Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 7

By

Jason Richard

As the building fell forward Lois was knocked onto the window, her breath fogging up the glass. She could see the city road in front of her approaching like the side of a book closing against the other. Soon she and the rest of the building would be smashed against the pavement...and there was nothing she could do to stop it.

Was this it? She asked herself. Was she really about to die now?

As she fell with the building, at the very moment the building entered free fall, she started to feel weightless, and lifted off of the glass. It reminded her of a time she was in a falling plane and felt weightless. The difference was, she wasn't strapped down, and no one was piloting the falling object to make certain they landed safely.

Floating a few inches above the window, watching the pavement speed towards her, she realized that she truly was about to die.

Or so she thought.

…

Earlier that week Clark had woken up feeling as if the bed were softer than normal. It took him a moment to realize that he was actually floating above it, suspended in the air by an invisible force. He fell down to the bed below him a moment later, but still realized he had discovered a new ability.

The power to fly.

And later, faced with a building falling like a domino, Clark knew this was the perfect chance to use it. His business suit discarded in favor of the red and blue suit and cape, he matched the speed of the falling building for a moment, and firmly, but gently, pushed upwards with his hands and feet.

…

Falling and falling, Lois awaited the inevitable smash into the cars and asphalt before her. Closer and closer it came...just as the glass window came closer.

It was when she was pressed against the glass that she realized that she no longer felt weightless, and that the building was slowing down.

Slower and slower the building fell, until it was right over the cars in the road. Lois's face was but a few inches from the hood of a red car, only a thin layer of air and glass separating her from it. The impact, however, never came. The building had stopped falling.

And lois's mouth twitched...almost breaking into a smile but not quite going through with it.

Wow, thought Lois...I'm alive...but how?

…

It was amazing, thought Clark as his red cape fell straight down behind him. He was pressed with his hands and feet against the building, keeping it up through the strength of his limbs and sheer will that kept him afloat. It was exhilarating, but his work was not done.

Carefully, so as not to damage the building or throw around anyone inside, he very gently pushed up harder, and flew up as well.

…

Lois was just about to stand up, but just as she thought things couldn't get any stranger, she was proven wrong. The building, slowly, started to go up. The hood of the car, once inches away from her face, was getting farther away.

What is this? Lois thought.

She looked around in confusion, unable to comprehend anything that was going on. Out the window people started flooding the streets, watching the building go up in amazement.

How can this be? Lois thought.

The building began the process of straightening up. Eventually Lois was able to rest some of her weight on the floor rather than the window. Up and up the building went, and more people came out into the streets before her to watch.

What is...suddenly lois realized all the people in the streets were looking at a single point on the building. She couldn't see what it was, but she did see something. On another nearby building she saw a shadow.

The shadow of a man lifting the building with nothing to stand on on.

"No way…" Lois muttered, shaking her head. Frantically, as the building started to level out and she was able to stand on the floor again, she reached for the latches on the window and opened it.

Peeking her head out, the first thing she saw was other people peeking out below and beside her, Lexcorp staff most likely. Lois immediately looked up to see what everyone was looking at.

Her jaw dropped.

Holding up the building, with ground or anything else to brace himself again, was a man in a blue suit with a red cape. How did he do it? She had no idea. She just stared open mouthed in awe and amazement at what she was seeing.

Soon the building was standing upright again. Clark, however, was not finished. He still needed to meld the building back into place. Holding the building up for a moment, he got his bearings, then fast as he could flew around the building, melting the seams with his heat vision and using x-ray vision to precisely melt the places where the metal had been blasted apart.

He flew around the building with his heat vision three times in a split second, and with the next split second he flew around another three times, this time using his freezing breath to harden the molten metal. Soon the building was completely reattached.

For a moment he floated in the air with his fists resting on his hips, admiring his handiwork. At that moment he saw Lois Lane's head peeking out a window. He nodded to her, and then flew off.

Lois, meanwhile, watched him go, completely speechless apart from one word, "Whoa."

…

Lex Luthor watched the man in red and blue lift the building and repair it all by himself. He stared wide eyed, though whether in fear, awe, or envy it was hard to tell. He put his hand against the window, unable to accept what he was seeing.

One man? He thought. One man did this? Just one man!?