Superman: The Ark of Krypton
Chapter 32
By
Jason Richard
The pair of them very slowly flew down until they stood on the glass, right above a habitat for the unconscious alien animals. The purple faced Rudy, still wearing the flight uniform from the helicopter, also put the knocked out Lex Luthor down, and then he and Superman looked each other in the eye.
Superman was also disturbed. If Rudy was taking the powers of the alien wildlife in this area he should have heard it. Had he been that distracted by the video of his birth parents? He had heard the military and scientists arrive, but not this. He was beginning to realize his hearing had limits. He could hear far away, but if he wanted to detect a particular sound, like a call for help, he had to listen for it deliberately. The sound had to be something Superman expected to hear, otherwise it got lost in the storm of sounds that constantly surrounded him.
He definitely hadn't expected Rudy Jones to figure a way inside the ship, and the fact that he had been distracted when this was going on certainly didn't help.
He was going to have to work on his hearing later.
"Rudy Jones," said Superman. "What are you doing here?"
"I was after you," said Rudy, looking around. "But then I found this place. Amazing isn't it? All these creatures locked up nice and comfortable for me, and they won't try to escape my grasp too much, and if they do they'll be easier to track down than you. Seems I don't need you anymore. Good news for me, bad news for you."
And rudy grinned, but something about that grin seemed half hearted to Superman.
"Why?" asked Superman. "Why do you want this power? What do you even intend to do with it?"
"You need to ask?" said Rudy. "All my life I'd wanted things no one would give me. I always had to earn it with chores or schoolwork or a job...blah blah blah. Now I don't need to ask permission for the things I want. I can take them, and no one can stop me."
Something was off about the way Rudy said that, Superman noticed. He didn't seem entirely convinced of his own intentions, as if he was struggling to keep his grin up.
"I don't think you'll be able to keep that up," said Superman. "After all you don't keep power forever. Eventually you'll make a mistake and be caught powerless."
"See you did your research," said Rudy, his grin dissapearing. "Yeah, I'll make a mistake...cause I'm a huge lost cause. A lazy idiot who can't get anything done. Right?"
"That's not what I meant," said Superman.
"But it's true," said Rudy. "Lately I've been forced to look at myself through other people's eyes, and I suddenly don't like what I see. Don't you get it? That's why I have to take other people's abilities. I have none of my own."
"It doesn't have to be that way," said Superman. "You got here all on your own, and got past the military outside all on your own, and didn't even need my power to do it. That shows potential."
"Wrong," said Rudy, shaking his head. "I had the brains of smarter people, especially this loser," he pointed to the unconscious Lex.
"True," said Superman. "But if you have his mind, then you know it wasn't just given to him, nor most of the people whose gifts you stole. No one ever became a genius overnight. You know, they learned, they read..."
"They worked?" asked Rudy, unconvinced. "Yeah. I know. It sickens me to know what I could have done to have a better life now that I'm a genius, but at the same time, I am a genius now, and I didn't have to lift a finger to become one...well...except to grab Lex Luthor by the neck." he grinned again, this time less forcefully.
"Besides," said Rudy, who began thinking of himself as Parasite. "You're not one to talk. You did get your power overnight...pretty much."
That was certainly true, but Superman, for a moment thinking of himself as Clark Kent, remembered days helping out on the Kent farm before getting his powers. Lifting bales of hay, feeding the animals...all that stuff.
But he had the suspicious idea that if he mention this to Rudy, the man wouldn't believe him. Still, he continued to suspect that Rudy's heart wasn't entirely with what he was saying.
"You know those newspapers," Rudy went on. "Called me the Parasite, and...yeah. That fits. I'm the Parasite now, and I'll continue to leech the strength from people who put in real effort, so I can reap the rewards without lifting a finger."
"You don't sound convinced of your own words," said Superman, eyeing him suspiciously. "And I think I know why. I've never met the man face to face, but know Luthor's bio. He built his company from the ground up, and designed most of his company's technology personally. He's a proud perfectionist who wouldn't be satisfied with leeching other people's accomplishments and calling them his own. Someone does something, he'd just do something bigger and better, and that pride is clashing with everything you're trying to do here."
Rudy had to admit, Superman had hit it right on the nose. Most of him was amazed that he was as powerful as he was now, but another part of him was screaming that these weren't really his accomplishments. Even his ability to take powers from others was developed by someone else. The truth was a man as lazy as Rudy Jones could also be as driven as Lex Luthor. Both sides of his mind were tearing at each other and it was driving him crazy.
At least the thoughts and emotions from the alien animals he absorbed were simple enough to ignore. Lex Luthor could never be ignored, even if he was just a mental projection.
"Rudy," said Superman. "I don't know anything about you, but I don't think you'll be able to keep this up forever. If your powers really give you a person's mind, how do you know you'll be able to hold onto your own identity?"
Rudy thought for a moment, and then said, "So what? I'm a failure. I have been my whole life. A miserable failure who can't do anything for himself and makes excuses to cover it up. Why would I want that identity?"
"Is that you talking? Or Luthor," said Superman. "It doesn't have to be this way. You can choose to be a better man here and now, without taking Luthor's or my abilities. Plenty of people have changes of hearts and turn over a new leaf. Why not try that yourself?"
Rudy was silent for a moment, then he slowly brought his hands up and clapped.
"Bravo," said Rudy. "Bravo. That was a great speech. If I were just Rudy, I would have thought that was all phony to get out of having your powers stolen. Having Lex in my mind, however, means I can tell you really mean that...really sappy stuff.
"Maybe I could turn over a new leaf, but I just don't want to. In truth there is a part of me that both Lex Luthor and I share. We both want power, so I'll be holding onto this ship and all the powerful creatures within. With them locked away in here, and Lex Luthor's mind at my disposal, I don't really need you, now that I think about it. I'm as powerful as you right now, maybe even more powerful, and that's quite a feeling. Everyone calls me the parasite now, and you know what? I'll think I'll embrace that name. Superman, meet the Parasite, and prepare to get the beating of your life."
Superman could feel Rudy...or the Parasite vibrate with powerful energy. Knowing he wouldn't be able to negotiate with this man any longer, Superman powered himself up, tapping deep into his well of strength, the room vibrating as he prepared to fly.
"Let's take this somewhere else," said Superman. "There are people nearby who could get hurt."
"Ooh," said Rudy, grinning. "Don't want innocent bystanders to get little boo boo's huh? Leverage!"
Superman sighed and said, "Fine. Let's go somewhere we won't damage this ship. If we destroy the animals here then you really will need me to keep power, and I'm not just going to sit back and let you cage me."
Rudy laughed and said, "Wouldn't want to hurt the merchandise huh? Well played. That's certainly true. Fine. We'll take this somewhere else."
And the pair of them flew at incredible speed out of the ship, over the military and scientists encampments, and across the desert. As they breached the sound barrier the shockwave made a giant crater in the sand.