"Oh my god! Please don't kill me!" She screamed. She threw her purse to him. "Just take it!" she backed away and pressed herself against the wall. The young man started giving her a sinful stare.
"You know, you have a pretty mouth" the young man remarked. That is when the young woman's eyes locked upon Milton.
"What are you doing?! HELP ME!" she yelled. The attacked looked over his shoulder and saw the Milton looking down on them.
"Hey! Get the hell outta here if you know what is good for you!" he barked. Milton cocked his head and watched curiously.
"How do you know what is good for me?" Milton answered back.
"Did you hear me! I said get the hell outta here!" The attacked yelled. He dove at Milton and slashed his knife. Milton watched intensely and did not make a move. Suddenly something told him to move, and he jumped to the side and put his arm up to block the attack. The knife cut Milton's shirt and gave him a nasty slice on his arm. Milton's breathing became quickened as a strange sensation covered his entire arm.
"Run now or you'll get more of the sa-AHHH!!" The attacker screamed as he suddenly felt himself being pulled off of his feet. The attacked turned around to see a large red "S" staring back at him. "Holy crap!!" he yelled. Superman nodded. The thug tried to stab Superman, but the knife merely bent against his body. He dropped his weapon in shock as Superman threw him against the wall, knocking him into a daze. Milton grabbed the attacker's knife quickly and began to look at it, gave his own injury an inspection, then looked up at Superman.
"Are you ok?" Superman asked. Milton did not respond, he just kept his eyes locked on the man in front of him. "Sir, that looks like a bad cut. Let me take you to a hospital."
"You…were not hurt by his weapon" Milton observed.
"Yes, but that's not really all that important" Superman said. "Come on." Superman scooped under his left arm, and the young woman under his right, and then lifted off into the skies. Milton's face was moving around rapidly, taking in the sight of the city from several hundred feet in the air.
"No human can do this" Milton stated.
"Who said I was human?" Superman asked in response.
Superman descended to the ground at the doors to the hospital. He let go of Milton and the young woman.
"Are you two going to be ok?" he asked as he crossed his arms.
"I'm going to be great, thank you" the young woman answered with an astonished voice.
"And you?" Superman asked Milton. Milton didn't answer. Instead he watched as the blood dripped off his hand. "Sir?" Milton again did not respond. Suddenly people began to gather around.
"Hey! You're the guy on TV this morning!"
"Oh my god!"
"Is that really him?"
"I can make you famous!"
"Sir, I need to know if you are going to be ok" Superman stated firmly. Milton finally answered.
"I will be…ok" he answered. Superman nodded.
"Just go in there and they will get that sewn up" Superman told him. With that, he pushed off the ground and flew off into the night.
"Boy, you really are lucky, this is a pretty bad cut" a nurse said as she stitched Milton's arm. "I have to say, you are the calmest man I've ever seen."
"What do you mean?" Milton asked.
"Well, usually when I am doing this the person is breathing hard, or twitching a little, or tensing up. You don't seem to be doing any of that."
"My brain is sending signals to my body, but I am not paying attention to them" Milton answered.
"Uh huh" the nurse remarked. Milton sat quietly for another moment.
"I moved earlier, and I do not remember telling myself to move" Milton said, breaking the silence. He was not looking at the nurse. He was just looking straight ahead into nothing.
"Huh?"
"Curious, I must take note. Human attacked my self, body reacted without command" Milton said, his voice stale of any emotion whatsoever.
"What is wrong with you? It is like you do not know how to keep your thoughts inside your head" the nurse exclaimed. "Sounds to me though like your instincts kicked in."
"Instincts?" Milton repeated as he turned his eyes down at the nurse. "Milton explained this concept to me before…it appears I have retained some of his mental foundations."
"What the hell are you talking about?" the nurse said.
"Fight or flight…reflex…reaction" Milton stated. The nurse looked at Milton with a raised eyebrow.
"Have you gone crazy?" the nurse asked. Milton did not seem to pay attention to her. "There, all done." Milton lifted his arm and looked at it the stitches.
"I was injured…my body is weak, imperfect" Milton noted.
"Uh huh…look, we're all done here, can you get out of here on your own?"
"Affirmative" Milton answered. He slid off of the bed he was sitting on and began to make his way through the hospital. He stopped though as he saw a middle-aged woman with her arms wrapped around a young girl who was balling. The young girl had cuts and bruises over her face. A few feet from them, a middle-aged man was speaking to a police officer.
"He broke in while me and my wife were out at the movies" The middle aged man told him.
"And then what?" the officer asked.
"He attacked my daughter, can't you see her?" the man exclaimed.
"Well, the description she gave us before does match that of a serial rapist who has been running around your block for the last two weeks…" Milton walked on, his senses now locked onto a young man wrapped almost completely in bandages and a respirator working over time. Milton watched him for a moment, then turned and made his way out of the hospital.
Milton spent hours walking around the city. He looked into cars, observed people, and made notes in his mind about what he saw. He eventually made his way back to LexCorp. Towers and forced his way inside. He has his I.D. on him, so he met little trouble from the security staff.
"Inefficiency and weakness" Milton stated as he entered a lab. He walked over to a table where several instruments were sitting, including a saw. He picked it up, and several other instruments as well and began to make his way back to his own lab.. "Everywhere around me is inefficiency and weakness". His voice began to have the first tinges of emotion. He entered his lab and sat down at the computer in the back of the room. "I must achieve perfection…but I can not find perfection in an imperfect place such as this Metropolis." Milton turned the electric saw on and held his newly stitched arm out. "Perfection must be achieved."
The next morning, the press room of the Daily Planet was passing time as usual. Lois was looking over some notes for a story she had been working on for several days, while Clark was playing a game of solitaire. Jimmy Olsen was sitting between the two of their desks reading Entertainment weakly.
"Oooh, Stallone is doing a new movie" Jimmy remarked. Suddenly a loud crashing sound came from the direction of Perry White's office. The three looked over to see their burly boss walking over with a mile wide smile and his arms open.
"God damn Lois!" Perry exclaimed as he walked into the pressroom. "I freaking love you!" He walked across the large room and grabbed the young woman by her shoulder with on hand and removed the cigar from his mouth with the other, then planted a kiss on her. "You're story is gold! The Planet is selling like hot cakes!"
"Well, I do try my best" Lois said modestly.
"Kent!" Perry yelled, hurting Lois's ears. "Kent! Where are you?"
"Right here" Clark said as he stepped up behind Perry.
"Ah, there you are boy" Perry remarked. He tapped off the tip of his cigar then took a puff. "I felt your piece was kind of fluffy. Good, but still fluffy none the less."
"Sorry Mr. White, won't happen again" Clark said.
"Ah, don't worry about it boy, you still got one hell of a story. Many people would be clamoring for a piece of Luthor, and you got it." Lois scoffed. "Here is a little advice. Think of a story as a sandwich. Next time, try to have more meat, and a little less cheese."
"Yes sir" Clark said with a laugh. Perry chuckled and gave the boy a slap on the back. "See me in a few about your next assignment." Clark nodded and Perry walked towards another reporter.
"Congrats on your story Smallville" Lois said rather sarcastically. Clark chose to ignore it.
"Doesn't seem to be as good as yours" Clark responded. "It won you Perry's heart." Lois laughed a little at this, even though she didn't particularly want to.
Later that day, around the closing of the business day, Lois found herself with nothing to do. She watched as Clark was talking to Jimmy by the water cooler, both of them enjoying a good laugh.
"He seems like a nice enough guy" Lois said in her head. "There is something strangely familiar about him though…I can't place my finger on it…like I've seen him somewhere…he's got a cute butt too" Suddenly Lois found herself in shock of her thoughts. She shook her head trying to get them out, but her eyes fell upon Clark's backside. She let out a small scream as the thought re-entered her head and she fell back in her chair. Clark and Jimmy saw this, as did every one else in the press room. Several people laughed, causing Lois to blush slightly. Lois watched as Clark began to make his way back over to their desks.
"Hey Lois, are you ok?" Clark asked as he got back.
"Me? Yeah, I'm fine, just having a little klutzy moment I guess" Lois answered. She gave a forced laugh which got an small chuckle out of Clark. Lois blushed again.
"What am I doing?!" Lois screamed in her head. She buried her head in her hands for a moment.
"Hey, Smallville, I think I'm going to cut out a little early, things are a little slow today as news goes."
"That is an understatement" Clark remarked.
"You want to go get that beer?" Lois asked. She flashed her winning smile, and Clark responded with his own.
"Wish I could, but I have a date tonight" Clark answered.
"A date? With who?" Lois asked curiously.
"Lex Luthor" Clark told her. Lois's eyes went big and her jaw dropped.
"Did you say Lex Luthor?" Jimmy exclaimed as he walked over. "You gotta be kidding me."
"Nope" Clark said. "She gave me her phone number yesterday after our interview."
"You actually called her?" Lois asked.
"Yeah, I thought why not, she seemed like a nice girl" Clark said.
"Nice girl? Boy, you just hit the jackpot! Maxim Magazine named Lex number one of the most eligible women in the world!"
"Really?" Clark said laughing lightly to himself.
"Uh…yeah!" Jimmy replied jokingly. "Where are you going?"
"Don't know, she said she would take care of everything" Clark said. Lois laughed and shook her head.
"Well, you have fun then" Lois said with an obvious attitude. "I'll see you tomorrow then."
Milton sat at his computer typing furiously. He had not left the room in a day. And he had many changes to show so. Both of his arms were no longer flash and bone, but metal and machinery. His robotic fingers were moving at rapid speeds far faster than any human could possibly go. He stopped for a moment and bent over to grab a cord. He plugged one end into the computer, and the other he lifted to his head. There, the three dot symbol that was on the door had been carved and filled with machines as well. He plugged it into the bottom circle, and then closed his eyes. The same three-dot symbol came onto the computer screen as every console in the room began to hum loudly.
"I'm so glad you decided to call me Clark" Lex said in a rather sultry voice. Clark smiled.
"I'm glad you decided to come out with me tonight" Clark responded.
"So tell me a little about yourself Mr. Kent. Where did you say you were from before?"
"Smallville" Clark answered. "In Kansas. The name pretty much explains it all. There is only about…3500 people"
"That is small"
"Where did you grow up?" Clark asked.
"Here in Metropolis" Lex told him. "Born and raised actually. I've lived here all my life, I'll probably die here as well."
"I see" Clark said. "What was it like growing up in the city?"
"Fun" Lex replied. "And fast" she added. "I have a million stories from getting lost on the subway to having my first kiss on a balcony 88 stories above the ground".
"Wow" Clark said. "Mine was in a barn." Lex laughed, as did Clark. "Smallville is far different than here."
"I hope you've enjoyed the city so far" Lex said. "And I can't wait to show you around." Lex placed her hand on top of Clark's.
"Me too" Clark said with his charming smile shining brightly.
Several blocks away, at one of the many police stations in the City, two officers made their way towards their car.
"So, Leo, how is the wife doing?" one asked the other.
"Lindsey's not too bad, she has had a small flu the last couple days" the other replied.
"Oh, that's too bad" the first said. "Should I ask Gloria to make some of her chicken soup?"
"Well, she is getting over it, but I think she would still like that" the second said as he pulled the keys out. The car was electronic. LexCorp had donated the systems. On the corner of the car was a small symbol: "SC". Underneath it, small lettering said "Smartcars". The LexCorp logo was than painted behind it. The key itself was no more than a small plastic rod about an inch long. He waved it in front of a small sensor and the door unlocked.
"I swear, these cars never stop being cool Leo," the first officer said. The cops were about to get in when the doors locked.
"What the hell" The second officer remarked. He waved the key in front of the sensor again and the doors unlocked, but only for a second before they locked again. Suddenly the engine ignited and the car moved forward. It only moved a few feet before braking suddenly. The Police officers were in shock as suddenly the other cars in the lot began turning on, and eventually all of them did. The two cops ran around avoiding getting hit. Several of the cars crashed into one another.
"What the hell is going on?" the first cop exclaimed.
"I don't know, but I don't think that is a good thing" the second yelled as he pointed towards the station. The first turned around just as a 9" tall robot burst through the front glass doors of the station. It had a blocky body and walked on two fat legs. One arm fired a warning shot into the air with its gun hand. The two officers jumped for the ground as the droid began walking off into the city streets.
"What the hell is going on?"
Back at the restaurant, Clark and Lex were enjoying a rather lively conversation as fine classical music played over the speakers in the corners of the room.
"What did the cow do?" Lex asked, a large smile on her face.
"What could it do?" Clark responded. "It just kind of laid there and kept mooing." The two of them broke out into hysterics, leaning in close to each other. They stopped laughing and looked into each other's eyes for a moment, then began to lean in for a kiss. The loud scratching sound of static that suddenly ripped into the air though broke the moment. A second later, a computerized voice came onto the speakers.
"Attentions citizens of Metropolis" the voice said. "You are now under the control of Brainiac". Lex's eyes went wide for a moment, but she pulled herself together before Clark saw anything. "I am in the electrical system, I am in the phone lines, I am in your computers." All over the city, people were hearing this. If some one was listening to a radio, they heard Braniac's voice. If they were watching TV, they saw the three-dot symbol as they heard his voice. People on the streets could see this symbol plastered over a large video screen in the center of town. A small digital ticker underneath it flashed the words it was saying. "From this point on I am in command. Resistance is futile. Every human being is to move indoors immediately or face the consequences." At that point, the signal closed and everyone in the city began to try and understand what was going on. Suddenly, all over the city, unmanned police cars began driving around wildly. They swerved all around, almost trying to hit people and knocking things over. Every building that had electronic locks or automatic gates of some kind began to trap people where they were. In the restaurant, Clark watched as iron bars dropped over the windows and doors. People began screaming and clamoring to try and pull them up.
"Ok, the main thing to do is to remain calm" Clark said. He turned to look back at Lex, who presently had the most horrified look on her face that Clark had ever seen anyone wear. "What?" Clark asked. He turned his head towards the windows and saw a large robot running towards the building. Clark leapt over Lex to shield her as it crashed through the walls, sending glass and debris everywhere. Everyone in attendance began to run as soon as they could "What the hell is that?!"
"It is a prototype fully automated S.W.A.T. droid for situations far too dangerous for humans to deal with" Lex answered. "My company built it." The robot's head moved over the room several times before it saw Clark and Lex lying on the floor. Clark looked back as he heard the loud footsteps of the metal monstrosity coming towards him. The droid gripped Clark's body with its humanoid left hand and threw him across the restaurant.
"CLARK!!" Lex screamed as the droid then picked her up. A compartment in its body opened up and Lex was quickly stuffed inside and the compartment closed up. The droid turned and began to walk away when suddenly Clark flew towards it and punched it, sending the droid off of its feet. Clark heard Lex scream inside. He squinted his eyes, and could then past the walls of the robot's body and saw Lex's skeleton thrashing around trying to get free. He looked too long however as the robot turned and fired a large plasma burst at Clark. It hit him square in the chest and knocked him back threw a wall and into a daze. He moaned as a wisp of smoke rose from the bar skin of his chest.