"Prototype" Chapter 4: Long Drive Home
Clark jets through the outskirts of Metropolis, he's well past the police now. He's seen Harvey's address when Chloe showed him the paper, and he knew that's where Harvey would go next. A run down section of Metropolis far away from where Chloe, Lana and Whitney are is where Clark stops. Dilapidated apartment buildings and old houses scatter the area. Clark walks down the street, the people looking at him funny. He makes it to Harvey's address, a small house that tries to present itself well with flowers and decorations on the lawn. He walks closer to it, but doesn't knock on the door; instead he uses his x-ray vision to scan the house for Harvey and anyone else. He spots him, still wearing the Z13…talking to his wife, who is holding their small child. "Look, baby…look at all this cash!" Harvey tells her inside their bedroom, setting the sack of cash down on the floor and lifting the visor on the helmet. "We'll can have everything now, you see? Our child can have everything." Harvey says happily, putting his hand on her shoulder.
"No…no, Harvey…this isn't right. Not like this…this won't solve our problems, it's dirty money." Harvey's wife, Wanda, tells him.
"That doesn't matter, Wanda…money is money, and now we have all we'll ever need. We can get out of the country, move out to a tropical island living the high life like we've always dreamed!" Harvey tells her.
"This isn't right, Harvey! I didn't want this…you have to take it back, please…get it out of my sight!" Wanda yells.
"But…but, baby…" Harvey starts.
"Take it back, Harvey…I'll call the police." Wanda says, starting to cry.
"The police? Wanda…I…" Harvey starts, moving towards her, but she moves away. A second later Clark Kent opens the bedroom door and walks in.
"It's time to stop, Harvey." Clark says.
"What…who the hell are you, you…you little punk?!" Harvey asks, turning his attention to Clark.
"I'm here to make sure that suit your wearing gets back to LuthorCorp, and that you don't do any damage." Clark says strongly.
"You don't know what you're getting yourself into, kid…and since I don't like killing high school kids I'm going to let you go." Harvey says.
"The police are on their way…but we both know you'll have no trouble stopping them, but you won't be able to stop me, Harvey. Take off the suit and turn yourself in." Clark orders. Harvey begins to laugh, not taking Clark seriously at all. A grim look crosses Clark's face as he repeats himself. "Take off the suit, Harvey."
Harvey stops laughing, he snaps the visor back down and walks towards Clark. "I've got to teach you…" Harvey starts, hitting Clark in the chest with both his fists…sending him flying back through the house and right out the front door where he entered. Clark lies on the ground, and gets up slowly as Harvey walks out after him. As Clark gets to his feet Harvey kicks him back down hard, then lifts him up by his hair. "What were you saying about stopping me?"
Clark elbows him in the stomach and tosses him over his shoulders about ten feet forward. Harvey quickly recovers and zooms back over towards Clark, as fast, if not faster than Clark's superspeed. Harvey grabs him and tosses him at the side of an apartment building, cracking the brick wall. They people outside begin to notice the fight, as does Harvey's wife who runs out the door begging them to stop.
Harvey rushes back after Clark and begins punching him over and over again, his fists becoming a blur as the speed of his arms increase. When he stops Clark is again tossed several feet away, this time to a back alley where very few people are around. Clark gets to his feet and as Harvey tries to grab him again, Clark quickly takes his arm and rushes (superspeeds) him at one wall, then another. Harvey lay on the ground, recovering from the slams. "Take off the suit, Harvey! End this now!" Clark yells.
"Sure…whatever you say you…freak." Harvey says, clicking a button on the side of his belt. Harvey becomes transparent; Clark's eyes widen as his enemy vanishes. Clark walks forward, looking all around.
"Harvey? Harvey you can't…" Clark starts, but is stopped when he is kicked from behind and sent flying. When he gets up he's kicked again and again by the invisible Harvey Trench. Clark is lifted to his feet and begins to be completely pummeled by Harvey. Then Clark closes his eyes, and listens…listens to the movements of Harvey's arms. He blocks a punch, then another until he's just sparring with Harvey. "I got you, Harvey." Clark says softly, blocking one last punch and then giving Harvey one of his own…one so hard it knocks Harvey's invisibility out of commission and leaves him lying there beaten and battered, the suit dying on him.
Clark hears the sirens coming and gets out of there. The police find Harvey only a few moments later after witnesses tell them where he and Clark had gone. Lex and Lionel arrive at Harvey's location the same time as the police. They look down at him as police take a few statements from people and begin to get the ambulance in to help Harvey. "Guess this answers that question we had when the Z13 was in development, dad." Lex says.
"Which one would that be?" Lionel replies.
"If the world was ready for it yet." Lex says, starting to walk away with his hands in the pockets of his long black jacket.
That evening after the long drive home and Clark's explanations and confessions to his parents about what happened in Metropolis, Clark leans against a fence with Lana Lang near her house talking. "So…how's Whitney, seemed pretty quiet on the way back." Clark asks.
"Well, he took some aspirin for his head and told me all he wanted was a little rest. What about Chloe, did she say anything about the interview." Lana replies.
"She said she didn't get the job…Perry told her to come back in a few years, after college and to try and be a little more careful about running into a building where a maniac is hanging out just for the story. She didn't take it very well." Clark says.
"I guess the Daily Planet just isn't ready for Chloe Sullivan yet." Lana says.
"Yeah…I guess so." Clark says.
"Clark…about, you…saving me. How did you get to me that fast…it…it was like lighting." Lana asks.
"Um…well, I just…well Lana I'm not really…uh…" Clark starts, trying to come up with any reasonable excuse.
"Clark…it's ok, you don't have to explain yourself. I'm just glad you were there." Lana says.
"I'll always be there for you, Lana." Clark says, looking at her with a smile. She smiles back and looks up into the sky. Clark keeps his eyes on her, admiring her like he always has.
The End
Clark jets through the outskirts of Metropolis, he's well past the police now. He's seen Harvey's address when Chloe showed him the paper, and he knew that's where Harvey would go next. A run down section of Metropolis far away from where Chloe, Lana and Whitney are is where Clark stops. Dilapidated apartment buildings and old houses scatter the area. Clark walks down the street, the people looking at him funny. He makes it to Harvey's address, a small house that tries to present itself well with flowers and decorations on the lawn. He walks closer to it, but doesn't knock on the door; instead he uses his x-ray vision to scan the house for Harvey and anyone else. He spots him, still wearing the Z13…talking to his wife, who is holding their small child. "Look, baby…look at all this cash!" Harvey tells her inside their bedroom, setting the sack of cash down on the floor and lifting the visor on the helmet. "We'll can have everything now, you see? Our child can have everything." Harvey says happily, putting his hand on her shoulder.
"No…no, Harvey…this isn't right. Not like this…this won't solve our problems, it's dirty money." Harvey's wife, Wanda, tells him.
"That doesn't matter, Wanda…money is money, and now we have all we'll ever need. We can get out of the country, move out to a tropical island living the high life like we've always dreamed!" Harvey tells her.
"This isn't right, Harvey! I didn't want this…you have to take it back, please…get it out of my sight!" Wanda yells.
"But…but, baby…" Harvey starts.
"Take it back, Harvey…I'll call the police." Wanda says, starting to cry.
"The police? Wanda…I…" Harvey starts, moving towards her, but she moves away. A second later Clark Kent opens the bedroom door and walks in.
"It's time to stop, Harvey." Clark says.
"What…who the hell are you, you…you little punk?!" Harvey asks, turning his attention to Clark.
"I'm here to make sure that suit your wearing gets back to LuthorCorp, and that you don't do any damage." Clark says strongly.
"You don't know what you're getting yourself into, kid…and since I don't like killing high school kids I'm going to let you go." Harvey says.
"The police are on their way…but we both know you'll have no trouble stopping them, but you won't be able to stop me, Harvey. Take off the suit and turn yourself in." Clark orders. Harvey begins to laugh, not taking Clark seriously at all. A grim look crosses Clark's face as he repeats himself. "Take off the suit, Harvey."
Harvey stops laughing, he snaps the visor back down and walks towards Clark. "I've got to teach you…" Harvey starts, hitting Clark in the chest with both his fists…sending him flying back through the house and right out the front door where he entered. Clark lies on the ground, and gets up slowly as Harvey walks out after him. As Clark gets to his feet Harvey kicks him back down hard, then lifts him up by his hair. "What were you saying about stopping me?"
Clark elbows him in the stomach and tosses him over his shoulders about ten feet forward. Harvey quickly recovers and zooms back over towards Clark, as fast, if not faster than Clark's superspeed. Harvey grabs him and tosses him at the side of an apartment building, cracking the brick wall. They people outside begin to notice the fight, as does Harvey's wife who runs out the door begging them to stop.
Harvey rushes back after Clark and begins punching him over and over again, his fists becoming a blur as the speed of his arms increase. When he stops Clark is again tossed several feet away, this time to a back alley where very few people are around. Clark gets to his feet and as Harvey tries to grab him again, Clark quickly takes his arm and rushes (superspeeds) him at one wall, then another. Harvey lay on the ground, recovering from the slams. "Take off the suit, Harvey! End this now!" Clark yells.
"Sure…whatever you say you…freak." Harvey says, clicking a button on the side of his belt. Harvey becomes transparent; Clark's eyes widen as his enemy vanishes. Clark walks forward, looking all around.
"Harvey? Harvey you can't…" Clark starts, but is stopped when he is kicked from behind and sent flying. When he gets up he's kicked again and again by the invisible Harvey Trench. Clark is lifted to his feet and begins to be completely pummeled by Harvey. Then Clark closes his eyes, and listens…listens to the movements of Harvey's arms. He blocks a punch, then another until he's just sparring with Harvey. "I got you, Harvey." Clark says softly, blocking one last punch and then giving Harvey one of his own…one so hard it knocks Harvey's invisibility out of commission and leaves him lying there beaten and battered, the suit dying on him.
Clark hears the sirens coming and gets out of there. The police find Harvey only a few moments later after witnesses tell them where he and Clark had gone. Lex and Lionel arrive at Harvey's location the same time as the police. They look down at him as police take a few statements from people and begin to get the ambulance in to help Harvey. "Guess this answers that question we had when the Z13 was in development, dad." Lex says.
"Which one would that be?" Lionel replies.
"If the world was ready for it yet." Lex says, starting to walk away with his hands in the pockets of his long black jacket.
That evening after the long drive home and Clark's explanations and confessions to his parents about what happened in Metropolis, Clark leans against a fence with Lana Lang near her house talking. "So…how's Whitney, seemed pretty quiet on the way back." Clark asks.
"Well, he took some aspirin for his head and told me all he wanted was a little rest. What about Chloe, did she say anything about the interview." Lana replies.
"She said she didn't get the job…Perry told her to come back in a few years, after college and to try and be a little more careful about running into a building where a maniac is hanging out just for the story. She didn't take it very well." Clark says.
"I guess the Daily Planet just isn't ready for Chloe Sullivan yet." Lana says.
"Yeah…I guess so." Clark says.
"Clark…about, you…saving me. How did you get to me that fast…it…it was like lighting." Lana asks.
"Um…well, I just…well Lana I'm not really…uh…" Clark starts, trying to come up with any reasonable excuse.
"Clark…it's ok, you don't have to explain yourself. I'm just glad you were there." Lana says.
"I'll always be there for you, Lana." Clark says, looking at her with a smile. She smiles back and looks up into the sky. Clark keeps his eyes on her, admiring her like he always has.
The End