Superman: The Ark of Krypton
Chapter 50
by
Jason Richard
"I found name for you!" said the Clone suddenly.
"Did you now?" asked the AI stoically.
"You have big brain," said the Clone. "So you Braniac!"
The Clone grinned, proud of himself. Superman, meanwhile, entered at that moment and rolled his eyes. He couldn't help but feel that this was a rather silly name.
"The brain part is accurate," said the AI. "But where does the second part of that amalgam, maniac, come from?"
"Huh?" asked the Clone, trying to remember the meaning of the word amalgam.
"Alright," said Superman. "Alright, JLAI 13, please scan us."
"Of course Kal-El," said the AI.
"Hey, me Kal-El," said the Clone.
"Of course Kal-El," said the AI.
The Kryptonian consoles in that room buzzed to life as the scanners went to work. Within moments the AI had the truth. Superman hoped he would break the news gently.
"The individual standing near the entrance is the real Kal-El," said the AI. "While the one in the center of the room is the clone."
Superman rubbed his face in frustration. That was not gentle at all.
The Clone, meanwhile, looked around the room and realized what the AI meant. The Clone then looked horrified by this truth and shook his head.
"No," he said, tears starting to run down his cheeks. "No...no...no...no...I Superman! I Superman! I…"
The Clone sank to his knees then grabbed his hair as he began to cry. Superman couldn't help but feel pity for this poor creature. He very slowly approached, trying not to make any sudden moves. The clone noticed him, and looked up at Superman mournfully.
"You get rid of the bad Superman?" he asked.
Superman took a second to figure out what the clone meant, then shook his head, "No. You're not bad. You can't help what you are. Luthor's the bad man, and I'll deal with him when I can. As for you, we'll do what we can for you, and you can stay here until we figure out what that is."
The Clone, wiping the tears from his eyes, said, "Skin and eyes look weird...and brain not think right...I sometimes notice."
"Alright," said Superman. "JLAI 13, do you think you can figure out a way to fix those flaws in his DNA?"
"I'll get to work on it right away," said the AI.
"Brainiac," said the Clone, grinning through his teary eyes. "That his name now. Brainiac."
"Sure," said Superman, sighing. "Brainiac. Why not? Anyway, I'll go see what I can do about Luthor."
"Okay," said the Clone. "Thank Superman. You nice."
Superman nodded then flew out. It seemed things had quieted down for now, and this whole ordeal had gone down smoothly in the end. The Clone, meanwhile, was still a little upset that he wasn't who he thought he was, but Superman's kindness had put him at ease. While he waited he figured he'd answer another question.
What should he be called now?
…
Edward Lytener waited in that coffee shop for Lois Lane, partially wishing it was only a date. Actually he had more information for her from Lexcorp. This whistleblowing had been going well, though that scare when the Clone burst through the roof and Lex Luthor showed up had sent his heart pounding. Still, Edward had a job to do. He knew too much than he'd ever want to about Lexcorp's illegal activities, and he wasn't going to sit idly by while that went on under his nose.
Plus a chance to talk to Lois Lane was always welcome.
Finally Lois walked through the doors and found him immediately. As she sat down Edward took a deep breath. He had a doozy of information for her today.
"So what have you got?" asked Lois as she sat down. "Your message made it sound like something good. It better be. It have to be amazing to come ahead of Superman fighting some monster in the sky and sewer."
"Oh it is," said Edward, proud of himself. "Amazing I mean. I found out why Lexcorp has been invested in cloning lately. I saw, with my own eyes, a clone of Superman himself."
Lois's jaw dropped, "You're kidding...how did they even get his DNA?"
"That I don't know," said Edward. "But they did it, and I'll bet you anything it was the clone that attacked superman earlier."
Lois began writing on her pad furiously, "Oh that's great. You got proof?"
"Yeah," said Edward. "I managed to pull some security footage of the clone smashing through walls and talking to Luthor."
He pulled out a flash drive which Lois Lane accepted eagerly. Seeing how good a mood she was in, Edward Lytener figured that if he was ever going to ask Lois out, now was the best time. He took a deep breath.
"Say Lois…"
"Yes?" she asked, looking up.
He kept telling himself to just ask her, but when the words just wouldn't come out of his mouth he said, "I might have to quit Lexcorp after this. I haven't gotten information this big before, and it might not be safe."
"Seriously?" said Lois, disappointed. "Cutting and running just when things are getting good huh? Oh well, you did great with everything else. Thanks for the info."
She got up and left, and Edward silently called himself a coward. He was just about to get up and leave when he got a call on his phone. He pulled it out of his pocket...then nearly fainted when he saw who the call was from.
The phone read: Mr. Luthor.