The name, "Marcus Rogers," had been spoken. But in the silence that followed, it echoed hollowly, inadequate against the immensity of the power and the unanswered questions hanging in the air.
Superman remained still, his expression just as inscrutable as before, a blend of absolute calm and intense assessment. He was waiting for what came next. He was waiting for the truth.
And then, Marcus's posture shifted. The attempt at bravado fell away. His shoulders, so broad and powerful, slumped almost imperceptibly. It wasn't a sign of weakness, but of a burden that had become too heavy to carry alone. He looked up at the Kryptonian, and his eyes were no longer those of an equal, but of someone who was lost, pleading.
"Please, help me."
Those three words, simple and bare, shattered the tension in a way a show of force never could. They were charged with an authentic vulnerability, a fear that was not of an external threat, but of what he carried within himself.
Superman was visibly taken aback. His brow furrowed slightly, a line of surprise and immediate compassion appearing on his forehead. The forcefield of his vigilance seemed to lower by a degree. He had been prepared for a confrontation, for a declaration of hostile or arrogant intent. He was not prepared for a plea from a being who radiated an aura of power so familiar, yet so different.
He descended slowly, his boots gently touching the metal deck of the tanker, establishing a more grounded, more human contact. He did not smile, but his gaze had softened, losing some of its piercing intensity and gaining an empathetic depth.
"Marcus," he said, using his name for the first time, and it sounded like an acknowledgment. His voice was softer now, less resonant with authority, closer to that of Clark Kent. "You have power that few in this universe possess. Why do you need my help?"
The question was asked. The door was now ajar. Now, Marcus had to choose: to tell him the truth about the nature of his powers, about the shadow of Homelander that followed him, and to place his destiny in the hands of Earth's greatest hero.