They all stopped. Time seemed frozen. One moment, dozens of lifeless, walking husks were biting and pulling at Sentinel. The next? They just...stopped. No more growling or moaning. No more biting. They all rolled off of the dog pile, sounds of confusion and terror echoed throughout the crowd of now-free civilians. Sentinel tried to piece together what had happened as he helped a young woman, about his own age, off the ground. After Eric had appeared and saved Isaac's skin, his hearing had been disorientated by Microbat's screech. Yet, Sentinel still heard the bullet loud and clear. The Kryptonian turned his eyes towards the tower, his eyes locking onto Simone when he spotted her. There was a moment of relief knowing she'd not only survived the attack, but killed the enemy leader. The relief didn't last as the smell of smoke and distant fire reminded Sentinel of his utter failure. The caped hero stepped towards the edge of the cliff he currently stood on, looking out over San Francisco as it burned. Sentinel tried to ignore Amazon as he activated the Titan's communicator. Isaac didn't want to hear what Evan was going to say. They all knew it. When they guessed that the zombies were incurable, they had guessed wrong. Now, they were all bonafide murderers. It was all impossible to take in at that moment. So much had happened in such a short span of time...It was all so surreal. Sentinel looked down at his shaky, weak hands.
"Dear God. What have I done?"
Those were the last actual words Sentinel spoke for the rest of the day. To his credit, Sentinel spent the rest of the day helping clear rubble and rebuild what he could. While some people definitely appreciated Isaac's help, most were not as forgiving. They knew what he'd done. Word traveled fast about all of the corpses Sentinel had left in his quake trying to help. People mocked him. They through bricks, beer bottles and whatever else they could find. Isaac held it together until night fall, before retreating to the remains of the tower to weep. His anguished cries persisted until the next morning.
---
In the Hall of Mentors, Isaac sat. He had curled up with his legs in his chest with his back leaning against the statue of Superman, Superboy, and Supergirl. Sentinel had taken his cape off, draping the alien blanket over himself. Isaac felt so cold. That was pretty uncharacteristic of a Kryptonian, who could brave the temperatures of space. The Titan stared at the ground, watching an ant carrying a crumb out of the tower. Two and a half million people. Dead. That's two and a half million husbands, fathers, sons and daughters who's families would never see them again. How many of those people had died in Sentinel's arms? How many lives had he personally stomped into the ground in a fit of uncontrollable rage? It was impossible to know. More than a hundred, at the bare minimum. What a strange feeling Isaac was overcome with. Not too long ago Sentinel had pledged to give every super-villain what they deserved: a ticket straight to Hell. He had wanted to avenge all the people they had killed. In a moment of universal irony, Sentinel found himself with bloodier hands than most. Even some of the people he had tried to murder in what he had so foolishly called justice were cleaner than he was now.
It's like Isaac's life was some kind of cosmic joke. He tried damn hard to be a good man. To do what he thought was necessary for the so-called greater good. But the universe just threw that into his face, and laughed. You want to save these people? You want to make the hard choice in service of others? Fine. Here's two and a half million people dead because of you! Chew on that for a while why don't ya?! There was probably someone up there, watching this all unfold, laughing as he causes so much pain. Well up yours, whoever-you-are. I'm gonna sit here, wallowing in a pool of my own tears until the world falls apart around me. Never gonna do this hero thing again. I'd only end up making things worse.
Well now, my boy, that's no way to look at things.
Huh? Who are you-
Don't you recognize Uncle Kent Nelson's voice when you hear it, son? Well, not exactly 'hear...'
How are you in my head?
There are things you don't know about me quite yet. A lot of things, actually. I'll tell you when this is all over. But right now, I'm going to need you to get up, my boy.
No! I'm done! FOREVER!
You don't mean that. Superman-
I'M NOT SUPERMAN!
No. No you're not Superman. That would be too much to ask of you, me, or anyone else..
There was a moment of silence within Sentinel's disturbed mind.
What does that S on your chest mean?
I-It's Superman's symbol.
That's right. Superman gave that to you, because he thinks you're worthy of wearing it. And who are you to disagree with the Man of Steel?
Another moment of silence.
What's that S mean, Isaac? What does it stand for?
On Krypton, it means hope.
What I'm asking you to do is hard, Isaac. It's probably the hardest thing anyone is ever going to ask you to do. I'm asking you to hope. Hope for a brighter future, a future where peace and justice reign. Hope for the world to one day become right, whether you see it or not.
How, uncle Nelson?
One foot in front of the other. Don't look back. Keep your eyes forward. No matter the failures, the pain or the trails. There's nothing you could do that can't be redeemed. Even...Even this. Just because you stumble doesn't mean that you're lost...
"...You just have to try harder." The the voice left, as quick as it had appeared. Isaac couldn't explain it. He'd felt so weak, he could barely feel his legs. His chest had burned and he struggled to breathe. But now? He felt better. Stronger, than ever before. He couldn't explain how his uncle had spoken to him. Maybe Isaac had finally gone off the deep end and was hearing things. Or maybe his uncle was a superhero. Both sounded equally as absurd. Sentinel pushed himself to his feet, looking at the statue he had rested his head on. He gave a small smile before his attention was brought elsewhere. The voice of Alexander Luthor vibrated in Sentinel's ears, accompanied by the ever so subtle distortion caused by radio waves. Isaac made his way upstairs to the source of the sound, finding his fellow Titan watching television. Evan looked like a mess, which seemed out of character for the usually jovial (and naked) warrior. Judging by the empty bottles surrounding his chair, Amazon was dealing with the pain however he could. Isaac felt for Amazon. In fact, if Isaac could even get a little drunk, he probably would have joined him.
Sentinel turned away as Luthor continued his propaganda, his attention occupied by the sounds of helicopters and tanks approaching the tower. The Kryptonian looked back at Evan and the TV for a moment, deep in thought. They needed a plan. Now. Sentinel rushed towards the nearest intercom, pressing the alarm button to wake the rest of the Titans. "Gotta give us a minute to get clear.." Sentinel muttered. Isaac grabbed his communicator, flipping it on as he stared out the window at the approaching army. "Titans. Gather in the kitchen! We've got trouble! I'm gonna try and buy us some time to get away. Rao help us all."
With that, the Kryptonian leaped off the balcony and out into open air. One of the tanks opened fire, a shell careening towards the attacking Titan, perceiving the charge as an act of aggression. The round exploded on Sentinel's chest. The Kryptonian, unharmed, landed in front of the tank that attacked him. He tore apart the barrel like it was made of butter and rendered the tank nearly useless before moving on to the next. He grabbed the barrel this time, pulling the entire turret off and chucking it into the bay. One of the helicopters turned its machine guns on Sentinel, opening fire. Isaac moved before the bullets could even land, grabbing the crew of the tank and moving them out of harms way. The Titan jumped into the air and landed on the helicopter, wrapping his fingers around the cockpit and pulling it off. "Parachutes!" Sentinel screamed at the top of his lungs as he dragged both of the airmen away from the free falling helicopter and let them go. Sentinel waited until their chutes popped to continue his assault, careful not to harm accidentally harm anyone. These soldiers were innocent. Just doing their duty. Sentinel made it as bloodless as possible.
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