Superman: The Ark of Krypton
Chapter 49
by
Jason Richard
In that sewer, trying not to breath through his nose, Superman slowly flew down and hovered right in front of the Clone, who trembled in fear. He put his hands up slowly to show he meant no harm, but the Clone looked like he would bolt and run at any second. Superman chose his words carefully, and in the end had to go with the truth...or at least as much of it as he could feasibly tell.
"Listen," said Superman. "I meant it when I said I don't want to hurt you. Right now you have memories telling you that you're Superman...and Clark Kent. I've got the same memories."
"No!" said the Clone, terrified. "Me Superman! Me!"
"Let's find out!" said Superman, cutting him off. "We'll go to the North Pole, where the Ark is. JLAI 13 should be able to tell us which is the real Superman."
The Clone seemed to think that was a good idea, "Oh! The nice robot! Yes yes!"
The Clone then ran enthusiastically towards the light under the open manhole, splashing as he went, stood under it, and jumped up and down, making more splashes. Under the light, however, his powers started to return, and he very slowly started to levitate upwards.
Superman took a deep breath, hoping this was a good idea.
…
The moment Lex Luthor heard that Superman was fighting something, he immediately got on a computer and brought up satellite images of the fight. Sure enough, it was the Clone. This could end up a big Public Relations disaster if word got out that the Clone was made at Lexcorp, but Luthor decided to see this as an opportunity to get information on Superman.
As he rubbed his chin thoughtfully he didn't really see anything that would give him an edge over such a being, but he did notice one moment that was interesting. Specifically it was the moment where Superman actually defeated the Clone. Using thermal imaging to see underground he saw them fight under the sewers, and from all appearances it looked like the Clone lost its powers while Superman didn't. Why?
The only clue was where Superman had stopped to challenge the clone, right under an open manhole. The only thing of significance that Superman would have the the Clone didn't was sunlight. Could it be? Could Superman be...solar powered?
Perhaps partially, but that couldn't be the entire story. The clone, moments later, stepped into the light and got its powers back. Thinking back on Superman's feats such as his speed and strength to lift a building Solar Power alone couldn't do it. There had to be something else.
Lytener was working on solar energy once wasn't he? Could that be the secret he'd thrown away as the Parasite Rudy Jones suggested? Maybe. He'd have to have a little talk with Lytener. Soon.
…
It didn't take long for the Clone to reach the North Pole and find the Ark. Clark contacted the AI ahead of time so it knew to go ahead and let the Clone inside. Within that ship the Clone flew through and looked at the alien craft with wonder, even though it remembered seeing all before. It took particular delight in the zoo area with all the strange Kryptonian animals.
"High yellow doggies!" said the Clone. "High glass birds! High dragon!" And it names many other creatures both big and small, waving to them enthusiastically.
Finally the Clone reached the control room, where it remembered talking to the AI before.
"Hello AI!" said the Clone cheerfully. "How are you?"
"I am operating at maximum efficiency," said the AI. "I appreciate the inquiry."
The Clone just laughed and said, "That means you doing well and thanks for asking. Silly AI talks so funny."
"What can I do for you?" asked the AI.
…
Meanwhile Superman entered the ship right behind his doppelganger and made his way towards the cockpit. He didn't know what was going to happen, but had explained the situation to the Ai, instructing it to explain the situation to the Clone with as much tact as possible. After all, finding out one is a clone can't be a pleasant experience. Superman hoped the AI had enough of a grasp of what tact was that this would go smoothly.
He hoped.