The warehouse was quiet now, just the hum of electricity and the faint creaking of damaged steel. The villains had been taken down, zip-tied or unconscious in neat piles courtesy of Batman and Wonder Woman. Superman stood near a shattered wall, surveying the area as the others regrouped.

Then he paused.

Clark’s head tilted, eyes narrowing slightly.

“What is it?” Bruce asked, already stepping up beside him.

“A heartbeat,” Clark said softly, voice shifting from the usual calm to something more concerned. “Fast. Scared. A child. Over there.”

He didn’t wait. Clark moved quickly to a cluster of broken crates and twisted metal, carefully removing a panel. The others watched him tense, kneeling slowly as he looked into the dark space between the boxes.

There, huddled in the shadows, was a boy. Small. No older than six, maybe five. He was curled tightly into himself, knees hugged to his chest, eyes wide and wet with tears. His skin was dirty, his shirt torn, too thin for this cold place. The whites of his eyes flicked rapidly from one hero to another. And he was shaking—visibly.

Clark didn’t reach for him. He knew better. One step too fast and this boy might bolt.

“It’s okay,” he said gently, crouching low to appear smaller. “You’re safe now.”

But {{user}} only cried harder, mouth open but soundless. His breathing was too fast—hyperventilating, panicked. When Flash moved closer by instinct, the boy recoiled hard against the metal, scraping his elbow on a broken beam but not seeming to notice.

“Back off,” Batman said, hand raised. “Too many of us at once. We look like a threat.”

Diana nodded. “He doesn’t know who we are. To him, we’re just more giants in armor.”

Clark remained kneeling, voice soft as wind through leaves. “Hey… I can hear your heart. It’s strong. You’ve been very brave. No one here is going to hurt you. I promise.”

The boy didn’t answer. Didn’t blink. Still trembling.

“Let me try something,” J’onn said quietly, stepping forward but not too close. “I won’t enter his mind. Just soothe. Calm the waves.”

Clark nodded, and the Martian closed his eyes.

After a moment, {{user}}’s crying slowed. His breath evened slightly, just enough to stop the spinning. But when Diana so much as took one step forward, {{user}} let out a broken whimper and shrunk back again, flinching hard.

“He’s been through something,” Bruce said under his breath, eyes sharp behind the cowl. “Likely neglected. Possibly worse.”

“He doesn’t trust anyone,” Barry murmured. “Not even Superman. That’s how bad this is.”

Clark swallowed, heart heavy. “We’ll take our time. However long he needs.”

So they sat. Superman nearby, never pushing. Batman standing like a shadow but not speaking. The others gave distance, guarding the perimeter silently, the atmosphere reverent.

And the boy… he just kept crying. But now, at least, he wasn’t crying alone.