need to babysit the idiot once he gets here.”
Speedy added before disconnecting.

“Hold o—dammit."
Dick muttered under his breath, exasperation clear in his tone.

“Do not mind them, Richard. What is it you wished to inform us?”
Kaldur asked calmly, his voice steady despite the chaos of the other two.

Dick sighed, motioning over his shoulder. “Just wanted to introduce you guys to someone. Kaldur, meet Jon. He’s like us—a sidekick.”

“Hi.”
Jon waved awkwardly at the Atlantean, trying to match his composed demeanor.

“I'm Superman’s protégé. ‘Sidekick’ sounds a bit… meh. Also, Kaldur, are you underwater?” Jon asked, his curiosity piqued.

“Yes, I am Atlantean. My mentor is Aquaman. It is a pleasure to meet you, Jon. Apologies, Richard, but I am also needed.”
Kaldur responded with a polite nod before the connection cut off.

Jon raised an eyebrow, a hint of a smirk tugging at his lips.
“I wasn’t expecting that. A speedster, an Atlantean, a mystery crime fighter, and a mini Batman—it sounds like the setup for a joke.”

“It’s a special club.”
Dick replied with a shrug, though his annoyance was clear.
“And by special, I mean incredibly frustrating at times. They totally forgot my birthday gif- Ahem, my birthday!”

He threw his hands up in exasperation.

“You just wanted presents, didn’t you?”
Jon asked, deadpan.

“Of course I wanted their presents!”
Dick admitted with a grin.
“I’m friends with an Atlantean, an archer, and a speedster. The kind of gifts I can expect from them are waaay different from what my normal friends get me, Kent.”

He continued, excitement creeping into his voice,
“Last year, Kaldur gave me a chunk of Orichalcum—I used it to make battarangs that could cut through Grundy’s tough flesh. Speedy’s gift was a thin thread with the tensile strength of tungsten. And Wally? He got me a chemical formula for an acid that can eat through metal in seconds. All useful things. All things I need.”

Jon blinked, genuinely impressed,
“Wow, now I want superhero friends.”

“We’ll discuss your membership at a later date.”
Dick replied with a playful smirk, twirling a battarang between his fingers before pointing it at Jon.
“Speaking of, what gift did you get me, Kent? I hope it's something good, Kryptonian."

He stressed the word 'Kryptonian.'

“Half-Kryptonian."
Jon corrected, crossing his arms and leaning back slightly.
"And don’t you think you’re being a bit too forceful? Besides, you’re rich—can’t you get anything you want by asking Bat-Daddy?”

Dick cringed, shaking his head.
“First of all, terrible nickname. Secondly, he’s rich, not me. Thirdly, I’m on probation after crashing the Batwing a few months ago, so no heroing allowance for the rest of the month.”

“Correction, the rest of the year.”
A deep voice rumbled from behind them.

Both boys turned, startled to see Batman standing there, with Superman by his side.

“Dad?”
Jon called out, his surprise quickly turning to excitement as he rushed forward.
“What are you doing here? Does it mean you beat the dragon?!”

Superman’s stern expression didn’t waver, his arms crossed over his chest, as he regarded his son,
“Jonathan, I’m very disappointed in you.”

The use of his full name made Jon’s heart sink. He lowered his head, his earlier excitement evaporating.
“Are you still mad about this afternoon? Dad, those people would have—”

“Do you know what time it is?”
Superman interrupted.

Jon blinked, thrown off by the question. “What?”

“It’s 10:30. Your ma has been searching for you everywhere, frantic with worry.”
Superman replied, his voice edged with frustration.

Jon’s eyes widened in realization. He’d completely forgotten their agreed time to meet up at 8! And knowing his mom, she probably raised hell in Wayne Manor. It’s not like anyone knew they were in the Batcave.

“I—Is Alfred okay? She hasn’t done anything, right?”
Jon asked, wincing at the thought. He actually liked the butler—he was chill.

“Alfred? Why wouldn’t he be?”
Dick asked, frowning.

“Dude, my mom is scary as hell.”
Jon replied, shivering at the memory of her temper.

Batman and Superman exchanged a knowing look.

“He’s fine.”
The former confirmed.

“But if I were you, I’d be more worried about myself. You’re grounded for a month, young man. And no more recklessly charging into danger. Consider it your punishment.”
The latter laid out sternly.

Jon opened his mouth, ready to argue, but his father cut him off,
“Argue with me, and I’ll make it two.”

At that, the younger Kent snapped his mouth shut, shoulders slumping in defeat. The look of disappointment on his father’s face was almost too much to bear.

“Don’t keep her waiting."
Superman added, his tone softening just a bit.

The expression on Jon’s face made Dick feel guilty.

“Ah… Mr. Superman, sir, it wasn’t really his fault. It was my idea to come down here,”
He admitted.

“Without my permission.”
Batman interjected, his voice sharp.
“You went behind my back and brought an unknown to our base of operations, demonstrating a lack of responsibility. This behavior is intolerable and has set you back. Your probation is extended for a year.”

Dick swallowed hard, the weight of his mentor's words hitting him.

“Sorry, dude…”
He muttered to Jon.
“Got us both in trouble.”

“It’s alright. I had an awesome time.”
Jon replied, forcing a small smile as he patted Dick’s shoulder.
“See you at school.”

With a final glance at his father’s stern face, Jon turned and headed toward the elevator, his gaze fixed firmly on the ground, unable to meet Superman’s eyes.

(Jon's P.O.V)

Mom was also mad at me. She hadn’t said a word to me on our way home. I understood why, but weren’t they overreacting a little?

The day had started so well, but now, it had ended on a bad note. I hadn’t even given Dick his present.

A sigh escaped me as I lay on my bed, staring at the glittering piece of crystal in my hand.

I marveled at its beauty as the moonlight streaming through my open window played across its surface.

The small, blue crystal was about the length of a finger, and when the light hit it just right, the room filled with a mesmerizing display of rainbow-colored reflections.

This wasn't just any gift for Dick. Beyond the kaleidoscope of colors and the 'ooh-aah' factor, the crystal had a much more practical purpose. It could heal minor wounds—like cuts or broken bones—within a few hours.

For someone like Dick, a human who didn't have the luxury of invulnerability, this crystal was indispensable. The only downside was that it took an entire week of soaking up solar energy to create one, otherwise, I could probably make a fortune selling them in bulk.

I sighed, tucking the crystal back into the pendant around my neck. I'd have to wait until we saw each other at school to give it to him. Right now, though, it was time to train. Maybe that would help get my mind off things.

Twisting the base of the pendant, I felt a familiar shift in my consciousness as I was pulled into the simulation space.

When I blinked again, I found myself in a grid-like, 3D environment. As the world around me pixelated and reformed, I stood in a chamber that closely resembled the main hall of the Fortress of Solitude.

In fact, the Simulation Space was an exact replica of the interior of the Fortress.

"Ah, Jon-El, you finally made it."
Came the voice of Grandpa Jor-El's AI as he manifested above the crystal console at the center of the chamber.

"I was beginning to think you were going to skip our practice session today."
he remarked, a hint of curiosity in his tone.

"Hey, Gramps."
I greeted, plopping down on the ground with a heavy sigh.

"My parents and I had a bit of a fight."
I admitted.

Grandpa Jor-El floated closer, his face etched with concern.

"Tell me what happened."
He urged gently.

Relieved to have someone to talk to, I found myself unloading all the frustration I had been bottling up—frustration with Ma, Pa, and most of all, myself.

-0-

Back in the Batcave, Superman broke the silence with a concerned tone.
"Have you heard from the Watchtower lately?"

Batman, his eyes fixed on the Batcomputer, responded with a slight shake of his head. "No, but I received a diagnostic alert about a breach. When I tried to check in with Arrow, there was no response."

Saying so, he attempted the connection once more. This time, the call went through, though the feed was shaky.

"Green Arrow, is that you?"
Batman's asked.

"Yeah, it's me. Sorry about the comms," Arrow's voice crackled through the speakers. "Whatever hit the Watchtower knocked out a couple of transmitters, but we're almost back online."

Batman narrowed his eyes, the wheels in his mind turning.
"Understood. Keep me posted on your progress."

"Will do. Watchtower out."
Arrow replied, the feed cutting off with a click.

Both Batman and Superman stood in silence for a moment, tension hanging in the air. Then, almost in unison, they spoke.

"Something's off."
Batman muttered, his tone grim.

"Something's definitely off."
Superman echoed, his brow furrowing deeply.

"We should head up there."
The Kryptonian suggested,
"See what's really going on."

Batman gave a curt nod.