Gio Zatara heard the shot and assumed the worse. He signalled to his partner, and the two agents closed in on the farm house.
The back door swung open, figures emerged, heavy set men carrying guns. Zatara found cover, likewise his colleague followed suit, ducking out of sight, behind a woodpile. The federal agents watched as more men followed with Lois Lane in hand, she was being carried kicking and screaming towards the barn complex, the Consortium's thugs nonplussed by her ongoing protest, this wasn't Metropolis, the nearest neighbour was literally miles away. They certainly weren't looking for and as far as these professional criminals were concerned the only response her caterwauling could hope to provoke was maybe frighten the cows. In contrast her partner Kent was being manhandled limp between two of the larger enforcers, his white shirt red with blood.
Zatara tucked his gun in the back of his pants. This was time for action.
"Hey guys, I think the lady doesn't want to play with you today." He stood before the startled thugs, dark suit and hat a stark contrast against the white winter landscape and casually lit a cigarette. "And Mr Kent, he looks like he needs a doctor."
A gun was levelled directly at Zatara. The man holding it spoke confidently. "And you fella are gonna be needin' an undertaker."
Zatara smiled. "snug ot thrae"
The guns dropped from the hoodlums hands hitting the ground, even from belts and pockets they tore free burying themselves in the snow as if pulled by irresistible force. Lois aimed a spiked heel down into her captors foot, an elbow was directed into his ribs, and she broke free.
"Clark!" She grabbed him as the thugs abandoned the reporters dead weight to try and recover their guns."
"All right boys." The distinctive Texas drawl announced. "Just leave them irons where they are, get them hands up, don't think I can take you all down before any you fella's gets the drop on me because you won't."
A defiant hand reached for a lost weapon buried in snow covered ground. This was followed by well aimed shot, the bullets whistled past the outstretched fingers. The hand was snatched back. "Next time it'll be your head."
"Federal officers Gentlemen." Zatara told them, only now drawing his gun. Gesturing for them to step into the barn. "That away fellas.
The Texan replete with Stetson hat asked. "You reckon you can rustle up some rope Miss Lane?"
"But Clark..."
"I'm all right Lois." Kent replied, struggling to his feet. "I'll make my own way.
"Gio, good to see you guys." He gasped. "You realise there is small army here..."
Shot's rang out from the Farmhouse. Bullets whistled past them. Clark despite his wound grabbed Lois and dragged her into the barn.
"Holding out on me?" She sniffed. She helped him as they ran. Kent stumbled and fell with her into a concrete stall, fortunately fresh straw broke his fall, the familiar smell of animals was mixed with chemical antiseptic masking the distinctive odour of death.
Zatara fell in beside them, he rattled out a few shots from behind the cover of the concrete, back out of the barn door. Huddling down he smiled. "How are you holding up Kent."
"I'll live." Clark replied.
Outside the thunder of a gun fight echoed.
"What about your buddy?" Lois asked
"Tex will be all right, he was born for these kind of odds."
"There is more of you right?" She demanded.
"Not yet." Zatara replied. "Maybe later. We were just following you two. I mean, little did we know you'd lead us into the proverbial lions den."
Clark looked at Gio, and then looked at Lois, and then he shook his head, mustering a wry smile as he did so.
"Okay, maybe we should have known." Gio acknowledged.
He produced a knife, and taking this he cut Clark's blood stained shirt open to get a better look at the wound. "Once I get Kent back on his feet I'll go help Thompson. Not that he'll thank me."
Zatara looked at bullet wound. "Doesn't look too deep Kent." He said with a puzzled voice. Then he added in whisper "tellub emoc ot ria."
Gio snatched something from above Kent, and pocketed it. Clark knew what it was, somehow the magician had drawn the bullet from out of him. The wound in Clark's chest began to bleed again. Zatara dipped his finger in the flow and then to both reporters great surprise traced in blood on the cast concrete slab stall wall beside them. 'laeh mih.' Mouthing the words as he did so.
The air around Clark seemed to crackle and ionise and the wound in his chest closed, where as he seemed to glow, as Zatara shook, then after a long moment that was probably far shorter than it seemed, the strange atmosphere surrounding them was gone. Gio gasped, and gulped air hard, he was sweating, and seemed out of breath.
"What kind of man are you Kent?"
Clark looked at him stunned, he knew his wound had been healed, and he knew that did not make any sense. "I'm from Kansas." He said.
At the barn entrance a couple of the Consortium's thugs fell through. Zatara spun around a fired at them, bringing one down. The second found cover in another stall, returning fire at the crouched trio.
Behind the fire fight, secure inside the squat laboratory unit contained within the barn complex; shielded by thick soundproofed concrete walls, Dalton worked.
He was absorbed in completing his projector device, having already pre-assembled a rudimentary machine, he completed further modifications. Finally he was ready to introduce the key element.
Dalton gingerly placed the crystalline meteor rock into the main chamber, closing the lid on this metal box, he then using a variable resistor, turned the dial, gradually increasing the current to a light bulb he had installed directly behind the Kryptonite crystal. From within lead shrouded box a beam of light emerged having passed through the translucent meteor, the light in turn was focused through a camera lens so it could be directed towards a five sided mirror box. There the green energy struck the glass beaker within, containing in solution a sample of cells taken from Superman's blood.
Dalton watched as within the medium the cells began duplicating at unparalleled rate, so much so that translucent medium soon became milky opaque. He laughed with pleasure at his success. However his joy was short lived.
Above him the barn shook. Then the concrete laboratory substructure beneath was rocked by second almost instantaneous blow.
Dalton fell sprawling stunned and confused. Lights failed, and flickered, he rubbed his eyes, and tried to make sense of what was happening.
Staring at the chaos, Dalton could see broken equipment, fixtures, fitting, furnishing strewn around about. Much crushed under broken masonry, and all shrouded in clouds of white cement.
There in the midst of the dusty envelope stood a caped figure, a dark blue burnished metallic angular form, a dark purple red cloak billowing, the black S glyph sucking light into itself, two eyes glowing like fire.
Clark saw the barn roof collapsing, in super-time, he reacted instinctively, he didn't have time to think about how and why his powers had so suddenly returned. Though later he would thank Zatara's magic for prematurely purging the residual poisons from his system.
He wasn't himself yet, but he was much improved from his earlier weakened state. Tremendous energies coursed through him again, and he positioned himself between the falling timber support and his friends, catching the beam on his shoulders he altered it's course so it lay across the half walls of the concrete stall within the barn, saving Lane and Zatara from being crushed.
Dalton screamed the electric lights, the sole source of illumination in the windowless building within a building flickered dying, electric sparks leapt from broken cabling. The dark figure moved towards him, and the Professor cowered, shrinking away from the engine of destruction that had smashed his way through a reinforced concrete structure. Moving deliberately towards the projector assembly he smashed the fragile beaker sending its contents to the floor, the beam of green light flashed outwards and as the creature tore open the lead lined container.
The destroyer grasped the green crystal in his angular fingers, and then his mission accomplished, the Dark Superman left as dramatically and violently as he had arrived, smashing through the installation like it were so much paper and cardboard.
Dalton struggled away, coughing as dust filled his lungs, tumbling, stumbling as falling masonry threatened to crush him. Behind him the hiss of broken gas lines was mixed with sparking broken wiring, the combination was inevitably explosive. Dalton was thrown forwards to the exit, but stunned he lay unconscious as the ensuing fire in turn was fed by volatile chemicals, and burst outwards unchecked.
Clark concentrated is anger and pent up frustration, weakened, shot, and abused; and now nearly pinned down in a collapsing building. He pulled his glasses down and over the frames he concentrated on the gun of the second thug who had entered the building, it wasn't easy for him, but his rage at injustice fuelled his determination and heat vision engaged and the metal of the criminals gun suddenly grew too hot for him to handle. The hoodlum swore and dropped the weapon, Zatara dashed forward at that moment.
"Give it up fella." The G-Man said, adding. "You take your buddy out of here, before the whole place comes down."
Zatara watched as the thug dragged his colleague clear, outside the gun battle had subsided, the shock of seeing the building collapse had changed the situation.
"What have you done?" Reynolds hollered out across the divide between the barn and farmhouse, venomous anger colouring his voice
"Give yourselves up." Gio shouted back defiantly, he then turned to Clark. "He has a point. What just happened."
Clark shrugged. "Something brought the roof down.
"I'm going to check the lab, they may be people in there."
The G-Man looked Clark in the eye, there was a silent understanding between them. Both knew they had to do what they had to do. "Okay Kent, be careful."
"Clark, there's a fire there!" Lois protested.
"Yes." He agreed. Looking at her he said. "There are still animals in some of these stalls, I'll check the laboratory, you open the far barn doors." Clark pointed to the other side of long wooden building. "Then open the gates to the pens, and drive the animals outside. If the fire gets a hold of the barn, they won't last long."
Lois was about to protest, but Clark was already running towards the hidden structure within the barn.
It didn't take him long to find the unconscious Dalton, dragging him back out into the main barn and clear of the smoke, Clark splashed him with water from one of the drinking troughs in the stalls. He then carried across to where Zatara was crouching covering the main barn door.
"Tex has them pinned down in the main house, at least they can't charge us in here, but if they make a break for their cars out the front way, well they may get clear before our backup arrives."
Clark nodded, he pointed to Dalton saying. "I don't think this guy will be any trouble, he's more a victim of crime, than a criminal."
Dalton seemed to be recovering his senses, as Clark moved away, the scientist grabbed him. "He took the meteor, why did Superman do that?"
"That wasn't Superman." Clark replied. "Is there anyone else in the laboratory?"
Dalton looked confused, but he managed to reply. "Yes a technician, I think."
Clark was gone, sprinting back towards the building, many of the sub-partitioned rooms had lead shielding, obviously radiation was a factor in the experiments that took place here. Lead however also complicated the search. Granted his powers were still depressed, but even at full strength lead posed a problem, his 'x-ray' vision was compromised by lead. Kent's initial search had only revealed Dalton, but he now had to physically check the areas he had not been able to investigate remotely.
Once back inside the lab building, Clark found the fire an obstacle. Fortunately he had ace up his sleeve, or more accurately wrapped in a handkerchief in his top pocket. In a moment the compressed Kryptonian costume was revealed, the blood stained two piece suit was reduced to a tiny compressed ball, and the taking the alien cloth in hand, with his restored strength Clark was able to stretch this around him, the full cloak unfolded and draped across his shoulders.
Superman walked through the fire and smashed his way into the isolation chambers. All were empty, if they had been another man in the lab complex, then this man had found another way out. What troubled Superman more as he broke into one room after another, was the pervading stench of death.
Animal, after animal lay dead. Many of these corpses still frozen by rigor mortis in death agonies. He wondered what terrible experiments the Consortium had been working on using this farm complex and it's animals. He assumed it was biological warfare, and so it was rather than combating the flames Superman added to them, igniting the dead animals with his heat vision, burning them, thinking that fire was best solution to any dangerous microbes that evil science might have made after the likeness of the Purple Plague.
Finally he came to cage containing a mother dog and her puppies, she and her babies lay dead, their backs arched indicating a painful and cruel death, angrily Superman's eyes flashed red until he noticed the tiniest movement, a single pup, unlike it's siblings still lived, unlike it's siblings it's coat was white, not mottled. The mother appeared to have been some sort heavily built terrier, the father must have been a herding dog, a Collie perhaps even a German Shepherd.
Superman picked up the small newborn, and it nuzzled him and whimpered, making the high pitched squeak that a very young dog makes. Superman incinerated the corpses of it's family, and examined the pup closely, it showed no signs of sickness; he struggled and with great effort he summoned his microscopic vision. Quickly the Man of Tomorrow saw it was remarkably free from bacteria, and although he detected no dangerous micro-organisms, the horrible deaths of the other animals troubled him greatly. Yet this little mite, had so far, escaped that fate, and unsurprisingly it was both cold, and hungry.
Superman wondered if it secretly carried some terrible threat. Something he could not hope to detect. Looking into the tiny dogs crystal blue eyes he knew what he had to do.
Tex Thompson ran into the barn, his two Browning Hi-Power 9mm semi automatic pistols in hand, extending from the handle were specially made long magazines that increased the already fourteen round standard capacity, he smiled at Lois, span the guns cowboy style, before holstering them.
"Gio they're making a run for the cars." He told his partner.
"I feared they would."
"I couldn't cover both exits, I tried..."
"Don't worry about it Tex, we've got this guy, Professor Dalton, he ought to be able to shed some light on this operation."
"Where's the other reporter?" Thompson asked.
"He went in there." Lois told him her voice shaking, pointing to the laboratory, fire now billowed from the open doorway, and again from the holes smashed in the roof of the laboratory complex, these flames were licking the wooden superstructure of the larger barn that contained it.
"The main building will soon be alight at this rate." Zatara noted. He took hold of Lois's arm. "Come, we've got to go."
"Not without Clark." She insisted.
"Look Miss Lane, Clark must have got out another way, or..."
"He didn't get out." Lois snapped.
"Then we understand each other, now move it soldier." Gio snapped.
Lois's eye's blazed, but she responded; he sounded like her father, and she hated that, hated that he was right; reluctantly but quickly she began following the two agents as they pulled Dalton with them, and together they ran out of the barn.
"I saw something,.. well somebody it seemed crashing into and then out of there." Tex commented gesturing back.
"If it's Superman he's changed his modus operandi completely." Gio noted.
Reynolds was angry, apoplectic as he hammered the dashboard of the auto with his hands. Graham gunned the big car forward, he looked at the raging scientist with wary eyes. Reynolds brought out a radio transceiver, it had been modified, and included a large covered switch, Reynolds flicked this red cover back, flicked the relay across and hit a second button.
A signal was sent from the device to a series of detonators, the barn over structure which already began to catch fire, now exploded in pillar of smoke and flame, Lois, Dalton and two federal officers tumbled to the ground as the blast wave knocked them off their feet.
"Good thing we got ourselves clear of that place." Tex spat, pulling himself up from the damp snow. He yanked Dalton to his feet. Gio looked back at the inferno.
"Whatever they were doing there it's as good as gone now."
Kingsley followed Graham's auto, a third car followed his, the lead vehicle sliding it's way along the snowy track towards the main road, then Graham's car seemed to lose it completely. The big sedan slid all too much, suddenly going sideways and then around until it was facing the wrong way, jamming on the brakes all that Kingsley could do was slide inevitably into his partners car, he braced himself as the vehicle following slid sideways and smashed in turn into the rear of his car, sandwiching him between the two autos.
Kingsley watched as the roof of the first vehicle was torn clear away, there standing on top of it was Superman. Graham turned and desperately loosed some shots at the Man of Steel, they hammered into him, but ricocheted away. In the distance Kingsley could hear the sound of sirens approaching.
Superman shrugged off the bullets. He disarmed the hoodlums in the cars, hurling their weapons into the next field. A couple of guys attempted to run, in red blue blur Superman delivers a single blow to the nerve cluster behind the neck rendering them unconscious, stopping their escape.
The Man of Steel was back in action, and feeling all together more himself, he had missed this; the taking down the bad guys, saving the innocent – serving truth and justice. That was not to say he was back at full strength, rather far from it the Man of Tomorrow felt a painful sting as the bullets rebounded from his body. Still Superman felt grateful for what he had regained.
As he hurled the last of the hoods weapons out of their reach, Superman heard another car. Zatara, Thompson, Lane, and Dalton drew up in Federal agents black sedan.
Clark's suspicions about Gio Zatara had been confirmed, suspicions he had held since their meeting in LA. On that occasion he had seen Zatara light a cigarette using only his fingers.
Granted the former stage magician was clearly skilled at illusion, Clark has seen this when at the Sanderson Chumley Clinic the Federal Agent had appeared to pull the keys to Daily Star's staff Car magically from behind Lois's ear.
Kent had recognised this for what it was, a slight of hand illusion; and of course Superman himself had learned how to perform that kinda of magic as a boy.
However back at the Sunset Strip Nightclub belonging to Cornell, Superman was uniquely able to see, that the fire that lit Zatara's cigarette came out of nowhere, nowhere but his fingers tips at least. This trick was not slight of hand, and it had been more than mere illusion.
More importantly the magic Zatara had used to draw a bullet from out of him was not illusionary; Reynolds had shot the heavy .45 at Lois, and Clark had stopped the bullet from hitting her, and the slug had torn into his previously bullet proof hide, a mere man would have been killed; but a weak Clark was still far more than any man.
Yet it was with magic Zatara had then healed his wound, this same magic Superman felt sure had somehow accelerated his recovery, permitting the strange energies that powered him to flow once again, strengthening him, giving him back his powers faster and more completely than the slow incremental improvements he had felt in recent days.
He owed Zatara a debt of thanks, but Superman had no idea how the Magician had performed the real magic he had seen and experienced, this both fascinated and perplexed the Man of Steel. However it was a great relief that a man like Zatara, and his friend Tex Thompson were on the side of truth and justice. The Agents covered the confused and reluctant prisoners.
"Superman!" Lois called out. "Did you save Clark? Do you know if he is all right?"
Alighting beside her he said. "Yes Kent is fine, I can assure you he is about to start the Daily Star's Staff Car and catch up with you shortly."
"Where have you been?" Lois demanded.
"I have been busy Miss Lane." Superman replied coolly.
"But the other Superman, the bad Superman..."
"In time Miss Lane I'm sure the truth will be revealed, but you were right Lois it wasn't me." He added with more warmth.
"Agent Zatara. Agent Thompson." Superman acknowledged them with a wave of his hand as he turned to leave.
"Wait! Superman. I have questions." Zatara called out.
"And when I have answers we'll talk." The Man of Tomorrow replied leaping skyward he disappeared into the clouds.
Later in the grey ford Lois watched as Clark drove, his new suit looked like it had been pounded into a tiny ball, and then unravelled, which of course it had. It was black with smoke and blood stained; basically the suit was ruined.
"I guess this means you'll be back wearing one of those awful blue suits tomorrow." She said finally. "You realise what this means don't you?"
"That blue material doesn't crease so badly I find." Clark replied. She meant more shopping, but he wondered when she was going to mention the inexplicable powers of Agent Zatara. He did not have wait long.
Lois pulled a face. She looked at the bloodstain on his ripped shirt. "Before when I was with Gio in his car, he asked me not to mention in any report I file, the fact he healed you." She said, finally broaching the topic strange event.
"A-huh." Clark replied. "I thought as much. Did he say it just like that."
"Pretty much."
"I'm guessing he said he would deny it every happened." Clark suggested.
"Yes." Lois acknowledged. "Really it doesn't matter, it's like the Chief would say, 'who is going to believe the truth, when the the truth is stranger than fiction'?
"Any way what really matters is that you're okay."
Lois turned her body to him and looked across at his profile. She said. "Clark I've been impressed with you just lately, not just your work, that was always good, but it's as though you've seem to have found yourself, you know."
"Thanks Lois, but I'm sure I don't know what you mean."
"Well I mean, like back there, in the barn, running into the burning lab for Dalton, and then going to look again for his assistant."
"Oh yes, well I don't know what came over me, I guess I couldn't just stand by and let people die.
Lois frowned. "The assistant? I guess Superman got to him first?"
"There wasn't an assistant, at least so Superman told me." Clark replied.
Lois looked at him. "You know Clark since you lost that weight, I've noticed how much you and Superman look alike, it's odd you could be brothers."
Clark laughed. "I don't know about that Lois, I mean when you see me flying around like big red and blue does, then sure maybe you can say that."
Lois laughed, and then smiled relaxing back into the seat. "What's that noise?" she asked.
"What noise?"
"Not sure, it sounds like... it's coming from behind me." Lois looked around. "Hang on, it's coming from this." she exclaimed, turning around and reaching into the back seat she brought the bag across to her lap.
It was a brown leather classic briefcase, the vertical kind, that opens at the top, and it was wedged open.
Lois looked in, and then across at Clark, her face taking on a strange shocked appearance.
"Clark there is a puppy inside here.
"Oh my word he so cute."
"Err I rescued him from the lab." Clark confessed.
"Oh, but he's so tiny, where's his mother?"
"She didn't make it Lois, there's just him."
"What are you going to do?"
"I'll feed him formula, I know what to do, I am farmer's son, he isn't the first orphan I've raised."
"Clark you are a soft hearted fool, at times that's annoying, right now, it's wonderful and this little guy he's adorable."