A/N: since I haven't updated in 2007 yet: Happy New Year, everyone:)
Again, I'm not sure whose review (on chapter 8) I've replied to and whose I haven't, so… thanks to: Alphie, bluecatdevil, Jedi X-man Serena Kenobi, atlantiandragoness, Rongo, G.A. Clive, blightedmetal, septempopuli, mistressbabette51, Saavikam77, sg07, The Kiss of Death, rajen48, Catherine, dragon-warlord
Chapter 9
The Fall of a Hero
Clark couldn't help gaping at the child who had just called him 'father'. Little Jason was staring at him, his huge, blue eyes radiating warmth and a bit of anxiety.
So, Clark thought, that's why Lois had been so reluctant to talk about his sexual life… Because it had been her he'd been involved with. That's why she'd looked so embarrassed when he'd questioned her about this particular topic… that's why she'd looked uneasy whenever she talked about their 'friendship'. And that's how Jason had managed to throw a piano. Now he understood why Lois had been so upset when he'd mentioned telling Richard about the piano-incident.
Clark swallowed the lump in his throat and looked at the woman. "So we've been 'just friends', Lois?"
She seemed to cringe under his penetrating glance. "I… I'm sorry, Clark. You didn't remember a thing, and I didn't want to burden you with…"
"Burden me with my child?" he asked simply, but there was more pain and accusation in his voice than she could bear.
"Don't you dare blame me," she hissed, completely forgetting about the fact that they weren't alone. "You left for five years, and I was alone, pregnant, and desperate, and it's me, and only me who has a right to accuse you of anything!"
Clark blinked, for a moment forgetting about the 'spectators' around, and even about the fatigue he felt due to the Kryptonite. "Heavens, Lois…" he croaked, "if I had known…"
Tears welled up in her eyes. "But you didn't know."
"Why did you leave Mommy alone?" Jason spoke up. "And how does someone get pregnant?"
"Shush, Jason," Martha said gently.
"No, no, don't shut the kid up," Luthor spoke up, his voice dripping with malice. "Let him know everything. Your father, kid, used to be your mother's lover. Do you know what 'lover' means?"
Jason shook his head.
"It means-"
"Stop it, Luthor," Lois hissed. "He's just five, he wouldn't understand."
"Oh, what wouldn't he understand?" Luthor smiled cruelly. "That his father kissed and touched you in ways that his daddy does? That his mother is a whore who apparently fled into poor Richard White's arms as soon as her idol Superman left? That his father had only wanted his mother until she bedded him?"
"That's not true!" Clark snapped, then fell silent, as if surprised by his own outburst. He glanced at Lois. "Is it?"
"I hope it isn't," she replied.
"What is a whore?" Jason enquired.
Luthor opened his mouth to answer, but Clark, despite his weakness, stepped closer to him with a menacing look. "Don't you dare. Leave Jason out of this. Lois and my mother too. It's me you want, isn't it?"
The bald man treated his captive to a cold smile. "More or less, yes. But see, as long as I have them in my power, I can make you do things… Blackmail has always been the best weapon in my evilness-arsenal. There's nothing you cannot reach with blackmail. Besides, it's not true that you're the only one I want. Earlier I only wanted to kill Superman. But now, I want to kill both Supermen. You, and the kid."
Jason sucked in his breath and his grandmother closed him in her arms from behind.
Clark glanced at Lois, who was as white as a sheet, and for the first time in his life, he too realised what it meant to be a parent. His heart filled with worry for his son, even though he'd only known him to be his son for a couple of minutes. He didn't even remember his relationship with Lois, but he did remember the strange feelings that the woman had started to wake in him in the past few days. Could it mean he was falling in love with her – again? After all, he must have loved her before… Even though he didn't remember his past, he was sure he wasn't the type to seduce a woman then dump her. It just felt wrong. Then again, unwittingly getting Lois pregnant and leaving her felt equally wrong. What that poor woman must have gone through because of him!
"Let Jason live," he told his captor, his voice almost beseeching. "Do with me whatever you want, but let him live."
Luthor presented him with an almost fatherly smile. "All right, Superman. I give you all a sporting chance. As long as you live, the kid lives. And I'm telling you, it won't be easy. Day after day you will more and more yearn for death, but if you want your son to live, you will have to keep going… no matter how much you're suffering. And you will be suffering, Superman, I guarantee you that."
Slowly, Clark nodded. "What about Lois and my mother?"
The bald man shrugged. "Our bargain doesn't concern them. They are going to be used for our… entertainment."
Clark stiffened, and his eyes widened with horror. Surely this horrible man wasn't meaning that…?
"Don't worry, Superman," Luthor said with a sneer. "I didn't mean it that way. None of my men would want an old spinster or a slut dirtied by an alien's touch. But why am I explaining things here? Come, see for yourself." He waved at his men who grabbed Clark, Lois, Martha and Jason and began pushing them towards a double-winged door that was decorated with chips of Kryptonite arranged into flower patterns.
"Lovely, isn't it?" Luthor asked his 'guests' as one of his gorillas opened the door and the others tossed the captives inside. Luthor and Kitty were the last ones to enter.
At first the room was completely dark, but as the lights were switched on, Clark realised in the blink of an eye that they were in a huge room that strangely resembled a gym. It was full of wall-bars, climbing ropes, high bars and various kinds of objects one uses in a P.E. lesson. The only exception was that almost everything in here was embedded with, covered by or made of Kryptonite.
Clark had been happy that so far he'd managed to fight the green crystal's detrimental effects with only stumbling here and there a bit, but as soon as he entered the gym where possibly everything was made of Kryptonite, he felt his stomach lurch. The next moment he was on all fours, retching. Since he hadn't eaten anything for almost a day, all that came up was bile.
Jason, he thought desperately, glancing at the little boy, who was looking at him with a scared expression. As blue eyes met blue eyes, the little boy shuddered as though awoken from a trance, and began to gasp for breath. "Mommy, Mommy, I… can't…"
"Jason!" Lois, forgetting about the violently sick Superman, ran to her son. "Are you all right, honey?"
Jason shook his head.
"Get him out of here!" Lois shouted. "This room is killing him, don't you see?"
Luthor stared down at the woman. "He's going to die sooner or later, Miss Lane. But all right, let me show you my merciful side." He glanced at two of his henchmen. "Take the boy to his room. What's going to happen here isn't something a child should see, anyway."
Clark, his chest heaving, watched as the gorillas guided his son out of the room. As soon as the double-winged door clicked shut, Luthor turned back to him. "Well, then, Superman, let the fun begin."
o O o
In his room, Jason dropped himself on the bed and panted heavily until the musclemen left him alone. As the door closed behind them, he sat up. This was the first time he'd faked an asthma attack. It wasn't even that hard. He felt a little embarrassed about it, though. It was lying, after all, and Mommy had always taught him not to lie. But Granny had told him it was essential that he keep it a secret that the evil green crystal wasn't affecting him. Or was it?
Jason sat on the bed, thinking. Three kinds of emotions were churning in his soul – one of them was guilt over having faked sickness. The second one was worry about Mr. Clark. Father, he corrected himself. The third feeling was surprise. Although he didn't understand much about genetics, he assumed that being Superman's son, he was supposed to be feeling sick when there was Kryptonite in the vicinity. But he wasn't. Actually, he was feeling perfectly healthy. Healthier than ever before. That short visit to the gym had somehow energized him. He felt he was practically bursting with energy, and if he wanted, he could make the wall of his room tumble by a single kick. But he was wary of trying it. What if it didn't work? Besides, Granny had told him to keep the fact that his abilities were unaffected, a secret. And if he made sizable holes in the brick wall, it would no longer be a secret.
So, suppressing his energies, he leaned back on the bed, and stared into the darkness. Funnily, the darkness wasn't even dark. Yes, the sun had set outside and the room was fairly dark with the lights switched off, but Jason saw everything just all right. Not only the silhouettes of the various pieces of furniture, but even the tiny Kryptonite-toys on the shelves. He saw everything in great detail. With a sudden thought, he turned on his side and focused on a certain double-winged door on the other end of the corridor. He saw through the walls and the double-winged door without even trying. And in that moment he wished he hadn't. Tears welled up in his eyes, and he forced himself to look away. "Father…" he whispered as the tears found their way down his cheek.
Sniffing, he rolled onto his back, defiantly staring up at the ceiling and seeing the starry sky above. "Dear God," he whispered, "I haven't asked many things of you yet, but just this once, I have to. Don't let Father die. Please."
o O o
"Well, Superman, can you guess what my wonderful interior decorators have built for you?" Lex asked in a derisive tone that made Kitty shudder.
Superman, who was still on all fours, looked up at his captor. "A gym, obviously," he said through gritted teeth.
"Yes, very perceptive, a gym, indeed," said Lex with a cruel smile. "A gym, just for you. We have seen amazing acrobatics from you, Superman, and we've become your fans. We're dying to see some of your wonderful stunts again, so, will you entertain us a bit? Do it for us, o everyone's idol!" He clasped his hands in a mockery of praying. "And if not for us, then do it for Miss Lane and Mrs. Kent, who are both going to suffer if you fail to satisfy your admirers."
Kitty saw Superman's eyes flash with anger and she felt a shiver run down her spine.
"All right," Superman said, and even though it took him great effort, he stood up. "What shall I do?"
"Clark, no!" Martha and Lois said in unison, as if they had been reading each other's mind. But probably they had both just listened to their heart and their heart had whispered them the same thing: that Superman would die if he agreed to this madness. Both women loved him; that much was clear for Kitty. And she had to admit it to herself that she could fully understand them.
"Clark no, or Clark yes?" Lex asked, folding his arms. "What do you say, Clark? They are in your hands. You can go through this little series of obstacles and get a little bruised… or you can refuse… but then I can assure you that your mother and lover will have the same amount of bruises that you would have gotten if you'd volunteered to exhibit your unearthly talents. Choose."
"Clark…" Martha whimpered, wringing her hands.
Superman sent the two most important women in his life a gentle smile. A smile that made Kitty wonder how someone who was suffering so much could look so peaceful. Even as weak as he was, he looked regal. His eyes sending a silent 'don't worry about me' to Lois and his mother, he began walking towards wall-bars. His steps were shaky, as all objects in the gym were emanating a deadly radiation, but they seemed deliberate.
Kitty thought she'd heard him suck in his breath as his hands made contact with the Kryptonite bars of the wall-bars. He squeezed his eyes shut, gritted his teeth, and began to climb.
His strength evaporated in seconds, so the climb took him at least two minutes. By the time he reached the top of the wall-bars, his palms were covered with blisters and Kitty even saw droplets of blood running down his fingers and soaking the floor beneath him. When Superman reached the top and stepped onto the high bar that ran parallel to the floor at an altitude of nine feet, Kitty realised that he wasn't the only one in the room bleeding. She had dug her fingernails into her palms so hard that they started to bleed.
She cast a sideways glance at Lois to see tears glistening in her eyes, and Kitty felt that she herself was close to weeping. But she held her tears at bay. She'd cried for him once before when Lex and his thugs had beaten him up on New Krypton. She didn't want to cry for him again. He was a superhero, after all. A superhero, who, even in great pain, managed to look confident.
Now he was balancing on the high bar, taking shaky steps forward. The high bar was a really nasty idea of Lex's, Kitty decided. Superman couldn't even walk properly on solid ground, let alone on a thin piece of rod! And if he fell, his ability to fly wouldn't be there to help him. At the moment he was completely deprived of his powers, and weaker than any mortal. At the moment he, too, looked mortal… a mortal, who still gave the impression of a deity. Even with his contorted-with-pain expression, he was beautiful. Kitty was so mesmerised by staring at him that at first she didn't even realise what happened.
In the blink of an eye, the deity-turned-mortal lost balance and fell. In his fall he crushed into the bar itself that grazed his chest, tearing his shirt, then he ended up on the floor, unconscious.
Lois and Martha hurried to him, and Lex's men didn't even try to hold them back.
"Well, well, well, Superman," Lex said coldly, "this wasn't your best performance. Perhaps next time you'll do better." He turned to his gorillas. "Take him to his room."
"May I go with him?" Martha asked, though Kitty could tell that the old woman wasn't really hoping for a positive reply.
"You're getting your own little cell, Mrs. Kent," Lex said. "And Miss Lane too. Be thankful for them, both of you. What you're getting is much better than what he's getting."
Kitty gulped. She was aware what kind of 'room' awaited Superman. Edmond Dantes' cell in the Chateu d'If was a luxury apartment compared to that.
Feeling that her mouth had gone as dry as a parchment, she watched as two of Lex's men carried Superman out of the gym. The fact that the two men were puffing loudly and their faces had turned red with the effort of carrying the tall and muscled invalid, made a little smile appear on Kitty's face. She just hoped they wouldn't drop the poor man. One fall a day was enough for him.
Kitty's eyes met Martha's, and she had the impression that Martha was scrutinising her in a curious way, as if those old eyes were asking her silently 'what is a compassionate girl like you doing with a man like Luthor?' And in all honesty, Kitty no longer knew the answer.
o O o
After a few minutes of not looking, Jason chanced another glance at Superman's struggle. The man was teetering on a thin rod, his arms stretched out to both sides to help him keep his balance. Blood was constantly dripping from his palms and his face was a mask of sheer torment. He'd only seen such suffering in movies, and not even in many movies, because his mother never let him watch anything that might be dangerous to his emotional development. Now, as he watched his father, he couldn't help thinking that his father's expression was a lot like Luke Skywalker's at the end of Return of the Jedi, when Emperor Palpatine was trying to fry him with the lightning bolts. Jason was a true Star Wars fan, but he had always hated that particular scene, because it was so scary.
Then it happened. Superman slipped and fell.
"Father!" Jason gasped, and before he knew what he was doing, before he'd remembered that he was looking at the 'torture chamber scene' through several brick walls, he'd jumped up from the bed and ran at the wall.
"Ouch…" he whimpered, massaging his nose and looking around. What happened? Apparently, he was lying on the floor, and there was a sizeable dent in the brick wall. Had he done it? "I'm in trouble…" he muttered, then remembered that his father was in much bigger trouble. He quickly looked back in the direction of the gym to see the developments. Two people were lifting Superman with great difficulty, and Superman looked as though he'd fainted. With Jason's enhanced vision, he felt as if he were there, next to the unconscious man and could almost touch him…
"Father…" he whispered, but his hands only grasped thin air. Sniffing, he looked around. He needed to find something to hide the dent in the wall. There was a smaller wardrobe in a corner. Jason examined the wardrobe. Could he do it? So far his strength had only manifested when he'd been upset.
Okay, Jason, you're Superman's son. You can do it, he told himself and gently pushed the wardrobe.
o O o
Clark thought that his head had never hurt so much. Groaning, he rubbed his forehead, willing the pain to go away, but it just wouldn't.
"Don't move," a female voice said.
Clark opened his eyes to see a dark-haired woman smiling down at him. He looked around and established that he was in a dark room illuminated by one single candle, and that he was lying on a thin and uncomfortable object that might easily have been a sack of straw.
Frowning, he looked down on his body to see that his shirt was open.
"Don't move your head," the woman repeated. "You fell and hit it badly." She realised what he was looking at. "You got a nasty wound on your chest too."
"And you put some kind of ointment on it," he observed.
"Don't worry, as soon as it dries, it won't be noticeable," she replied. "It won't smell either, so Lex won't find out."
He lifted his hands and looked at his palms. They were all blistered, but glistened with the same ointment she had applied to his chest. Knitting his eyebrows, he looked into her eyes. "Why, Katherine?"
She nearly dropped the tiny bottle she was holding. "You… know my name?"
"Yeah, you told me when I saved you from the car that…" his voice trailed off. "Heavens… I remember."
o O o
A/N: push that little lilac button and submit a review! You know you want to… ;)
