Chapter 5: Metropolis

Tall buildings, newspaper stands on every corner, bright coffee shops with overpriced lattes, and a harbor that led to Gotham City; Metropolis, the epicenter of the Northeast U.S.

Compared to Kansas, it was the boot that squashed the ant. People walked through the streets without a care in the world, bumping into one another with disgruntled sighs and the occasional middle finger over the shoulder.

Connie checked her watch for the third time. Still only 12:15.

There was a whole forty five minutes before the interview, which meant thirty before she needed to check into the building- just to be safe, of course, one can never be too early, which left fifteen minutes of leisure time, but it was hard to not worry.

If she'd been sitting, her leg would've been shaking up a fearsome storm.

Her sneakers were silent against the damp sidewalk, and she turned into the coffee shop with ease. A man held the door open as he was leaving, and she shot him a smile; it seemed not everyone was so terrible.

Inside, nearly every seat was already taken. Men with their noses stuck to laptop screens, women lightly sipping their espressos with a bag taking up another seat, and an entire family in the corner.

Connie skirted past a little girl with wide blue eyes, and took place in line. In front of her were two people; the one ordering looked like they still belonged in bed, and the other had short brown hair, his shoulders covered in a lab coat. It was funny that instead of slacks, he wore rugged jeans and worn down Nike's.

His side profile showed a sharp nose and soft pale white cheeks. She nearly jumped when his brown eyes darted to her staring gaze, his lips curling up into a smile.

"Hello there," his voice was jovial and took her by surprise. "I haven't seen you around these parts before. Let me guess, you've just moved to the big city of Metropolis and you wanted to see the sights, starting with mediocre, overpriced coffee for lunch before you try and catch a tour at Lexcorp. How close am I?"

"I'd hate to think the first person I meet is a stalker." She chuckled shyly.

"Oh, I beg to differ." His finger tapped at the folded paper sticking out of her jacket pocket. Enough of it was out that the words 'LEX' must have caught his eye.

"You practically told me everything about yourself already."

"Oh really? Then what's my name?"

He chuckled. "Touché. I, on the other hand, am Alexander. It's a pleasure to meet your acquaintance."

Connie watched him turn and hold out one thin hand, fingers wiggling back and forth.

He didn't look very harmful, not that his slim body could do much damage if he tried, so she went with her gut and shook his hand, "Connie. Great to meet you, Alexander."

"Next," droned the barista, and Connie watched as he ordered a drink with an egregious number of surgery add ons, before turning to her and asking what she liked.

She shook her head, "No, you really don't have," but he waved it off, "It's on me. Think of it as a housewarming gift, from me to you."

When the barista cleared her throat with an annoyed look, Connie ordered a tall iced chai with soy, to which Alexander gave her a grin of approval. An awkward silence remained between the two, Connie staring at the unique art residing on the walls, wanting to capture it all firsthand.

"So," Alexander led them both outside, Connie walking side by side as they slowly strode down the sidewalk. "Where are we headed?"

"Metropolis University," she answered. Sipping her drink, she was glad to note they used soy milk instead of regular. Most places in Kansas turned their nose at her fancy milk.

"I have an interview at one to see if I get a spot in their school. The acceptance letter already came but it said I have to meet with the 'benefactor of the school'," she made exaggerated air quotes. "God only knows how that'll go."

His brows wiggled up and down, squirming like worms. "How exciting. Do you know what you're going to say, how to plead your case?"

"Sort of, I guess. If I'm being honest, I'm pretty nervous. I've never had to do something with this much on the line before. One wrong word and poof, I'm rejected and sent packing. It's not like there's a backup plan or a lifeline if it goes south."

"What's got you so certain it'll go south?"

She shrugged, "Gut feeling, I guess."

They crossed the road together, sipping their drinks. She asked, "Where are you headed? Guess it's not the same as me."

Alexander's shoulder's bobbed up and down in a chuckle. "Funny enough, my new friend, I'm headed for MU as well. And coincidentally, I've an interview too."

He downed the last of his vente sugar filled breakfast, threw the cup in a recycle bin with ease, and turned his back to the ongoing road, looking head on at Connie.

"You need some confidence, Connie. Confident Connie should be your nickname."

Rolling her eyes, Connie sipped on her drink, listening as Alexander gave her, what he probably assumed, was good advice. The regular things like making sure to smile, standing up straight, keeping good eye contact.

It was similar to advice from high school counselors, except he was much nicer about it.

"Don't you get nervous?"

"Not anymore," he shrugged, running a hand over his ear length locks. "When you have a Father like mine, you learn to get over it."

It seemed they both had issues with Father figures, but he quickly turned the subject back to her as they walked closer to the arch of MU.

"But please, don't be intimidated. They can't actually do anything to you, unless you ask nicely." He snickered. "I swear on my life, there's nothing to worry about."

"I don't think I can help it, but… I'll try my best." It was an honest answer. No matter what anyone said, not worrying just wasn't in her blood.

They arrived at the entrance of the campus. It wasn't anything like she'd expected, not that there'd been much internet sleuthing on Metropolis or its prized school. And now, looking up, and up, and up at the imposing glass building, she felt starstruck, Alexander waiting by her side.

Metropolis University wasn't so much tall as it was wide; covered in clear, shining glass reflecting the sunny, beaming overhead sky. The building spanned two entire blocks, and presumably stretched back even farther.

Standing high above the door was the sign reading, 'Metropolis University', as well as the smaller but no less imposing 'LexCorp'. People could be seen milling about through the clear walls, students and professors, scientists and engineers.

"Isn't it a sight for sore eyes," Alexander commented while shooting a smile to her wide eyed face. "Never gets old."

He motioned forward, "Come, let me be your certified tour guide. What time did you say your interview was? One, right?"

Without much thought, she allowed herself to be tugged inside by the arm, nodding along as he rambled at her side. Much like the outside, MU had more of an office type feeling, with stunning women manning the front desk and alarmingly large men in front of the elevators.

Off to the side, she spotted people who looked to be like regular students.

Before she knew it, her arm jolted her to a halt before the front desk, Alexander standing at her side. Before them sat a woman, her name tag reading 'Helen', and her bleach blonde roots and perfect teeth leaving Connie slightly jealous.

"Students are not meant to enter through here," Helen drooled with bored eyes, "There's a map outside that will tell you the location of every office on this campus-"

"Ah!" Alexander piped up, leaning his forearms on the pristine white desk and giving Helen a smile. "I do believe she has an interview with the admission's office and since that's exactly two floors up, it'd be a waste of all our time if she did what you just asked."

Helena turned to Connie, "What time did you make your appointment?"

Alexander answered for her. "One, and do hurry up, these are precious minutes we're wasting talking to you when I can guarantee not a single hired security will stop us."

The click of nails furiously typing against the keyboard filled the large room, the receptionists eyes dancing across the screen. Connie did her best to ignore the rapid beating in her chest, eyes jumping when a soft hand gently slid to the small of her back, rubbing small circles.

All at once, she wished it were Clark soothing her.

"Okay, yes, here you are. One o'clock for Mayfield." Helen's eyes darted up to the pair, thumb jutting over her shoulder.

"Your interview will be on Level 39, take a left and it's the last door on the right. Have a nice day, Ms. Mayfield."

Before she could thank Helen, Alexander was ushering them away from the reception desk. "That was all a formality, I could've done that in half the time."

With urgency, he smashed the up button again and again, smiling when the doors opened, tugging Connie in. When they closed, his hands planted on her shoulders, turning her to face him.

"There's nothing to worry about. You wouldn't believe the hundreds of thousands of plucky students I see grace these walls everyday. And you, my new friend-" he poked the center of her chest, "have something that none of them have, which puts you on top of the board. As of right now, you have the king in the palm of your hand."

She'd never say it, but sometimes he spoke as if he was always two steps ahead of everyone else.

"It's not for certain that they'll like me." She tried to reason. "There are people whose whole lives are dedicated just to attending this school. It's not like this is just some random school, this place's made a name for itself."

"Why do you doubt yourself so much?"

"Shouldn't everyone doubt themselves just a little bit? Keeps people humble."

"Humble, my sweet Connie, is not in my vocabulary. If you allow people to see that they have power over you, they will use it against you. If you don't stand tall, you'll fall like everyone else."

The elevator opened at Level 29, but when the girl on the other side looked inside, eyes darting to Alexander with wide eyes, she muttered that she'd get the next one.

When the doors shut, Connie put a hand on his shoulder. "Thanks for the pep talk, but I'm just going to be myself and hopefully win them over."

"You've already won me over," he chuckled, stepping out when they reached Level 39. She followed behind, looking at the finely painted wooden doors, passing by unfamiliar names plagued against each front.

Every title held phD, some even more. At the end of the hall, the plaque with Admission's stared back.

"Well," she started, turning to her new friend, "Thanks for coming with me. I really appreciate it, Alexander. Not many people in Metropolis seem as nice as you."

"It was really no problem," he waved her off. "Glad to help someone in need. And you never know, someday, I may need something from you."

As he whistled his way down the hall, Connie watched him with a curious gaze. Strange guy, but nice enough, I guess. She licked her lips, practiced her best smile, and went inside.

Connie smiled again at the two men and one woman sitting at the long, obsidian desk. To the far left, the man that sat looked ancient, his skin aged and rippled, cheeks concave, hair greasy while plastered to his skull.

He donned a suit too loose for his weightless form, and compared to the two younger, more lively people to his right, he was on death's door.

Even worse, he'd been asking all the questions, stony face never faltering.

They ranged from 'what is your standing GPA', to 'what medical research of ours have you found the most enticing', and lastly, 'if you were to be accepted to my prestigious university, what would you bring of value'.

And her answers ranged from '3.5, and I joined a few clubs when I could,' to 'the genetics department has really intrigued me, but I'm an entomology major, Sir, so I'd veer towards anything in that category,' and lastly, '... I suppose I would learn all I could and further your research, as anyone would.'

Not one of their faces had changed the whole interview, except at the end.

"That concludes the interview process," said the woman in the middle, her bright red lipstick cracking around her smile. "You'll receive a letter on whether you will be joining us in the Fall. Have a nice day, Ms. Mayfield."

Connie nodded and began to rise, but the old man cleared his throat, and she turned to him with wide eyes. He shakily held out his withered hand, waiting for her to take it.

His fingers felt bony in her grasp, his skin leathery and aged. "I see… promise, in you," he said. "Just as I saw in my son. Do not waste it."

"I'll try not to, Mr…" She waited, and when he said "Luther. Lionel Luther", she pulled her hand from his his, wearily smiling and leaving the office.

Mr. Rosenthal's warning blared in her head like a siren, Lexcorp—or at least, Lionel Luther—doesn't believe in following the rules of science. She couldn't lie and say that Lionel Luther didn't exactly look evil, in a way, but something in her gut said that he couldn't be trusted.

"And how did it go?" came from her left just as the door to the Admission's office shut, Alexander leaning against the wall with a grin. "Well, I hope."

She scratched the back of her head, "I think so? I don't really know what answers they wanted, but I tried my best. All I can do now is wait."

"Hm, alright then. Shall I show you out?" Before she could accept his offer, he was already intertwining their elbows and leading the way back, a red lollipop sticking from his mouth.

On the trip down, he hummed a tune, tapping his fingers against her bare arm.

The three walls are glass, and she stared at the reflections, hoping to blink and see Clark in one of them.

They passed Helen at the reception desk, and Alexander tugged his arm free at the front doors.

"Well, this is where I let you go. I sincerely hope we meet again, I like you quite a lot." He smiled around the red sucker, and pulled a thin card from his back pocket. "If you ever need anything, anything at all, give me a ring."

She grinned, "Thanks for today, Alexander, I appreciate it."

"Mr. Luther, your father on line one," Helen calmly echoed across the room, and Connie felt her muscles tighten.

"Mr…. Luther?" she whispered, "You're his son?"

"Ah, yes, I thought you knew, but I didn't want to break the spell." Alexander Luther waved to Helen and began to back away, "Duty calls, but remember, call me if you need anything. Goodbye, Connie."

There's a kick to his step as he walks off, and Connie gently nudged the glass front door of the building.

Outside, the streets were still full of people, and most of them paid her no mind. The rush of fear from the interview had begun to flee, and she felt like she could breathe again.

I'd breathe better if Clark were here, she thought, looking up to the sky.

A taxi from the airport to the farm was twenty five dollars, and Connie forked over the cash easily. Martha hadn't been able to call out of work, they needed every penny they could get, so the taxi had been the only way.

On the drive there, she watched the scenery go by. It was so much different than Metropolis. Much more green, much more gold. There were no skyscrapers, a third as many cars, and fields of corn as far as the eye could see. Even the air was different; there, it was packed with cigarette smoke and fuel, while here, it was fresh and clean.

She waved the driver off with a smile, facing the Kent house. Of course, nothing had changed, she'd only been gone a few days, but she was glad to be back home.

In the dirt driveway, Martha's car was parked.

"Ma?" yelled Connie. "I'm back, Martha! I didn't think you'd… be home…" Her voice trailed off as she stepped inside, letting the screen door click shut.

She walked slowly to the kitchen, and smiled at what she saw.

At the small kitchen table. Martha sat with a blueberry pie and a motherly smile.

"They let me go an hour early, but I knew you were already on your way back." She beamed at Connie, "I was up all night makin' it. I know it's your favorite. Come on, have a slice and tell me all about it. I wanna know every detail."

"It went well, I think," Connie sat and took the offered piece of pie, "I was really nervous, but I got through it. Metropolis is different from here, everything from the people to the cars. I sort of made a friend."

Martha hmm'ed, "Tell me about 'em."

"Well," she took another bite, "It turns out he's Lionel Luther's son, which he didn't tell me until the last minute, and not by choice. I had coffee with him, I got his card, and that was it."

Martha nodded along, "It's never bad to have friends. I've always told you and Clark that, but you two were always stuck at the hip. Never really added someone else to your group."

"People didn't like Clark, Ma. They still talk about him like he's some alien freak." Both women chuckled at the inside joke.

"I don't think Clark ever wanted to make friends. He's always been nice, at least to me."

Martha looked lost in a memory for a moment, and she reached across the table to hold Connie's hand. "Can I tell you a story, sweetheart? One that I never even told Jonathon."

Connie nodded.

"A long time ago, when you and Clark were in maybe 7th or 8th grade, you'd spent the day here with him. The two of you went on a picnic together, you swung on the tire swing, stayed up in his room and talked for hours. I couldn't break you two apart, even if I tried. And at the end of the night, our phone rang, and I remember answering it."

Martha's lips thinned, "It was your Father, Connie. He was drunk and angry, yelling that you needed to come home at once. That… he'd do something bad to you if you stayed here the night. I hung up and looked at Jonathan, and I said that he needed to take you home, that it was getting late."

"When you..." Martha licked her dry lips, shaking her head.

"I love Clark, and I know he's good, inside and out, but I was scared he'd do something he'd regret. I'd never seen my boy so angry, so full of hate, for your Father. I told him that it was out of his hands, and his eyes grew red. He was shaking, and I didn't know how to stop him."

Connie felt tears well up in her eyes, and asked, "How did you?"

"I told him what would happen if he hurt your Father. That you' be taken away from here, and so would he. They'd lock him up, and you'd never see each other again."

Martha ran a weary hand down her face, "It took him a bit to calm down, but I'm thankful he did."

"Why didn't you tell Jonathon?"

"What would that have done, Connie? He already wanted to keep Clark safe, but how do you protect someone from themselves?"

Connie ate another piece of sweet blueberry pie, shaking her head. "I don't… I don't know, but why are we even talking about this? He's gone, he left and he's not coming back anytime soon."

"Can you blame him, sweetheart? We only know so much about where he comes from, but I don't blame him, and you shouldn't either. He loves the both of us, you even more."

She petted Connie's hand. "I'm just sorry you two aren't getting married in the backyard."

Connie snorted softly, "You never know. If he comes back, I'll hold you to that."

"When he comes back," Martha insisted, "I'll plan the whole thing."

Both of them finished their pieces of pie, refrigerated the rest, and Connie was sure she was about to get away with Martha not asking her anymore about MU. There was still one thing she hadn't asked, and one thing the young adult had yet to say.

"You're not getting away so fast," Martha scolded when she spotted Connie attempting to flee the kitchen. "When will we know if you've been accepted, or about the scholarship? Did they tell you anything else?"

"It'll be about a week before I get a letter that either has an acceptance or rejection." She rolled on the balls of her feet, not meeting Martha's eyes. "But I thought about something on the plane here."

"Mmm?"

"You know, some people take a gap year before college. It's fairly common amongst people fresh out of high school."

Martha groaned, "Connie…"

"Hear me out, hear me out." She held out a placating hand. "I was thinking that maybe, just listen, I could ask MU if I could take a year off before moving to Metropolis. I could- no, no, listen- I could get a job and help you save up to pay off the house, maybe even save up for myself, so that when I'm gone, I know we're both okay."

On the plane ride, Connie had nervously bitten her nails the entire time. I can't leave Martha alone. The bills would never stop coming, and without Clark, one paycheck wouldn't be enough.

"I'm not saying I won't go, but just give me a year to help you out." Connie went as far as putting her hands together in a prayer. "Please, Ma."

"What if they don't let you take your 'gap year'?" She snarked with exaggerated quotes.

The thin, pale card in her back pocket thrummed, "I think they will, Ma. I think they will."

The acceptance letter arrived eight days later, and that night, she called Alexander. It was a simple conversation; he was as funny and jovial as he had been during their last meeting, and when she asked if MU would allow her to postpone her acceptance, he went silent.

"Alexander?"

"Sorry, sorry, just surprised me for a moment." He cleared his throat. "Can I ask why?"

"I need to stay here with my Mom. She can't afford to keep the place by herself. I'm just asking for a year."

"And a year you shall get, my sweet Connie." He chuckled on the other end of the line. "It's a blessing you asked me and not my Father. He's never been as kind"

She nearly did a dance of joy, "Thank you, thank you! I promise you won't regret this."

They said their goodbyes, and for the first time since Clark had walked out the kitchen door, she felt as if everything was going her way.

I hope you're alright Clark, she smiled into the wind blowing in from her window, I can't wait for you to come home.

The night was dark and cold. It was near three in the morning, and the sky was full of stars, softly shining. A lone figure stood before the corn field. They donned a muted plaid shirt and dark plaid jeans, a hat covering their curls.

With ease, they crossed the grassy lawn and wiggled open the door. All of the lights were off in the house, his ears picking up the two sets of soft breathing coming from upstairs. His eyes swept through the house, taking in his childhood home.

The stairs didn't creak under his weight, and he ran his hand along the wall leading to the last room on the left. With an easy push, the door opened, and he smiled at what he saw. It was Connie, asleep in his bed.

Carefully, he ran his finger down her cheek, relishing in the way she seemed to gravitate towards him.

He'd been hesitant on leaving Kansas. What if something happens to her and I'm not there. I can't lose her too. But the call to find his heritage, his home, was too strong. There was too much he didn't know about himself.

"Be safe," he muttered into the dark night, leaning down to place a kiss on her cheek.

And then, he was gone.