Previously...





Lois collected her belongings and headed out, leaving Clark behind with his parents. Already, he missed her. Somehow, even though his parents sat across the table from him, he felt incredibly lonely, as he did whenever he was separated from Lois.

"Does she always make a habit of visiting you at odd hours?" Jonathan finally joked, breaking the fragile silence of the apartment.

Clark chuckled. "That was a first."

His father grinned and chuckled in response. "She's wonderful, Clark."

"She really is," Martha agreed.

Clark felt himself blush. "Yeah, well, we've only been out a couple of times. But she makes me so happy. For the first time, I can see a future with a woman."

"But...?" Jonathan prodded, sensing Clark's hesitation.

"But...well...it almost feels too good to be true, you know? I find a place where I can finally fit in. I land my dream job. And now I've managed to start dating my dream woman. I can't help but feel like...I don't know. Like something's bound to give, you know? Like something's going to come along and take this all away from me." Clark sighed and drained the last of his coffee. "I'm over-thinking this, aren't I?"

"Maybe just a bit," his mother grinned at him, patting his shoulder.

"I just...what happens, if things get serious between us? She's going to have to know about me. All about me. What then? What if she can't handle the fact that I'm...not from here?"

"If she loves you, it won't matter," Jonathan assured him.

"I don't know if that's true, Dad. This isn't like some bad habit I have or some personality quirk that can be overlooked. I'm...for all intents and purposes...a different...species," he lamented.

"Clark!" Martha admonished.

"It's the truth, Mom! You and Dad both said that I'm not..."

"Clark, listen to me," Martha said firmly. "It doesn't matter where you came from. What matters is who you are - one of the best people I know. And, if Lois can't appreciate that..." She shrugged, letting her voice trail off so Clark could fill in the rest on his own.

"I don't know if I can handle a rejection from her," he said quietly.

"Look, son," Jonathan said. Clark looked over to his father. "It's not something you need to worry about yet. Let her get to know you for you, not for your powers or your unique background. If and when the time comes when she finds out or needs to know, well, you can worry about crossing that bridge then. Until then, she'll get to know the real you. And my guess? She'll care about you too much to be bothered by your differences."

"I hope so, Dad. I hope so."


***




"Lois? CK? Perry wants you," Teddy said as he passed by, making a beeline for the darkroom.

"Thanks," Clark said, nodding at the older photographer.

Lois huffed in annoyance as she clicked the 'save' icon on her computer. She and Clark had been probably minutes from finishing their article. She pushed away from the desk, letting her chair roll back a few inches before standing. Clark stood from his own chair and wheeled it back over to his own desk. He stretched a little, feeling a release of tension as a few things popped in his back. It felt good and he couldn't stop a small smile from crossing his lips. Without a word, he and Lois made their way to Perry's office.

"Chief?" Clark asked as he knocked on the door frame, sticking his head in through the open doorway. "You wanted us?"

"Yeah, come on in, you two."

"What's up?" Clark asked.

"Come in, close the door," Perry said, waving them in.

The lights were low in his office. A bottle of aspirin stood open, next to a half-full glass of ice water. His head was in his hands and, despite the low lighting, Clark could see the pallor of Perry's skin.

They did as they were told, with Clark gently shutting the door behind them. "Something the matter, Chief?"

"You could say that. Ever had a headache so bad you wanted to die?"

Lois winced. "Once or twice."

Clark grabbed a pad of paper from Perry's desk and jotted a few quick notes. "If the aspirin doesn't work, try these," he said, putting the pad back down.

"What are they?" Perry asked.

"Just some home remedies I've heard people swear by in my travels."

Perry grunted an acknowledgement.

"What's up, Chief?" Clark asked, cutting right to the chase. The sooner they knew what Perry needed them to do, the sooner they could leave him be to hopefully feel a little better.

"I've got an assignment for you two. High priority."

"What is it?" Lois asked, turning serious.

"The mayor's daughter is missing."

"What?" Lois and Clark both said together.

Perry nodded, steepling his fingers together. He looked troubled. "From what I gather, he took the family on a weekend camping trip, you know, before the weather turns too cold. The first night, the little girl must have wandered off. Her grandmother and the family dog are missing too. It's been twenty-four hours now since they were reported as missing. There's a search party forming up at the campgrounds. I want you two to cover it. Take Jimmy with you."

Clark could see that Lois was both horrified at the thought of the missing child and older woman, but also less than enthused about covering such a "soft" news story. But his pulse had skyrocketed. A child lost in the woods in even the balmy late September they were enjoying would be at great risk - dehydration, hunger, hypothermia when the overnight temperatures plunged.

Now would be the perfect time to unveil the still-unnamed character he and Martha had created.

For months, he'd debated about bringing the Spandex clad hero to life. For months, he'd always found his courage fleeing him when he made ready to introduce the alien to the world. He knew in his heart that there would never be any going back from that. Once the world met his alter-ego, he could never make the people forget that a super-powered alien lived amongst them. Even if he made only one rescue as the caped avatar of his powers, the world would always remember, and maybe even search for the hero.

There would be no putting that cat back into the bag, once it got out.

But now Clark was suddenly filled with resolve. He felt neither eager nor apprehensive about exposing his super side to the world. He felt oddly calm and very sure of himself.

"We're on it, Chief," he said, conviction in his voice.

"We'll check in with you later," Lois promised.

Perry didn't respond with anything more than a gruff noise of acknowledgement in his throat. Lois and Clark left his office without another word, making a beeline for their desks.

"Jimmy, grab your bag," Clark said as he approached the younger man. "We have an assignment. Perry wants you with us." He picked up his light jacket and shrugged into it while shutting his computer down.

Jimmy grabbed the camera bag from the floor. He reached into a drawer and threw a handful of extra rolls of film into the bag. He often joked about his tendency to travel like a "pack mule," but Clark had yet to see the young photographer ever be unprepared in any way, shape, or form.

"What's the assignment?" he asked, slinging the bag over one shoulder.

"We'll explain in the car," Lois said, digging her car keys out from her purse. "Come on."



***



It took nearly two hours to get to the campgrounds, between construction on the road, the light traffic, and the location of the place. Lois cursed under her breath most of the way. The trip should have taken a little over an hour. Clark felt sorry for all the roadwork crews they passed. Had Lois possessed heat vision, they would have been nothing more than piles of smoldering ash. But, finally, they pulled off the main road, the Jeep bouncing down the rutted dirt road to the grass-covered parking area. The place was almost completely filled with cars. Clark could only assume they belonged to people who were helping with the search party. Judging from the knots of people standing around, he thought he was probably right.

"There," he said, pointing out an empty space where the Jeep would fit.

Lois expertly pulled the vehicle into the spot and threw it into park. "Let's do this," she said with conviction in her voice.

Clark mentally smiled to himself. As soon as Perry had mentioned that a child was missing, Lois' entire outlook on the assignment had changed. She was determined to help find the missing seven year old. He retained his silence though, and climbed out of the car.

The three walked over to the nearest group of people, ready to aid in the search, but also ready to take statements and gather their information for their article. Jimmy hung back just a little, snapping photos of the people who were slowly getting themselves organized. The very air crackled with expectancy and an eagerness to get started. Clark felt his muscles growing taut with anticipation as he mentally tried to figure out how and when he could best slip away, unseen, to take on the role of the Spandex clothed character he'd created.

I really should have thought up a name for him, he thought to himself in a wry manner, as he craned his neck this way and that, trying to take in all of the details of the scene.

He jotted some notes down in his notebook, more for Lois' benefit than for himself. He tried to stretch out his hearing, to see if he could pinpoint a direction to start his search, but there were too many bodies around and far too much noise. Voices, heartbeats, coughing, the barking of search dogs, new vehicles bumping their slow way into the parking area all deafened him. There was no way he could get a lock on the missing child's location - or that of the dog or grandmother. He sighed to himself.

"What's the matter?" Lois asked, picking up on his sigh.

"Nothing," he said, shrugging. "Just anxious to get underway. Every minute we spend mulling around here, that little girl is in danger."

Lois nodded in response, her mouth twisting into a frown. "I know."

Clark craned his head to the heavens, squinting against the brilliant sunlight. He could smell a storm brewing. He only hoped the search party found those who were missing before the storm could break.

As if in reply to their concerns, the Chief of Police climbed up on a broken stump of some long dead and toppled oak tree. He held a bullhorn in one hand to address the crowd with, giving them instructions on how they were to carry out the search. Several other officers handed out sheets of paper to everyone gathered - a simple, one page description of those missing, complete with photos. Clark took the paper looked it over.

Lena - sixty-four years old, salt-and-pepper hair, blue eyes, and the beginning stages of dementia. Last seen wearing a heavy red sweat suit. Katie - seven years old, blonde with green eyes, last seen wearing pink fleece pajamas featuring several Disney princesses. Link - ten years old, German Shepherd mix with markings that were reminiscent of a Doberman, approximately fifty pounds, red collar with his identifying information on a bone shaped tag.

Clark instantly committed the information and images to memory.

I'll find you, he swore to them in his mind. If it's the last thing I do, I'll find you and bring you home.

"Clark?"

"Huh?" he asked, pulled from his inner thoughts by Lois' voice.

"Which team did you want to join?" she asked, her tone indicating that she'd asked him more than once.

"I think we should split up," he said, coming to a sudden decision.

He had to get away from Lois if he had any chance at all of changing into his other persona. It was the only way he stood a chance of being able to get away from everyone without being noticed.

"It's the best way we can cover the most ground," he quickly added. "The three of us can each go in a different direction. That way, when everyone is found, we have a good chance of at least one of us being there to witness it first hand and get all the facts."

"Good point," Jimmy said, checking his camera and slipping the strap around his neck. "I'm with CK on this one. In fact," he added, throwing a glance around, "I'll cover that group over there."

Lois followed his gaze and cracked a half-smile. "You mean the group with the hot brunette in the teal windbreaker?"

Jimmy blushed in response.

"Thought so," Lois said, her smile widening a little. "Go on. But try to focus on the story?"

"You got it," he said with a mock salute before heading toward the group in question.

"I'll take that group," Clark said, nodding toward the knot of people being lead by a young man in a red plaid jacket. "See you later?"

"So long as you don't get lost out there," she teased.

"Ha!" Clark mock-laughed. "I should be warning you not to get lost, little Miss City Girl."

"I had my Girl Scout badge in navigation while you were still learning how to plant corn, Farm Boy," she replied, her eyes twinkling in amusement.

She didn't give him a chance to respond before walking off. Clark watched her go for a minute, then strode over to the search group he'd selected. He pretended not to notice as two or three college-aged women looked him over. His mind was solely on the task at hand. It was a relief when they finally started moving, the group spreading out as much as possible while maintaining sight lines with each other. Clark purposefully hung back as much as he could while careful not to draw attention to himself. Eventually, he worked himself as far back as he could, then dashed off deeper into the woods, faster than any human eye could follow.

When he was far enough a way from everyone, he spun into the costume his mother had painstakingly put together for him. The Spandex was tight against his body. It felt both snug like a comforting hug and like it exposed him to the world. Once again, he wished he'd given this new identity an actual identity, complete with a name, but it was too late to contemplate that now. With another careful glance around, he took to the sky.

Once he was high enough, he allowed himself to simply hover. Up above the trees, he finally had some space to stretch out his enhanced senses. He reached out with his hearing, hoping to find a child's voice. He traded his normal vision for his x-ray vision, and scanned right through the trees and other thick foliage. He set off at a hurried, but restrained, pace, flying in ever-widening circles. Below him, he could hear the progress of those on foot as they called out for the missing child, grandmother, and dog.

He soon left the search party far behind. The rushing of a waterfall grabbed his attention, as it drowned out all other sounds with its thundering spill of water. He had only his sight to go on now. Above him, the sunlight dimmed as dark clouds began to roll in. Thunder rumbled in the far distance, but Clark knew that it wouldn't be too much longer before the rain would start. His heart sank and his stomach knotted. He had to find them before the storm and its deadly chill could break.

Please, he pleaded with the universe. Let me find them.

Not ten minutes later, his heart skipped a beat. A flash of movement on the ground near the base of the waterfall. He pulled out of his x-ray vision and telescoped his vision in. It was the dog! Clark swiftly pulled into a landing, carefully landing behind a screen of bushes so as not to startle the creature. Cautiously, he stepped out into the canine's field of vision.

"Hey, boy," he called in a soft voice. "Hey there, Link. It's okay, I won't hurt you."

He stretched his hand out before him, trying to offer his scent to the animal. Link paused and looked at him, his intelligent eyes seeming to size up Clark, as though he were deciding whether or not to trust this strange new, not-quite-human person.

"It's okay," Clark repeated in a soothing tone. "I want to help."

Link studied him for another moment as Clark inched his way closer. Then, suddenly, Link barked at him. Not in warning. Not as a threat. Not playfully. It was a bark that sounded almost pleading. Link whined and pranced around, appearing to want to get Clark's attention.

"Okay, boy. I'm here. Take me to them," Clark said, daring to give up his cautious approach of the dog. "Please, take me to them."

Of course, he knew that, given enough time, he'd find the people he was looking for. But it didn't hurt to get whatever help he could. Link barked again, took five steps away from Clark, then turned and barked at him again.

"Right behind you, Link," he assured the dog.

As if satisfied by Clark's assurance, Link bounced away through the underbrush, Clark hot on his heels. Half a mile away, he came to a small clearing. Relief washed over him as he saw the missing girl and her grandmother, huddled together to ward off the chill that was slowly creeping over the woods as the storm closed in. The grandmother was asleep - Clark could tell from her even breathing and steadily beating heart. The girl looked up at him with wide eyes. She clutched a dirty Cabbage Patch doll in her arms.

"Katie?" Clark called softly.

"Who are you? How do you know my name?" she replied in a quavering voice.

"I'm a friend," he responded automatically. "There's a whole search party looking for you and your grandmother. Link too," he added, giving the dog a grateful pat on the head.

"How'd you find us?" the girl asked, not moving from her spot.

"Link brought me to you. He's a good dog."

"Yeah," she agreed warily.

"Are you hurt?" Clark asked.

"No. Hungry. And cold."

"I'll bet," Clark said, kneeling down on the ground, to seem less imposing to the young child. "If you come with me, I'll bring you back to your mom and dad," he promised. "They've been looking everywhere for you."

"Mommy? Daddy?" the girl asked.

Clark nodded. But the girl continued to stare at him with wide-eyed, unmasked fear. Clark nodded toward her grandmother.

"Is your grandmother okay?"

She shook her head. "Nonna's sick. She's coughing a lot."

"I'm sorry to hear that. Can you wake her up for me? I need to talk to her."

The girl nodded and shook her grandmother gently. The older woman roused slowly, coughing as she sat up. Her eyes, Clark could see, looked glazed and her brow was beaded with sweat from a fever. He fought the natural impulse to frown and instead, maintained a neutral expression for the sake of the child.

"Who? What?" Lena asked, confusion suffusing every part of her words.

"It's okay. I'm here to help," Clark told her.

"Help? Why do we need help?" she replied.

Clark realized the woman wasn't in her right mind. He recalled that she'd been diagnosed with dementia. That complicated things. He'd hoped that she'd be experiencing a period of clarity when he found her. He quickly ran through his options in his mind.

"Lena? You've gotten lost in the woods. I'm here to help you get home. Can you stay here with Katie while I go get your son?"

"Eddie? You know my Eddie?" she asked.

"Not quite," Clark said with a friendly smile. Then, turning to Katie, "Katie? I'm going to go get your mom and dad. Can you stay here and keep your grandmother company?"

Katie nodded mutely, still regarding him with a healthy dose of "stranger danger."

"Okay," Clark said with a smile. "I'll be right back. I promise."

Slowly, so as not to scare the child or the woman, Clark rose into the air. He only allowed himself to move quickly once he was above the treetops. Then he bolted away, streaking toward the search party, which had closed some of the distance between the parking lot and the place where Clark had found the missing child and grandmother. He slowed a bit as he angled into a landing, directly before the mayor and his wife.

"What the hell?" the mayor, Edward Lombardo, exclaimed in alarm and surprise as Clark touched down.

"Mr. Mayor," Clark said, inclining his head in respect. "Please, don't be alarmed. I found your daughter and mother. Your dog too," he added.

"Where are they?" Edward asked, taking a threatening step toward Clark. "What have you done with them? If you've hurt them, I swear to God..."

"I haven't done anything," Clark said, cutting him off, his hands up in a gesture of pacification. "I heard about the search party for them and decided to help. I found them, thanks to your dog. I can bring you to them, if you'll allow me. They aren't far. Just about a mile and a half from here."

"What are you trying to pull?" Edward asked, his voice dripping with mistrust.

"Nothing," Clark said sincerely. "I just want to reunite you with your daughter and mother. Please, let me help you." He knew it sounded a little like pleading, but it didn't matter. Getting everyone to safety was the only thing that mattered.

Edward hesitated until his wife, Dana, spoke up.

"For crying out loud, Eddie! If you won't go, I will."

"No, no. I'll go. Stay here, where I'll know you're safe," he said, putting his hands on her shoulders and looking her in the eyes. Then, to Clark, "Okay, take me to them...ah..."

"I'm just a friend," Clark said. "It's faster if we fly. Do you mind?"

"Fly?"

"Well, I'll do the flying. All you have to do is let me carry you," Clark said with a slight smile.

Again, indecision hung in the air, until a low, far rumble of thunder threatened the storm to come.

"Alright," the mayor conceded, though he sounded nervous.

He allowed Clark to scoop him up in his arms. Clark quickly ascended into the sky, which was growing cloudier. He heard the gasps, comments, explicative language, and sounds of awes from the group of people the mayor and his wife had been with. In particular, he heard Lois' voice as she commented to herself on the bizarre scenario that had just played out before her waking eyes. He tried not to smile.

She hadn't recognized him. At least, she didn't appear to have.

A weight lifted from his shoulders. If Lois didn't recognize him, what chance did anyone else have of connecting the reporter and the superhero? None, to his mind.

Clark sped away to the clearing where he'd left Lena and Katie. The two were still there, and Clark let out a breath of relief over that. He landed swiftly and let the mayor out of his arms. As soon as Edward's feet hit the ground, he was running to his daughter, hugging and kissing her.

"Katie! Oh my God! Katie! Are you okay? We were so worried about you. What happened? Did that man hurt you?" He reminded Clark of the rapid-fire way Lois often spit out questions when upset or nervous.

"I'm okay, Daddy. Nonna left the camp at night, even though you told us not to go out alone. I went with her. I tried to get her to go back, but she wouldn't until it was too late and I couldn't find the way back. Link found us, but Nonna was tired and went to sleep under a tree. We couldn't get back. He found us and said he would help," she added, pointing at Clark, no longer with fear in her eyes, but gratitude.

Edward turned to Clark. "I don't know who you are, but thank you," he said in a hoarse whisper, as thankful tears rolled down his cheeks. "If it wasn't for you..."

"I'm just glad I could help," Clark cut in gently.

"Who are you?" the mayor pressed again.

"He said he's a friend," Katie said, wiggling out of her father's embrace.

"That he is," Edward agreed.

A low rumble got their attention. Clark looked at the sky, trying to judge how long they had before the storm would reach them. The weather system seemed to be moving slowly, but Clark didn't want to risk it.

"I can fly you back," he offered.

The mayor nodded. "I think that's for the best. Take my mother first. I'll wait here with Katie."

Clark nodded and moved toward the older woman. Gently, he took her in his arms. She smiled weakly and coughed as she automatically put her arms around his neck. Clark rose into the air and swiftly ferried her to the rest of the search party.

"Thank you, young man. It's been a long time since anyone's swept me off my feet," she mused as he set her down on solid ground again.

He smiled at her. "It was my pleasure," he assured her.

Then he was off again, making three more trips - once with Katie, once with the dog, and finally bringing the mayor to the waiting group of people. He noted with relief that paramedics were checking over Lena and Katie, and that someone had given them sandwiches to eat, hot chocolate to drink, and warm blankets to wear draped over their shoulders.

He noted too, how everyone stared at him. He couldn't blame them. Between the eye-catching, distracting costume he wore, and the fact that he could fly, he was something the world had never seen before. Some feigned common politeness and tried not to stare openly. Most didn't bother with the courtesy and openly ogled at him. While it made him self-conscious and be fearful that he'd be recognized, he didn't mind the staring much. He'd learned something important that morning.

He loved being the caped hero.

This trial run of publicly using his abilities in full view of other people had gone exceedingly well. He loved being able to swoop in and help. He loved not having to hide his powers. He loved the feeling that he got inside from knowing that he helped save lives and reunite a family. There was no doubt in his mind. Showing up as the unnamed hero was not a one-time event. This new alter-ego was now an indelible part of what made up Clark Kent.

Questions flew at him as the little girl and her grandmother were carefully checked over. He tried to answer them as best he could, but the impromptu press conference soon became an overwhelming assault of questions.

"Who are you?"

"Where are you from?"

"What does the S mean?"

"How can you fly?"

"How'd you find the missing people?"

Clark did his best, though he was always aware of what Lois and Jimmy were doing. He knew that, at any moment, they could realize that Clark was missing. A sense of urgency filled him, and he apologized to the crowd as he retreated from the scene, flying up into the heavy clouds and speeding away, just enough to cause a sonic boom. Then he circled back, a bit more slowly, and came into a landing behind three maple trees growing cheek-by-jowl. Most people had their backs to the trees, still looking up into the sky where the benevolent stranger had risen into the heavens.

"Clark? Where have you been?" Lois asked, as he approached her.

"What do you mean?" he asked innocently. "I've been here." Technically speaking, he wasn't lying.

"No, you weren't. I was just looking for you," she argued.

"Lois, relax," Jimmy interjected. "Maybe nature gave CK a call that he just couldn't put off."

"Oh, gross," Lois complained. "Men!" She began to stalk off. "Get some reactions from the people about that flying guy, would you?" she called over her shoulder. "I want to be out of here before it starts raining."

As Jimmy moved off to snap a few final photographs of the scene, Clark grinned to himself. Oh yes, this new hero was here to stay.



To Be Continued...


Battle On,
Deadly Chakram

"Being with you is stronger than me alone." ~ Clark Kent

"One little spark of inspiration is at the heart of all creation." ~ Figment the Dragon