Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 22

By

Jason Richard

Rudy Jones was losing his mind. Still clinging to that drain pipe for dear life, he called Superman for the last time. The crowd was bigger than ever, and people were now making jokes of the hysterical man high on the side of that building. The landlord of that apartment building left the emergency rope ladder in place, and it wasn't like the fire escape ledge beneath him had moved. By this point Rudy figured Superman wasn't coming.

And then…

"Alright," said Superman, flying above him. "Alright. I'm here, now what in the world is so important to make such a scene."

Rudy breathed a sigh of relief. Finally.

"Took you long enough," said Rudy.

"I had other business," said Superman, shaking his head. "And it was a bit more important than some random guy in a trench coat looking for attention."

"Look," said Rudy. "I really do need help."

By this point the crowd was very quiet, eagerly awaiting the outcome of this bizarre scene. Superman regarded the man on the drain pipe curiously.

"Are you alright?" he asked. "You're looking a little...purple…"

"Just a rash," said Rudy reflexively.

As Superman got closer and closer, Rudy got more and more eager to take Superman's power. He'd soon find out if the mutation worked as advertised. Come on, Rudy thought. Just a little closer…

"Are you sure you're okay?" asked Superman, pausing. "Now that I can see you up close you look really purple...and you're heart rate is really fast...are you certain you're not sick?"

Even someone as slow as Rudy couldn't help but take advantage of an opportunity like that. "Uh...yeah...I thought it was just a rash but...now that you mention it I do feel a little woozy. And now that you mention it my heart is pounding...ugh! I think I need a doctor!"

"I thought you already saw one?" said the landlord above him.

If Rudy had any speck of nerve to look up, his glare would have made the guy back away.

"Alright," said Superman, regretting his decision to let this go for a while. "Come on, I'll get you to the hospital."

He held out his hand, which Rudy reach for gleefully. He had to stifle a laugh at how well this working out. Just a few more inches…

Superman stopped. If Rudy was getting what he wanted, his heart rate should slow a bit as he was calming down, not beat faster the closer his hand got to Superman's. Something was wrong.

But it was too late. Rudy snatched at Superman's hand.

The electric shock that passed between them was unlike anything Rudy had ever felt. As the energy from Superman passed into Rudy, creating a flash of light, Rudy felt what it was like to be Superman. The confusion and curiosity about where he came from, the family and friends Rudy had never know, the dedication and hard work to his career that Rudy himself had never known.

But most importantly he felt the power. The glorious, overwhelming power, and that made everything else fade in the background as far as Rudy was concerned.

He grinned with glee. Superman, meanwhile, was in shock. He felt like a hose was attached to him and was sucking the water out of his body. He tried to pull away, but the hand that held him in place was surprisingly strong.

But what really worried him was the sensation of losing his flight, as he started to fall to the ground. Rudy took advantage and jumped from the railing, tackling him. They slowly fell, and at the last moment Superman kicked the purple assailant off of him.

They landed in the alley, several feet away from each other. Rudy was ecstatic, feeling the strength flowing through him. Superman was confused, feeling his own strength diminished.

The crowd, meanwhile, held it's collective breath. Could this guy really take on Superman?

"What did you do to me?" Superman demanded.

"Absorbed your power," said Rudy, grinning maliciously. "It was delicious...I think I'll take seconds."

"Hey freeze!" cried a nearby policeman, pointing his gun at Rudy.

"Stay back!" cried Superman, but it was too late. Rudy ran at high speed towards the cop, touched his forehead, and the cop went down instantly.

Rudy caught the cop's gun, pointed, shot a far away bird and bullseyed it.

"Huh," said Rudy. "So that's what having good aim is like. Neat. Oh well." he threw the gun over his shoulder and said, "Now, about those seconds."

He ran at Superman who grabbed a nearby trashcan and threw it with all his might. Rudy caught it and was thrown back a few feet, his feet scraping across the pavement, but he just threw it right back. Superman moved out of the way, then ran as fast as he could. Unfortunately due to his diminished power he only ran about as fast as a race car. Fast, but not overly impressive.

Furthermore, rudy was right on his tail, running just as fast.

"Great," thought Superman sarcastically. "How do I deal with this?"

…

Lois Lane headed straight towards the Daily Planet,hoping to hail a taxi so she could get there and get her information out as quickly as possible. But then she passed by a set of TV in an electronics store. There she saw the scene with Superman playing out. She saw everything. Him approaching the man on the drain pipe, the man grabbing him, and the stranger sucking the power right out of Superman. She also saw him drain the power out of that policeman and use his gun.

"That can't be good," thought Lois.

As much as she wanted to get the dirt she had collected on Lex Luthor into safe hands, she felt she should help, because she had an idea about how to deal with a guy like this purple freak. After all, if he could absorb any ability, he might absorb other, less desirable things as well. It was a crazy idea, but this man was already giving Superman trouble.

She had to try, and while she did end up hailing a taxi, she had a different destination in mind.