The firefighter he’d interviewed at the scene had commented that if Superman had been around, maybe they could’ve gotten the mother and daughter out sooner. Lois had unconsciously echoed the sentiment a few minutes later.
Maybe.
Maybe he made a difference.
..or Maybe you need to have your head examined for thinking you didn't make a difference? Hello? Prometheus? Space Shuttle in the sky???
Ring any bells? Nope? Talking to myself again...
It wasn’t worth it. It wasn’t worth putting himself through the pain; the guilt every time he missed a rescue; the trauma of seeing broken and mangled bodies; the second-guessing himself- what if he’d been a fraction faster, or grabbed that beam at this angle and not that angle. All of that, just to maybe make any bit of difference?
By George I think he's got it!
He pushed the stone-cold mug away and stood up.
Superman wasn’t coming back.
OH come the freak ON!!!
He’d fish the old suitcase out of the closet and make sure every piece of the suits- the spare capes, the boots, everything- was put away. When night fell, he’d fly the case out to Kansas and stash it in his parents' barn, amongst the jumble of old farm equipment and discarded household items. Maybe- that word again- he’d pull it out every once in a while and remember the few months when he’d thought one man could change the world.
He's a dense one isn't he?
The whole city had been looking for Superman, and he’d been sitting at the desk across from hers, doing… nothing.
No rescues. No patrols. Nothing.
He’d put people in jeopardy, and for what? To throw a petulant temper tantrum?
Well he is behaving like a three year old right now and throwing petulant temper tantrums is what they do.
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. Finding a barely-legal parking space, she got out and stormed up the stairs to Clark’s apartment. Finding the door unlocked, she shoved it open so hard that it slammed against the wall and bounced back, the glass inserts vibrating against their frames. He was standing in front of the open closet; from her vantage point, she could see the edge of what looked like a suitcase.
His lack of response at her entrance only served to fan the flames of her anger. Striding down the few steps into his sunken living area, she let her momentum carry her almost to his side.
Oooohhhhh! Somebody's in T-R-O-U-B-L-E!!!
Get him Mad Dog Lane!
“I want the truth and I want it now. Are you Superman?”
She didn't even try to ease into it did she?
Lois:"Are you Superman?"
Clark:"Uh....." (scrambles for an answer in his depression and can't find one.... (laughs uncontrollably) "Of course not...That would be... Why? What have you heard?"
His shoulders hunched.
“I was,” he replied curtly without turning.
Was??? WAS???
“Was? What do you mean, was?” She rocked back on her heels, fury rising within her. “You’re not coming back?”
You are Superman! You have to come back!!!
Blasphemy!
“Did that nuclear power plant scramble your brain or something? You can’t just quit! You’re Superman!”
You know we might need to look into this....
THANK YOU!!! That's what I've been saying all along!
“Not anymore.” He slammed the closet door shut, depositing the old battered suitcase on the floor.
There he goes just throwing his tantrum down the street singing do-wah diddy-diddy down diddy-do
“But- but-“ The sheer magnitude of his decision appalled her, rendering her close to speechless. “I need you.
OH! An admission. She just said she NEEDS you. NOT want not like but NEEDS you. Hmmm let's ponder on this shall we?
The people of Metropolis need you.”
Sure. That's what she meant to say...... Come on Superman put your big boy pants on and put the cape on.
He spun towards her.
“The people of Metropolis turned on me without a second thought,” he bit out. Hurt and betrayal were etched on his face.
“Clark, I understand-“
“Really? Have you ever been kicked out of your home? No, Lois, you don’t. I spent years- *years*- travelling around this planet, trying to find somewhere to call home. Somewhere I belonged. When I finally found it… they forced me out of my home on the strength of an unproven theory. I have never felt so different… so alien… as I did in that moment.” He paused, swallowing hard. “And now they want Superman to come back like nothing happened.” He trailed off.
Mmmm, yeah he has a point but he should remember Lois was his biggest supporter and advocate fighting to clear Superman's name. Did he forget that part?
“Superman going back on his word? What happened to ‘I have vowed to fight for truth and justice’?”
“You said that. Not me,” he snapped back.
OUCH!!
“You know that, and I know that. But the world doesn’t know that, Clark,” she pointed out.
Haven't you learned yet that Lois is ALWAYS right? You can't win buddy.
“I can’t do it, Lois. How am I supposed to fight for justice? What justice was shown to me? And don’t even get me started on the truth part.”
“Clark-“
“It was trial by media, and you know it.”
Ummm, last I checked the Daily Planet was the media. Did he forget they were his biggest advocates? I mean Perry put his name on the line to get Superman out of jail. Did he forget that part? What about Lois fighting against all odds to PROVE Superman wasn't the cause of the heatwave? How about a little gratitude for those that DID support him?
“Not all the media, Clark.” She held his gaze, not backing down. The Planet may have printed the theory that Superman was responsible for the heatwave, but they’d also been the loudest voice of support for him.
His eyes lost their hard, blazing edge. “No, not all of it. You kept digging.” For a moment one corner of his mouth quirked into a half smile. “Thank you, Lois.”
It's about time...
“You’re welcome”, she replied softly. The switch from furious anger to appealingly heartfelt gratitude surprised her, derailing her train of thought for a moment.
See? Now play nice.
“Can you hear them?” she asked abruptly.
“Hear what?”
“People needing help.”
He nodded. “Yes.”
“But you haven’t been responding.”
He nodded again, that sad, frustrated look back on his face.
T-R-O-U-B-L-E!
“How can you stand that?” Hesitantly she stepped forward and laid her hand on his forearm, giving it a little shake. “You need to be Superman, Clark. Not because people love you for it, but because it’s the kind of person you are. You help little girls in wheelchairs and invisible men and people trapped in burning buildings. Even if you didn’t have powers, you’d probably still be running into those burning buildings.” She paused, looking for a sign that her words had sunk in. “When you came to Metropolis, you said you were here to help. So help.”
Point and Match!
Come on you know you can't resist....
He heaved a sigh and looked down at her.
“It’s not that easy.”
“Yes, it is. Put on the suit. Go be Superman. And tomorrow we’ll write an article explaining where you’ve been.”
He was radioactive .... radioactive radoioactive ....welcome to the new age....Whoops! Sorry. He was radioactive from the nuclear explosion he just took care of in Lex Labs. Gotta be in top shape to fight villains in Metropolis right?
She’d bullied Clark into this, she knew, but he was out there. The article that they’d write tomorrow would incite both admiration and envy amongst the rest of the Metropolis press. And at some point soon, she and Clark needed to have a serious talk. But none of that was important right now.
Superman was back in the sky.
All is right in the world.
Okay I wish we'd had more of a heart to heart talk with Lois and Clark about his alter ego but overall it was good. I like how you showed Clark's conflicting emotions on how he was treated it is a valid point and might be feeding my muse some ideas here after Epiphany is complete.
