Issue #14 – MIRRORED IMAGES
Images flashed up on a screen. Symbols, memories of distant worlds appeared, holoimages of ancient scientists, and the last known survivor of Krypton. Brainiac had in his possession, a being powerful enough to match Kal-El and now as the monster was forced to endure the flashing pictures and sounds, a strong hatred began to grow in his heart.
He remembered dying then being reborn over and over. Some would later theorise that this creature was the basis for Darkseid's resurrection techniques but not even Brainiac knew for sure how it was possible. Lex Luthor was plotting the downfall of Superman but Brainiac was taking no chances. Should Luthor fail, the creature Brainiac had found on the icy world would annihilate Kal-El.
Metropolis:
Lois Lane waited, eager to start lunch. She had skipped breakfast and after a long morning at the Planet, she was starving. Clark could hear a rumbling sound as he entered the café, knowing immediately what it was he couldn't help but smile. Lois' stomach was louder than a jet engine when he picked up the sound through his sensitive ears.
"Well…it's about time Smallville, you know a girl needs to eat despite what those magazines say."
"But you don't eat Lois…you devour…"
"Is Clark Kent making fun of me? That holiday give you a backbone?"
"You know I could never stand up to you…after all you're Lois Lane."
"Don't you forget it…"
They laughed as Clark sat down across from Lois, who was now busy clicking her fingers trying to get someone to come over and serve them. The waiter didn't look too pleased as Lois debated the price of everything on the menu. When their food arrived, Clark made sure to focus in on her food, making sure the waiter hadn't left any surprises in it.
"So tell me Clark, I wanna hear all the juicy details about your vacation. Where'd you go? See anything exciting?"
"Well, not really…I went home and uh helped my Mom out on the farm…not much to tell."
"Wow, ladies and gentlemen Clark Kent, Mr. Excitement…come on Clark are you telling me that you didn't do anything…"
"Like what?"
"Well you were on vacation…generally people do interesting things on vacation…you know, they ski…go skydiving…that sort of thing."
"Well I'm not too fond of heights and besides, being around you is exciting enough…"
Lois smiled sarcastically as she dug into her food, not caring about manners as she chomped her way through a burger in seconds. Clark tried to hold back a laugh as he tried to eat his own meal. Lois could be irritating sometimes but that was part of the reason he loved her. She was never afraid to speak her mind and do whatever she wanted.
"So what have you been doing while I've been gone? Miss me?"
"Of course…you're my resident spellchecker. I've bee checking out this rogue Superman story, though I don't believe a word of it."
"Excuse me…what rogue?"
"Smallville must be cut off from the rest of the world…Superman's apparently gone go the dark side…he robbed a bank, defaced landmarks…it's been on every news station for the last 24 hours…"
"That's impossible…"
"Tell me about it…though some people say that the idea that a man can fly is impossible. It just doesn't add up…one minute he's putting out fires on an oil rig and the next he's walking into a bank and stealing money."
Clark thought for a moment. Aside from some rescues, he hadn't been on the world stage for a while. He had been busy with Kara, but when he came back to civilisation he found himself faced with a big problem. He was being set up and he knew it. Lois was a reporter, and very good at sniffing out deception and uncovering clues. Clark thought about flying off to discover what was going on himself but he decided to stay with Lois and hope she could help him figure it out.
City Hall:
"Mr. Mayor…are you sure about this? Maybe this rock can hurt Superman but Lex Luthor can't be trusted…he has his own motives."
"Of course he does…who doesn't these days? But if Superman has turned against us we need to take all necessary steps to prevent him from causing greater damage."
It was the toughest decision he ever had to make. Superman was a hero, especially in Metropolis and the very thought of using deadly force against the Man of Steel sent a shiver down his spine. Today would be recorded as a dark day for the city.
Daily Planet:
Lois and Clark had gone to the Planet, hoping to find clues in past articles that would give them insight into Superman's apparent change. Clark began to wonder himself about the situation. He was the only one on Earth who knew for sure that he hadn't committed those crimes but if he couldn't prove it, he would either have to turn himself in or give up being Superman forever. Clark knew that without the trust of the human race, he could never truly protect them. He didn't have time to ponder the situation though as Lois interrupted his thoughts.
"This just doesn't add up. There's nothing in here that would indicate any change in Superman's behaviour and motives…and I should know, I wrote most of these articles."
"Maybe it's not Superman…maybe it's an impostor."
"With powers like he has?"
"It's happened before."
"But Zod is in prison Clark, it couldn't be him. It just doesn't make any sense."
Clark thought about Kara. Could she have been responsible for what was happening? No, she had been with him in the Fortress the whole time and reports had specifically stated that the one responsible looked like Superman. As Lois scratched her head, wondering what to make of everything, Clark picked up a sound in the city.
It was faint but his ears could just about make it out. It was the sound of a baby crying. Clark focussed and tuned into the sound. The child seemed to be alone and the only other sounds near by were coming from passing cars. Something was definitely wrong.
Lois was running a web search, looking through video footage of Superman at the Nou Camp that had appeared on the Internet, hoping to find an answer for Superman's behaviour.
"Hey Clark, take a look at his. I can't put my finger on it but there's something just not right about this Superman…maybe it's his walk or the way he stands or something…I just don't……Clark?"
Lois looked around the room. She could see Jimmy in the corner chatting up the new intern without much success. Perry was in his office, looking afraid as his wife shouted down the phone at him for working during his day off and other staff members were going about their daily routines but there was no sign of Clark.
"Clark Kent, never around when you need him…"
In fact, Clark was in an empty office moving towards an open window. Taking a final look around, he removed his glasses and let himself fall through towards the street below. However he never made it to the bottom as in seconds his clothes had changed and he was now flying high above the city as Superman.
As he hovered above the tallest skyscrapers, Superman focussed his vision, looking down on the street below. He knew that his reputation had been hurt and he knew he couldn't protect the world without the trust of the people he saved. He spotted a pram in the middle of the road, dangerously close to passing traffic.
Without hesitation, Superman flew down to street level and approached the pram. When he looked inside he was shocked. There was no baby, just a doll and a small device transmitting false cries. He knew instantly that it was a set-up.
Superman heard a bang and the sound of an object breaking through the sound barrier, approaching him. Clark turned as the bullet ended up grazing his cheek. He didn't realise at first, but the bullet had drawn blood. Another bullet flew through the air pushing through into his shoulder.
Kal-El felt the pain immediately and knew what it was. Kryptonite. Everything seemed to spin around him as the lethal effects started to show. His legs began to grow weak as he stumbled and struggled to stand.
He heard another sound, something else approaching him…but it was different, not like a bullet. Clark didn't have time to look though as he found himself being forced backwards, crashing into the side of a truck. Shaking his head, Clark looked up as he tried to stand.
His face told the whole story. The snipers who had been positioned to shoot Superman also saw what he saw and couldn't believe it. Suddenly it all started to make sense. The rescues, saving the world…that was Superman. The criminal acts…that was Superman…but not the same one who had defeated Zod.
"Target is down…but, I think we got the wrong one…"
"…What do you mean? What's going on out there captain?"
"Sir…there's two of them…there's Superman…and there's another one."
Standing above Superman was someone who looked almost exactly like him, apart from the suit, which looked similar but obviously wasn't made from Kryptonian fabrics like Clark's. Superman struggled to come to terms with what he was seeing as the impostor walked towards him, picking him up by his cape and swinging him before slamming him back down to the ground hard.
Superman had no time to recover as the false Superman kicked him before lifting him up and punching him in the stomach, then flying up into the air and crashing back down at speed. Superman was getting weaker and weaker as the bullet in his shoulder continued to emit kryptonite radiation through his body. He tried to stand up and face his opponent but the impostor was on him immediately, smashing his face into the ground. Lifting Superman up, he began to squeeze his skull, hoping to crush it and kill Superman who tried desperately to find away to fight back, but the kryptonite was sending pain through his body.
The impostor squeezed harder, ready to kill the one who had insured his creation. His grip disappeared though as he found himself flying through the air, away from Superman having been kicked viciously from behind. Recovering, he turned to see a girl standing over Superman, protecting him. She was wearing similar clothing to the Man of Steel and her eyes burned like fire as she sent blasts of heat towards the impostor. Superman could hardly believe his eyes at first.
"Kara…?"
"Take it easy Kal-El, I've got this…"
Kara Zor-El was revealing herself to the world as she flew at the impostor, knocking him backwards, then flying past him at speed, letting her knee move across into his back.
"And what are you called?"
"I'm Superman…"
"No, that guy you've been fighting…that's Superman…you're something else."
The impostor looked at Superman, then at Kara, remembering his creator Lex Luthor who would refer to his birth as Project: Bizarro, in reference to the unnatural way he was created.
"Call me…Bizarro."
"Bizarro? Let me guess…you live on Bizarro World, with Bizarro boys and Bizarro girls…"
"Mock me all you want little girl…but I will kill you and then Superman…if the kryptonite doesn't get him first."
Kara didn't reply. Instead she flew at Bizarro, dodging and countering a punch, moving up and kicking across his face before dropping underneath him and catching his legs, forcing him to fall to the ground as Kara flew into the air and dropped straight down, her knee ploughing into his chest.
Behind her, Kara could hear Clark's groans of agony as the kryptonite threatened to kill him. Making a decision, Kara punched and kicked Bizarro across the city, before rushing to Superman and picking him up, then flying in the opposite direction.
She could feel the effects of the kryptonite and she began to weaken, but she was determined to keep her cousin safe as her eyes scanned they city for a suitable place to hide. Finally, she found a newly built warehouse that her eyes couldn't see through. It was lined with lead. Lex Luthor had built it so that he could operate without being vulnerable to Superman. But today it was going to help hide Superman from the Bizarro creature.
Bizarro was in the sky above, searching the city as Kara tried to help her cousin. There wasn't a lot of kryptonite in the bullet, just enough to kill Superman. Kara wasn't as badly effected by the radiation but she could still feel it.
"Come on Kal-El help me out here…"
"Kara what are you doing here? You've got to get away."
"Thanks very much for saving me Kara…oh you're welcome Kal-El, anytime…"
"No need to be sarcastic…I am grateful thank you…but you need to leave before he finds us."
"No way…you're in no condition to fight. We need to get that bullet out of you. Tell me what to do."
"You're going to have to burn through the wound, make it bigger so you can reach in and get the bullet out."
"No way, are you crazy?"
"It's the only way…"
"It's gonna hurt like hell…and if you scream that copy is gonna find us."
"Do it…"
Kara sighed to herself as her eyes started to focus on the wound, her vision zooming in to get a clearer view as she released a steady stream of heat towards Kal-El's shoulder. He grimaced as his cousin burned through him, trying to keep from crying out at the immense pain he was feeling. Finally when she felt the wound was big enough, Kara reached in with her fingers, hoping to find the bullet.
"This is beyond disgusting."
Feeling around, Kara found the metal and began to pull it out as Clark bit down on a corner of his cape to stop himself from screaming in pain. The bullet was out, and Kara's fingers seemed to burn as she held the kryptonite. Instinctively, she threw the bullet across to the far end of the warehouse, giving both Kryptonians a chance to recover.
"Thank you. Now go."
"You're gonna fight him by yourself? I don't think so."
Kara helped her cousin to stand and began to walk with him outside where the sun would help to heal him. Superman searched the skies, looking for Bizarro as his body slowly began to heal under the suns glow.
"Kara please…I have to fight him alone."
"Don't give me any crap about not being ready Kal-El, I'm going with you. You don't need to protect me."
"It's not just that. This impostor has been pretending to be me, committing criminal acts in my name. It's not about reputation, it's about trust. The people of Earth need to know they can trust me. That's why I have to fight him myself."
"Alright…but if he kicks the crap out of you, I'm stepping in…"
"Deal. Now go, please.
Kara reluctantly left her cousin and flew across the city, touching down on the spire of one of the tallest buildings in the city, waiting. Her eyes and ears tuned into sights and sounds from across the city as people on the street below looked up at her, amazed. She saw Bizarro approaching her at speed, stopping just in front of her.
"Hello again little girl…where's your friend? Dead?"
"Just wait, he'll be here…I'd love to fight you myself but I promised him the first round."
"Oh really…well where is he then?"
Kara was looking up towards the sky where she saw her cousin bathing in the rays of the sun, allowing the solar energy to penetrate him and restore his strength. She watched as he flew back down towards the city, charging at full speed towards Bizarro. Kara just stared at the impostor and smiled.
"Take my advice…turn around."
Bizarro couldn't react as Superman charged into him and sent him tumbling across the city. Superman was after him straight away, like a missile, his fists clenched out in front of him as he bombed straight into Bizarro's chest, then moving underneath, catching his legs and swinging him around before slamming him in to the ground below.
Bizarro stood up and retaliated, sending an intense blast of heat towards Kal-El, forcing him to block and adjust his position. Bizarro crashed into him, swinging with deadly power and accuracy as he connected with a flurry of punches to Superman's face and chest.
They rose up into the air again, punching and countering, fighting without restraint as they launched attack after attack at each other. Everything seemed to move in slow motion for Superman as he saw an incoming punch and dodged, flying up over Bizarro and connecting with a lethal kick to the head, before spinning around and pushing his fist through Bizarro's face.
"You…you won't lose…win…you'll win…"
"Of course I'll win, I'm the real me…"
"Yes…no…you won't win…"
Bizarro seemed to be struggling with his words as Superman connected with another attack. His mind was filled with random thoughts as he tried to make sense of everything while continuing to fight Superman. Every punch and kick seemed to worsen his condition as he grew pale and his body began to twitch and react like he'd been electrocuted.
Superman noticed this and stopped his furious attack, focussing his vision, seeing through Bizarro and zooming in to a microscopic level. What he saw astounded him as he examined Bizarro's cellular make-up.
"You're a clone…"
"Clone…? I'm Superman."
Bizarro attacked Kal-El again, his body flipping upside down, kicking out at Clark, then readjusting and striking with his fists. Superman struck back with a devastating punch, sending Bizarro crashing into an electronic billboard, sending surges of electricity through his body. Clark knew what was happening. Whoever had created Bizarro had made a mistake. He was unstable and the more energy he used to fight Superman, the more his cells began to break down.
Bizarro didn't seem to know where he was as he recovered and began to fly over the city. He crashed through a large satellite dish and continued flying. The dish began to fall rapidly from the tall skyscraper towards the street below. A young woman and her son were unaware as it threatened to fall on top of them. By the time they realised and looked up, it was too late to move and they stretched up with their arms hoping to shield themselves.
The dish never hit them though and is they looked to see what was going on, they saw Kara Zor-El holding the large dish, smiling at them as she flew into the air. Bizarro was flying out towards the sea, not really sure where he was going, crashing into anything that stood in his way. Kara ended up flying below, catching anything that came down from the roofs above.
Superman saw his cousin saving the day and smiled as he followed Bizarro, knowing that Kara had things covered in Metropolis. They ended up out at sea…hovering as Bizarro's brain tried to issue clear and correct commands to his body. His skin had become as white as snow, his body falling apart, but still there was one thing clear in his mind...he had to kill the one who looked like him.
Bizarro attacked Superman, using up more energy as he moved faster, swinging with intense speed, knocking Kal-El into the water below. Bizarro followed and they began to fight underwater, swimming at each other and kicking out, their bodies twisting as they dodged and countered each other. Finally, Superman grabbed Bizarro and threw him upwards out of the water and high up into the air.
"Stop this. The more you try to fight, the more energy you are using."
"You must live…die…"
Superman knew that Bizarro wasn't going to last much longer without help. He tried to reason with the clone, tried to make him understand but it was no use. Bizarro's mind was jumbled, confused. Whenever he spoke, the words seemed to come out wrong, his heart began to slow as his brain started to shut down. Intense pain spread through is body as his cells started to break down and tear him apart from the inside.
"Save me…"
"How? Tell me…what can I do? Who did this to you?"
"Please…save me…"
"How do I save you?"
"No…SAVE me…"
Bizarro knew that Superman didn't understand. He barely understood himself. The words coming from his mouth weren't the words in his mind. He focussed, trying to clear his mind even as his body failed and began to collapse and come apart.
"Save…kill…kill me…"
Superman didn't get a chance to respond as Bizarro screamed in agony, his body shutting down as he began to fall from the sky, life leaving his fragile body. His last words sent anger through Superman.
"Save Luthor…"
He plummeted towards the water below, splashing through and descending into the dark depths, his body finally giving out on him. Superman pondered Bizarro's last words. He had obviously meant to say kill Luthor. Kal-El knew then that Lex Luthor had created Bizarro and as the clone's lifeless body rested on the seabed, Clark sped across the sky towards Metropolis.
LexCorp:
Lex Luthor smiled as a familiar face approached him, flying through an open window.
"Is it done? Is he dead?"
"He's dead."
"Good work and to think Brainiac thought I wasn't up to the job. All that's left is to kill that girl who's been flying around Metropolis…these damn Kryptonians keep showing up, well it's time we rectify the situation."
"I doubt that Brainiac will be pleased…"
Lex suddenly found himself against the wall being lifted off the floor, struggling to break the grip that was keeping him up.
"What do you think you're doing? I'm your creator, your father…put me down at once."
"I don't think so Luthor…"
"S…Superman?"
"Got it in one. Listen to me very carefully. Wherever you go, I'll be watching, whatever you do, I'll be there. Cover everything with lead and I'll break through. You won't be rid of me Lex. You will pay for what you've done."
Superman dropped Lex and began to walk towards the window, looking out at the city. Lex Luthor had become a dangerous threat to him and the planet. Kal-El knew that his alliance with Brainiac could spell doom for the Earth and he was determined to make sure it didn't happen.
"I told you before Superman, if you think you can bring me down, you need proof. Even with that, a conviction isn't guaranteed."
"Play the courts all you want Lex, bribe jurors, tamper with evidence…sooner or later you will make a mistake and I'll be there to make sure you pay the price."
Lex watched as Superman flew out the window and away from LexCorp before contacting Brainiac. He knew that the alien intelligence wouldn't be pleased that Superman was still alive.
"Hello Luthor, why have you contacted me? Is Kal-El dead?"
"Not quite…"
"So you've failed. I give you the technology to create your clone and still you can't defeat him…no matter."
"You don't seem very upset."
"I do not get upset. I knew you would fail. That is why I am sending Kal-El a little gift, something that will destroy him."
"No…we had a deal…I will kill him."
"It's too late…it's already on it's way. Superman will not survive."
"There's a problem…another one of those Kryptonians have shown up…a girl."
"Most likely a survivor from Argo, one ship did escape. I have anticipated this. Do not worry Luthor, you had your chance and you failed. Now you can sit back and watch as I send destruction down upon Kal-El…he will die."
Fortress of Solitude:
"I don't believe this…Supergirl? What kind of name is that?"
"I think it suits you…sounds cool."
"Cool? Kal-El you wear underwear over your suit and you wanna tell me what's cool? Who wrote this anyway? Lois Lane and Clark…Kent? You came up with this?"
"Actually I wanted to call you Powergirl…Supergirl was Lois' idea."
"Well I'm not using that name…I'm not a little girl."
"What about Superbrat?"
"Shut up…"
Clark laughed as his cousin tried to come to terms with the name the world now knew her by. He had wanted to keep her safe, but now that the world knew she existed, Clark knew that they would both need to prepare for the coming of Brainiac.
As they left the Fortress to go protect the world, neither of them were aware that a new threat was travelling through the solar system, approaching the planet. Clark was about to face an enemy deadlier than he could have ever imagined, an enemy that had just one thing on his mind…the death of Superman.
