Path Not Taken
A Path Not Taken
Gunfire flies up to greet him as he approaches the car. "Will these rebels never learn?" he thinks. A few quick bursts of heat vision destroys their weapons. One of the rebels screams as his weapon explodes in his hand. Clark does him a kindness by cauterizing the wound with another burst of heat vision.
Growing tired of this chase, he swoops underneath the car and easily lifts it into the air. A few loop de loops takes the fight out of the rebels. They beg him to put them down. He obliges them by shaking them out of their car and onto the ground in front of his support team. He lands next to them and casually crushes the rebels car into a ball.
As Clark drops the crushed car, he says "They are all yours now Commander."
The Defenders cuff and load the rebels into their Patrol Wagon. The Defender's commander approaches Clark.
The Defender's commander ask "Was it really necessary to take that rebel's hand?"
Angered by the Commander's audacity, Clark replies "The fool should have dropped the weapon as the others did. It was his trying to fire the super heated weapon that cost him his hand. His actions lead to this not mine!"
"Sorry sir. I shouldn't have questioned you. Please forgive me." begs the Commander.
"Don't let them trick you commander. These rebels will destroy everything we have fought to build. There is no gray in this, only right and wrong." Clark remarks just before flying off.
Clark storms into his fortress. He says "I don't understand these rebels. Don't they understand that America and the world is better off now? Why can't they see the good I am doing. No more kangaroo courts where villains walk out as fast as they went in. There is true justice for all now."
"Some people just can't accept a good thing. Before you and President Queen took over, you couldn't walk down most city streets. Now a child can carry a gold bar coast to coast without fear." says his wife.
"What would I do without you Lana?" Clark says as he embraces his wife.
"You will never have to find out my love. And the rebels? Did they give you any new leads?" she asks with a bright smile.
Clark says "All I got today were a few rebel flunkies. They were just small fish. They didn't know anything important. I mean they tired to shoot me." (Clark laughs) "Still, Chloe and Lex can't hide forever. I will find them. I still can't believe Chloe turned on me. I thought she was my best friend."
"No matter how well we think we know someone, we can never know what is in their heart of hearts." replies Lana as she sets the table.
"I really wish I could just talk to her like we used to. Just so I could understand. I mean Lex is easy to figure out. He just wants revenge for my killing his father. Lex will never accept the fact it was Lionel's actions that killed him." says Clark.
For a moment, Clark flashbacks to that fateful encounter. Lionel standing over Clark with that knife made of Kryptonite. Suddenly, Martha Kent tackles Lionel. They struggle as Clark tries to recover enough to help. Martha screams as Lionel plunges the knife into her chest. Stunned by what he has done Lionel staggers away from Martha.
Martha looks at Clark and says "I love you son." She then dives thru Lionel's office window (The very window Clark broke when he flew into Lionel's office) and plummets to the ground below. Clark's super-hearing makes the thud as loud as a church bell.
Clark screams "Mom No!!" but she is gone. With her went the kryptonite. Clark's strength quickly returns. He stands and faces Lionel.
"Oh god. I didn't mean to hurt her Clark. I loved her. I am so sorry" says Lionel as he tries to back away.
"It is not your fault Lionel. You are evil. You can't help yourself. I have known you were a beyond redemption for a long time. I let you destroy so many lives because I did not do what was necessary. Don't worry I won't let it happen again." Clark calmly says as he focuses his heat vision on Lionel.
Lionel screams.
"Have you talked to Oliver today?" asks Lana.
Her question drags Clark back to the present. "What. Sorry. Just thinking. Yes. Oliver briefed me on my way home to you. There were more riots in England but the rest of the world has been quiet. All the governments are falling into line. They all remember what I did in China. They won't dare to resist. I am doing it Lana. World peace is almost here. I am so happy." replies Clark
"Excellent. I am so proud of you Clark. Let's eat." she says in a cheerful voice.
Her words momentarily sting Clark. He knows Lana has never been the same since Brainiac hurt her but he loved her before all that. He reassures himself this is what the old Lana would have wanted too. He joins his wife at the table.
Meanwhile in a secret base. "He bit on our decoy. He missed the real operation. Lucky for us he still does not look behind the scenes." Lex says
"Good. We can move to stage two." says Chloe.
"I still think we should reconsider. You are risking everything on this plan." Lex says.
"This is the best plan we have. It goes forward." Chloe commands.
The next morning, Oliver is hard at work in the White House. "Boy if I realized all the paperwork needed to run the world, I would have let Lionel have it." thinks Oliver.
Suddenly, his senior military advisor rushes in. "Mr. President. There is an emergency. The rebels have managed to launch a rocket at our sun. Permission to contact Power Lord."
"Don't' worry general. Clark I mean Power Lord is already on his way. He contacted me 10 minutes ago. What took you so long?"
"Sorry sir but if Power Lord shared more of his tech, we would have been able to detect it." snaps the general.
"Be careful. Remember who you are talking about." replies Oliver.
"My apologies. I know he is your friend and has done so much for the world but I still don't like humanity's fate in the hands of anyone besides us." comments the general.
"You are dismissed." is all Oliver replies.
After the general has left, Oliver sighs. He knows he is going to have to talk to Clark again. Whereas Clark's action have been critical to America taking control of the world, his heavy hand and callous attitude is undermining all they set out to accomplish.
Heck after China, even Oliver is a little scared of Clark. Yes, the Chinese government nuking its own people in an effort to stop Clark was horrible but Clark's retaliation was extreme. Oliver had never seen Clark so mad before. He knew Clark was powerful but he never dreamed Clark could do what he did. Oliver shudders remembering his tour of the devastation.
Oliver worries about the changes in his friend. Clark is becoming increasingly black and white. Clark no longer tolerates anyone disagreeing with him. Even Oliver avoids directly challenging Clark's views.
Clark thinks the people are coming around. He believes the people are starting to see the better world he has brought them but Oliver knows it is only their fear of Clark that keeps them in check. The people don't support Clark's better world and Oliver can't blame them. This is not the world he thought they were creating when he signed on.
Out in space, Clark races after the rebel rocket. He uses his heat vision to detonate the rocket. With the rocket destroyed, Clark heads back to Earth. It will be a simple matter for him to follow the rocket's trail back to its launch site.
"There it is. Leave it to Lex to put the silo in Smallville." Thinks Clark. Before Oliver dissolved Lexcorp, the company must have acquired some of the old missile silos scattered about Smallville. The silos would make the perfect hiding place as they are heavily shielded with lead. Clark marvels at Lex's genius and audacity. Here Oliver and Clark have been tearing up former Lexcorp holdings all over the world and Lex was in Clark's hometown the whole time.
Clark smashes thru the reinforced concrete hatch of the silo. He lands at the silo's base and shouts "Come on out Lex. I know you're here somewhere."
"Your right Clark. Lex is here but you have to deal with me first." says Chloe as she steps into the room.
"Chloe. Why are you helping this madman? He did something to you. Didn't he? Some form of mind control? I am sorry I should have seen it earlier but don't worry I will save you." replies Clark.
"You have it all wrong Clark. Lex is not controlling me. Lex is helping me. You have to understand Clark I can't let what you have done go. You need to stop. I understand you only want to help but you have lost your way. Please listen to me. Forcing the whole world to bend knee to you is not saving everyone, it's enslaving them." Chloe says.
He cannot believe what she is saying. He is the good guy. He is the hero. "How can you say that? The world is a much better place now. There is almost no crime. People are happy and productive." shouts Clark.
Chloe shakes her head and states with sadness mixed with anger "Without freedom, none of the rest matters. What you gives you the right to decide what is right and what is wrong for everyone?"
"Humanity was lost before I showed them the way!!" Clark shouts.
"Clark because we were once friends I know there still is good in you. You can turn back from this path but you have to do it right now. I don't want to hurt you Clark but you are leaving me no choice. Please surrender now." says Chloe.
Clark laughs "You can't possible believe you can stop me. I learned from my encounter with Lionel. My suit protects me from Kryptonite. There is nothing you can do to me. Now, if you come quietly I will show you mercy."
"You underestimate me Clark. You forget I have been to the fortress. Jor El agrees you have gone too far and he has given me the means to stop you." says Chloe as she points a crystal at Clark. A blue light shoots out of the crystal and strikes Clark square in the chest. Clark feels intense pain for a moment and then he drops to his knees.
Clark is shocked to see he has cut his hand on a piece of rubble when he fell. "What did you do to me? he asks.
"You are no longer a superman. You are just like the rest of now Clark. Just a plain old human." she replies.
A door opens into the silo and Lex walks in. He raises a gun and empties the clip into Clark as he says "This is for my father."
Chloe screams "This was not part of the deal Lex. You promised you wouldn't hurt him." She rushes to Clark's side and cradles his head.
"You didn't listen closely Ms. Sullivan. I promised not to harm Power Lord but (points to Clark) he is just Clark now. I never promised not to hurt just Clark." Lex says with a sneer.
"Lex. You are such a bastard." says Chloe.
"I know" is Lex's reply as he reloads.
Chloe knows what is coming and looks defiantly at Lex "I should have known better than to trust a Luther." are her final words.