Chapter Two: John Blake

After an hour or so of riding, Clark passed what seemed to be a billboard advertising something called "LuthorCorp's French Fired Frog Legs".
"What the...?" Clark asked himself. The very idea of that stuff always made Clark's stomach turn. He'd tried a frog leg as a kid, and he spent the rest of the night in the bathroom.
Beside the billboard, an African American man was talking to a construction crew, usually shouting "Don't step on the asphalt!"
Clark had to admit, this Luthor guy worked quickly as the man smiled and waved at Clark who waved back.
"Hey, you on the bike, watch out!" The man shouted when Clark looked up and saw a steam roller coming right at him!
Thinking quickly, Clark flew up just before the steam-roller turned his bike into a pancake. Clark sighed as he sat on the sidewalk.
"Phew." Clark sighed. "That's pretty dangerous building a road in the middle of the street without any warning cones or marking the thing off. If I couldn't fly, I'd be gone with the Schwinn."

That night, Clark arrived at a place called the El Sleezo Café.
"Yeash." Clark groaned. "I wonder what kind of food they serve. Doesn't sound very appetizing, but... a guy's gotta eat."
Just then, a man was flung out of the restaurant.
"Rough place, huh?" Clark asked.
"That is the toughest, meanest, filthiest pest hole on the face of the earth!" The man said.
"Well why not complain to the owner?" Clark asked.
"I am the owner." The man replied.
"Oh..." Clark said with some shock. "Uh... Sorry."
Clark went in and found that the place was made up mostly of tough guys, sailors, bikers, and such, and their girlfriends. Clark walked up to the bar as a brunette woman turned to him.
"Hey, sailor." The woman said. "Buy me a drink?"
"Uh..." Clark said as he reddened badly. "I'm not a sailor."
"Ah, cut the small talk and buy me a drink." The woman said offhandedly.
"But I don't even know you." Clark pointed out when a sailor came up.
"Hey, you making out with my girl?" The man asked.
"No sir." Clark insisted.
"He did to." The woman said. "He touched me."
"Oh, now that is a completed myth!" Clark insisted.
"A what?" The man asked.
"A myth!" Clark repeated. "Myth!"
"Yes?" A blond woman in a black shoulder-less dress and red boa asked as she walked up.
"What the hey?" Clark asked.
"That happens a lot." The man said.
Just then, a man's voice shouted out, "Show time! Show time at the El Sleezo!"
Scott took a look at the stage.
"And now, filling in for the vacationing El Sleezo dancing girls, the funny, fabulous, John Blake!"
Just then, the curtains opened to reveal an eighteen-year-old boy with brown hair to only one man clapping his hands together... To kill a fly.
"Thank you, ladies and germs!" The boy, John called out. "You're a great crowd. Here I am, John Blake, here to tell you jokes both old and great! "
Everyone already began booing the poor kid.
"Well, let's start things up with a bang." John said as someone shot at him and missed. "Thanks for that, sir."
"This guy's lost." Clark groaned.
"Maybe he should try Harry Fisher." A waiter said.
"Good grief." Clark groaned. "What a weak running gag."
"Uh..." John continued, finally feeling the stress apparently. "There was this sailor who was so fat-"
"How fat was he?!" A very large sailor asked as he smashed a bottle against the table, and it shattered.
"He was so fat that everyone liked him, and there was nothing funny about him at all, the end." John said timidly.
After that, everyone began throwing food at John.
"Oh no!" John groaned. "I just cleaned up this room! I'm a professional! I've had three performances."
"Do you know any dance routines?" Clark asked as he walked to the stage.
"Not really." John said. "Do you?"
"Play something snappy, sir." Clark said to the piano man.
"Got it!" The man said as he played the piano.
"Now dance!" Clark said quickly as the two danced.

At the window, Tess Mercer saw the guy from earlier and showed him to her boss, Lionel Luthor. Luthor looked at Clark's dancing and smirked.
Tess knew that Luthor was happy with who she had found.

"Too bad the dancing girls are on vacation." Clark sighed. "The crowd's getting ugly."
"You think this crowd is ugly?" John asked. "You should see the dancing girls."
After the dance was finished, everyone on stage rushed at Clark and John. They tossed John over the bar, and tossed Clark up as he was flung into wall. He didn't want to use his abilities since it could kill these guys, but he was definitely getting groggy from the toss.
Just then, John came up in a bartender's uniform and a beard.
"Okay everybody drinks on the house!" John called out as all the men rushed out excitedly.

On the roof of the El Sleezo, the men looked around confused. There were no drinks on the house.

Back at the bar, John sighed and took off the fake beard.
"Works every time." John said with a smile.
"Nice job." Clark said in amazement. "Well listen, my name is Clark Kent, and I'm on my way to Hollywood."
Clark saw a lot of potential in John and figured he just needed an outlet.
"Hollywood?!" John asked excitedly. "Big time showbiz?! That's always been my dream!"
"Well they're looking for guys, so I figured, why not go together?" Clark asked.
"My car's right outside!" John said with a smile.
They walked outside and got into an old crème Studebaker.
"Wow." Clark said. "A Studebaker. Where'd you get it?"
"My uncle left it to me." John said casually.
"Oh." Clark said. "Is he dead?"
"No." John said plainly. "He's in a circus."
Bobby drove off, followed by a mysterious black car that carried Lionel Luthor.


Uh-oh. Now we get to the point of interest.