[Vol. 3] Chapter 3: The First Signs of Crisis

Superman looked up, overwhelmed by remorse and despair, his face filled with disbelief. “You can bring her back?”

“Hey, my friend, I swear by the Virgin Mary, bringing her back is a piece of cake.”

Superman wasn’t sure whether to believe him, but Finn didn’t waste time explaining. He took out a Nine Revolutions Resurrection Pill and walked over to a lump of what had once been Lois Lane.

That lump of Lois Lane still had a barely recognizable shattered skull, which was why he chose it.

Finn placed the pill on the lump of Lois Lane and activated its medicinal power. The Nine Revolutions Resurrection Pill dissolved into the remains like water.

Soon, the fragments of Lois Lane’s skull drew together, and skin began to regrow. New flesh and bone grew like slender willow branches, restoring her missing tissues and organs bit by bit. Her arms, legs, chest… everything returned.

Finn realized that Lois Lane was now stark naked. That wasn’t exactly suitable for public viewing.

Several reporters were broadcasting live nearby, and nosy onlookers had their phones raised, too. He took a coat from his storage space and draped it over her.

Lois Lane was alive again. She slowly opened her eyes, her gaze still hazy, unaware of what had happened.

Superman immediately bent down and pulled her into a tight embrace.

“Thank goodness, Lois! I’ve got you back!”

“Superman!” Lois had no idea what had happened to her. Finding herself in Superman’s arms, she was overjoyed.

Then confusion flickered in her eyes.

“I remember falling from the building, and then you came to catch me… Superman! Thank you for saving me!”

“It wasn’t me.” Guilt lingered in Superman’s eyes as he pointed at Finn. “It was this gentleman. He has the power to bring people back from the dead!”

Superman stood and clasped Finn’s hand, overwhelmed with gratitude.

“Thank you! Thank you for bringing Lois back! You’re a good man!”

“No need to thank me. With great power comes great responsibility. I only did what I should.”

Finn had borrowed that line from Spider-Man.

“By the way, I haven’t even asked your name. What should I call you?” Superman asked eagerly, still shaking his hand.

“Finn.”

“Finn, I don’t know how to thank you! If Lois had died, I would never have forgiven myself! If you ever run into trouble, just call for me. I’ll do whatever it takes to help you!”

Superman made that promise without hesitation.

Finn was delighted. He hadn’t expected to end up with Superman owing him a favor. Superman was the big boss among superheroes, the head of the Justice League, and his power was off the charts.

With Superman as a contact, dealing with other superheroes would be much easier.

“Well, my friend, there aren’t many people on this planet who can threaten me,” Finn said. “I’ll tell you this—if anyone’s stupid enough to mess with me, I’ll give them a good kick in the ass!”

Walter Kovacs squeezed through to Finn’s side, looking impressed. “So you’re no ordinary guy, either. Bringing someone back from the dead right on the spot… even Ozymandias can’t do that.”

The crowd kept growing, surrounding them several people deep, while more reporters rushed to the scene. Superman was always a hot topic. Only President Donovan J. Steele attracted a comparable level of attention.

This time, Superman had killed someone while trying to save her, only for a young man to step in and bring the fallen woman back to life with a seemingly magical power.

This was one hell of a story!

Superman scooped Lois into his arms and flew off into the distance.

The moment he left, reporters surged forward and hemmed Finn in. Cameras of every size were aimed at him, and seven or eight microphones crowded so close they nearly ended up in his mouth.

“Finn, are you a superhero?”

“What are your powers?”

“Are you a biologist?”

“How do you feel about Superman’s promise?”

Faced with the barrage of eager questions, Finn impatiently pushed them aside.

“Get out of my way, or I’ll give you all a good kick in the ass!”

“How did you bring the victim back to life? Was it magic?”

Several reporters were asking the same question.

Finn pushed aside a camera that had been shoved against his forehead and said calmly, “It wasn’t magic. It was an alchemical pill from the ancient East. Forget it—you wouldn’t understand.”

“Are you a superhero? What’s your superhero name?”

“Yes, I’m a superhero. As for the name… I haven’t decided yet,” Finn replied.

He gave it a little thought. Operating as a superhero might actually be a good idea.

“Captain Haven’t-Decided-Yet, is your power resurrecting the dead? What principles guide your choice of who to save?”

“Piss off!”

Pushing through a bunch of ordinary people couldn’t have been easier for Finn. He parted the crowd like Moses parting the Red Sea and made his way out.

Besides the reporters, plenty of onlookers were holding their phones high, filming him the whole time.

“Finn! Thanks for buying me a meal!” Walter Kovacs called, waving from the crowd.

Finn waved back. Once he was clear of the crowd, he pushed off lightly and shot away like the wind, leaving the noisy onlookers behind in an instant.

…

The Triskelion, S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters.

Nick Fury, director of S.H.I.E.L.D., sat behind his desk. A thick stack of documents lay in front of him, but he was busy on his phone, scrolling through X and watching YouTube videos.

In short, he was slacking off.

A sudden chill ran down his spine. He turned to find Agent Natasha Romanoff standing behind him.

“Ahem. Miss Romanoff, whatever else I may be, I am still your superior. Announcing yourself before entering the director’s office is basic courtesy.”

Without batting an eye, Nick Fury flipped his BlackBerry facedown to hide the screen.

“Director, you’re watching videos of that young man named Finn, too,” Natasha said.

Since he’d been caught, Fury stopped trying to hide it.

“‘Finn Saves Superman’ is today’s hottest story! That guy is seriously powerful. In the interests of S.H.I.E.L.D., I’ve taken it upon myself to watch his videos on YouTube several times.”

Natasha pursed her lips skeptically.

“His resurrection ability is incredible. That woman had been reduced to tomato paste, and he only had a third of her body to work with. He still brought her back whole. Very few known superheroes have healing powers anywhere near that strong.”

Fury nodded.

“Besides that, I noticed he produced a strange yellow pill out of thin air, then did the same with a coat. That may indicate some sort of spatial ability. He’s also extremely fast. Even the reporters couldn’t keep up with him.”

He rubbed his bald head and sighed.

“I couldn’t find a single record of him in S.H.I.E.L.D.’s database. Someone this powerful was out there, and we only learned about him after the fact. That’s a failure on our part.

“Fortunately, I regularly patrol social media and monitor public opinion on X and Facebook. That’s how I discovered him.”

*Sure. Make scrolling through X and Facebook at work sound like an official duty.* Natasha silently scoffed, but kept the discussion going.

“I just investigated Finn. He seems to have appeared out of nowhere. I couldn’t find any personal information, not even a trace of him online. Unfortunately, Metropolis is Superman’s city. We can’t just go poking around there.”

Fury folded his hands, looking thoughtful.

“Perhaps we could recruit him. Bring him onto our side.”

“We know nothing about him. What if he’s with Hydra?” Natasha asked with a frown. “Last time I spoke to Captain America, he complained that S.H.I.E.L.D. was crawling with Hydra infiltrators!”

“Hydra?” Fury slowly shook his head. “Stop focusing exclusively on Earth. We need all the manpower we can get! We need to recruit more superheroes. A threat from space is almost upon us.”

“Is this about the information Star-Lord brought us?”

“Yes. I’m sure you’ve read the files. Thanos, an evil cosmic emperor, is preparing to gather all six Infinity Stones to win the heart of Mistress Death. Then, with a snap of his fingers, he plans to kill half the life in the universe!”