Ah, I love how this is unfolding!
Yes, this fic is similar to that comic book arc from the late eighties. Then as now, Clark's darker side seems to take over when he is asleep. Then as now, he is out patrolling the streets, dealing out a dark brand of justice. And then as now, he is totally exhausted when he wakes up again as Clark Kent, and he has no memory of what he has been doing during the night.
But there are differences. I like how this Clark's
Kryptonian side is what takes over when he is asleep:
He scoffed at the idea of Superman doing what actually needed to be done to make sure that people were safe and actually stayed safe. The pathetic fool had spent all of his life suppressing what it was to truly be Kryptonian.
However, I know freedom. I know what it is to not be restrained by the moral ethics of these people. I know what it is to truly protect these weak creatures that can not protect themselves. The only way they can truly be safe is if I do what needs to be done. To follow my nature. No doubts. No heart. No mercy.
But while it is Clark's Kryptonian side that has taken over here, it was something more irrational that took over Clark in the comics. There, he called himself Gangbuster, and he dressed in dark brown. I've got the feeling that this Clark is wearing something that resembles that black Kryptonian suit which he wore when he was going to Krypton.
The reason why Clark became Gangbuster in the comics was because he was suffering from some sort of trauma after he had been forced to kill the three Kryptonian criminals from the first Superman movie. This Clark, no doubt, has had a breakdown because he thought that he killed Lois.
Another interesting difference is that in the comics, Superman didn't disappear from the scene. He was tired and irritable, but he was there all right, suit and powers intact. Here, Clark has lost his powers. Except... has he really?
She was not expecting the sudden movement, and teetered at the unexpected loss of support. She fell backwards, flailing her arms as she tried to catch onto something. Clark managed to catch her before she fell, though she had no idea how he could have possibly stood up so fast. His hands gripped at her upper arms, pressing against the same spot that the strange man in the alley had, and she gasped as he squeezed the tender bruises still there.
How could Clark have stood up so fast? Clearly because he still has his powers, although he doesn't allow himself to know that when he is Clark Kent.
And, wow. It would sure have been interesting if "Krypto-Clark's" firm grip on Lois's arms that night in the alley had left hand-shaped marks on her arms. What if Clark had put his own hands over those bruises and found that his hands fit perfectly there?
It's intersting how Clark has managed to suppress his powers so totally, except when he needs them to save Lois. He was so pitiful when he had thrown up in the bathroom.
And in the same way that Clark has managed to make his own powers unreachable to himself, so Lois has managed to make her own memories unreachable to herself. So those people did use all those drugs on her to make her tell them things about Superman, and she protected him by forcing herself to forget everything about him. Wow.
For the first time since he had entered the kitchen, she took a good look at him and froze.
“If you weren't out this morning, why do you have dirt on your face?” Slowly, the cogs in her brain began to churn.
He caught you in the blink of an eye.
Great ending! I hope Lois has figured things out now. Can she make Clark come back to himself, too?
Ann
