Part 29
Star City
Watchtower
Roof
Clark stood on the roof of Watchtower looking over the city as the sun began to set and night would soon arrive, reminding him that morning would follow after and a new day will have begun. Only that when that day begins something will be missing from the morning before. It wont be there like it was before and never would be again.
He had heard of casualties of war, but had never really understood it until now. Not until it was staring him right in the face forcing him to make the ultimate choice. He let out a heavy sigh watching as she sun set and the sky turned darker, he watched as the stars and the moon began to glow brightly. It truly was a beautiful sight. It was what he needed at this exact moment after a difficult and troubling day, a day he would never be able to forget. It would remain with him always.
"I hope that you have found peace," he spoke softly staring into the stars as if he were searching for something, searching for some sign to tell him that everything was going to be fine. "...that is all I have ever wanted." His eyes then filled with tears and he lowered his head knowing that no one was coming to tell him that everything was going to be all right. "Why'd you make me do it? Why couldn't you have just listened?"
Hours Earlier...
Outside of Star City near the mountains
Warehouse
"Remember, for now this is just a conversation," announced Clark to both Bart and Andrea as they ran below him and he flew above. "Not a fight." The last thing he wanted was anymore altercations/ Things were bad enough between him and Oliver, they didn't need for things to get any worse than they already were. He hoped to work things out with Oliver and bring him around to his way of thinking. He would love nothing more than to have his friend, by his side.
Victor had managed to track Oliver whereabouts just outside of Star City to an abandoned warehouse located deep in the mountains. Oliver had no other choice but to leave his home after the secret had gotten out that he had never turned Winslow Schotts in to the proper authorities several years ago after he had learned that his former employee was building toys with bombs inside them. Clark had not wanted to do it, but Oliver had given no choice and in truth there was a part of him that blamed Oliver for what had happened and wanted him to pay in some way for what happened to Metropolis, ….to what happened to Lois. ...But even then at the end of the day he couldn't deny that he didn't still care about him. Oliver had been like a brother to him and if there was any way of saving that bond he was going to try.
"We're brings a lot of big guns for a conversation," answered Bart who was still getting used to the new boost in power. It was unbelievable what he was feeling, but then what he was feeling in power did not even come close to what it felt like watching Mitchell take his first steps. The pill had worked and everyday the young man was getting stronger. It wouldn't be long before the young man would be out in the streets helping people who were in trouble and keeping the peace.
"It's just as a percussion Bart," answered Andrea as she ran along side of him having no problem keeping up with his quick speed. "He'll be expecting us. And after we told the world about his prior relationship with Winslow Schotts, Oliver Queen in not going to be a happy camper."
"Oliver has never striked me as the camping type," answered Bart as they all came to a stop in front of a large building with boarded up windows and a secretive camera locked on them. He took another step forward that released a glowing green force field around the building. "Well, he sure didn't waste any time," Bart noted watching as Clark took several steps away from the kyrptonite force field. "You okay over there stretch?"
"I'm fine," answered Clark as he took a deep breath feeling the effects of the kyrptonite wear off. He should have known that Oliver would have come prepared.
"You stay here," announced Andrea. "I'll see if I can break through the force-field." She knew the last thing they needed right now was for Clark to be out of commission.
"No need," answered Clark as he breathing turned back to normal and the tingling pain withered away. "He's coming."
Clark could here Oliver coming towards them, within moments they watched as the door to the warehouse open and out walked Oliver in full Green Arrow gear. He then approached the force field where an open appeared allowing him to walk on through, once through the opening closed back up. "You have a lot of nerve showing up!" they heard Oliver angrily exclaim. "Of all the things you have done since we lost Metropolis, I never would have suspected this from you Clark. You took my life..." Oliver knew there was no way he could ever go home again. He could never go back to the life he had built for himself. He would always be on the run.
"You took mine first!" exclaimed Clark. "When you cared more about your company than peoples lives."
Oliver knew Clark had every right to be angry at him. There has not been a day that has gone by that he hasn't wished he could take things back. That he didn't wish he could have done things differently. "And I'll have to live with that mistake for the rest of my life." His eyes fell onto Clark just hoping he could reach his old friend and somehow make things right, but he was beginning to have doubts that there was any chance of fixing things between them. Too much had happened. Too much had been lost. "Clark, how many times do I have to say I'm sorry." He stepped forward pleading his heart out. "If I could trade my life for hers, I would...I would trade my life for all of theirs."
"Enough of the poor Oliver Queen, whoa is me act!" exclaimed Andrea angrily not wanting to hear another word that came out of his mouth. She has had about enough of Olivers attitude and would like nothing more than for him to leave them the hell alone and stay out of their business. All he was doing was confusing Clark and making matters worse. "Now where is Kara!"
"I don't know..." answered Oliver crossing his arms against his chest. He didn't know what it was but there was just something about Andrea that he really did not like, something about her that he didn't trust. He didn't like how she was able to swoop on in and become Clarks right hand and new best friend. What was it about her that Clark trusted so much? Was it because Clark felt like he and Andrea had something in common or was it something else? Something he wasn't seeing?
"And would you tell us if you did know?" asked Andrea sternly, her eyes narrowed in on Oliver as if she could see right through him to his very soul.
"What do you think?" answered Oliver with an angry tone. His eyes then fell onto Bart he shook his head. "You know Bart of all people, I would have thought you wouldn't be so quick to trust someone you barely know." Oliver feared that Clark may be too lost in his grief and anger for him to get through, but just maybe there was still a chance for him to get through to Bart. "There's something not right here. Something, not right with her..."
For a moment it seemed that Bart was almost considering what Oliver was saying, but then Andrea stepped in front of him so that Oliver and her were face to face. She didn't even give him a chance to say anything to Oliver as she was already speaking her mind of what she thought of his proclamation. "Oliver, I know you're too conceited to accept that we're working in the worlds best interest..."
"...More like your interest!" exclaimed Oliver as he got into her face not caring that she could very well break every bone in his body if she so wanted to. "Because the Clark I know, would have never done anything like this." He looked her hard in the eyes as if he were searching for something, anything to tell him that something was not right with her. "You did something to him."
"The only thing I did was listen to him about what he wants for this world," answered Andrea. "And if you or anyone from your team acts against us, we will respond with force." She didn't care who they were no one would get in their way.
Oliver could see there would be no getting through to Clark, not with her around. He sighed heavily as he turned around and started back towards the warehouse, but one voice forced him to turn around. "Hey!" he heard Clark shout out to him. "Oliver, were trying to talk to you!"
Oliver stopped and looked over his shoulder his eyes falling onto Clark. "No Clark, you stopped talking ever since you brought her into the picture. Now all you do is act and use fear to get your way..." He licked his lips and gave his old friend a faint smile. "...For what it's worth, I'm happy that you found your full purpose in the world, I'm just sorry that I can't ….I wont be part of it." Oliver then opened an entrance in the force-field for him to get through to get back into the warehouse. There was nothing more he could say to Clark. He had say all he could.
"You can't walk away from us Oliver!" he heard Bart shout out to him.
"I'm not the one whose walked away!" announced Oliver just before the force field closed back around him.
"That does it!" exclaimed Bart as he ran at super speed at the force field dome and began running circles around it hoping that his new and improved super-speed would be able to deactivate the force field. It seemed to be working as the force field began to flicker, but just before it shimmered away a flash of red and blue came flying towards Bart and knocked him several feet away.
Kara dropped down to Bart who was lying unconscious, she sighed heavy and xrayed him for broken bones. The super pills seemed to have worked as she found to broken bones, she was thankful for that. She would never have been able to forgive herself if she had serious hurt Bart. She didn't want to hurt anyone, but things had gotten out of hand and she had to try to set things right. "I'm sorry Bart, but I need you out of the way to keep you safe. It's for your own good," she told him watching as he went in and out of consciousness. Without another word she was gone in a flash to confront both Clark and Andrea.
Clark and Andrea were just about to enter the warehouse that Oliver had retreated too, Andrea's hand reached for the door handle that she planned on ripping off with her strength when Kara flew down and kicked her hard in the head sending Andrea crashing backwards towards a bunch of mountains. Kara then flew down and her eyes meant with Clark, her cousin who she loved more than anything and would do anything for.
"Kara.." announced Clark.
"Clark..." said Kara using his earth name for the first time in months. She loved his name Kal, in a way she had been the one to name him, but she felt that by no longer going by Clark Kent his earth name, he was forgetting who he was and everything he was ever taught.
"Was that really necessary?"
"Both Bart and Andrea will be fine," she answered. "I needed to talk to you alone with no interruption."
"You could have called," he replied.
"You haven't exactly been the easiest person to get a hold of lately, especially with a certain someone having themselves wrapped around your arm."
"It's not like that," answered Clark wanting to make it perfectly clear. "There is nothing going on, ….unlike Oliver and you." He looked Kara hard in the eyes he couldn't begin to understand why she was doing this to him. How could she have turned her back on him? If she was having doubts why couldn't she have dome to him? "Why are working with him? Why have you turned against me?"
"I would never turn against you Clark, you're my family, my home," she exclaimed with tears streaming down her face. "I'm just afraid..."
"Of what?" What could she possibly be afraid of? He was creating a world where no one had to be afraid, a safer place for everyone.
With a deep and heavy breath she finally found the courage to tell him what she had been fearing ever since that day he made his first declaration to the world. When everything changed. "...of what you're becoming."
"And what is that?" he asked not liking where this was going.
"It's better, if I show you!" announced Kara as she pulled a pendant from her pocket with a symbol that Clark recognized right away. He had found one years ago that had belong to Jor-El his father, a memory pendant. He had seen many of Jor-El memories of his first time on earth. "I need you to feel something..." She then took his hand and placed the memory pendant in it and then wrapped her hand around his hand... And the memories came...
"What is this...?"
He saw what looked liked armed soldiers busting down doors and dragging people out of their homes... The people were scared and couldn't under what was happening. There war fire everywhere... People being shot in the streets.
"This is what it feel like... When your home is overrun... When sides have become divided. ….When you forget who you are... When the weak are dominated by those who are stronger... This is what it feels like to be ruled..."
….Children crying in the streets, but no one coming to their aid. ...Families being torn apart, separated forever.
"This is what it felt like for Jor-El, to be helpless as Krypton died..."
Clark then sees Lois dying in his arms...
"You know this feeling... You know what it feel like for your whole world to die..."
Clark was stunned. Was Kara right, was he going too far? Had he crossed a line? All he ever wanted to do was use his powers to help people, to keep those he loves safe. Is this what Lois would want him to do? Is this what she died for?
"GET AWAY FROM HIM!" shouted Andrea as she pulled Kara away from Clark breaking him free from any hold Kara may have had on him. Andrea wasted no time and restrained Kara in a locking hold with an overpowering strength.
Kara struggled to get free from Andrea's hold on her, she could only assume that Andrea had enhanced her powers by taking one of the super pills. She looked to Clark hoping that he would say something anything to stop this, but he remained unmoving just watching as if he were somewhere else. What the hell was happening? "Clark what are you doing?" she cried begging him to snap out of it. "You're my family. Why are you letting her do this?"
"Maybe because he knows you can't be trusted," hissed Andrea angrily.
"You're the one who can't be trusted!" shouted Kara as she elbowed Andrea in the gut then managed to free herself and turn around so she was facing Andrea. She wrapped her hands around Andrea neck knowing she had the power to break every bone in her neck even with Andreas enhanced strength.
"Kara what the hell are you doing!" demanded Clark.
"What am I doing?" she exclaimed. "Just two seconds ago she had me in a similar hold and you did nothing. What is it about her that you trust so much? I've known you for years, you meant her once and then she suddenly shows up out of the blue and you trust her more than me..." She couldn't understand why her own cousin would trust what she deemed a total stranger over his own flesh and blood.
"I trust her because she doesn't keep secrets from me," he answered with a harsh tone. "How many times have you lied to me Kara?" He couldn't count the number of times Kara has kept something from him over the eyes. Has given him half truths and never the whole story, unlike Andrea who has been straight with him since day one.
"...Last time I checked you've kept plenty of secrets from me," she answered not liking how he was making this look like all her fault.
"Any secrets I've kept from you were in order to protect you," announced Clark. "So I don't know how you expect me to believe that you working with Oliver was in order to protect me..."
"I wasn't working with Oliver to stop you Clark, I was working with him to save you," she was pleading all her heart out to him while still keeping a strong hold on Andrea. "Please Clark, stop and think. ….She's changed you and you don't even see it." She could feel her heart breaking, never has she felt so helpless in all her life to save someone she loves more than anything.
"Don't listen to her Kal," exclaimed Andrea. "She's trying to trick you. She doesn't understand what were doing is best for the world. We're making it a safer place so innocents like Lois wont lose their lives to such horrific acts of violence..."
Kara right then and there knew that Andrea was the root of all the problems. She had some kind of a hold on Clark, Kara didn't know how, but she could see that her cousin for whatever reason by his thirst for vengeance and consumed with his grief was consented to Andrea. And the only way she saw to break that connection was to take Andrea out of the picture. The last daughter of Krypton tightened her hold on Andrea.
"Kara wh-what are you doing!" exclaimed a frantic Clark watching as Kara's hold on Andrea turned more deadlier.
"I'm sorry Clark, but it's the only way..." She could feel the anger burning inside her for what she believed Andrea had turned her dear cousin into. Kara's eyes began glowing brightly She hated Andrea with all her heart. She wanted Clark back and however foolish it seemed she believed that by getting rid of Andrea would bring her cousin back to her and make everything right again. She wanted to end it all right here and now. And with a blink of an eyes she could, ….but then she would be no better than Toyman or Darkseid, ...or even Zod. She couldn't do it. No matter how much she wanted to, no matter how much she believed that it was the only way to save Clark, she could not kill Andrea. ….No! She told herself. This had to end now! Kara's eyes began to burn brightly she was going to burn Andrea to death, pealing the skin right off her bones. This had to end now.
"NO!" roared Clark as his eyes burned brighter than Kara.
Andrea saw her chance and broke free from Kara's hold just as Clark and Kara were in a fire battle with Clark strongly overpowering Kara who fell to her knees. She could fell her skin burning, it had never burned this much before. In the back of her mind she kept telling herself this couldn't be real. This couldn't be happening. How had this happened? She kept pleading for Clark to stop, but he wouldn't listening. It was as if he was lost in a trance, not aware of his own actions.
Kara screamed loudly her body was on fire as she fell to her knees and she knew that without her that Oliver and Zatanna would be left unguarded without the kyrptonite force field back up, even when fully well knowing that the moment it was back up what it would mean for her. "I'm sorry..." she cried as teats streamed down her face, because she never in a million years would she have believed this possible. "It's up to you now..." With the little strength she had left she reach into her pocket and pulled a small controller and pressed the red button that would reactivate the force field that she had deactivated moments before so she was able to get close to Bart.
"Kal we have to go!" exclaimed Andrea knowing that Clark could not be trapped inside the force field. "The kyrptonite force field is coming back up!" Already she could see the flickering of the force field coming back up and knew it would only be seconds until they were all trapped inside.
Clark stopped what he was doing and saw Kara lying on the ground her clothes and most of her hair burnt off, her skin beat red. He was in shock, but he had no time to react when he felt Andrea grip his shoulder. "We have to go..." he heard her tell him. Seconds before he sped away with Andrea his eyes locked briefly with Kara's weak blue painful eyes. There were no words that needed to be said between. They both knew that the other was sorry that it came to this. Then Clark was gone and Kara's fell into darkness.
The second the force field was back up, Oliver was out the door with a blanket. He quickly wrapped it around Kara and picked her up carrying her inside where Zatanna was right at his side walking with him over to a table where they placed her over a solar light. Where they waited, ...and waited, but nothing ever changed. "Why isn't it working!" shouted Zatanna. Why hadn't she healed? The building was lined with lead she should be safe from the effects of the kryptonite force field and the solar light should have enough power to heal her, even if just a little.
"It may have been too much for her," sighed Oliver as he starred into what remained of Kara once beautiful face. The life that had once shined in those bright blue eyes was no longer there and none of her long golden locks of hair remained. It all seemed so unreal, Kara had been the most powerful woman on the planet, but even she has her limits. There is only so much one can take, so much one can withstand.
"What are you saying!" demanded Zatanna staring into his face feeling the hot tears stream down her face. Because she couldn't accept, she would not accept where he was headed.
It seemed like forever had passed until Oliver gave her an answer. "...She's gone." It was all he could bring himself to say, because if he said anything else it would make it all the more real. And just for now he needed to pretend what happened hadn't really happened. That Clark hadn't just... "I'm sorry," he said as he pulled the blanket over Kara's face and switched off the light. Then started walking away unable to do anything else, because he just didn't have it in him. He had nothing left. Nothing more to give. Not right now.
"You can't walk away from this!" shouted Zatanna angrily not about to let him off that easy. This wasn't just something he could just walk away from. "We should have been out there the moment Clark was on her. This is on us Oliver! Kara is dead because of us!" They were the ones who had gotten her involved. They were the ones who told her what Clark was doing was wrong. They were the ones who got her killed. Kara was dead because of them.
"You think I don't know that!" roared Oliver as he turned around to face her. "That there was something we could have done!" There would not be a day that would go by that he wouldn't wonder if there was something they could have done. "But you heard Kara, she said not for us to get involved, to let her deal with Clark alone, no matter what happened..."
"Is that what's going to help you sleep better at night?"
"No," cried Oliver as tears ran down his face. "But it's all I have, I don't have the strength for anything else." He was at his limit. There was only so much his heart could take and today had been the breaking point. Today he saw that his friend was truly gone and wasn't coming back, but at the same time he couldn't let go of his promise to Chloe, because that promise was the only thing he had left. The only thing he had to keep him going, but he had to wonder how many more was he going to have to lose in order to keep his promise? How long would it be before he had to let go of the only thing holding him together?
TO BE CONTINUED
