Fear The Unknown
Chapter Six: Rising Storm
(Disclaimer: all characters are copyrights of DC Comics, a division of AOL- Time Warner. I don't own any of this stuff, sadly.)
Clark looked around him as he walked along the Metropolis streets. It seemed as if everything were snowballing now, that somehow they had upset the delicate balance of the universe simply by daring to contemplate opposing the powers that be. Before he had joined this little conspiracy he would have stood on the sidelines and watched, feeling helpless to do anything about what had obviously been an act of violence against an innocent man. Now he was supposed to do something. That was the pledge that the four. three of them had made; to uphold right and to fight for justice. But that man who had been captured looked just as powerful as any of the rest of them, and he had been taken like any of a dozen others Clark had witnessed in recent years. What was to stop them from taking him?
He watched, silently, from his chair as the cameras followed Kent down the street toward the Daily Planet. He knew that White was a good man, and had known that he was involved in the conspiracy to upset the powers that suppressed super humans, but him crossing paths with Kent was something he had never counted on. The alien threw an unexpected, unpredictable factor into the plans that had been so meticulously crafted through years of careful study. Allen and Jordan were courageous and intelligent, but predictable for a man like him. Kent. Kent could easily tip the balance in their favor, in terms of power, but his heritage created a problem all its own. People would be frightened enough of Allen, a normal man gifted with speed from a lightning bolt. He'd had his misgivings about Jordan as well. He was a normal human, but an agent of some alien power. No, this wouldn't do, it simply wouldn't do.
Clark knew that he should be getting back to work, but he couldn't bring his mind to focus on the mundane issues of a too-peaceful Metropolis. That was part of the problem, he thought. Too many people aren't going to want to see anything change. Sure, they're just as afraid of Them as we are, but their lives are more peaceful than anywhere else in the world. In other parts of the world, those few places where the Holy American Dominion's reach did not extend, they were somewhat more tolerant of the super-humans who lived among them, but they could afford to, because the populations were almost unnoticeably small. In America, particularly in the last fifty years, it had seemed like nature itself was rebelling against the laws, with the occurrence of paranormal abilities spiking sharply.
He wandered past the natural history museum and looked up at the banner displayed above its entrance.
"Treasures of Themyscera", it proclaimed proudly.
Clark's face darkened as he remembered his history lessons. Themyscera had been the home of an isolated tribe of women warriors, claiming to be the Amazons of antiquity. That alone should have warranted opening dialogue with them since, if it were true, it meant they possessed a wealth of knowledge from historical periods long since lost to man. But they had worshipped the ancient Greek gods and so the Dominion's choice had been a swift one. The Themyscerans had broken the first commandment and they were swiftly conquered, their libraries and museums pillaged, and their vast stores of artifacts shipped out to the Dominion's museums. He remembered he had been a little boy when the national networks had aired the execution of their queen and her daughter. It had been one of the first times he had begun to truly question what the Dominion represented, long before he learned of his past and his abilities. He stared and stared at the banner, feeling the fire growing within him. He saw in his mind's eye the images of the Amazon War that had never been aired, the ones that existed only in his mind. He saw their beautiful stone temples being torn to the ground, the lines of prisoners being led to the transport ships to leave for internment camps. He saw the look of pure serenity on the face of Hippolyta as she stood before the firing squad and the look of abject horror on her daughter's face as she saw her mother crumple into a lifeless heap. His eyes burned and he could feel himself about to tear free.
"Don't, Clark." He heard a soft voice from behind him. He didn't have to turn and look, he knew the voice.
"How'd you know where to find me, Hal?"
"You were late for coffee. We looked for you at the Planet, but they said you weren't back. Barry made a quick run and told me you were just standing here."
"Its not right, Hal."
"I know, Clark. But we can't talk here. Come on. Someone wants to meet us."
Clark turned now to look at Jordan. The rage in his eyes had somewhat subsided, but it was still there, simmering below the surface.
"Let's go."
Chapter Six: Rising Storm
(Disclaimer: all characters are copyrights of DC Comics, a division of AOL- Time Warner. I don't own any of this stuff, sadly.)
Clark looked around him as he walked along the Metropolis streets. It seemed as if everything were snowballing now, that somehow they had upset the delicate balance of the universe simply by daring to contemplate opposing the powers that be. Before he had joined this little conspiracy he would have stood on the sidelines and watched, feeling helpless to do anything about what had obviously been an act of violence against an innocent man. Now he was supposed to do something. That was the pledge that the four. three of them had made; to uphold right and to fight for justice. But that man who had been captured looked just as powerful as any of the rest of them, and he had been taken like any of a dozen others Clark had witnessed in recent years. What was to stop them from taking him?
He watched, silently, from his chair as the cameras followed Kent down the street toward the Daily Planet. He knew that White was a good man, and had known that he was involved in the conspiracy to upset the powers that suppressed super humans, but him crossing paths with Kent was something he had never counted on. The alien threw an unexpected, unpredictable factor into the plans that had been so meticulously crafted through years of careful study. Allen and Jordan were courageous and intelligent, but predictable for a man like him. Kent. Kent could easily tip the balance in their favor, in terms of power, but his heritage created a problem all its own. People would be frightened enough of Allen, a normal man gifted with speed from a lightning bolt. He'd had his misgivings about Jordan as well. He was a normal human, but an agent of some alien power. No, this wouldn't do, it simply wouldn't do.
Clark knew that he should be getting back to work, but he couldn't bring his mind to focus on the mundane issues of a too-peaceful Metropolis. That was part of the problem, he thought. Too many people aren't going to want to see anything change. Sure, they're just as afraid of Them as we are, but their lives are more peaceful than anywhere else in the world. In other parts of the world, those few places where the Holy American Dominion's reach did not extend, they were somewhat more tolerant of the super-humans who lived among them, but they could afford to, because the populations were almost unnoticeably small. In America, particularly in the last fifty years, it had seemed like nature itself was rebelling against the laws, with the occurrence of paranormal abilities spiking sharply.
He wandered past the natural history museum and looked up at the banner displayed above its entrance.
"Treasures of Themyscera", it proclaimed proudly.
Clark's face darkened as he remembered his history lessons. Themyscera had been the home of an isolated tribe of women warriors, claiming to be the Amazons of antiquity. That alone should have warranted opening dialogue with them since, if it were true, it meant they possessed a wealth of knowledge from historical periods long since lost to man. But they had worshipped the ancient Greek gods and so the Dominion's choice had been a swift one. The Themyscerans had broken the first commandment and they were swiftly conquered, their libraries and museums pillaged, and their vast stores of artifacts shipped out to the Dominion's museums. He remembered he had been a little boy when the national networks had aired the execution of their queen and her daughter. It had been one of the first times he had begun to truly question what the Dominion represented, long before he learned of his past and his abilities. He stared and stared at the banner, feeling the fire growing within him. He saw in his mind's eye the images of the Amazon War that had never been aired, the ones that existed only in his mind. He saw their beautiful stone temples being torn to the ground, the lines of prisoners being led to the transport ships to leave for internment camps. He saw the look of pure serenity on the face of Hippolyta as she stood before the firing squad and the look of abject horror on her daughter's face as she saw her mother crumple into a lifeless heap. His eyes burned and he could feel himself about to tear free.
"Don't, Clark." He heard a soft voice from behind him. He didn't have to turn and look, he knew the voice.
"How'd you know where to find me, Hal?"
"You were late for coffee. We looked for you at the Planet, but they said you weren't back. Barry made a quick run and told me you were just standing here."
"Its not right, Hal."
"I know, Clark. But we can't talk here. Come on. Someone wants to meet us."
Clark turned now to look at Jordan. The rage in his eyes had somewhat subsided, but it was still there, simmering below the surface.
"Let's go."