Chapter 25: To the Rescue

Ever since the fight, earlier in the day, questions began to plague Clark's mind. He could not help but feel that Lex Luthor's name would somehow come up in his investigation. There were a lot of coincidences that led up to the android's first appearance. Since he knew Lex more than most people in Metropolis, he figured he would be able to find any links between him and the android; if any were to be found.

One of the biggest connections he made was that the android's body was possibly made of the same metal as the military prototype at the Lexcorp demonstration, a few days ago. He had fought both of them, and found both metals difficult to damage. That was enough to convince Clark of Lex's involvement with the android. However, there was no way of informing Lieutenant Turpin without exposing himself; and he needed more concrete evidence to present.

What he needed to do was to find a way to tie everything together. There were three events in the last few days: the prototype malfunctioning, John Corben's death, and the appearance of the android. Based on his experience, he knew Lex was tied to the android, but how did John Corben fit in all of this?

That was where Clark had to focus his investigation. The first part of his investigation was to find out what really happened to John Corben after the demonstration. For that, he looked into past newspapers for the past two days. His search did not take him long, at all. He ran into an article about a car malfunctioning out onto a busy road. The car was hit by an incoming semi truck. The victim was believed to be John Corben, who was wanted by the MPD and the MSCU. He was taken to Metropolis Central Hospital and was declared dead upon arrival.

That article was what brought Clark to the hospital. He walked up to the receptionist, who was busy filing her nails instead of her job. "May I help you?" She asked in her nasally voice.

"Yes, my name is Clark Kent of the Daily Planet. I am curious to know if a man by the name of John Corben was brought here recently."

"Are you related to the patient?" She asked dryly with a raised eyebrow.

"No, and he is not a patient. I am following up on a report that his body was brought to this hospital. Can I talk to someone who can confirm that report?"

"I'm sorry, but, unless you are a relative or with the law enforcement, we are not allowed to disclose medical information with you, especially if you are with the press."

"I understand," Clark replied. He exited out of the lobby, not willing to push the matter. If he came across as too pushy, he may inadvertently alert Lex that he was onto him. This now left him with only two options: let Lieutenant Turpin investigate his lead, or find a young hacker that could hack into the system. What it came down to was, if he wanted to handle this as Clark Kent or Superman?

As Clark Kent, he was limited in his resources. There was only so much Lieutenant Turpin would allow for a 'citizen' to assist in an investigation this big. As Superman, trying to go after Lex alone may isolate himself from the law enforcement. He wanted to have a working relationship with Lieutenant Tupin and Inspector Henderson of the MPD.

No, he had to keep a proper balance of Clark Kent and Superman in this investigation. He had to keep Turpin into the loop, which means he was going to have to get his help investigating this lead.

His attention was stolen by the distant sound of sirens echoing through the streets. Something big was happening in the city. He concentrated his hearing sense to listen to any sound that was out of the ordinary. Anything that was normal, he blanked it out of his hearing. He quickly pinpointed Lois Lane's voice crying for help.

"A super man's work is never done," Clark said to himself. He tore open his button down shirt, to reveal the giant, red 'S' on his chest.

"Release me, John! I promise you to make, whoever did this to you, to pay." Lois urged, struggling to wiggle free from the rope that had her tied to a tree.

Metallo, as he now referred to himself, brought her to the Metropolis' public park. This was the only place for people to go jogging, bicycling, and to enjoy a Sunday afternoon picnic. He made one thing perfectly clear; he wanted Superman to find him, and this place was his best chance of being found.

"I have already done that," Metallo replied. "And the name is now Metallo."

"Then what is this really about?" Lois demanded. "What do you have against Superman?"

"If it wasn't for him, this would have never happened to me," he snarled. "I can no longer enjoy the simplest of pleasures that people like you take for granted. I can never again experience the delightful taste of pizza, or a cool refreshing bottle of beer."

"I'm sorry; John, but you can sell your sob story to some other sucker. You brought this all on yourself. Your actions got you fired from the Daily Planet. Your actions at the demonstration got you into this mess. Be a man, for once, and take responsibility for your actions."

Metallo roared as he charged at her with the back of his right hand raised, ready to deliver a life-ending slap. At the very last second, he regained his posture, and held back. "I have decided to let you live, but keep this up, and I may just change my mind."

Metallo turned to walk away just in time to have a fist come smashing into his chest, sending him sailing and crashing into another tree. With the blink of an eye, Superman was standing in front of Lois, and had already untied her. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, but be careful, Superman; he's up to something."

"I will be careful. You do the same, and head for safety; this is about to become a war zone."" He doubted that she was going to take his advice, but he had to say something, anyway.

As she took off to a safe distance, Metallo was, already, back on his feet. "I knew you would answer my call, Superman. You're too predictable."

That confirmed it for him. Superman was now convinced that 'Metallo' was more than just an android. This, somehow, also made him more confident in his lead about the death of John Corben; now, if he could only make the connection. "You wanted my attention? Well, now you have it. I will not allow you to terrorize these people anymore."

"Terrorize these people?" Metallo laughed. "These people terrorized me. You have terrorized me!"

"I am sorry, but I do not understand," Superman replied, hoping that he was on the verge of getting the missing piece of the puzzle.

"Do you think I used to look like this? Do you, really, think that I am an invention of some mad scientist? What was your reaction when you first saw me? You thought I was some mindless android or monster," Metallo said angrily. "I used to be normal until my accident. I used to have a life of my own until it was all stolen from me!"

Superman's eyes revealed the horrific revelation that had just come to him. This was the missing connection that he had been seeking out. "Mr. John Corben?"

"Maybe once," Metallo said solemnly. "But he died at the wreck, and Metallo was born."

"I am so sorry, Mr. Corben." Superman said, refusing to use his new name. Perhaps there was a way to talk him down instead of resorting to violence. "Who did this to you? Was it Lex Luthor?"

Metallo laughed mockingly. "No, but I would not be surprised if he had a hand in it. I already dealt with the man responsible for this."

"Who, Mr. Corben. What is his name?"

"It doesn't matter anymore, now does it? He's dead and gone; and the same is about to be said of you."

"We do not have to do this, Mr. Corben. Tell me who did this, and maybe we can find a way to undo this mess, and give you your life back."

"Stop calling me that!" Metallo charged at him like an angry bull. He delivered a punch across the face. Hoping to have stunned his opponent, he went for a second punch, this time towards the gut.

Although he definitely felt the punch, it was not enough to keep Superman from blocking the attack to his gut. He caught Metallo's fist in the palm of his left hand. Superman pulled him closer with so much force, he could not fight back. He was pulled forward, straight into a punch into the face. Metallo flew backwards a few feet before taking a few skips on his back; much in the same way as a smooth stone skips across a pond. When his body stopped skidding, his body dug into the ground, creating a small crater.

This battle was just getting started, and it was not going to be long before people heard the commotion and swarmed around them. Lois, as he suspected, was watching from a safe distance, and he knew it was only a matter of time before she would be made a tool against him. He had to eliminate any chance of that happening.

Not giving Metallo any chance to recoup from the attack, Superman ran over to him and grabbed him by the ankle. Holding tightly, he began to spin Metallo around and around, picking up enough speed to, almost, match that of a helicopter propeller. When he was ready, he released him straight up into the air. Metallo's scream could be heard as he flew high up off the ground.

Superman shot up after him like a speeding missile. Just as Metallo began his descent downward, he came plowing into his gut like with both of his fists. He pushed him over the city of Metropolis. Just outside the city, a nice patch of wooded area began. That would be the perfect place to take this fight without putting anyone in danger.

He slowed down his speed just a smidge, to give him the room to be able to punch him down to the ground. Metallo fell like a meteorite hitting the ground, throwing up a dust cloud around the impact area.

Superman hovered down slowly, intentionally allowing Metallo time to recover. He had no intentions of decapitating John Corben, now known as Metallo; he was a man who was sick and needed help. "Last chance; let me get you some help. It does not have to be like this."

From the dust cloud, Metallo let out an uncontrollable laugh. "Oh, it certainly does. It's time you be brought down to size."

A green glowing light emanated from the dust cloud; and immediately, a wave of nausea swept over the Man of Steel. His legs wobbled, as he felt weak. Walking out of the dust cloud was Metallo, but his chest plate was swung open, revealing a green rock of Kryptonite.

"Kryptonite?" Superman uttered, fighting his body to remain standing.

"So that is what this wonderful little rock is called."

Metallo plugged Superman in the mouth, and in his weakened condition, he let out a moan as he hit the ground. "Look at yourself now? You're just a pathetic as everyone else."

Superman rolled onto his stomach, before he noticed a strange wet sensation where he had been punched. He used his fingers on his right hand to dab his lip to find blood on the tips of his fingers.

"I bet this is the first time you saw your own blood," Metallo laughed as he followed up with a kick to his ribs.

Letting out a yelp, Superman's cringed in pain. His skin had become pale, on the way of becoming a deathly gray color. His blue veins could almost be seen through his skin. He had to find a way to put some distance between himself and the kryptonite. It was the only way he would survive.

It took every inch of his remaining strength to crawl on his belly, away from Metallo. He knew the attempt was futile; he was going to need a miracle to get out of this mess.

His attempt to escape was laughable to Metallo. It was like watching a worm trying to crawl away from an attacking bird of prey. He looked at the pathetic looking excuse of a hero who was defenseless. As Superman reached out and grabbed the earth with his right hand, Metallo stomped as hard as he could on his fingers.

His scream could be heard for miles away. Severe pain coursed through his entire hand. He raised it up to see four of his fingers swollen and slightly twisted.

"What are you trying to do; escape?" Metallo mocked. "You cannot escape what is coming to you, not this time." He grabbed a handful of his hair and pulled his head back. He came down on his nose and mouth before throwing his face back into the dirt.

Groaning in pain, he clumsily lifted his head out of the dirt, blood spewing out of his nose. He spat out the blood that was building in his mouth from his lips.

Metallo reached down and grabbed Superman by the collar. He yanked him off the ground, and raised him over his head. "You're time on this planet is over!" He threw him into the trunk of one of the thickest trees he could find.

Superman hit the trunk with his stomach, nearly killing him by suffocation. He gasped, desperately seeking for enough breath to stay alive. He laid there helpless as Metallo approached him. "With that, have a nice trip to the afterlife." He knelt down with a raised fist. The last thing Superman saw was Metallo's fist coming down on him, before darkness overtook him.