I know it's been forever and I promised myself I would finish the story before posting another part but, I've decided that since my free time has disappeared with the birth of my son, Quin, in April and since I have a moment now I should feed my audience. I'm not sure when 12-14 will be completed. 12 and 13 are written and need some TLC but tonight is the only night I can spare to work on them. I'm suppose to be prepping for a job interview with Amazon, finger crossed but I'm terrified about it. For all the computer nerds out there who know what this is reviewing Big O notation, hash tables and tree traversal algorithms sounded like less fun than working on this next chapter.

I hope you all enjoy.

CH 11

After seeing Lois and Coleston into a cab back to the Daily Planet, Clark slipped through the crowd of emergency vehicles and bystanders still gathered from the attempted bank heist so that he could disappear into the nearest deserted alley. After a quick spin, he emerged as Superman and took to the sky. Knowing that trying to follow the mysterious doppelganger at this point was a long shot, he did a brief tour of the sky over Metropolis before changing course towards Smallville.

Clark landed next to the barn, spinning back into Clark before entering it.

“Clark!” called his mother as she looked up from her latest abstract metal art sculpture. “What are you doing here?”

Clark quickly ran a hand through his hair. “Something happened today, and I needed someone to talk to,” he said.

Martha could easily tell that something had her son agitated. “Hey, Jonathan,” she yelled towards the other end of the barn. “Clark’s here.”

“Be right there,” he yelled back.

Martha set her spot welding gun on her workbench and took off her gloves before pulling out a stool and chair for her and Jonathan. She could tell from her son’s body language that he was content with standing and pacing.

The older Kent patted his son on the shoulder as he entered the stall. “Hey, son, what brings you around so early?” he asked, taking a seat on the stool.

Clark looked at both his parents before starting to pace around, trying to organize the thoughts that had been spinning around in his mind since he first saw himself on TV this morning. Knowing now that it wasn’t him nor a hoax, but someone who looked just like him. “Have you guys watched the news at all today? More specifically, international news?”

Martha looked at her husband who shrugged signaling to her that he hadn’t seen any news besides what they both had watched this morning. “We caught a bit of LNN this morning. We saw your rescue of that airliner over Paris. That was great work, honey, but we didn’t see anything else that was all that important.”

“That’s my problem, Mom,” Clark said, stopping abruptly to face them. “I wasn’t in Paris this morning.”

“What do you mean you weren’t in Paris? We saw you flying. You were wearing your outfit,” Martha argued.

“But that wasn’t me. I watched it live from the newsroom with everyone else.”

“Well, if it wasn’t you, then who was it?” asked his mom with a puzzled expression.

“I don’t know. Lois and I ran into him again just now in Metropolis at a bank heist. I kept my distance, but he looked and sounded just like me.”

“Did he notice you were there?”

“No, I don’t think so. I stayed back to try to observe him, but, Mom, he is me, physically in every way from what I’ve seen.”

“But how is that possible?” Jonathan chimed in.

“I don’t know, Dad,” Clark said, running his hands through his hair again. “Do you think it’s possible that I have a twin brother?”

“No, I would think that Jor-El would have said something in the globe if that was the case,” replied his father.

“Besides, didn’t you say he looked exactly like you?” asked Martha.

“Yeah, I zoomed in on his face. He even has the same mole above his lip. He is me, except that he isn’t.”

“What does that mean? You’re going around in circles, Clark,” Martha asked trying to get him to organize his thoughts.

“Sorry. I guess what I mean is he’s exactly like me physically, but well, I watched him and he doesn’t act like me. He’s…I don’t know, more arrogant maybe and doesn’t show the same restraint. Like at the bank, one of the suspects tried to escape. He easily caught him, but then he threw him head over feet into the police van, knocking him unconscious. I would never do that.”

“No, you wouldn’t,” she agreed. “Do you think he’s dangerous?”

“He could be. He appears to have all my powers, and without restraint and control, he could easily hurt someone or destroy something without meaning to. I don’t want to even think of how much destruction he could cause if it was done on purpose.”

“Well, son, I think you need to find this guy and discover what he wants and why he’s out there trying to pretend to be you, but you also need to watch your back. If he’s as strong as you and has all your powers, it stands to reason that he could hurt you if he wanted to. I’m not saying that it’s his agenda, just be careful.”

“I will, Dad. I only wish I knew where to start. As fast as I am, it doesn’t help when looking for someone who’s just as fast and can be anywhere in the world. I may have to wait until the next news bulletin airs with him in it or a natural disaster hits.”

“Sounds like you’ve got a busy night ahead of you. Keep us posted.”

“I will, Mom,” Clark hugged his mom goodbye. “And thanks. I don’t know what I would do if I didn’t have you two to talk to.”

“That’s what we’re here for, son,” Jonathan came up and gave him a pat on the back.

“What about Lois?” his mom asked with a nudge.

“What about her?”

“Has she said anything about this imposter?”

“She knows something isn’t right with Superman, but no, she doesn’t know that he’s not…well, me.”

“You should tell her your suspicions,” she more than suggested. “You never know what she could come up with.”

Knowing his mom was probably right, but always cautious of giving away too much Superman information, he replied as he knew she would expect. “I’ll think about it.”

“Take care.”

Clark gave his mom and dad hugs before stepping towards the door and changing back into Superman. In a blink of an eye, Clark was out of Smallville and headed east in search of his doppelganger. After circumnavigating the world several times at different latitudes with no success, he returned to Metropolis.

Not realizing how much time had passed in his search, he quickly glanced inside the Daily Planet from the sky in search of his partner. He didn’t see her at her desk and assumed that she had already left for the day. Seeing no reason for Clark to return to the Planet at this point, he changed direction and headed for his apartment.

*********

After making a quick stop at the market to pick up ingredients for pasta, Caesar salad, a fresh loaf of French bread, and, of course, a cold bottle of Champagne, Lois rushed up to her apartment and frantically started getting it ready for Superman’s arrival that evening. Having witnessed his response today with the bank suspect, she was eager to ask him about it.

While she washed and chopped lettuce, stowed away the few random knickknacks that were cluttering the apartment, put water on to boil, set the table, and dressed for dinner, she thought about what exactly she would ask him. How did she tell a superhero that she didn’t think his actions from that afternoon were appropriate? That criminals weren’t much of a threat with him there, and that he should’ve handled the man with less force. Could she really just straight out ask him about it? Would he take offense? He never had before, but she had never questioned his actions. Did he even realize what he had done today was wrong? And what was with the way he looked at her? The whole encounter had just been… bizarre .

She was thrown from her thoughts when she popped the cork on the champagne bottle, sending foam spewing from the bottle onto her floor. Heading it off at the source, Lois took a sip, momentarily halting the eruption before it exploded again. Once it settled down, she set the bottle on the table and continued to check on the rest of the dinner.

As she was finishing setting the table and lighting the candles, she felt a cool breeze make its way to the table and extinguish the candle she had just lit. Knowing what had caused it, she turned her head towards her window to see Superman standing there.

“Oh, hello,” Lois said, a tad breathlessly. “You’re early.”

“Is that okay?” he stammered.

“Sure. Everything’s ready. Would you like something to drink?” she asked, pouring a glass of champagne.

“Drink. Well, I… ah, I don’t need to, but I guess so, sure,” he spluttered.

“Well, nobody needs champagne,” she said. “That’s what makes life interesting.”

He took the glass from her. “Life is interesting,” he said, checking out her backside.

“Whoops,” Lois said, accidentally overflowing her glass.

“You spilt,” Superman murmured the obvious, taking another long look at her backside, accentuated nicely by the fitted white dress as she leaned over cleaning up the overflowed champagne. “You look really, really hot.”

“Oh, well …thanks,” she choked.

“Can we sit on the sofa?” Superman asked.

She gave him a perplexed look before agreeing, “Okay.”

They sat down together, and he put an arm over her shoulder. Superman had touched her before and it had always felt right, yet this arm that lay across her back holding her felt anything but comforting. His behavior perplexed her. She had known him for almost a year and he had never initiated romantic contact with her. Something felt off here, and she needed to find out what. For now, though, she decided to play along to see what would happen.

“Do you like me?” he suddenly asked.

“You know I do,” she quickly replied. “Although, I have been a little concerned about your behavior lately.”

“I haven’t done anything wrong.”

“No no no no, it’s just that…I saw you throw that man into the police van.”

“Might is right,” he explained.

Lois just stared at him, not sure what to say. Superman would never say that.

“How about a kiss?” he suggested.

Before Lois could respond, he pressed his lips onto hers, forcing her back into the corner of the sofa. As she sat there trapped under the body of the strongest man in the world, she wondered what he was going to do next. He could take anything he wanted from her, and she would be unable to stop him. She tried to push him off, but to no avail. She immediately knew that this man was no Superman. A small sense of panic started to build up inside of her. To her relief, he pulled away when her door suddenly opened and in stepped her partner.

“Am I interrupting something?” asked Clark, knowing full well he was.

“Clark!” Lois gasped, running to his arms, never having been more thankful for forgetting to lock her door.

“Go away,” demanded the man in blue still sitting on her couch.

“I think Lois wants me to stay,” said Clark in a challenging tone.

Lois hung possessively onto Clark’s arm and patted his chest. “Yes, I do. Please stay,” she insisted, with a hint of ’please, don’t leave me alone with him.’

The Superman imposter had evidently had enough of this man interrupting his evening. Striding over to Clark in an aggressive manner, he raised his arm up to strike Clark. Clark, apparently anticipating his move, reached out and grabbed his arm. Lois watched in fascination as the duel between the two men played out. Clark, who should easily have lost, to Lois’s surprise, held his ground and in fact appeared to be winning. Within a few seconds, the man in blue backed down and stepped away.

“I have to go now,” said the stranger in blue, smirking at Clark as if he just figured out something important. “I’ll be seeing you, again.” He pointed to Clark and then giggled before speeding out of her window.

Lois walked over to her couch, dazed, and sat down trying to get straight what had just happened. “That was unbelievable, and you…” She turned to Clark. “You actually faced him. You challenged him. You must be out of your mind.”

After locking Lois’s window, Clark joined Lois on her couch. He picked up her soft hand, looking it over before slowly caressing it, trying to provide comfort from this simple gesture. “Are you alright? He didn’t hurt you, did he?” he asked, cringing almost in anticipation of her answer.

“Well, not exactly,” she said, trying to figure out exactly what that imposter had done. “He kissed me…”

“Superman kissed you?” Clark asked in shock.

“Listen, Clark, I’ve kissed Superman before. I know what it feels like. I don’t know who just flew out that window, but I’ll tell you one thing that was definitely not Superman.”

“But you’re okay?” His eyes soft but serious, imploring her to tell him the truth even if it was bad.

“Yes, Clark, I’m fine. For a minute there, I wasn’t sure what he was going to do.” She frowned, recalling the moment of panic at what the imposter might do next. Then a smile spread across her face. “But, thankfully, you showed up.”

Clark let out a big sigh of relief.

“I’m assuming you got home and heard my message?” she asked, after a minute of silently watching his thumb brush the back of her hand.

“Oh...um, yeah.”

“Clark, stop worrying. I’m fine. Look.” She held out both arms for him to look at and then careened her neck from side to side. “Not a scratch.”

Without touching, Clark briefly examined her outstretched arms before being drawn to her exposed neck. His eyes lingered on her soft, delicate skin, as his hands longed to reach out and touch it. His mind became clouded as he briefly forgot about Lois's initial reasons for granting him such an alluring view. Clark reached for her hands and gently held them as he turned her palms over to get a better look. He then slowly ran his hands up her arms to her neck, caressing both sides to validate her statement that she was indeed unharmed.

“Not a scratch,” he whispered mostly to himself.

Lois was also lost in the sensations caused by his touch. His hands blazed a tingling trail up her arms to her neck. They were more delicate and soothing than any pair that had ever touched her before. She was shocked that the feeling was as invigorating as it was terrifying. Not terrifying like earlier when she was pinned against the back of her couch by the strongest man in the world with no way to escape, but terrifying in that this was Clark, her partner and best friend. She knew that something more had started to grow between them in the last few weeks, but she realized she wasn’t ready for whatever IT was. Lois scooted back, breaking contact and putting some distance between them. “See, I told you,” she said assuredly, trying to cover the affect his touch had had on her. “Now, would you like dinner?”

It took Clark a minute to comprehend what she just asked. Recovering from the loss of contact, he managed only to stumble out with what first came to his mind. “Um…Did you cook?”

“Don’t be so surprised. I thought I was having dinner with Superman. He doesn’t need to know I have no idea of what to do in a kitchen.”

Clark gave her a wry smile, which she wasn’t sure how to interpret.

“So what did you make?” he asked, clearing the smile from his face.

“Pasta, Caesar salad, and French bread. Well, I didn’t actually make the bread, but split it in half, put on the garlic butter spread that comes with it, and stuck it in the oven. So, it sort of counts. I did make the salad though, without chopping any fingers off,” said Lois, waving her digits for proof.

He smiled again, but this time it was his typical charming grin. “Lois, it sounds great.”

She was glad that Clark sensed that she wasn’t ready to act on whatever was developing between them and kept his distance, instead of trying to examine her fingers. It was such a relief to her that he went back to just Clark. “Do you want to help me finish this bottle of champagne?” she asked, pointing to the open bottle that she had started to share with the Superman imposter.

“Sure.”

“Okay, have a seat while I get you a glass.”

Clark walked over to the table and picked up the box of matches. He lit the candles while he waited for Lois to get back with a new glass, before seating himself. He carefully filled both their glasses and handed one back to her. Clink. “To friends, and your ability to actually cook a delicious looking meal.”

Lois glared at him scornfully before relaxing and taking the joke. “Make fun of the chef some more, Kent, and you’ll be going home hungry.”

“In that case, can you pass the salad?”

As they ate, they both talked about what had gone on the rest of the day. Lois explained about getting a letter from who she thought was Superman. Clark said that he had stuck around questioning the witnesses at the bank robbery and was out when she had called and left a message. After that, she recounted what had happened in her apartment before he had shown up. She noticed Clark got squirmy while she talked about the Superman imposter, but didn’t say anything about it. It was over and done with, no need to bring up the subject of ‘what if Clark hadn’t come to her apartment in time’.

“Who do you think he is? He looks just like Superman and seems to have all his powers,” asked Lois.

“I have no idea, but I’d like to find out. From what I’ve seen, he doesn’t act like Superman.”

“No, there’s just something off about him,” Lois paused, grasping for what it was about that man that had clued her in to who he was not. “It’s like he’s more childish or something. Maybe it’s his body language. It was definitely more than just that kiss.” She looked at Clark who was showing a hint of something, jealousy maybe, but a definite uncomfortableness at her mention of the imposter’s actions. “Not to mention he told me I looked really hot, as if I was his teenaged prom date or something.”

“And Superman would show more class in complementing you?” Clark grinned as if he knew his comment was more of a statement than a question.

“Without a doubt. I think we’re the only ones who have figured out that he’s not Superman, though.”

“Agreed, but I don’t think we have anything to go to Perry with yet. There’s more to the story.”

“I hate that I think you’re right. We’d scoop everyone, but what we know right now could start a panic. Let’s just hope he lies low and lets the real Superman do the rescuing from now on.”

As the dinner went on, the conversation turned to more personal topics.

“So, you’ve never had any real big fights with your parents?” Lois asked incredulously.

Clark shrugged his shoulders. “Not really any big ones, some little ones. My dad wasn’t so happy with the idea of me moving to Metropolis. He says he’ll never understand the draw of the big city life.”

“I’ll have to disagree with him on that one.”

“I’ve tried to explain it to him as well. There’s just something about Metropolis,” Clark said, gazing right at her.

“What about all of your traveling? He didn’t try to fight with you about that? Convince you that it wasn’t in the best interest of your career to take off after college to go gallivanting around the world?” she inquired.

“No, he completely understood my desire to get out and see something new. Smallville had just been too small for me. He worried though. Well, both my parents worried about me while I was gone. Sometimes, I think he does more so than my mom. They never tried to make that stop me though.”

Lois looked down at her third cup of champagne and swirled the bubbly drink in its glass before taking a small sip and directing her attention back across the table. “I wish I had parents like that,” she confessed quietly. “Parents who understood or cared enough to understand what I wanted or needed to do with my life.”

“It was really that bad,” stated Clark.

Lois nodded her head. “I think we fought constantly from the time I was ten, maybe younger. It didn’t matter what: clothes, hair, friends, school, whatever. It was a little better when Daddy moved out a few years later. It got rid of the extra tension and some of the criticism, but with Mom drunk all the time, I was left to raise Lucy on my own.”

“That’s awful, Lois. Parents should never do that to their kids.”

Lois just shrugged and continued, “For the next few years, we would bounce back and forth between the two houses, mostly when Mom would go to rehab. She could never stay sober though; something would always happen and it would be too much for her to handle. She must have tried it half a dozen times. Finally, at seventeen, we were living with Daddy. One day, I had a huge fight with him and I moved out. Mom was in rehab so I snuck back into her house while she was gone and then looked for a place to move to for the last few months of school until graduation.”

“You never told me that.”

“I’ve never told anyone that,” she said shyly, embarrassed by the whole situation that led to the decision to move out.

“I’m sorry it was so bad for you. I never once had that feeling. There were occasions where I couldn’t deal with something and I would want to run away, but I was never running away from my home. I only wanted to run away from my problems. Once I started traveling, I learned that there is nowhere that you can go to run away from them. They follow you, and you just have to deal with them. I don’t think I could imagine having such a broken home that I did have to leave or even feel the need to want to leave.”

“Look, Clark, it was a long time ago, and as painful as it was at the time to go through, it helped make me who I am today. I can’t say I thank my parents for that, but I wouldn’t be who I am if I hadn’t been put through that.”

“I suppose, but it still doesn’t make it right.”

They both paused, giving each other time to digest the personal insights that they had said. Lois was the first to speak again, “It’s kind of ironic.”

“How so?” Clark asked, not knowing where her statement was going.

“Well, you were abandoned by your birth parents and found by fantastic people who raised you, and I…I was raised by my birth parents, but felt abandoned most of my life. Now, I’ve found you and I can get a glimpse of what a real family can be like.”

Lois reached across the table and took Clark’s hand giving it a slight squeeze. She watched Clark as he gazed down at their joined hands. When his eyes trailed up to meet hers, she began to pull away, but his other hand joining the pile stopped her.

“Lois, I know I can’t make up for years of not having a caring family, but I would really like it if you would come back to Smallville with me once we get some free time.”

Lois heart rate picked up, and she retracted her hand. “I don’t know, Clark. Your parents are great and all, but I’m just a friend. I don’t think they would really want me out there.”

“Lois, my mother has been asking me to invite you out for months. Last time we were there, things were just so crazy with Trask. She wants to show you what living in the country can really be like without delusional rogue government agents trying to kill us,” Clark paused to smile at the ridiculousness of what he had just said before sobering. “And, I think after this story we’re both going to want a few days off.”

Lois thought about it for a minute. She had already met his parents, so it wasn’t as if he was taking her home to meet them in that way. She had enjoyed interacting with them after they laughed off her comment about Jonathan being a cross dresser as well as every other foot in mouth comment she had made.

But what would the trip be to Clark? Was going to Smallville and spending time with his parents more than just offering her a chance to interact with a normal family? If he wanted more than that he could have suggested that they both just take a cruise or go to the mountains together or something.

Wouldn’t he have? Did he see tonight as some sort of date as she was starting to think it felt like? They were drinking champagne and eating dinner by candlelight. Granted, it was in her apartment and not at some fancy restaurant, but she was dressed up for the evening, and there was an undeniable feeling of something she couldn’t describe in the air. She looked over at Clark and watched him finish cleaning up the remnants of the pasta sauce on his plate with his bread. He was dressed in slacks and a casual sweater, which he looked nice in, really nice, but it probably wasn’t what he would wear on a date.

Lois began picturing what she thought Clark would wear for a real date: something not too dark, a light shirt, and hopefully a tie that complemented, not clashed, with the suit. She found herself lost in thought as she mentally ran through a wardrobe of clothes on him, each combination better than the previous. Before she could settle on what suit would look best, the object of her mind’s obsession interrupted her.

“So, do you want to go?” he asked.

She was lost. Go where, on a date? One in which her brain had already been getting ready for. “Go where?”

“To Smallville for a weekend?” he reminded her with a gentle smile.

Lois finally recalled the topic they had been discussing and knew that if she went to Smallville, there was one thing she was curious about. “If I do decide to go, will you show me your video?”

“My… video?” he questioned.

“The home movie your parents put together for you. Your birth parents.”

“Oh, that. Um…I’ll have to think about it,” he replied nervously.

“Clark, what’s so difficult about showing me the tape? Is there something horrible on it?”

“No, nothing like that,” he said defensively.

“Then why not show it to me? I’m not going to tell anyone about it.”

“It’s just a big decision, Lois.” Clark paused, searching for the right words to explain his hesitation without revealing his secret. Lois sat patiently waiting for his justification.

“If I show it to you, it makes you privy to some information that could be… dangerous. I don’t want to put you in any danger.”

Lois could tell that although Clark thought that what he was saying might be true, it wasn’t the whole story and she didn’t understand his need to be so secretive. His parents had died almost thirty years before. What danger could there be? “You’re not making much sense. Are the people who killed your parents looking for you?” she probed.

“No, not that I know of.”

“Then what danger is there?”

“Trust me, there just is,” he said definitively. He softened his gaze, when he saw the look she was giving him. “If…Once I do tell you, it will all make sense. I hope,” he added. “Look, Lois, it’s getting late, and we haven’t started on the list you brought home. Let’s get some work done before I have to switch out tapes.”

Lois took the hint that he wasn’t going to discuss this topic any further and had moved on to what he actually came over to do. Although she wanted to continue, she acquiesced that Clark was all but pleading with her to drop the subject again, so she went with it. She hadn’t broached the subject in over a week and apparently, it hadn’t been long enough for him to digest the idea opening up to her more.

“Do you think we need to keep switching them out?” she changed the subject to go along with him.

“Let’s give it a few more nights. If we figure out who this guy Goldberg talked to is and his involvement, we probably can stop the recordings.”

“Agreed. Let’s get to work.”

*********

They spent the next few hours going over the printouts of the scientists and doctors in the area, matching the description of the few pictures they took. By the end of the night, they were convinced that they had found their match, Dr. Fabian Leek. Comparing the printout to the pictures they had, he wasn’t a perfect match, but Clark had seen the guy through the wall up-close and knew it was him. The printouts they had didn’t divulge much information on him other than he was a well-published geneticist.

Now that they had a lead, it brought up more questions about why a renowned scientist like Dr. Leek, whose work was mostly theoretical, would be working with a sports doctor, and what could they possibly have come up with to be giving these kids. Was this some new form of undetectable steroids? Why are they manipulating these kids DNA? Could something even more sinister be at play here? Did these kids even know what was being done to them and what the potential risks could be? There were still too many questions and not enough answers, but there was beginning to be a light at the end of the tunnel. Both were confident that whatever Dr. Leek’s current research was in, it would hold the key to unlocking this story.

After Clark left Lois’s apartment, he was still thinking of the long list of questions that needed to be answered. Having flown to Dr. Goldberg’s office as much as he had recently, he could now do it on autopilot, keeping his mind free to contemplate over other things. As he approached the doctor’s office, he quickly surveyed the building from above. Seeing nobody in the vicinity, he quietly landed and quickly swapped out the tape. As he turned around to leave, he was greeted with a familiar suited man landing on the roof in front of him.

“You!” The imposter raised a finger to Superman and yelled, “You had no right interrupting us like that!”

“Excuse me?” Clark replied, returning his posture to that of Superman as he examined this man who was his image in body alone.

“You heard me. That was our dinner, not yours,” he continued to shout.

The real Superman shook his head, pretending to be confused. “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he said, but apparently not very convincingly.

“Yes, you do. Mr. Not Superman. That’s right. I know who you really are, Clark Kent,” spat the doppelganger.

“I’m Superman. What makes you think otherwise?” Clark tried one more time to convince the other Superman.

“Oh, please, don’t give me that line. I watched your whole dinner with her, and then I followed you here. You shouldn’t have interrupted us. She made that dinner for me,” he yelled again, but this time it came out whinier.

“No, she didn’t. She thought she was making it for me… the real Superman,” Clark sternly clarified, raising his voice ever so slightly.

“Well, you’re not going to be Superman for much longer. You’ve outlived your usefulness. It’s time for the younger, more able, Superman to take your place. Me!” He pointed to himself.

“Who told you that?” Clark probed, hoping to get some information out of this man, who seemed less and less like himself the more he spoke.

“My father,” the imposter boasted.

“And he would be?”

“I promised never to tell,” he said smugly while shaking his head.

“Okay. Why don’t you tell me more about you?”

“Nope. I’m not supposed to tell you anything. I just thought I’d let you know who I am before I take your place,” he said proudly, so assured that he was going to do just as he had said.

“Why do you want to take my place?”

“I thought we already covered this, or are you starting to forget things at your old age,” the doppelganger said, becoming annoyed. “You’ve outlived your usefulness. It’s my time, and that includes the gorgeous Lois Lane. She’s mine.”

Clark tensed at the mention of Lois. “You stay away from her,” he demanded, standing as straight as he could to try to show superior height and look down on him.

His double straighten up, mocking him. “Ha, why should I? Seemed like she likes me. I even got a kiss out of her. You didn’t,” he teased.

“You took that kiss from her; she didn’t kiss you. What you did was wrong,” Clark stated firmly.

“Whatever.”

Clark reached out and grabbed his arm, forcing the other man to look him straight in the eye. “No, not ‘whatever’. You don’t treat people like that.”

“Might is right. Now, get your hand off me,” warned the imposter.

Clark didn’t let go. “No. You need to understand that might isn’t right. All people, even criminals, need to be treated with respect. Just because you have super powers doesn’t make you better than everyone else.”

“No, you need to understand that it does make us better. We are superior life forms. I will rule this world, and you’re all that’s standing in my way. Now, take your hand off me.”

Unsure of what he could do to convince his doppelganger that how he was behaving was wrong, Clark grabbed on tighter and attempted to fly him somewhere more private. Therefore, Clark was caught off guard when a right hook connected with his jaw and sent him flying off the building and into the street below.

After shaking off the shock of being punched, Clark picked himself up off the ground. Unsure about what he should do with the giant hole in the street at the moment, and needing to not fall too far behind, he hurriedly flew back to the roof in search of his doppelganger. To his dismay, the other Superman wasn’t there. Clark quickly shot up into the air in hopes to find him, but he was long gone. Out of fear on where his counterpart might have gone, he sped over to Lois’s apartment. Although knowing it was a violation of her privacy, he x-rayed her apartment in search of her. Relief flooded over him when he found her sound asleep in her bed, snuggling up with the black teddy bear he had won for her in Smallville.

Not knowing what to do or where to find the other Superman, and having forgotten the hole, Clark headed home to his apartment, hoping to get some sleep. The next day was going to be a long day. He had to stop to both those doctors and his doppelganger.

******** End of Chapter 11 ********