"Huh? The pain is gone? What just happened?" Soren, who had been howling in agony, suddenly realized the burning sensation had completely disappeared. It felt as though he had never experienced the searing pain, as if it had all been a hallucination. However, in the pitch-black room, he still couldn't see his body, nor could he tell if he was truly safe. His fear and anxiety persisted even after the pain had ended.
"Is it over? Aren't you going to do something about Bellock?" Clark asked, confused, as he watched Robert refrain from further action while Bellock continued to mutter to herself, holding Damian.
"Don't be hasty. I sensed her powers, and she's quite weak. The curse-like ability she used isn't even as dangerous as someone who's just gained powers, like that Jonas Stone. In the Hell Dimension, she'd barely qualify as a low-level demon with a special ability, nowhere near a high-level one," Robert said calmly.
"But who knows if there's someone else behind her? With the Martian Manhunter not here, and our mind-reading skills not strong enough to extract all her memories—especially from someone as unhinged as her—it's better to wait and see what she does next," Robert explained.
"So, is there a possibility she's just a psychopath, like the Joker, who happens to obsess over Damian? Maybe she's treating him like her own child due to her twisted mindset?" Clark hesitated but voiced his thoughts.
It wasn't that Clark was unwilling to accept he might've been wrong about Damian being a demon. Rather, Clark sincerely hoped the boy was innocent and that it was Bellock who was the real problem—a far better scenario in Clark's eyes.
"I get what you mean, but unfortunately, the boy still has some issues. Bellock's not just muttering a curse; Damian can hear her too. Even if he doesn't understand the curse itself, shouldn't he have some reaction to such vile words? If he's completely unfazed, that's concerning," Robert said, sighing. He understood Clark's hope, but Damian was not as innocent as he appeared, which left Robert with little choice but to point it out.
"Yeah, it does seem odd," Clark sighed as well. The boy was so cute and seemingly normal in every way, but reality suggested otherwise. "It's a shame. My eyes seem to be getting worse at seeing through these things."
"Don't beat yourself up. I didn't see through it either. Everything we know now is mostly speculative. Who knows? Maybe the kid's just slow-witted," Robert joked, patting Clark on the back. "Let's wait and see. Soren's extraction team has arrived. I wonder how Bellock will react when she realizes Soren isn't dead."
"Her powers are indeed limited. She can release curses, but she can't control them perfectly. In fact, she might not even know Soren isn't still suffering. It seems like her curse persists because her hatred hasn't dissipated," Robert explained.
"Soren?! He's an American diplomat! How dare you arrest him so casually?!" A woman's voice interrupted their conversation. It was Catherine, who had come rushing into the police station. She had been at the hospital for a pregnancy check-up when she received the shocking news that Soren had been arrested for attempting to shoot Damian.
The news had nearly caused her to faint, which delayed her arrival. Now, she was filled with worry about Soren's situation and immediately confronted the officers, trying to use Soren's diplomatic status as leverage.
"Heh, we know full well Soren's a diplomat. But once the truth of his actions is revealed, I doubt that title will protect him," the officer in charge of Soren's detention said dismissively, showing no fear of Catherine's assertiveness. Even if Soren were released, the officer still felt they had the moral high ground.
"The truth hasn't been established yet! How do I know you're not framing him?" Catherine's pupils narrowed slightly as she threw another accusation at the officer.
"Framing him? Oh, you've got quite the imagination, don't you? No wonder you're a diplomat's wife. If you don't believe us, we can release the entire unedited footage of the arrest and let the world see for themselves whether we're framing anyone," the officer responded coldly, his temper rising.
"Wait, let me see Soren first," Catherine's face changed, her earlier arrogance quickly replaced by a more conciliatory tone.
"Wait your turn! You can see Soren once your country's representatives arrive. We didn't just call you here to inform you about Soren's arrest; we also need to ask you some questions. Given your pregnancy, we didn't arrest you outright, but you still need to cooperate," the officer said icily.
"Are you suspecting me?" Catherine's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Why shouldn't we? Ever since you got here, all you've asked about is Soren. Not once have you mentioned your son, Damian," the officer said disdainfully.
"You people are cold-blooded. The father tries to kill the son, and the mother cares less about her child than the nanny does. I'm seriously starting to wonder if you and Soren planned this together, with you conveniently going to the hospital to give him the chance to make his move."
The officer's sudden accusation was improvised, spurred by his mounting frustrations. The chief had warned him earlier that no matter what, Damian would end up in Catherine's custody once Soren was dealt with. However, seeing how little Catherine seemed to care about Damian, the officer feared what might happen to the boy once they returned to America.
Moreover, Catherine had just accused them of framing Soren, so it felt justified to accuse her right back.
"You're talking nonsense!" Catherine was furious. She couldn't believe the officer was now accusing her of conspiring with Soren. She had no idea what Soren's current situation even was, and now this officer was suggesting she was involved?
"Did you fail to get anything from Soren, so now you're trying to force a confession out of me? Don't even think about it!" she yelled angrily.
"We expect your full cooperation in the investigation. Don't make us take harsher measures," the officer warned, his tone darkening.
"Isn't this going too far? She's pregnant. If something happens, the fallout could be worse than what happened with Damian," another officer approached, whispering a warning to the first officer.
They had the footage from their body cameras and the testimony of Superman to prove Soren's guilt. But if they mistreated Catherine, the blame would fall on the police, putting them in a weaker position. In the end, it might even force them to let Soren go just to cover their own mistakes.
"Yeah, you're right. It's not worth it," the officer sighed, cooling down. He realized that pushing too hard could backfire, leading to worse consequences for Damian, who might end up back with Soren and Catherine in America, facing an uncertain future.
"Cough, the American embassy representatives have arrived. Let's go meet them," the chief interrupted, calling his officers outside to greet the diplomats.
Although the officers were reluctant, they followed their chief outside, knowing they couldn't let him handle the situation alone.
Ironically, Soren was the person who most deserved the chief's attention, given his high-ranking status. But since Soren was now a criminal facing serious charges, the chief wasn't interested in seeing him. In fact, he couldn't stand the idea of meeting someone who had tried to shoot his own son.
The other diplomats, however, were a different story. Even though there was tension, both sides maintained a level of civility. This mutual understanding kept things from escalating too far.
"Mrs. Catherine?" The American diplomats soon entered the station and immediately spotted Catherine. As the wife of an important figure, they were well-acquainted with her, but their expressions were conflicted.
"You're finally here. Get Soren out now. There are many things we need to clear up," Catherine sighed in relief upon seeing them, her confidence restored. She had genuinely feared that the police might forcibly interrogate her.
"And where's Damian? I need to take him home. It's not good for a child to spend too much time at a police station."
"Go bring them out," the chief ordered his officers. As they left with Catherine, the chief lowered his voice and spoke to the diplomats.
"We've already sent a copy of the bodycam footage to your embassy. You may not have the authority to handle this matter, but I trust you'll provide us with a satisfactory resolution, right?"
"Of course. I've been given orders from above. I'm acting as the interim ambassador now, and we'll have Soren extradited and give you a proper resolution," the diplomat said quietly.
"But once we've resolved this, I expect there will be no remaining copies of the footage, and it won't end up online. That wouldn't be good for either of our countries," he added.
"You can rest assured. Once we've gotten what we need, we won't make things difficult. We just want justice for the crime. We're not here to create trouble," the chief replied with a smile.
As Catherine followed the officers to the dark room where Soren was being held, she had no idea that an agreement had already been reached. If it weren't for the fact that Soren was being extradited, the Americans would have preferred not to get involved at all.
After all, the footage showed Soren's guilt, and with Superman and other key figures appearing in it, the Americans wanted to deal with the situation swiftly and cleanly.
They'd handle Soren, maintaining appearances and protecting the reputation of their diplomats.
"How could you lock Soren in such a terrible place?" Catherine's face turned pale when she saw the conditions inside the dark room, and she angrily confronted the officers.
"Apologies. Soren was making quite a fuss earlier. Our station isn't as advanced as your American ones, so this was the best we could do. Rest assured, we didn't lay a hand on him or use any harsh interrogation techniques. If you don't believe us, you can take Soren to the hospital for an examination," the officer responded nonchalantly, shrugging his shoulders.
"Though, once you leave the station, whether you have time for that trip to the hospital is another matter. Good luck with that!"
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