Chapter 7: Missing In Action
Smallville: 9:56 AM
January 15, 2007
Present Day
Smallville has become desolate and decaying. Ever since the epic battle Clark had against Kal-El, which spanned almost across the globe, Smallville has been on a never ending fight with debt, trying to pay off the several buildings and streets that have been destroyed. The deaths of several Smallville and Metropolis citizens, including Lana Lang and Chloe Sulliven, have rocked Smallville to it's very core. The entire state of Kansas has been on lookout for Clark Kent, who has vanished from Smallville and has been missing for two years. Sherriff Adams, who made it out of her car before it blew up has been searching for Clark after he vanished from the public's eye.
If only she had looked closer, if she had went to the Smallville cemetary every Sunday, she would've seen Clark, sitting in front of Alicia's grave, still wearing his black robes. Every Sunday after his visit, Clark would leave a single white rose, and would clean up any graffitti that was left on Alicia's headstone. He stopped visiting altogether, and now the cemetary is still, death hovering over it like a deeply saturated raincloud.
Johnathon and Martha sit in their kitchen at the Kent farmhouse. Martha just finished making a pot of coffee, and she stares out at the green pastures, taking small sips from her cup. Johnathon sits at the table, reading the latest issue of the Daily Planet. The title reads:
LEX LUTHOR WAKES FROM COMA
The billionare now inherits the entire Luthor facility, which spans across the globe.
"It's been so quiet since Clark dissappeared. Where do you think he is, Johnathon?"
"I don't know, hunny... his actions have sent him away. We may never see him again." He says, silently crying inside his head.
Martha sniffles, and walks outside to sit on the front porch. She sits on a white chair, and looks at the loft where Clark used to be. She stands and walks out towards the loft, and when inside, she ascends the stairs. The loft is the same, except that dust covers all of the furniture. She walks over to Clark's desk, and looks at the various pictures he has, some of Clark and Pete, one of Clark, Chloe, Lana and Pete, and three others of Clark and Alicia, one of them sitting underneath the tall oak tree in Centennial Park, another of them in the caves, standing in front of the octagonal disc wall, and the last picture, one of Clark and Alicia holding each other, but it's missing, only the frame is left. Martha picks up the frame, and holds it closely. She sets the frame down, and opens a drawer in the desk.
The drawer is almost empty, the only things that sit in it are two rings, a thick, gold ring, and a smaller, thinner ring encrusted with a small diamond. Martha starts to cry. One of her tears falls on the diamond, making it glisten in the morning sun. She picks up the rings, and a piece of paper that sits underneath them. she opens up the paper, and it reads:
I WILL FIND A WAY, ALICIA.
WE WILL BE TOGETHER.
Martha's sobs stop when she hears footsteps up the stairs. She looks towards the entrance, and Lucy appears at the top of the stairs. She smiles slightly, and walks over to Martha. She sees the two rings, and two tears escape her eyes.
"They really loved each other, didn't they?" Lucy asks.
"Yeah... I guess Clark asked her to marry him. You know, before she was..." Martha stops, not wanting to say anymore.
"Murdered?"
"Yes... I'm so sorry, Lucy."
"Martha, I miss my daughter a lot. I know Clark did what he did out of love for Alicia, but he shouldn't hide in solitude for this long."
"I know... I guess he just couldn't handle the fact that even with all his amazing powers, he couldn't save the one person he loved. I wonder where he is..."
Martha and Lucy desend the stairs, and head back towards the Kent farmhouse.
A dark, decrepid city sits before him. The morning wind sends chills through his body, but he doesn't care. He has been put into solitude, and he loves it. The idea of being in a place where no one knows you or the crimes that you committed makes him smirk inside. His robes move in the morning air, as he balances himself on the gargoyle statue, his equillibrium perfectly even. He looks out at the city, the air full of smog, thousands of cars stuck in traffic. A monorail train roars by, not 300 feet below him. No one sees the strange young man wearing black robes. Several large buildings sit all around him, still some standing higher than him.
He watches and concentrates his vision on two men following a woman. The woman, no more than 19, her long auburne hair sits on her shoulders. The two men gain speed, until they are no more than 7 feet behind her. The woman notices, and starts to walk faster, eagerly trying to get away from them. His supervision enhanced, the robed man spots the glimmer of a knife in one of the thug's hands. The woman turns a corner, down into a dark alley. The men follow, and the robed man stands atop the statue. With all his strength, he jumps off the building, falling 60 stories, and he lands on the other side of the street, cracking the pavement underneath him. Quickly, we turns the same corner that the woman took, and jumps up onto a fire exit. In midair, he grabs the side of the ladder, and watches as the two men corner the woman. She reaches into her purse, as one of the thugs unhooks his knife, the blade shining in the sun. The woman pulls out a bottle of mace, but the other man takes it from her, throwing it down the alley.
She starts to cry as the man with the knife grabs her arms, forcing her to turn around, as he puts the knife up to her neck. Her sobbing continues as the other man takes her purse, throwing various items onto the ground, and he screams in desperation.
"Where's your money!" He screams at the woman, who is now crying uncontrollably.
"I...don't have any..."
"Then maybe...you can provide me with something more..." The man holding her says, reaching down, his hand unbuckling her belt. She tries to force her way from his grasp, but he is too strong. He reaches down even farther, and she starts to shake. The robed man suddenly, and silently falls to the pavement, making no sound. Quickly, he grabs the man with the purse, covering his mouth as to not make any sound, and jumps, landing on the roof of an apartment building adjacent to the alley. He breaks his neck, and then directs a stream of heat vision at the other man's back. The man screams in agony, letting go of the woman. The robed man jumps across the alley, and crouches as the man tries to stop the spread of the fire on his back. He rips off his jacket, throwing it on the ground, and stomping on it.
"Who's out there! Where are you!" The man screams, throwing the woman to the ground. Silently, the robed man lands behind the thug, and moves his head in behind him.
"Right here, a$$hole."
The man turns around, and directs his knife towards the robed man. Immedietly, he raises his hand in front of him, the knife impacts with it, hundreds of pieces of metal fly apart in the alley. The thug stares in shock as he is picked up, and thrown straight into a brick wall with so much force, almost every bone in his body broke. The bricks fall into a pile, and the woman stares in amazement at the incredible strength of the robed man, his face hidden behind a black hood. He walks over, and helps the woman up to her feet, as she buckles up her belt. She smiles and reaches for his hood.
The robed man stops her, and she looks at him as though she is looking into his soul.
"Who are you?" She asks, slightly smiling at him.
"Just a friend. A protector of people who can't protect themselves. A gaurdian of innocence, and a man who can't protect the people he loves."
The woman looks at the man with sad eyes, and she holds her hand out as a sign of greetings. He shakes her hand, and she smiles.
"My name is Rachel Caldwell... you wouldn't happen to have a name, would you?"
The man pulls back his hood, revealing a young man with blue eyes. His black hair sits in curls, and he smiles.
"My name is Clark, and you shouldn't walk the streets alone in this place."
"Well, I was looking for a friend of mine who recently just appeared out of thin air after 7 years, and I was heading for his building."
"Which one is it?" Clark asks.
"The Wayne Enterprises building."
"Oh, you're looking for Bruce?" Clark asks.
"You know him?"
"Yeah, I've known him for two years. I've been staying at his mansion." Clark states, slightly smiling. "Just take a cab up Main Street for about 5 blocks, you can't miss the building. WAYNE is stated on the front of it."
"Thanks." Rachel says as Clark puts his hood back on, and jumps flying over the alley, and speeding away, much to the amazement of Rachel.
Hmm... Gotham City... It never ceases to amaze me...