Silvia had learnt a great many things after she met Clark. One of them was how to hack military-grade security, since jumping in guns blazing wasn't exactly something she could do at that point. She was putting this skill to work on a LexCorp bulkhead, deep inside the Superman memorial that baldy had built after Clark's death.

She was frustrated that she was even doing this...but she couldn't shake the desire after what Martha told her. The old woman called her shortly after the fourth Superman wannabe arrived, bawling and distraught. She said she didn't know what was going on, that the black suited Superman visited her...wanted to know if she was okay. He also asked about Silvia. Martha barely said a word to the man, she was meant to be done with her grief. He wasn't compelled to try to convince her that he was Superman, he just wanted to know if she was safe. That was what Silvia couldn't forget.

"Fuck." Silvia hissed, on her fifth attempt to bypass the firewall. LexCorp tech was a lot more robust than the systems she was used to breaking through. If she screwed up this time, the dark chamber would be flooded with a type of knock-out gas that even she wasn't immune to.

After another twenty minutes of meticulous care taken, the massive promethium doors finally shifted, pulling themselves away from the centre seam.

"Oh thank god." Silvia sighed.

She snatched up her flashlight and pointed it at the tomb. Inside was a jet black coffin, adorned with a chrome silver 'S'. Her insides froze as she raised a hand onto its surface. Silvia shivered, then pushed on the lid with both hands.

The room was filled with cacophony, until the lid fell onto the ground with a tremendous bang. Silvia swallowed...she wasn't sure what to do now. For the first time in a long time, she didn't have a clue what to do.

"...I was planning on telling you first." A deep, serious mutter came from behind her.

Silvia slowly peered over her shoulder and spied the familiar yet annoying presence of Lex Luthor.

"Telling me what...?" She growled, urging the man to choose his next words very carefully.

"Before you get excited and attack me...again...I knew you were here as soon as you entered. I could've called the police, but I didn't."

Silvia wasn't in the mood for his shit, so she lunged forward and snatched the collar of his suit. "Telling me what?!" She roared.

Luthor for once wasn't wearing an irritating smirk... "Doesn't the coffin tell you enough?"

"No, it doesn't."

Luthor slowly reached up to his throat as he explained "My vendetta against him blinded me. I didn't realise how much the world needed him...until he was gone."

"Don't give me that bullshit."

"He gave me the assurance that I would be able to wake up every morning. And when he did die the entire planet lost that hope. I know you will never believe me, and I wouldn't either to be honest. But don't just take my word for it. I have a lab...records...proof."

Silvia's lip quivered. That hope...she gave up on it as soon as she saw the man she loved give his life to save everyone but Lex Luthor, of all people, was offering it back to her.

---------

Silvia was blown away by the top secret lab miles underneath Metropolis. She'd seen Bruce Wayne's most advanced resources before, and all of that looked like a high school science class compared to LexCorp.

She stood behind Luthor as he tapped away on a holographic screen, procuring research data of some sort. The facility was completely empty save for her and Luthor, so it was eerily silent.

"I was desperate...and seeing as I owned the tomb structure, securing Superman's body for study was easy." 

Images of Clark's body, his real body, popped up. Silvia remembered every cut, every tear in his costume...she knew it was real.

"I discovered that his body was in some kind of hibernative state. His hair kept growing, his skin didn't decompose. I didn't know how long it would last... I tried everything. I engineered a suit that would help his cells absorb solar radiation, but four months passed with no changes. So it was back to the drawing board."

Silvia saw Clark wearing that black suit with silver emblem in the research photos. He was lying on a bed, with numerous instruments beside it monitoring his vitals. His face was clean shaven still... so was the new guy a fake?

"As you know, I've attempted to replicate Superman's abilities in the past."

"Yeah, you missed a few chromosomes." Silvia snapped, nodding towards a folder on the server named 'B-Zero'. "Bizarro?"

Very obviously disdaining the poor taste of that last comment, Luthor deflected "Yes... The mistake I made with that creature was that pure kryptonian DNA is susceptible to cellular degradation in Earth's environment. In order to rectify this problem, and after no progress on resuscitating Superman, project Kr was initiated."

Luthor opened a folder titled 'Kr', and a multitude of photos and folders popped up on the holographic display. Silvia instantly recognised a familiar form. In one of the pictures was a young boy sealed inside some kind of containment cell. A young boy who was the splitting image of young Clark...or Conner.

"We utilised a balance of kryptonian and human cells to create a hybrid. If I couldn't wholly recreate Superman, this was the closest alternative."

"Superboy..." Silvia muttered "He's a clone..."

"No, he'll never be as strong as the original. His human DNA, extracted from myself, ensures that. And the thing escaped before moral conditioning could be applied. He's a failure. Nothing but a rebellious child."

Pictures of injured scientists and staff members flashed up, next to images of the shattered containment cell. Silvia was tempted to smash Lex's face for talking about Conner like that...but she forced herself to be civil.

Luthor crossed his arms as the final image came onto the display. "One day ago, I arrived to this."

The table that Clark's body was on, was empty and a gigantic hole was punched in the adjacent wall.

"You said his hair grew." Silvia muttered.

Luthor glanced back down at the keyboard, slapped a few keys, and brought a newer image up. Clark's face was covered in stubble, and his hair was long...much like the new guy's.

"I've heard of sightings around the world of a black-suited Superman. You've met him, haven't you?" Lex asked.

"Y-Yes..."

"It's him. You have my word."

"Your word isn't worth much to me...even with all the stuff you tried to do here." Silvia retorted.

Luthor frowned. "Something tells me that you don't want your mind changed. You've done your mourning...you've moved on, yes. But accept the truth. Superman has returned."

"Superman's dead, that's the truth, because of fuckheads like you!" Silvia hissed in fury.

"I've made mistakes, I'm willing to admit that, but I'm trying to make up for them."Lex sighed in defeat, pushing himself away from the monitor. "I think that deep down you know that it's him."

Lex left without even waiting for a reply. He didn't ask her to leave, but he didn't stay either. Silvia assumed that he was allowing her to search through the folders for herself. Though the denial she had built up begged her to exit that building and ignore the entire encounter, her curiosity ultimately won her over.

The data base was brimming with videos of both projects; one to make Superman's black suit and the other to create a clone. She stood there and watched them for hours. She saw them weave the fabric for the suit, saw them extract DNA from Clark and Lex's blood... and grow Superboy in containment until he gained consciousness.

She didn't want to believe it, she couldn't. She'd grieved for so long that the possibility of him being alive was terrifying. It meant that she could lose him again, and Silvia wasn't willing to go through that.

Silvia shut the computer down... she couldn't see anymore. Without even looking back she rushed out the door, somehow finding her way out of the labyrinth of Lexcorp tunnels and back onto the streets of Metropolis.

In her mind, she knew it was probably best to return to her hideout, but Silvia found herself wandering to Clark's old apartment instead. She was so conflicted that she needed to be surrounded by something familiar, and to convince herself that the man she loved really hadn't come back from the grave. 

The road to that building complex was a blur in her mind. By the time she had finally registered where she was, Silvia was already walking through the front door and collapsing into the couch. She was a genius of sadness by this stage, immersing herself in it, separating its numerous strands, appreciating its subtle nuances. She was a prism through which sadness could be divided into its infinite spectrum. She had dealt with it for so long that it came easily to her.

She wasn't sure what to believe anymore, though her heart couldn't take the idea of mourning for him again. This is why when a distraction from her morbid thoughts was presented, she grabbed it with both hands.

Someone had entered the apartment, and she instantly stood up, ready for a fight... that is until Conner came into view.

"Hey... what are you doing here?" Silvia asked in slight surprise, slumping back down into the cushions.

"Just thought you'd want to know that Cyborg Superman's gone insane." Conner replied with a sigh, shuffling forwards and sitting beside her. "Not that he wasn't always insane."

"Great..." The woman huffed in response. "What has he done this time?"

"Almost killed a whole bunch of people, that new guy stopped him though." Conner sounded like he almost admired the long-haired 'imposter'... if he could even be called that anymore. "They've taken him to jail. Eradicator helped but after the fight he ended up flying away for some reason, he looked pretty troubled."

"And let me guess... the new guy went after him?" She said lowly, as if she already knew the answer.

"After the robot was dealt with, yeah."

"Oh..." She sighed in response. He really did act exactly like Clark... Silvia shook her head. No, she wasn't going to accept it.

"Where were you anyway?"

"Lexcorp." The word blurted out in her exhaustion before she could even consider lying.

Conner's eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "What were you doing there?"

"Lex... wanted to show me a few things. Projects, actually." Silvia bit her lip for a moment, unsure if she wanted to continue this conversation... but he deserved to know the truth. "For recreating Superman."

"Like a clone?" Conner asked, intrigue sparking in his eyes. "So the new guy is just a copy of the real Superman?"

"Not exactly..."

"Then what is it?" Conner sounded desperate now, his curiosity bubbling to the surface and overflowing. "What happened to the project?"

"They made a kid, one with Kryptonian and human DNA." Silvia muttered, offering him a sympathetic look before continuing. "You, Conner."

The boy's face instantly dropped. "N-No..." he mumbled in disbelief, eyes wide and glossing over with a thin sheen of tears.

"I'm so sorry." Silvia's voice trembled. She could see Conner's whole world crashing down around him. His shoulders shivered in both fear and sorrow, and every time he tried to speak his lip quivered.

"I... I spent so long convincing myself that I had no relation to Clark." Conner sniffled. "Turns out i'm a cheap copy..."

"You were grown using both Clark and Lex's DNA." Silvia shuffled towards him and wrapped an arm around his shoulder comfortingly. "A child is not a copy of their parents, you're not Clark or Lex. You're just Conner."

His eyes were focused on one spot of the carpet, and though he looked as if he was going to cry, he nodded. "Thanks... I don't think I mind the Superman part anymore, it's just Lex that bothers me."

"Don't worry about that, Lex may be an ass but he's an intelligent ass." Silvia tried to joke but it didn't seem to lighten the mood.

"I just wish it was someone else... like you."

Silvia's eyes widened. Who would ever want to be related to someone like her? Still, the thought was enough to quickly turn her surprise into a genuine smile. "Me? You act enough like me as it is, but that's just proof that you don't need my genes to inherit my traits... or for me to consider you as family."

The boy lunged into a hug, hands clasping onto Silvia's shirt and tears threatening to finally spill forward. Though he knew it was a difficult situation for Silvia, if he were ever to have a mother he would want her to be exactly like Silvia.

"Thank you... for everything." He said with sincerity, leaning back and pushing off the couch. "I think I just need time to sort this out in my head."

"Take as long as you need."

The boy smiled, it was small and not entirely truthful, but it reassured Silvia that he'd be alright. He exited the apartment with slumped shoulders, but finally knowing where he came from gave him a modicum of peace.

"You did well with him." A deep voice suddenly spoke from behind her. "You make a good parent."

Silvia didn't even bother turning around, she'd recognise that voice anywhere. It instantly tugged at her heart strings and reminded her of the evidence provided at Lexcorp. "What are you doing here, MacGyver?"

"Thought you'd want to know that Eradicator has extracted his claim of being Superman."

"And why is that exactly?" Silvia asked, attempting to keep her voice as steady as possible.

"Apparently his memory returned. He uploaded my brain activity into a new body, grown from my skin tissue, and it erased all remembrance of his past life." The man stepped a little closer and Silvia's jaw clenched. "He's not a bad guy, he even told me to apologise to you... in less decent words."

"And Terminator?" Silvia asked, completely ignoring the apology.

"Cyborg Superman was always aware that he wasn't the real deal. He assumed by taking my form he'd get away with criminal offences, and people would be less suspicious of him if an accident occurred."

"So, you're the only one that's left? How convenient for you." Silvia hissed in frustration.

The man hesitated at her tone, then sighed. "It was never a competition, Sil. As long as people accept my help, then I don't care what name they give me."

Silvia's lip twitched upward into a growl. Her mind was racing at a hundred miles per hour, as was her heart. She felt overwhelmed by the emotions she had been flooded with. She blinked away the tears that arose, gulping down a sob. "Stop acting like him... you're not him."

Hearing the absolute agony in her voice tore through the man's chest like a shard of kryptonite, broken off into pieces and weakening his body enough to rip him apart.

"Sil..." he managed to whisper painfully but she shook her head at him, still refusing to look back.

"Stop calling me that!" The images and videos flicked through her head at a disorienting speed. Her whole body reacted by making a choking sound, one that had replaced the cry she forced down. "You're not him... you can't be him..."

"Where did this come from?" The man said in concern, rushing to her side and kneeling there. "I never said that I was."

"Sh-Shut up!" She yelled through gritted teeth. He tried to touch her hand with his but she smacked it away, or at least tried to. He got the message and put his hand back down but still stared up at her in concern. She inhaled sharply. "They said that you were just in a hibernative state, that you were never really dead... but that's not true! I saw you... h-him... He was dead!"

Suddenly it all made sense, the man gave a heavy exhale and averted his blue eyes. He didn't want to put anymore stress on her, and he certainly didn't want her to find this out before she was ready to hear it. It seemed like even now it was impossible to control Lex Luthor.

"I almost was." He answered lowly. "My body shut down to preserve what was left. I looked dead, and once the solar energy had depleted without the sun I probably felt it as well."

"You're lying!" Silvia snapped.

"I lied to you once and you tried to kill me, I'd never dare do it again." The man teased, a smirk lifting to his face that only succeeded in annoying the woman even more.

Silvia jumped up from her seat, face red with fury and tears now falling freely down her face. Her hands were rolled into fists so tight that her knuckles had paled.

"This isn't a game! The man I loved died! He promised he'd never hurt me then he fucking died! I had to live without him, I had to learn to live in a world that was a constant reminder of what I had lost... He chose a piece of shit world with garbage fucking people over me, and then I had to protect those same people he died for. He... left me..." Silvia's voice broke, and now it was nothing but a raspy whisper struggling to find air. "He chose to leave me... You... left me."

Clark wanted to express how sorry he was and how much he loved her but his voice had left him. If he spoke, he'd break down, and he needed to be strong for her.

"You can't just die and make me mourn you, then come waltzing back in as if everything's the same! What if I don't want to go through this again?! What if I don't love you anymore?! You.. You fucking asshole!" In mere seconds the girl had collapsed to her knees in front of him, hands covering her face and dry sobs racking through her body. "I h-hate you!"

Her words were hurtful, and Clark felt them like blades piercing every inch of his body, but he knew she didn't mean them. She dealt with grief and sorrow differently to most. She simply wasn't use to having to confront her own emotions.

Clark shuffled a little closer and embraced her, pulling her into his chest and rubbing her back. She twisted and pushed in his grip, attempting to free herself, but he kept her in place with no trouble at all. "I'm sorry, Sil. I never wanted you to go through this."

"Sh-Shut up!" She sobbed out once more, sniffling and banging against his solid figure as if it would force him to let her go. It didn't. "Don't fucking touch me! I hate you!"

Her struggling intensified for a moment, then in no time at all, it lessened. He brought his hand up to her head and ran his fingers gently through her golden hair. "I'm sorry." He repeated continuously, whispering the words as calmly as he could manage.

"I can't do this again..." Silvia's voice was barely existent now. It had diminished within the exhaustion heavy crying and screaming brought. "I... I... m-missed you so much."

Clark's grip on her tightened slightly as he kissed her forehead. He felt her hands scrunch against the fabric of his costume and her face bury into his chest with a small whimper. "I missed you too."

This pain he had brought her was more than he could bare. Clark vowed to never do it again, whether she chose to continue their relationship or not. He would have to become stronger, to prepare for the worst, so that there was nothing in the entire Galaxy that could take him away from her again.

——————————————-