Chapter Eleven: How Do You Solve a Problem like Metallo?
Callie sat in the bleachers at the field anxiously. She heard the baseball bat crack against the baseball and watched as the ball flew higher and higher and then over the fence. The crowd roared as number eight rounded the bases with a big smile on his face.
Climbing off the bleachers she made her way to the ground and held onto the chain link fence as he arrived at home plate.
"Did you see? Did you see?" he asked as he ran up to her.
"Yeah, it was a-mazing" she gushed. "Way to go, Slugger."
"You're coming next week, right?"
"Of course I am. Nothing in the world could stop me from being there…"
The memories faded as the hard floor beneath her came into view. Callie winced as she moved her hand to rub her head as she started to come to. Wiping something wet off her forehead she looked down to see that blood was all over her hand.
"That's going to leave a mark," she said, pushing herself up off the ground. "Lois?"
Looking around the room the recollection of what had just happened resurfaced in her brain. She had never stood a chance against Metallo.
"Damn," she whispered.
She viewed that she was alone and feared how much time had elapsed since Metallo had knocked her out and kidnapped Lois.
Frantic she ran out of the room and to Lois' desk. She wasn't sure what to do at first. Her mind was going a mile a minute so it was hard for her to think properly. Her heart raced and her breathing became rapid. She was panicking. Glancing down she saw that Lois' purse had spilled out across the desk. Spotting her cell phone Callie scooped it up and scrolled through the contacts looking for Clark's name. Once she found it she hit the call button.
'Please pick up. Please pick up.' She pleaded in her thoughts.
"You finally ready Lois?" Clark asked when he picked up, amusement in his voice.
"Clark, it's Callie." She said, her voice quivering.
"Callie? What's wrong?" He said, his voice turning very serious.
"Clark, he has her. Corben took Lois. I tried to stop him, but—"
"Where are you?"
Composing herself she replied, "I'm still at the Daily Planet."
"Meet me at the Watchtower." He said before the line went dead.
Gathering the papers she had on Corben she placed them in the purse, put it on her shoulder, and super-sped into Watchtower. Walking through the threshold, Chloe and Clark's eyes widened when they got a look of her face.
"Callie." Chloe gasped.
"You should see the other guy. Tore half his face off… literally" She tried to joke, failing miserably as she looked down at her knuckles.
"What happened?" Clark demanded.
"Remember this morning when you and I both said that we didn't like the guy sitting across from Lois? Well, we were right. He's a criminal and he was in an accident a couple nights ago. Somehow he made a miraculous recovery with the help of a Dr. Emmet Vale." She said, pulling out the papers she had and handing them to Chloe.
"He's made out of a metal alloy known as metallo," she continued, "Oh and did I forget to mention that he has a kryptonite heart?"
Chloe and Clark's eyes snapped to each other and then to Callie.
"Did you say kryptonite heart?" Chloe asked.
"Yes. So, he's especially dangerous." Callie said, eyeing Clark.
She was deeply concerned as to what he was going to do. She knew how he would get when someone was in trouble, but this time it wasn't just someone, it was Lois. To make matters worse the guy he would have to go up against sported kryptonite on his chest.
Turning to all the technology in the room, Clark said, "We have to find them."
"Do you have any idea where they went?" Chloe asked Callie.
"No, I was out cold."
Clark closed his eyes and concentrated. Distraught, he said, "I can't hear her voice."
'Why is he focusing on her voice?' She asked herself.
"Then don't focus on her voice. Focus on her heartbeat."
Clark looked at her questionably, but, with no other options, closed his eyes and concentrated again.
Chloe leaned into Callie and whispered, "But how will he know her heartbeat?"
"He'll know it." Callie said with certainty.
A moment later his eyes instantly opened. "I can hear it," he said, eager to get to her.
As he moved toward the exit Callie stopped him. "Wait a second. You can't just charge in there. We need a plan first."
"Lois' life is at stake here."
"Don't you think I know that!?" Callie screamed angrily. "But you can't just speed in there. He's not some punk from the street. He has a chest full of kryptonite."
"I realize that."
"No, I don't think you do. I know that you've faced others before who have had meteor powers and what not, but this guy is in a whole different league. You won't even be able to touch him."
"I'll figure it out." He said as he sped off.
"Clark!" She screamed after him. "Damn it!"
~\~
When Clark stopped he took in his surroundings. The sound of Lois' heartbeat led him to the warehouse district of Metropolis. All the buildings were dark and close together by the water. Using his x-ray vision he scanned the perimeter until he saw Lois' arms chained around a pole.
He knew that Callie was right. He couldn't just bust his way in there to save the day. If he did that he could end up getting Lois and himself killed. Watching intently he waited until Corben moved out of the room. As long as Clark could maintain a certain amount of distance he could get Lois out of there. He would deal with Corben after that.
Making sure the coast was clear he used his super-strength to open the locked side door and snuck inside. He could see her. Her head was slumped low, her hair a mess, and a cut bled above her left eyebrow.
'He's a dead man' he thought.
Progressing quickly toward her, he again made sure Corben was far enough away before he let Lois know he was there.
"Lois. Lois, wake up." He said in a low voice.
"Clark?" She whispered weakly as she lifted her head to him.
She managed to smile a bit when she saw it was him, but her smile quickly fell, though, when she realized where she was.
"How did you find me?"
"Corben left a trail," he lied.
"Clark, John, he's made out of this weird alloy. He's indestructible." She cautioned.
"I know. Callie got us the information." He gazed at her features again. "Let's get you out of here."
As he went to break her restraints, pain suddenly bombarded his body. He hadn't been quick enough, he realized. He felt a strong hand pull the back of his black shirt and seconds later he was flung clear across the room. His back hit the wall and it severely ached as he fell down on the floor.
"Clark!" Lois yelled.
Corben then made his way to him and punched him in the face and gut. Clark could feel the blood come out of the side of his mouth. He had been in positions like this before and made it out alive. He assured himself that this time wasn't going to be any different. Picking up his head he stared straight into his eyes.
"Clark Kent," John said. "You're not the gallant hero I was hoping for." He picked Clark up by the neck and pinned him against the wall. Clark gasped for breath as the intensity of the kryptonite was becoming unbearable. "But this could work in my favor. Two hostages should be more than enough to smoke out the Blur."
Releasing his grip on Clark's neck, Clark slumped down to the ground and tried to catch his breath. He looked to Lois who had fear and worry written all over her face. He then looked around the warehouse trying to find something that he could combat Corben with. He thought about trying to use one of his abilities, but he was too weak at the moment.
He was helpless.
~\~
Callie ran down the stairs, having changed her torn clothes into a red shirt and blue jeans she borrowed from Chloe.
"You find anything yet?" She asked as she reached the bottom.
"Got it." Chloe said, whipping around in her chair. "I locked into Clark's cell phone and tracked him to the warehouse district by the water."
"Okay, well any chance you have a giant magnet around so I can stop Metalhead?"
"Sadly, I don't. I brought up the plans of the buildings and unfortunately none of the buildings have any lead, so trapping him is out of the question."
Callie dug into her memories trying to figure out how Metallo was stopped initially. She knew the kryptonite kept him alive, so if he was somehow separated from it the problem would be eradicated, but there was no way she could get close enough to remove it.
He was also a walking hunk of metal. If she could immobilize him, even if for a second, it would be long enough to save Lois, and even Clark if she had to.
'How can I disable him?' She thought intently.
Her head instantly rose up when the answer came to her.
"Oliver." She said aloud.
"Huh?" Chloe said.
"I need to get to Oliver's. I think he may have something I can use."
"Like what?"
"He has this special arrow. When shot out it sends out these pulses, creating an electromagnetic pull. Metallo is metal and machine-like. If I can stun him for even a second and get him in the trajectory of the pull, I can then super-speed in and save the day."
"He might not even be there."
"Doesn't matter."
"What? You're just going to go in there and steal the supplies?"
"I'd like to think of it more as borrowing." Callie said, turning to leave.
"Wait!" Chloe called out. "Won't the kryptonite affect your powers like Clark?"
Callie spun around. She had every power that he had, but she wasn't as fast as he was or as strong. This was due to the fact that she wasn't one-hundred percent kryptonian like her father. This however worked in her favor in several instances; since she was half kryptonian it meant that she was only half as susceptible to kryptonite.
'But it still hurts like hell when I do come upon it.' She thought.
"I'm half and half. Clark is fully kryptonian, I'm not. So the kryptonite won't affect me as much as it does him. I can fight through it enough to get them out."
"Are you sure?" Chloe asked in a weary tone.
"Believe me; if I didn't know that I could do it I wouldn't be doing it."
Chloe picked up Lois' phone and handed it Callie. "Here take this. I programmed it so it would take you exactly where Lois and Clark are. I assume you already know where the clock tower is?"
Callie smiled and nodded.
"Callie, be careful."
"You know it." She winked.
Flying out of the Watchtower she landed on Oliver's terrace. She eyed the giant green clock on the wall and took a deep breath as she headed toward the hidden chamber. Making her way into the center of the room she saw bottles of alcohol strewn across the coffee table and desk.
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me." She whispered to herself.
Walking in further she saw a body laid out on the spiral staircase. Seeing the blond hair she knew it was Ollie. Kicking his one extended leg hard, he jolted awake.
"What the hell? Who are you?"
"Me? I'm the ghost of Christmas future. I'm here to tell you to get off your ass!" She said angrily.
'Seriously, did I stumble into the Twilight Zone here? Everyone is acting like it's Opposite Day or something.' She thought,
"What?" He said rubbing his head and then moved it down to the leg she kicked.
Pulling a wine bottle from the desk she waved it in front of him and asked, "What is this?"
"France's finest?" He sarcastically replied.
She narrowed her eyes at him. "What happened to you? I mean, what is this some kind of dark superhero pandemic? First Clark and his trench coat, now you in the gutter?" She said waving the bottle again.
"Superhero? Clark? Who are you?" He asked, rising up and using the banister to sturdy himself.
"Rest assured, I'm a friend. My name is Callie and I came here because I need your help. Lois and Clark are in trouble."
He sobered up at the news of Lois and Clark being in trouble, but then she saw guilt cloud his brown eyes.
"I can't help you."
"Why?" She asked in disbelief.
"Because I've given up that part of my life."
Callie scoffed and shook her head at him. She could not believe what she was hearing. "Given it up?"
"The mean streets are better off without me. All I do is apparently screw things up and make them worse."
"Right, 'It's not easy being green'. I've heard the song, Kermie." She expected some kind of classic Oliver Queen retort, but he didn't move or say anything. "Fine, you know what. Get back to your pity party. I'll just do this myself."
Walking over to the giant clock hands she pried the hidden doors open and proceeded to raid his weapons collection.
"What do you think you're doing?" He asked as he quickly came down the stairs, but he suddenly stopped and grabbed his head, his hangover obviously taking effect.
Picking up the arrows she needed, she picked up his bow and slung it over her shoulder.
"Taking care of business." She said as she sped out of the loft.
~\~
Clark struggled to free his hands from the pipe they were bound against.
"Clark, are you okay?" Lois asked.
Clark peered up into her eyes. "I'm fine. Are you okay?"
"Not really." She said, pulling on her chains.
Clark watched as Lois held back her anger towards Corben, who stood close enough to them in the room that Clark still couldn't use any of his powers.
"It's really nice of you to come in here and try and save your girlfriend." He said, walking towards Clark.
Clark could feel the pain rising in him once more. His breathing became sharper with every step Corben took.
"John, you don't have to do this." He managed to say.
"Yes, I do!" he cried. "I'm not even John anymore. I'm…" he looked at his skin. "I'm Metallo."
He turned around and headed straight for Lois. Gripping the back of her head Clark watched as he began to kiss her. Jealousy overpowered his pain. He pulled at his chains trying to break free while he saw Lois struggle under him. Metallo pulled back and Lois shook her head and spit several times.
"I didn't feel anything." He said.
"Good to know. Wish you could have figured that out before you ogled me at work."
"No, I didn't feel anything. I can't feel, I can't taste or smell. I'm not human anymore." Clenching his fist he said, "And it's the Blur's fault!"
Clark hitched a breath as he saw Metallo hit one of the structures posts in rage, chunks of it flying in all directions.
"Why?" Clark asked.
"Why? WHY? I've been waiting for my big payout forever. I was so close. I had it all planned. It was perfect. Then the Blur showed up and ruined everything. If he hadn't been there I wouldn't have been in my car. I wouldn't be this right now! And when he shows up, and I know he will, I'll make him pay."
"You're a psycho." Lois blurted out.
"Lois!" Clark warned.
"No, Clark, I'm tired of hearing this walking Terminator wannabe bad mouth the Blur. He was stopping a crime. You know, something that's against the law. You didn't deserve to get your payoff. And when he gets here, I hope he kicks your ass."
Metallo headed back toward her and hit her across her face.
"No!" Clark shouted, again pulling at his chains.
Worried about Lois' state he breathed a sigh of relief when she rose her head back up. She was okay… for now.
Anger pumped through his veins. The kryptonite may have been hindering his abilities, but he prayed that testosterone and adrenaline would result in him breaking his chains.
'I swear, when I get my hands on him…' He seethed in his mind.
He jerked out of his thoughts when Metallo shifted his head up to the ceiling where some metal bridges were suspended. Turning his head up there as well he noticed a small shadow.
'There's someone up there.' he thought.
~\~
Callie arrived at the location that Lois' cell phone specified. Using her x-ray vision she spotted the trio in the warehouse. Flying up to the roof she found an open window and quietly snuck in with her new acquired gear. Placing her feet quietly on the suspension bridge high above the ground she picked out an arrow and placed it in the bow. During the action she had a bit of déjà vu, remembering the first time she was taught to hold the bow and arrow correctly. Pushing the memory out of her mind she focused on the task at hand.
She noticed that Metallo looked up in her direction, but didn't see her. Pressing her lips together she took position.
"Eenie…" she said moving the arrow to find the perfect spot, "meenie… miney…" finding the spot she said, "moe."
She shot the arrow aiming for the point closest to Metallo. As soon as the arrow almost hit its target Metallo caught it in midair and crushed it in his grasp.
"Crap." She whispered.
Metallo looked up from his hand to her direction again but she sped away, her clothes creating a red-blue streak before he could see her true form.
"Hey Blur, you finally showed up!" He shouted.
Callie crouched in a dark corner and pulled out another arrow, attempting to try to shoot it again.
"What's with the new toys?" He shouted up to the ceiling.
She concentrated on the spot again. She quickly glanced to Clark, who was glancing up in her direction. Moving her eyes back, she took a deep breath as she aimed the bow and arrow. Holding in another breath she took the shot. When it hit the wall the field expanded causing Metallo to begin to deactivate and be pulled backwards, as well as other metal objects not bolted down in the vicinity.
Now was her chance to move.
~\~
Lois watched wide eyed as Metallo started to fly backwards. The chains around her hands began to be pulled in the direction as well, the force making them tighten around her. As she was about to scream from the pain she felt a sudden gust of wind and immediately felt like she was floating.
In a flash she noticed that she was outside. Her wrists still throbbed, yet the chains were gone. She was okay. She looked around to see if anyone else was around, but she was alone.
'Was it really him?' She asked herself.
When she saw the arrow fly into the room she was convinced that Oliver was there, but the apparent blur Metallo said he saw confirmed that it couldn't have been him. She smiled at the thought that the Red-Blue Blur had saved her once again and that he truly was alive.
"Thank you." She whispered into the sky hoping he could hear her somehow.
However, her moment of joy was quickly squashed when she remembered that Clark was still in the warehouse with Metallo. Fear sprang up inside of her. She walked forward as if to go back to the warehouse, but she stopped herself.
'What can you do? The Blur just got you out of danger are you going to run back in? For what?'
She bit her lip as her heart and her head started to duel. She knew it would be stupid to go back, only she couldn't leave. She hoped that the Blur would save Clark as well, but there was no way to be sure what was happening in the warehouse.
It was settled. Her heart won. She was going back.
~\~
After leaving Lois far enough away, Callie flew back to the warehouse at lightning speed. When she got there she ended up in the middle of the giant room, except Metallo was nowhere to be found. Eying the room suspiciously, her baby blues soon fell on Clark, who was slumped over on the ground.
"Clark!" she called out as she bent beside him.
She watched as he swallowed back in pain. He was sweating and blood oozed out of cuts on his face and wrists. She used her strength and ripped the chains free from the pipe and slid them down off his hands.
"I thought I told you to stay out of trouble." She said in the process.
When she finished she caught his eyes widening to something behind her and as if on cue the familiar pain of kryptonite returned. She squeezed her eyes closed and felt her body being lifted off the ground. She felt the air underneath her and then the rock-solid wall. Falling to the ground she rolled over on her side.
"You again." Metallo said.
Metallo stalked toward her. She could feel the pain increasing in her body. She held up her hands as he was about to strike. Suddenly the bridge above them broke loose and tumbled down. Callie rolled toward the wall trying desperately to get out of the way as the debris fell down.
~\~
As Metallo retreated away from him, Clark gained some strength. When he saw Metallo was about to strike Callie he drew on whatever power he had left to use his heat vision and loosened the bridge above. When it fell it trapped Metallo under it.
Pushing himself up off the ground he crawled to the center and saw that Callie was caught under some of the rubble.
"Callie…" he breathed out.
She looked up at him and gave him a thumbs up, indicating that she was okay, as she pushed the metal pieces away she stood up and moved toward him as quickly as she could.
Feeling someone hook their arm under his shoulder they pulled him up. Looking over his shoulder he saw the familiar green costume. Oliver.
"I got you, buddy." He said.
"Thanks." Clark said, confused as to why Oliver was there.
"Didn't think you'd show." Callie said to Oliver.
"Yeah, well, I almost didn't. Where's Lois?"
"Safe." She replied.
Clark smiled inwardly. It put him at ease knowing that she was okay and oddly enough, it also started to give him more strength.
As the three of them walked further away from the heap of metal, a loud rumble made them turn back. Shards of metal flew into the air and all of them dove to the ground to bypass them. They each witnessed Metallo rising up in the middle. More pieces of his skin were missing and he stared at them rabid.
"WHERE IS HE? WHERE'S THE BLUR?" He demanded.
Out of the corner of his eye he saw Oliver pull something out of his green bag.
"Thought we might need these." Oliver said he popped open the paint cans with the tip of an arrow and handed them to Clark and Callie.
Clark glanced down and saw that Oliver had given them lead-based paint. Metallo cocked his head in puzzlement as he eyed them.
Each held the lead based paint cans and threw the contents in Metallo's direction. Clark started to feel his strength fully come back as the white paint dripped over the kryptonite, encasing it.
"What is this?" Metallo asked.
"We thought this color would look better on you." Oliver said.
Metallo screamed as he charged in their direction. Feeling at full power again Clark charged toward him fast, fist clenched, and landed an uppercut punch that sent Metallo flying into the air and into the other bridge that was still hanging, destroying it.
After landing with the 'thud',Metallo managed to get up and stared straight into Clark's eyes.
"You. You're the Blur aren't you?"
Metallo pulled something out of his pants pocket and smiled evilly. "Looks like I get the last laugh, Blur."
Clark noticed that Metallo was holding a detonator.
As Clark geared up into super-speed he watched Callie grab Ollie's arm and pull him out of the building. Instead of following them he decided to try and get the detonator before Metallo could react. When he was centimeters away he saw Metallo's thumb hit the button.
Then the building blew up.
~\~
As Lois walked down the road she was greeted by a sea of warehouses that looked exactly the same. Frustrated, she grumbled,"This is impossible."
Walking further she was startled by the sound of an explosion. Running in the direction she heard the explosion come from she saw that the warehouse closest to the water was on fire.
"Clark." She whispered in fear.
She ran faster and faster, but stopped when she saw a figure walking out of the flames at the entryway. She held her breath as she started to feel droplets of water fall on her. The figure continued moving closer and closer to her. She thought that it could only be one of two people that could have survived, Metallo or the Blur. The smoke impeded her vision and she swatted at it, trying to see. She could hear the steps grow louder, but she was paralyzed. Then they spoke.
"Lois."
A wide smile appeared across her face at the voice.
"Clark?" She whispered in disbelief.
Through the smoke he walked to her. She could clearly make out his face, the ashes that were on it and the parts of his clothes that weren't charred. When he was close enough she latched onto him, her fingernails digging into his back.
"For a second I thought you didn't make it." She cried.
She felt his arms around her, gripping her with the same intensity as her own. She didn't know where she stopped and he began.
The clouds opened up even more as the few droplets of rain turned into a downpour. Pulling back slightly she placed one hand on the side of his face and let it slide down slowly.
"But how—" She breathed out, astonished that he was alive.
He shook his head, "I don't know."
'The Blur.' She thought. 'He saved him.'
Sirens and the flashing of blue and red lights suddenly surrounded them. Cops cars, ambulances, and fire engines piled onto the streets. As the fire fighters put their hoses together and ran for the fire, a police officer came up to Lois and Clark.
"Are you folks okay?"
They both nodded.
"Lois! Clark!" A voice rang out.
Lois saw that Chloe too had arrived amidst the chaos.
"Are you two okay?" She asked.
"We're fine." Clark said.
"Miss?"
Lois turned to the voice. It was the same police officer as before.
"I need to ask you some questions."
"Sure." She said.
Breaking away from Clark's grasp, her hand slid slowly across his sopping wet chest as she walked toward the officer. Their eyes locked for a moment before she tore them away. As much as she wanted to stay in their previous position, she was grateful to break free from him. There was haziness around them… and it wasn't due to the smoke.
The cop asked her all types of questions. How did she get there, what did John Corben do to them, and most importantly… how did she get out? Her mind snapped back to thoughts of the Blur.
Somewhere out there she hoped that he was okay. This certainly was going to help her editorial. She wanted him to know what it meant to her that he had saved her. What it meant to know that he was in the world.
Just thinking about him and what he did put a smile on her face. He had stayed true to his word.
'He really is keeping an eye on me,' she thought.
While she tuned out all the commotion around her, she found bliss in that very thought.
~\~
"Mother nature's own sprinkler system." Chloe commented as the rain fell.
Clark nodded, trying to listen to Chloe, but also trying to see what was happening with Lois.
"They're probably just questioning her as to what happened." Chloe said, noticing his actions.
He turned back to her and commented, "Right."
"Should I even ask where Metallo is now?"
Clark shook his head. "I don't know. I used my x-ray vision, but there was no body."
"Where's Callie?"
"Right behind you."
Clark watched as Chloe turned around and grabbed Callie into a big hug.
"Looks like your plan worked." Chloe said.
"Somewhat. Had to improvise a little and surprisingly got help from an unlikely source." Callie said.
"He called after you left. I let him know what was happening. I wasn't sure if he'd show up either, but something must have changed his mind." Chloe said alluding to Oliver's sudden resurrection as Green Arrow.
"Well, I'm grateful." Callie said.
"Grateful for what?" Lois said, rejoining the group.
"That you're okay." Callie said, grabbing Lois into a hug.
"I'm glad you're okay too." Clark heard her say softly.
As she pulled back he could see Lois' facial expression change as she said, "They want to have me checked out by the hospital."
"I think that's a good idea." Clark said.
'Who knows how much trauma she's had tonight.' He thought.
"Well if I'm going then so are you, buddy."
"I'll be right behind you, Lois." He assured her, not that he needed any medical attention or anything.
"You better be!"
Chloe shot a smile at Clark and walked towards Lois.
"I'll go with you for now." She said, pulling Lois in the direction of the ambulance.
Clark gazed at Lois as he saw her walk away with Chloe to one of waiting paramedics. Turning to Callie he could see that anger was rising in her eyes, a sudden change from the relief he saw just seconds before.
"I can't believe you." She said angrily.
He wasn't sure why she had the sudden mood swing, but the only thing he could think of was that she was still irate that he had run off earlier to get Lois.
"Callie, I had to. Lois was in trouble."
"Yeah, I know that!" She yelled.
The rain began to come down harder on them. She looked around them and pulled them to a more secluded location in an alleyway between buildings.
"Do you know what you did to me by pulling that? How could you be so stupid? You could have died!" She exclaimed.
As Clark listened to the emotion in her voice he felt guilty. Staring at her he couldn't tell whether she was crying or if it was the rain staining her face.
She walked closer to him and pushed her arms into his chest and shoved him back, the water from his soaked clothes splashing up every time she did so.
"You could have died!"
Shove.
"You could have died!"
Shove.
She then stopped and just stared at him silently. "You could have died," she whispered before she super-sped away, leaving him more confused and suspicious as ever.