The Rise of Superman

Written by Blade_1582

Author's Note: Okay, so I've revamped the story and made various changes to some of the already posted chapters. Nothing major, just some cosmetic and continuity stuff. Cheers!

Disclaimer: I don't own Smallville, Superman or anything related to DC Comics other than a cache of comics and a handful of old action figures. Please don't sue me I'm broke enough as it is.


Chloe leaned back against the back of the booth, a soft smile spread across her face as she licked cream cheese icing from the corner of her mouth. After she and Lois had spoken in the park, she had agreed to accept her cousin's hasty apology on one condition: cupcakes. So here they sat, in the window side booth of a small hole in the wall bakery across from the park. She took another bite of the red velvet cake in her hands and let out a content sigh as she relaxed against the vinyl seating.

"Smaller bites Chlo, you're going to choke" Lois teased, sipping her late as Chloe wolfed the mouthful of cake.

"I'm good" Chloe said as she finished the cupcake and crumbled its paper wrapping into a small ball, letting out a girlish giggle as she flicked it at Lois. Lois raised an eyebrow and shot Chloe a wry glare as the small paper ball careened off the side of her cup.

"So tell me something" Lois said passively as she trailed a finger around the rim of her cup. "You and Clark didn't…ya know…on my couch" Lois winced as the words passed from her mouth and gave an awkward shoulder movement that Chloe could only assume was supposed to be a crude imitation of some bizarre and disturbing sexual maneuver.

"No" Chloe said with a dismissive chuckle, and Lois visibly relaxed.

"Oh thank god" Lois breathed, letting out a bawdy laugh. Chloe joined in and their paired laughter echoed through the nearly empty bakery, eliciting more than a few curious glances from the workers behind the counter. Chloe chortled to a stop, tears in her eyes as she chuckled breathlessly. Before she could respond with a finely crafted snarky remark a harrowing boom echoed from beneath she and Lois's feet, cutting their jubilation short. Cautiously she and Lois both turned their gazed to the window and were nothing short of shocked by what they saw. The manhole covers late lined the street were blown free of the channels they covered as jest of fire and steam hurled them skyward. Instinctively, Lois grabbed hold of Chloe and pulled her down as another blast shock the bakery, the concussive force of the explosion shattering the window and sending them tumbling out of their seats. Fleck of pebbled glass and chunks of scorched ceiling rained down on them.

Lois dared a glance over the edge of what remained of their table and stared out into the warzone that had overtaken Third Avenue. The bricks of the surrounding walls had been charred black by the flaming geyser, the worn down asphalt of the street had deep craters blown in its surface, cracked and broken by the stress of the underground explosion. Low hanging branches from the overhanging trees in the park burned and smoldered. Fire was everywhere. Unexpectedly, something extraordinary happened. A powerful gust came whooshing in, snuffing out the flames and smoldering cinders. Plumes of gray-white smoke billowed into the air, and through charcoal haze Lois saw it, saw something she couldn't believe or even explain if she tried.

It came like a bolt of light, a blur of red and blue streaking for the center of the blaze. The bolt of color slammed hard into the ground of the hillside where she and Chloe had been sitting a handful of minutes before.

"My god" She breathed as a wall of earth and rock was thrown into the heavens, obscuring her view.

Clark slammed hard into the ground, using his momentum to drive himself deep into the city's underbelly. Fractions of seconds ticked by before he erupted from the soil and broke through the concrete embankments of a underground tunnel with pipes lining the sides. A yellow orange light flickered in the distance, slowly growing in size and intensity as he surged through the spaces between seconds at an unspeakable velocity. He dug his booted feet into the ground, gaining traction as he landed on the floor and used the change in terrain to slingshot himself towards the growing conflagration.

'C'mon, move it Clark' He chanted to himself as he raced along the tunnel, puddles of water being thrown into the air as he blew past. He reached the heart of the fire within a fraction of a second and what he saw sent a cold shiver coursing up and down the length of his spine.

The budding flames jutted from the jagged edges of a pipe on the a wall a handful of feet away from a pair of men that hung suspended in the air, thrown skyward by the force of the initial blast. Even worse was the rate at which the fire was growing. Despite the fact that he was travel at superhuman velocity the blaze was still going to envelop the men before he could get the out of harm's way. Undeterred, Clark threw himself forward, diving in between the flailing me and the reaching flames. What happened next shocked him beyond belief. Acting on instinct alone Clark drew in a massive breath. He felt his lungs expand further than ever before as he sucked in a massive amount of air. His chest grew in size as his mighty lungs pressed against the confines of his ribcage. A cold tickle played at the back of his throat, growing in intensity as he continued to draw air from all around him. With his lungs full and an arctic chill radiating through his airways he dropped out of super speed, planted his feet and expelled an unfathomable gale of frozen wind from deep inside him. A wall of arctic wind slammed against the flames. The hiss of steam in the air echoed as icy crystals crackled and popped at the dying flames licked at them. Within seconds his breath had beaten the flames back to the point of collapse. With one final flex of his diaphragm he emptied his lungs and snuffed out the flames completely.

The fires extinguished, he whirled around and snatched the ill fated duo from the air seconds before they were smashed against the concrete with enough force to shatter bone. The older of the two men, stirred briefly, and panic shot through Clark for the briefest of seconds.

"J..Jones?" Bibbo slurred lazily, bleary eyes fighting to focus in the utter darkness of the tunnel. He looked up at the shadowed figure that held him. Fighting against the pain that surged through his body, Bibbo craned his next to get a better look at the man, but the dim light only provided him with a glimpse of his red and blue silhouette. "…alive?" He questioned, his consciousness starting to ebb once more.

"Yes" Clark said flatly. "You're both alive"

"Good" Bibbo said before passing out, his body sagging in Clark's arms as he dropped back into unconsciousness. Clark took the opportunity to gather both men up in his arms and then disappeared in a blur of motion only to re-emerge seconds later on a rooftop overlooking the torched remains of Centennial Park.

Hastily, Clark lowered the bruised and battered men to the ground and swept over them with his X-ray vision. No broken bones, no internal injuries…they were in the clear. He, on the other hand, was not.

He was exposed now, The man he knelt over had seen his face, and probably seen him douse the fire as well and he didn't want to even think about how many people had seen him dash into the park like a mad man. He had been reckless, irresponsible, and these two men were alive because of it. Try as Clark might to berate himself for exposing his secret, he couldn't let go of the fact that he'd saved these two lives.

These men would go on tomorrow, and the day after that because of him. It was a feeling unlike anything he'd ever felt before. He hauled himself up onto his feet and strode to the opposite edge of the rooftop. Eight stories below the charred remnants of Centennial Park lay sprawled about beneath him. Emergency vehicles and swarms of frenzied onlookers filled the streets, and as the crowd grew so did the lump in his throat. 'Chloe' he breathed, her name hanging on his lips as he stared helplessly down at the growing crowd below him. She was here; somewhere….He could hear the melodic thrumming of her heartbeat.

He took no solace in the fact that her heart beat steady and labor free. Instead, panic shot through him like lightning as the realization dawned on him. She had been here when the fire started…she could have been in the park for all he knew. Beside himself with fear, Clark ran to the edge of the roof and peered over the side in a vain attempt to gain a clearer view.

Groggy from her blow to the head, Chloe, with much help from Lois, staggered out of the doorway of the burned out bakery and into the waiting arms of trained medical professionals which she was sure were in the possession of some very effective pain killers. Throbbing pain aside, her thoughts were more focused on the chaos that surrounded her. Half of midtown could have gone up in that blaze, but it didn't and she knew who to thank for that. She couldn't help the proud smirk that crossed her soot streaked face as she observed her boyfriend's handy work.

'Clark Kent to the rescue' She thought bemusedly as Lois helped her to sit on the tail end of the waiting ambulance. The paramedic busily went to work in cleaning her up and addressing the number of small cuts and barely there bruises that littered her exposed arms.

"I'm fine Lois, really" Chloe groaned, wincing as the EMT dabbed at a bleeding wound on her forehead. "There are people are here worse off than me, somebody else should –"

"Look! Up there!" A voice echoed from deep within the growing crowd and Chloe whipped around, wrenching her next as she looked skyward, as did Lois and the EMT. Chloe's eyes widened in shock and recognition as she took in the sight before her; there, on the rooftop above her was a familiar figure standing just below the horizon. His features were silhouetted by the sun but Chloe would have recognized them anywhere. The square shoulders; the strong arms, and bold jaw line and piercing eyes.

"Clark" she whispered. He turned then, angling his body as though he'd heard her and Chloe's heart fluttered in her chest as they stared at one another over the distance. "go" She said in a tone so low that she herself could barely hear it. He relented and disappeared in an instant; Leaving the crowd to gaze skyward in the vain hope that they might catch another glimpse of their savior.

The harrowing sounds of agonized screams rang through the air, followed by the staccato echo of high caliber gunfire and another wave of pained howls. Their shrill vibrato echoed off of the ornate valances that lined the walls of the sedate antechamber that served as his home office but he paid them no mind. Instead he trained his focus on the grainy black and white image that played out before him. Lex stared at the screen of his laptop computer intently, the cool headed and collected façade of unwavering control that he usually maintained had fallen, yielding to the burgeoning madness that lay dormant in the dark recesses of his mind.

His brow furrowed beyond belief, the taught flesh of his scalp was creased and wrinkled in stress. His cold eyes were half crazed and bloodshot but try as he might he was unable to close them, lest miss a portion of the disturbingly fascinating scene that was continuing to unfold. His thin lips shifted back and forth between a disgusted grimace and a twisted, maniacal smile as he watched the abject massacre continue with an almost childlike glee.

This was the seventeenth time he's watched the nearly ten minute long video clip, and he still couldn't believe what he was seeing. This was the seventeenth time he watched himself rip and tear his way through an entire squadron of what he could only assume were some of the most elite guardsmen the US military had to offer. Seventeen times he'd watched on in mindless wonder as his visage cut a bloody swath through the men. Machine gun rounds glinting harmlessly off of his impervious flesh as he continued his onslaught with reckless abandon; his jaw went slack and his stomach lurched when he gazed upon his savagely triumphant form as he ripped a man's arm free from his shoulder and then sliced his tortured pleas for mercy by setting him ablaze with but a single glance before uttering a bone chilling phrase.

"All shall kneel before Zod!" The voice echoed in his mind. It felt strange that his own voice sounded so foreign, so alien to him. It was deeper, more resonate. Laden with power and confidence in his superiority; even more disturbing was the fact that he had grown to like the sound of it. Much as he would like to let his mind wander; to let this record of his visage's monstrous acts carry him back into the depths of his subconscious in a vain search for any sign of remembrance of that fateful day there was a more pressing riddle to be solved.

He lifted the crystal brandy snifter from its resting place on the glass table top and brought it to his lips; hastily swilling down a mouthful of the aged liquor, letting its familiar burn assuage the throbbing ache in his bones. His focus renewed, Lex closed out of the video and turned his attention back to the email message from which he had received it. It had cleverly been routed through a half dozen ghost IP address from her to the far side of the Sudan, making a trace virtually impossible, even for a man with assets as far reaching as his. Even more cryptic was the message's sole line of text that read 'We Know'.

Before he could further ponder his plight, the tell tale sound of the mahogany doors to his office being thrown open followed by the clacking of heels against the parquet flooring informed him he was no longer alone. Smoothly, as to not raise suspicion he powered off his computer and softly closed the lid, taking the briefest of moments to recompose himself before languidly addressing the familiar but brutally obtrusive visitor.

"Lana" He said dryly, trying to make it sound as though he presence here could be construed as anything other than bothersome. His unintelligible barb went unnoticed as she plopped down into the overstuffed leather armchair by the fireplace and Lex stifled a wince. After all, that chair was worth more than the whole of her college tuition.

"I just can't believe they'd to this to me" She huffed, shifting her weight to and fro in a vain attempt to find a comfortable position.

"Not that I'm not happy to see you" Lex said suavely as he hauled himself out from behind his desk and breezed towards the wet bar a few feet away. "But what's wrong? You seem a little out of sorts" he said flatly, pouring himself another glass of finely aged brandy before moving to join Lana by the hearth.

"Clark" Lana spat disdainfully and Lex tightened his grip on the crystal glass in his hand, his teeth on edge.

'Of course' He snarled inwardly. "What about him" Lex questioned, somewhat unenthusiastically.

"Well apparently he and Chloe hooked up behind my back" Lana snarled, wiping away the beginnings of tears with the back of her hand as she spoke. Lex's face lit up at the revelation, and he was quick to cover his elation with yet another well structured façade.

'Had that self righteous, dim-witted bumpkin actually handed him the golden opportunity he'd been looking for?' He asked himself as he sipped from the glass in his hands. Ever since he had beguiled Lana into pursuing a relationship with himself he'd been searching for a way to drive a wedge between Lana and her relentlessly inquisitive best friend. If ever there was a thorn in his side more annoying than Clark Kent, it was Chloe Sullivan and now, thanks largely to the lummox of a farm boy, he had the perfect tool with which to sever Lana's ties to her former friends.

"Lana" Lex said softly, his tone mirroring the way he'd heard Clark say her name so many times over the years. "This is Clark and Chloe we're talking about. She's your best friend and he's your Ex. Given your history and the way you two parted ways. It's hard not to see this as the clear cut betrayal that it is?"

"You think? I mean, I know Chloe has been in love with lime for a long time.." Lana trailed, lost in her own thoughts. "But she's never acted on it, not like this. And Clark…he may not be the most forthcoming person on earth, but he's not malicious. I just don't see them going out of their way to keep this from me"

'So like her to absentmindedly defend them' Lex mused as reclined against his seat, "How did you find this out anyway?"

"I..I bumped into Clark at the Planet." Lana sighed, sinking lower into the cushions of the arm chair as she spoke. "He was there to see Chloe"

"How did he react to you?" Lex questioned.

"What do you mean?" Lana asked, slightly confused by Lex's comment.

"I mean, did he act like he had something to hide?" Lex prodded.

"Yeah, a little…I confronted him about it, and we got into an argument."Lana divulged her blood pressure spiking as she recalled the pointed bars she and Clark had exchanged over Chloe's desk.

"And what did he have to say for himself?" Lex asked, leaning forward in a display of genuine curiosity.

"Nothing." Said angrily, and Lex couldn't help but smirk in victory. "Just as we were about to get anywhere he up an disappeared on me" Lana snarled bitterly.

"I see" Lex said smugly, reclining back against his chair once more. "You question him and he leaves, not exactly new behavior for Clark now is it?"

"No, I guess not" Lana said with a dismissive sigh.

"What did Chloe have to say about all this?" Lex questioned, raising a curious eyebrow.

"She wasn't there, I haven't had a chance to talk to her" Lana said flatly.

"You should." Lex said bluntly, cranking up as much faux sympathy as his stunted emotional range would allow. "Seeing as how she's your roommate and is now dating your ex without give you so much as a cursory heads up." He said with forked tongue, a devilish glint twinkling in his dull eyes. "As you said, Clark isn't exactly known for being forthcoming, I'm sure Chloe can offer you a little more insight at the very least…" Lana turned to face him then, staring deep into his eyes for a long moment. Lex stared back equally, measuring the weight of his words as they sunk in on her. Eventually he saw the faintest glimmer of understanding dawn behind her hazel irises and he knew then that he had won. She'd swallowed the bait hook, line and sinker and now she was at his mercy.

'Maybe her intrusion wasn't such a bad thing after all' Lex mused as he took another sip from his glass. 'Let the games begin…'