Chapter 8: Metallo

Clark landed and immediately walked over to the police officers nearest him. "What's the situation?" He asked, his voice slightly deeper.

The man who turned to answer him had a bristly moustache and a badge that denoted him as a sergeant. "Fifteen hostages, Sir. He's refusing any and all negotiation."

"Has he said why?" Clark asked, he pushed all other sound out and tried to listen to Metallo's heart to get a sense of the man.

"Negative, Sir." The police sergeant said.

Clark frowned, he couldn't hear the man's heart. "Have you got a microphone?" He asked.

The man nodded and after a moment's pause handed him one. Clark pressed a button and put the thing next to his mouth. He took a breath and then said. "Metallo, if you are there, my name is Kal El, or as you might know me, Superman. I'm here to negotiate the release of the hostages you have taken."

He removed his finger from the button and waited. A door opened somewhere and a figure appeared. The figure didn't need a microphone. "Kal El. There will be no negotiation."

Clark put his finger on the button and raised the microphone. "What do you mean?"

"Either you fight me, or everyone here dies." Metallo said.

Clark sighed. "Fine." He handed the microphone back to the cop and said. "You might want to clear a space." Clark took to the air then and hovered above the buildings. He watched the cops pull back, and waited.

He saw the figure who appeared to be Metallo appear in the middle of the ground. Clark flew down and landed. His eyes widened as he saw just what Metallo was. Silver skin, and glowing green eyes. There was some sort of energy source radiating off him. Clark did a scan and saw that there was something buried within him. Clark took a breath. "What are you?" Clark asked.

"Your destruction." Metallo snarled as he charged at Clark.

Clark moved to the side, but felt something prick him. He turned around and used his ice breath on the machine. Metallo stumbled and fell, but got back up and charged at Clark. Clark moved backwards again and Metallo followed.

Clark went to throw a punch but stopped when he felt something prick him again. He looked at his suit, there was nothing there, but he had felt something. Next thing he knew Metallo's fist had connected with his jaw. He fell back.

That had felt odd. There was more power in the punch than there should be. Clark moved to the left and Metallo followed. He moved to the right and the machine did the same. Was Metallo mirroring his movements? Clark didn't know, but he was going to find out.

He leapt into the air. Metallo didn't follow, but he was doing something. Clark watched in horror as Metallo opened his chest to reveal a glowing green substance where his organs should be.

Kryptonite!

Where had he gotten that from?

Clark felt the pain come over him. That had been what that odd pinch had been then.

He took a breath and flew back toward where the police had been. Before coming down he took another breath and then got his thoughts together. If there was kryptonite in Metallo then he wouldn't be able to do close combat. At least not whilst the machine's chest was open.

So, he would need to find a way to close the chest or destroy Metallo without getting hurt himself.

That was easier said than done.

Clark landed on the ground and created an icy pathway with his breath. Metallo came charging toward him, but slipped on the icy path. The machine got up though and started taking an alternate route. Clark tried to trip him up again but clearly the machine had learned.

Clark felt the draining effect of kryptonite the closer Metallo got. When the blows came, they were like a crack of thunder. Clark was knocked one way and then another. Metallo laughed all the while.

"Not so easy now is it." Metallo snarled.

Clark felt blood pool out of his nose and then asked. "Why?"

"Why what?" Metallo asked.

"Why are you doing this?" Clark replied.

Metallo didn't respond, instead he just hit Clark. Given that the machine's chest was open, Clark was powerless to stop the blows that came. All he could do was try and stop their severity. He took the blows and added a bit of extra drama to ensure Metallo wouldn't hit quite as hard next time.

It still left him a bloodied wreck though. When Metallo kicked, him he fell to the ground and he wasn't quite sure that he'd be able to get back up.

"Your time has come, Superman." Metallo said. "God cannot be good or bad, but God can be killed."

Clark looked at the machine as he tried to get up. "Why?" He asked again. Why was Metallo doing this?

Metallo didn't answer though. Instead he grabbed Clark and held him up by the collar of the suit. His eyes flashed green.

The car.

What?

The car.

Clark looked away from Metallo and saw an old and abandoned car to his right. Perhaps he could get Metallo down by using the car? First he'd need to get away from Metallo.

Slowly and with great effort, he raised his hands and pushed himself away from Metallo. He then flew toward the car. He looked at it, it was broken down and beaten, but he could use it.

He could hear Metallo approaching, and so he lifted the car and threw it at Metallo. The car hit Metallo and knocked him down. Thankfully the car was still on top of the machine, that allowed Clark to fly into the air and hover above the machine.

Clark felt his eyes heat and then unleashed the red beams of destruction onto the car. The car melted but so too did Metallo. The machine's screams were horrific but when they stopped Clark stopped. He flew down and found that the kryptonite had been destroyed as well.

Now that was something.

He'd need to look into that.