I love this story; it's a very original take on a much-rewritten episode. Lex is even more fiendishly evil than usual, and each new revelation (especially this latest one of blowing up Lois's building) makes him even more hateful than usual (although he's still completely and diabolically in character).
This latest information, that Clark may never get his memories back, makes the whole story take a much darker and more angsty turn. I'm having a hard time accepting a) that Martha and Jonathan are dead and b) that Clark now will never remember them, and seems fine with that. (I think I could handle the first on its own, but not both). I agree that Clark's lack of memory of them will spare him any trauma or extended grieving process -- but that seems to me even more tragic!
If this condition is permanent, then forgetting them completely with no hope of recovery seems to make them even more dead than if they were simply killed by Nightfall fragments. Clark can now never consciously access the values they gave him or the experiences with them that formed him. These memories, experiences and values, and the whole complex ethical framework he relies on as an adult, will not be available to him in new situations requiring difficult decisions.
So not only will his parents' actual love and support not be there any more, but now there won't even be any memories of that experience of unconditional love and support. If Clark's powers come back and he starts to feel like a freak, he will have no memory of their unconditional love and acceptance to stabilize him. Even if he relies on his gut feelings to get him through difficult situations and problems, he will no doubt be very dependent on Lois for a long while yet. Personally, I can't see how he wouldn't be a damaged and depleted Superman if he has absolutely no memories of his former life.
I'm speaking from a little (second-hand) experience here because a close friend of mine suffered a brain injury in a car accident. It didn't affect her memory of her earliest life, but over time she discovered there were gaps. She mourned and grieved those gaps as you would grieve the loss of a family member or friend. The brain injury also affected things like reading comprehension (it really slowed her down), concentration, etc.
This seems analogous: if he has lost all his conscious memories, then Clark has suffered the equivalent of a brain injury. The thought of a brain injured Superman makes me as sad as if he had been blinded or deafened, or had lost a limb.
Kudos to you for coming up with a thought-provoking premise, but I'm hoping you can fix this somehow. He's not getting much sunlight these days -- maybe the clouds will clear enough for some sun to shine through, and those neural pathways will be repaired? Pretty please? (Just kidding ...)
I'm as interested as can be in where this story goes. Bravo.
