I really loved this last episode (S01E06), and I just couldn't forget the soldier's face after facing angry Superman.
All my thanks to my best friend for editing/beta reading my Superman fics in Spanish :)
Additional note: This English version is unbeta-ed. You've been warned ;)
Stand Down
Malcolm Cullen entered his house and threw the keys towards the nearest table. He sat on the sofa in silence. His living room was empty and impersonal. He hadn't had any time to decorate when his assault team was relocated to Metropolis. The clean walls in color cream were pretty convenient now as he kept looking at them trying to process what he had experienced mere hours ago. Moments like these brought to mind that in his line of work there were tasks that he didn't like. It was the nature of military service: following orders. In his 8 years of service, the lieutenant had made terms with that. But he would doubt occasionally in his moments of weakness.
As team leader, it was his duty to decide while on the field. Earlier that day, it was him who had given the order to attack the subject. The boy. Tag Harris. The teenager that Superman had protected.
After the adrenaline had vanished, Malcolm couldn't help but feel a strange cold in his bones. He was no stranger to close calls during his years in the army. It was impossible to reach his rank in the Special Forces without facing scenarios like those. But he had never felt as shocked as today. He was still looking at the texture on his walls.
When he gave the order to engage with live rounds to Harris, Superman protected the boy in a rush of alien power. The bullets of his team harmlessly bounced off the man as if they were made of paper. Before being able to analyze that, the lieutenant pulled his own weapon's trigger: The only weapon that was loaded with kryptonite the best trained soldiers could have a poor reaction time in comparison.
Los dardos impactaron en el hombro izquierdo a Superman. Su humanidad fue demasiado lenta y cuando se percató, se encontraba bajo el escrutinio de los ojos del ser más poderoso de la tierra.
The darts hit Superman's left shoulder. His humanity was too slow, and before he realized he was under the scrutiny of the strongest being of the planet.
He felt like a rookie on his first mission: frozen solid in front of the enemy, conscious that he was going to die right there.
Superman ripped off the darts with a scream and blew them up with his heat vision.
The famous Lois Lane had interviewed and reported on the hero for years. Thanks to all the articles, very few people on the globe were unaware that the man of steel came from a planet very far away. However, it was easy to forget that due to his very human appearance most of the time. So similar to everyone else despite his famous abilities.
The fanaticism of many seemed pathetically wrong as the red light was shining through the skin around Superman's eyes. The lieutenant felt goosebumps.
He was an alien.
THE ALIEN
An entity, so ridiculously powerful that could wipe his entire team in an instant with no difficulties whatsoever.
In his home, Malcolm let his head fall over the sofa's back and started looking at the ceiling. His mind returned to the encounter with Superman.
The hero moved faster than what the human brain could process and simply appeared in front of the lieutenant. He was so close that Malcolm could feel the heat coming from the alien's eyes.
"Stand down", ordered Superman barely containing his anger.
Malcolm and his team complied in total silence. After what they have witnessed, none dared to disobey the man.
They processed the kid and wrote down the girl's statement quickly. Superman was still watching them closely. Not long after, Lieutenant Cullen and his men split to take Harris to the DoD and the Cushing girl back to Smallville.
Malcolm finished writing his report for General Lane and left it with Rosetti.
In eight years of military service, Lieutenant Cullen had never wanted to leave the army. The mission had always been crystal clear to him: protect his country from any threat. But as he was walking to his car, he couldn't help but think about who would help humanity if Superman went rogue and lost his control. It was impossible to find a scenario in which any human could win over a force like that.
Back home, Malcolm stood up.
He was not quitting.
He was proud of his job and had never left a mission unfinished. However, from now on, he was going to be far more careful. He was going to keep on following orders like a good soldier, but he was not going to risk his or his team's lives if Superman was involved.
If there was something he didn't want to repeat, it was to never have Superman's red gaze on him. He could still see it, just as if it had been burned in his eyes and mind.
Besides that, while he was never going to admit it to anyone, he had been so very close to wearing a spare set of underwear that night.