Re: Batman/Maria/Superman (or - After the longest car ride ever)
"Before, if I'd known? I'd absolutely have gone and saved her. Please understand that when I say I hear quite a bit? I can hear almost everything. From the bats above us, to Gotham City nearby, to your heartbeat. It sped up when I mentioned Lois. Over the years, I've learned to filter certain things out, hone the skill. But in the chaos and confusion of a city under attack, I didn't hear her. Perhaps she was too under the effects of what she was on to call for help."
He swallowed. "Kryptonite. That's what he used on me. To describe it as being painful to be around is putting it mildly. The first place I feel it is my head. Like I can feel the cells in my brain moving. Writhing. Twisting apart. And then I feel it in my bones, the same agony. It's like every single cell in my body is trying to pull apart from the one next to it and then apart completely. It's a kind of radioactive element, so I imagine this comes from it messing with the electrons and protons that consist of me."
Kal shivered. "It's pain, Miss Hill. Pain beyond belief, pain beyond control, pain that zaps my energy, my abilities. I'm weakened, not just to human standards of strength, but degraded." Another slow swallow, and his voice was almost raspy. "And it comes from the remains of my homeworld."