章 15: Interlude: Clark Kent 2
"Did you hear the certainty dripping from every word the kid said? Bubbleboy, my ass. What was that code name of his in the operation? Metal Storm? Pretentious, but sounds closer to the truth. Maybe something with punch? Magnetix. Dynamo?" Lois sighed. "Some of these points are going to be bounced back and forth for years. And a fifteen year old kid… correction thirteen year old child came up with these things in the span of a day? I. Don't. Believe. it."
She paused to take a drag on a cigarette. "But, do y'know what the worst part is, Smallville? I can kinda see how things would be playing out without it. Superman endlessly catching crooks to have them walk out as if the prison gate was a revolving door. He's a nice guy, too nice to really bring the hurt without innocent lives in the balance. Catching murderers… to have them escape and continue as if their capture was just a formality, that's the stuff nightmares are made of. I mean, it's not his fault. Even Superman can only do so much, the system has to carry some of the burden in ensuring they receive appropriate punishments and the current mental health laws really can't control or contain people who can rip tanks in half or out-think professional psychologists."
"The part that really got to me, personally is that he seems to expect there to be a significant upswing in these… metaphysical humans and even more bizarre creatures. What next, aliens?" She asked, glancing at Clark, who choked.
"No, that's too ridiculous for words. You're right." She blathered as she continued reviewing her notes. She paused. "Tell you what, lets take a break and continue at five tomorrow morning. I should have a draft by then. The time difference compared to the printing schedule is in our favour here."
"Okay Lois." Clark nodded.
"In the meantime, I'm taking advantage of the tub." She took a second drag. "Shut the door on your way out."
"Sure."
Clark quietly exited, locking the door securely behind him before walking five feet to reach his own room.
Once inside he was a blur of movement that left the room from the window, in bright blue and red.
The moon was full in the sky, the city lit brightly. With a brief sweep of his hearing he found his French counterpart. Floating over a park. The heartbeat in mid-air above building height a sure sign.
He approached at a leisurely pace, not wanting to startle the kid.
Superman was mildly shocked to see the boy turn his way as he came close, his flight was virtually silent, below the sonic barrier after all. More surprising: he displayed no shock at seeing Superman in Paris. The heartbeat was undisturbed.
"Hello."
"Yo."
"You knew I was in the city?" He asked curiously.
"I'm sure you could have identified me with senses I don't have. Is it so strange that I could see you were an oddity, in the Metropolis contingent of reporters at that." The boy replied, calmly.
"Huh. You know, this is a first." Superman finally said, rubbing the back of his head. "No one else has ever seen through my disguise."
"I wouldn't worry too much. I'm a special case. I sense the nerves firing and iron flowing inside a person. Your body either blocks my view of both or you have something different. Like how octopi use copper instead." The kid smiled. "You also glow from the light you absorb, just a tad. So, what are you? Magically empowered? Sapient fungus? Alien? Or a combination of the three?"
"I… is that a joke?" Superman finally replied.
"Actually, yes. But honestly with just a touch of idle curiosity. I mean what you are is your own business. You prove Who you are every time you help people." The kid shrugged. "That is what really matters."
"Would you be concerned if I said I was?" Superman asked carefully.
"Were you sent to conquer us, as an infant? Do you turn into a giant ape looking at the moon?" The boy asked laughing.
"No..."
"I'm kidding. It's from an old folk story from back home… very obscure." The boy mimed wiping away false tears. "Seriously, you wouldn't be the first alien to come to Earth or even in the top ten. Let's not mention the alien tech both Russia and China are scavenging… some of it had hostile occupants that escaped. Aliens are far from new under the sun. There is literally an entire civilisation living on Mars if you care to look. Too bad they're apparently agoraphobics, despite possessing a moderate fleet of spacecraft. Don't believe me? Ask an astronomer."
"Uh… this is not how I pictured this conversation going." Superman finally admitted.
"Oh, I can be as serious as you like. Just like you are an alien, I am a reincarnated human. Living my teenage years twice? Wouldn't recommend it."
"Reincarnated? Really?!"
"From the future, in a way."
"How?"
"Because the universe is a wilder place than you know yet? The mechanism didn't reveal it's master plans to me, just shoved me inside some kid who should never have been."
"I'm sure there is a greater plan for you, just as there is for all of us." Superman finally said.
"Oh, you think I was being cynical. No I mean, I have spotty knowledge of various universes; none of them involve me, because I never existed there." The kid chuckled. "I'm glad I got a nicer version of you."
"Okay, I feel that has a whole hook hidden behind the statement."
"Eh, you're raised by humans… what happens if you weren't raised as you were? Or landed badly? You could have been a devoted Communist or British. Or captured by a paranoid general during the height of the cold war and kept starved in isolation to keep you feeble." The boy winced. "There are also mirror versions existing in other universes. Such as your inverse: Ultraman, a mobster ruling Metropolis like a tyrant."
"Would it be narcissistic to ask if I were the only difference there?" Superman asked, uneasy.
"Oh, the mirrorverse is nasty, everyone has an opposite there; every villain is a hero and vice versa." The kid shook his head, such knowledge must be disturbing.
"I take that to mean you know of some future events? You said you came from the future, how far?"
"2018. I was in my thirties when I died. I can't tell you the future is going to be all roses and sunshine, if anything it is going to be badguys crawling out of the woodwork like roaches. For every ten you put behind bars, another will find a way to escape. Or cause a mass break out." Just like Lois had thought…
"The worst ones are the mentally unstable maniacs who get sent to an asylum, because they will escape and nothing is going to stop the psychotics from resuming their murderparty. If something isn't done about it, an endless cycle grows out of this game of capes and maniacs, where people who initially only cause a small amount of damage eventually rack up a kill count that would make Ghengis Khan envious. I suspect. I mean that bastard is immortal, so you'll probably get the chance to ask if you wish. He currently uses the name Vandal Savage."
"Ha! You know, I came here hoping for a nice cosy chat. So far all I have is wild stories I know can't be faked, because you aren't lying. Which are so utterly disturbing that frankly I don't want to know any more." Superman said with finality. "But out of morbid curiosity, what do I have to watch out for as dangers to others?"
"I'd suggest you check your ego, you aren't invincible. Magic exists and hurts you just as much as the next guy-. You also have weaknesses: Kryptonite, glowing, radioactive materials that effect your kind, debris from your home planet. The most common, green weakens and slowly poisons you through proximity until you die. The others are rarer, but I already found a hunk of red in a local store: it has a variety of exotic effects that are temporary including allowing someone to steal your powers and flipping your personality." He pulled out a small object which, surprisingly was lead insulated. "It's safe with me, I won't use it on you… but others of your species, most of the survivors of Krypton are prisoners in a place called the Phantom Zone. Krypton's version of a super-max prison. I believe you currently have the only remaining gateway in your possession. They will attempt to escape. Multiple times."
"I see." That was just more credence to support Lois' suspicion that catching criminals will become a farce. "This is why you want an extra-governmental body formed: the ability to issue capital punishment to the worst offenders regardless of origin and local, state and governmental law. On behalf of the Earth itself as genuine threats."
"Most of them aren't that dangerous. One or two, however could change the world. No the big threats typically aren't human, they are invasions from unexpected places. I can't really do much more than describe a few and name maybe a half dozen others. Some may never come here or don't exist."
"I believe I am getting a headache. That isn't easy to accomplish. Bravo. Final question, how exactly do you know I'm from Krypton?" Superman asked, seriously.
"Uh… you told everyone? In an interview with Lois Lane later in your career… uh, I can't say for sure based on the universe, but you remain active for decades in most cases. You become iconic with heroics." The kid replied.
"Kid, I'm not sure who you think I am, I'm just trying to help people with my talents in the best way I can."
"You're Superman. I don't expect you to be anything you aren't, but what you are is great. You are one of the keystones that will save this world. Repeatedly."
"It's just what's right."
"And that is exactly why I am glad you're around." The kid added. "This world is a chaotic hellhole, sometimes literally. You're exactly who needs to be here to help it remain a place worth living in."
"You sure know how to give a man an inflated sense of self esteem."
"Unlike you, I'm not an altruist. I'm a cynic. I'm helping people because the side that wins, the side that matters is that of the heroes. The Good Guys. I want them to win, for my own safety. If I have to help them fight in the process, that is my sacrifice."
章 16: 2.2
9:47 PM, 25th of March 1989.
Location: Hovering over the Parc de Belleville
So… I'm talking with Superman. This is very surreal.
But this is my reality now. I don't think I've made a mistake spilling my guts to him, a necessity since even a casual brush with Martian Manhunter will reveal at least that much. Besides, Superman is as trustworthy a guy as you can find. He won't go nuts with it like Batman would, with his obsessive paranoia and Diana is practically Truth incarnate, she'd smell anything fishy a mile away.
So I'm going to lay all my cards on the table before I can make the rest of the League-to-be suspicious.
"I see I've disturbed you enough for one evening. Care to catch a bite to eat, maybe see the sights? I'm sure you've seen Paris before, but from the air?" I was rewarded by the genuine smile from what amounts to a demi-god in the flesh.
"You know, that is the kind of thing I was hoping for, originally." The Man of Steel responds.
"How do you feel about harmlessly pranking people?"
"In moderation..." He smiled, with a faint hint of interest.
"I think we're going to get along, just fine." I nodded. I started to fly to a particularly favourite overlook of the cathedral of Notre Dame. He followed, leisurely keeping pace as we flew.
"I can keep up if you want to fly faster." He suggested.
"But then I'd be unable to hear you over the wind. I'm afraid my glaring weakness is that I'm just as soft as the average civilian with all that entails, I just have better reflexive defences. My abilities are entirely mental based." I hummed. "I suppose a system of radios could solve that problem if we need to coordinate at speed. In the meantime, we could travel at high speed but communication would be entirely one way. Your powers come with radically enhanced senses, correct?"
Superman smirked. "Really, at this point there is hardly anything you could say that would surprise me."
I grew a Cheshire grin. "Reeeeeeaaaaalllllyyyyy?! Because you have some real twists coming your way!"
He waved his hands in front of him in a warding gesture, frantically. "Please no. Give me time to digest what you've already given me first!"
I cackled. "Okay, I'll quit it with the spoilers. How about this instead… do you have any hobbies?"
"Hmm. I like sports, I can keep track of the results with my hearing constantly from radios and television. I like collecting things, scrap booking and tending to… exotic animals I keep as pets." Kal El replied. "Yourself?"
"Skiing is good, in a few years I'll have video games again and watching the movies I thought I knew in this new dimension. Let's just say WW2 documentaries are far more colourful and less depressing than they were in my first life. People with powers like us either kept their heads down or didn't exist in my original world. Although they were certainly trying to develop technology that did similar things to popular culture." I shrugged. "Lightsabers may be more feasible in this world, with so many super genius inventors here."
"An elegant weapon for a more civilised age." He quoted back at me.
That right there made my day, Superman crossing the franchise gap that exists because of copyrights? Priceless. We continued to nerd out over science fiction movies until Superman pulled to a stop.
"...I hear something. Down there." We descended vertically to overlook the situation. "A scuffle?"
Twenty of so tough looking guys, speaking French in a rough Italian accent. They had obviously been part of an ambush. On his knees in front of them was a thoroughly ugly looking man with a deformed back.
"Huh." I grunted in recognition.
"Someone you know?" Superman asked.
I pointed at the cathedral. "Where are we? You have read Victor Hugo's classic tale, haven't you?" I glanced back down at the man who on closer observation had a metallic back brace and wore light body armour under a Renaissance Fair looking garb. A hunchback. Near Notre Dame. Fighting criminals. How… unimaginative.
"I suppose it's his lucky day. He gets both of us to save him in the same night?" I remarked.
Taking opposite sides of the alley we landed, hemming the thugs in. "Step away from the Quasimodo and place any weapons you are carrying on the ground, please." I say in Italian.
Superman smiled and hovered there. "There is no need for further violence, please surrender or we will be forced to apprehend you."
The largest reached for a revolver and began to point it at our vigilante.
"Whoops. Can't have that." I reply as I yank it away before tossing it to Superman who catches and crushes it.
"Yes, that was entirely uncalled for." The Man of Steel calmly replies.
The criminals glance back and forth between us, not quite realising just how screwed they were.
"My friend over there is bulletproof and can punch through concrete." I lift a dumpster and hover it to one side. "I can throw cars around. Surrender peacefully or you'll be made into examples for the next lot of criminals we catch in the act."
From the looks of it, the criminals were sweating bullets. On one hand they couldn't take us and knew it. On the other, they were desperate to stay out of police hands… probably because of outstanding arrest warrants.
The leader abruptly leapt forward, trying to grab the fake hunchback by the neck and use him as a human shield.
He face-planted into an iconic symbol of an 'S' as Superman applied his speed to the situation. Placing a hand on the leader's shoulder in a firm grip Superman then flew upwards about a kilometre in the space of five seconds, pausing a few moments before returning at the same speed. The leader fell to his hands and knees, vomiting before curling up into a ball.
"Please don't hurt us. Do as they say, or we're fucked." The lead thug begged to his own men and us.
"Language." Superman scolded.
"Sorry sir." The thug added.
Did I say I was terrified of Kryptonians before? Because they are pants-soilingly terrifying in person. As the thug has just demonstrated, I notice.
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