Chapter Ten: Timelines
September 20, 2007
Clark could hear screaming in the distance. It sounded like it was coming from miles and miles away. It took him a few moments to realize that he was the one that was screaming. He opened his eyes and realized that he was covered in sweat. He looked around with his eyes wide in panic. He found that Matthew Ryder was still standing next to him. The light that engulfed his body was fading as he began to take on a more human appearance. The forest surrounded them, still and quiet. The sun was bright over their heads.
"Kal-El?" Ryder said. "Are you quite alright?"
"No," Clark said. "What the hell did you do to me?"
"I told you what my intentions were," Ryder said. "I'm glimpsing your future."
"That was my future?" Clark asked. "I fall in love with Lois Lane and then have to watch her die?"
"Perhaps," Ryder said. "Perhaps not."
Clark stared at him and then began to back away. "You stay away from me! I don't want any part of this anymore!"
"You are frightened," Ryder said. "That is okay."
"It's not okay," Clark said. "I've never experienced anything like that. It wasn't like I was just watching what was happening. It was almost like I was really there. I was actually living out what was going on. I really was Superman."
"And you will be, Clark," Ryder said. "There are billions of possible paths that your life could take from this point. Most of them lead to that costume and the name of Superman."
"What do you mean?" Clark said. "There are billions of paths?"
"Time is not a physical substance, Clark," Ryder explained. "I could touch you now and look at your future starting from the same point and see something completely different. Three days from now you may meet someone that could change your future entirely. I can only see what your future is from this very moment. It could change. And it will change."
"Well, if you're so sure that my future is going to be different from what you're seeing, then how will you know if I become this Monarch that you told me about?"
"Because I come from Monarch's time," Ryder answered. "When I touched you, our timelines touched. Therefore, if you become Monarch in any timeline, I will be able to see it. Now, I must finish my observation."
Ryder reached out to lay his hand on his chest and Clark backed away from him. Ryder looked at him in surprise.
"I don't want to go back," Clark said.
"Kal-El," Ryder said. "This is necessary."
"I don't care," Clark said. "What you're doing is messing with my head. I was really experiencing what was happening. And I really felt sad when Lois died. I don't want to go back and watch Lex kill all of my friends."
"I have to see your future, Clark," Ryder said. "I must get end Monarch's rule in my time. This is the only way."
"You'll have to find another way," Clark said. With that, Clark disappeared as he took off in a full run back toward Smallville. The wind blew fiercely in Ryder's face in his wake.
"Blast you, Kal-El," he mumbled. He transformed instantly into Waverider and burst into speed. What Clark did not know was that while he was able to run an almost the speed of sound, his opponent was able to run faster than the speed of light. Waverider passed him so fast that Clark never even saw him. He got ahead of him by miles and stopped, waiting for him.
When Clark finally caught up to him, Waverider saw him coming like a normal person would see a slug inching along the ground. He held his hands up toward the sky and a ball of energy formed in between them. A charge crackled in the air as tiny fingers of electricity reached out into the air. He threw his arms down and the ball sailed forward, striking Clark directly in the chest and dispersing itself throughout his body.
Clark was stunned. The shock of the energy that coursed through him was so strong that his mind went completely numb. The force of the blow sent him flying into the air. He came back down nearly a mile away, crashing into a large oak tree and sending splinters of wood everywhere. Waverider was already there and waiting for him. He held his hand out toward him and Clark lost all feeling in his arms and legs. He felt himself rise up off of the ground. When he looked down he found that he was hanging upside down nearly thirty feet in the air. Waverider was below him. He could not see the expression on his light covered face, but he could hear the aggravation in his voice as it echoed inside his own head.
"I will not chase you down like a schoolyard bully, Kal-El," Waverider said. "I must determine if you are to become Monarch. My world depends on it."
"You can't just invade my mind if I won't allow it," Clark said.
"As powerful as you are," Waverider replied, "there will always be someone who is stronger. If you turned out to be Monarch, how did you think that I would execute you? My human form is no match for you and I cannot fight you in a form of pure energy."
"I hadn't thought about it," Clark said.
"I would have to kill your mind, Kal-El," he said. "And he who has power over your mind has power over you. I will finish my observation."
Clark nodded. "I guess I have no choice," he said.
"Not if you want to live," Waverider responded.
Clark nodded. "Let me down, Ryder. I'll cooperate with you."
Slowly Clark lowered back down to the ground. When he could feel his body again, he got up and turned to the other man.
"It will not be much longer," Waverider said. "I think that you are at a crossroads now. You have just lost the love of your life. And your own life is in danger. If you are to become Monarch in the future, we will know about it shortly."
Clark nodded as Waverider glided forward and reached out to him. He placed his hand on his chest again and Clark was engulfed in the energy that surrounded the other man. He felt a jolt go through his body and he felt the other man's being enter his own mind. They joined together and journeyed once again into Clark's future.
End of chapter ten.
Note:
This is an extremely short chapter, I know. But I wanted to show the effect that all of this was having on Clark as he's watching it unfold. He would do anything to stop it. But it is no use. Waverider is so powerful that he's going to observe Clark's future whether he wants him to or not.
Anyway, there are only about two chapters left in this fic. Hopefully chapter eleven will be along in a day or two.
Thanks,
Kal-El2K7