Chapter 7:
Since his debut as a photographer, he never experienced such troubled times: Superman, his pal was behaving erratically, tried to murder the President and sent Lois to the hospital who he was going to visit but surprisingly or not, when he got there, she was already up.
"Lois? What are you doing? You're not suppose to be up!..." – Jimmy was astonished to see Lois almost ready.
Lois looked at Jimmy, expectantly. - "Did you bring my clothes?"
"Yeah but…"
Lois took the bag Jimmy carried and took the clothes from the bag. – "Turn around."
"Don't you think…"
"Turn around." – Jimmy's insistence was no match to Lois's and eventually Jimmy gave up and turned around.
"Fine! You could at least stay another day…"
"If the news were in this hospital Jimmy, I would gladly stay, however since the news are at the devil's lair, we need to get going." – She wanted the truth, as always but in this case it was for different reasons: she wanted to know who was behind that entire pre-war scenario, implicating the man she was in love with. At first sight, everything was implicating Superman as the responsible but deep down she knew he couldn't do it. He had suffered far too much and she figured if he snapped, it would have happened long time ago.
"I'm ready." – Lois spoke while looking at Jimmy's watch. – "We have still time to get there for the President's announcement." – She exited the patient's room leaving Jimmy behind.
"Hey! Wait for me!"
It was time: He had everything at the palm of his hand and he couldn't let it go.
Smallville, May 2005:
He woke up, still a little dizzy: he began walking around erratically, trying to remember his last moments before going unconscious. Chloe was with him.
"Chloe? Chloe?" – He kept repeating. He was suspicious about Chloe: she knew a lot more than she wanted to admit.
"Where did you go, Chloe?" – He asked once again but there was no response. The only noise he could hear was the debris of the caves falling. Looking to his surroundings, he spotted a cell phone, Chloe's cell phone.
The mystery was getting higher. - "Where did you go Chloe?" – He asked once again. Then he looked straight ahead and saw a new chamber, confirming the drawings he stole from Clark when Clark had amnesia.
He entered the chamber and looked a board, strategically right at the center of the chamber. He took a good look at the board: the symbols were familiar because some of them were at other parts of the caves and he also spotted them in Egypt.
Besides the symbols, Lex recognized the octagonal key he once possessed and found in a Smallville field. Holding the key, he felt that he was getting closer to the truth.
Suddenly, he felt someone behind: he turned around, hiding the octagonal key in his hand, covering it and he saw one man, motionless, staring at him.
"Everything is under control here, officer. I'm sure you're needed elsewhere." – He declared but the man stood there, wordless. Then the man began approaching.
"You have the key." - Lex froze at the man's statement. He wondered how the man could know he was hiding the octagonal key but he didn't have time to speculate. With one hand, the man grabbed him by his throat while with the other hand; the man reached for the octagonal key. Once in his power, the man tossed him with ease.
He had a hard fall but he was still conscious: what he saw next was amazing. The man exited the chamber as fast as the wind almost impossible to see him: super-speed, super-strength and someone the ability to see or to guess what he carried in his hand.
It took several minutes for him to recover: slowly he got up and exit the chamber, heading to his Mercedes. Once in his car, he thought over and over about what had just happened to him.
"The mind is playing tricks with you, Lex." – He thought. He shook his head in disbelief and turned the ignition on and left the location.
He decided to go to his mansion to evaluate the possible damage the mansion had suffered due to the meteor shower but he couldn't possibly imagine what was going to happen next.
While driving, he saw the damage the meteor shower had done to the county and when he focused his attention to the road, he saw Lana in the middle of the road: he stepped as hard as he could on the brakes, stopping the car, right in front of Lana.
Worried, he got out of the car: He saw her in a complete mess.
Lana turned the other way and began walking with difficulty.
"Lana, what happened?" – He inquired, still unaware of her situation: last time they met, he sent her to Metropolis in his private helicopter.
"He's still out there. He will kill us if he finds us." – By her words, he concluded she was in shock and something terrible happened: not only physical she was a mess with injuries in her body, especially in her right leg but psychologically, she was also a mess.
"It's ok, you're safe now."- He tried to give some assurance to her. – "Lana, you need to get off that leg. I'll call a doctor."
His words fell in vain: she didn't care because she was terrified with something else. – "You don't understand. We're not safe… We're not safe…" - she kept repeating those words. Worried, he walked to her, grabbing her.
"DON'T TOUCH ME!"- Lana yelled almost as if the man she was talking about was grabbing her.
She struggled to get free but Lex, in much better shape, manage to hold her.
"Lana, you're in shock. It's over! The meteor shower stopped. It's over." – Momentarily, she stopped struggling: his words brought some temporary peace but the incident was too much for her to think of something else.
"There's a man. He was right behind us. He came out…" - She began confessing but she stopped, horrified by the male figure.
Lex noticed it; something was holding Lana back and he forced her to look at him. – "Out of what? Where did he come from?"
"A space ship." – She declared, hesitant.
"Where?" – He inquired once again.
"Lander's field." – She replied but with more emphasis, noticing Lex's sudden interest.
He thought but it couldn't be possible: she was in shock and reason told him that it was all an illusion.
"Lana, you have been through a lot. It's perfectly normal for your mind to play tricks on you. Trust me."
"No, Lex, you trust me! I know what I saw."- She stated, furiously because he didn't believe her. Seeing hopeless the fact that Lex didn't believe her, she began walking, in spite of her difficulty. – "we've got us to get as far away as possible."
He turned around to see Lana falling unconscious. He lifted her and carried her to his car to his mansion where he called to a doctor to assist Lana. From there, he headed to the hospital where the Kents were but surprisingly Clark was nowhere to be seen. Then he headed to the Kent farm where he saw Clark looking around for his parents.
They had a discussion: Lex almost swore seeing Clark in the middle of the chamber when a bright light almost blinded him and somehow, he fell unconscious. But Clark denied everything, saying he got out of Smallville in one of the military vehicles. He left Clark, unconvinced of Clark's version.
Then, he decided to go to Lander's field: he was divided between the logic of being in state of shock, of his mind playing tricks with him and the strange coincidence of the description of a man Lana made who was exactly like the one he saw, with superhuman-powers. He didn't have anything to lose and chose to go there.
Once he arrived at the location, what he saw forever changed his perspective of the world and the universe: a big black ship, nothing like he had ever seen before.
Dumbfounded, he ran to touch it to see if it was real: its surface was so smooth, he didn't remember ever, touching an object like that. He had to have it: immediately he called to use his resources to carry the ship out of there to a warehouse where it could be well guarded and be studied by his team of scientists.
The ship was studied but his team of scientists couldn't open it: they didn't find a way to open it. Then, the unthinkable happened: guarded 24 hours a day, one day the ship suddenly disappeared and he never saw it again.
He sent scouts all over the world: reports of visions came from Honduras, Egypt and China but he never saw it again. Either the ship or the man…
But the locations all revealed something to him: they were the locations of the stones he began tracking. With the death of the Teague family, only one person remained with possible interest and somehow connected with the whole history: Clark Kent.
By the time, he had lost the ship, they weren't talking anymore: continuous disagreements lead their friendship to an end. To get close to him again, he used Lois and Chloe, seducing them with the possibilities of treatment for Chloe's mother and Lucy Lane's clean record, a second chance for her.
But everything failed: Clark didn't have the stones and disappeared without a trace.
He lost interest in Clark but the searches for the ship continued for years but it was effortless: just when all hope was lost, years later in Romania, it was found a half of a medallion, named Dragon Eye with some symbols, identical to the ones he could see in the caves. Manuscripts reveal a legend of a power beyond anything else ever encountered: the medallion while in one piece was able to give superhuman-powers, similar to the ones that man he faced years before, in the chamber.
He searched for the other half only to find out; it was in possession of the Swann foundation. Meanwhile, another event gave in the chills: a being with super-strength, super-speed, heat vision and the ability to fly made its appearance in Metropolis, claiming to fight for truth and justice. He was called Superman.
But he knew it was all a lie…
"Mr. President…Mr. President…"
"Yes?" – He asked: he was distant, recalling his memories and only after several callings, he snapped out his thoughts.
"They're waiting for you, Sir." – His secretary declared. Lex got up and headed to a reunion room where everybody was waiting for him. As he came in, everyone got up, in signal of respect.
"Status Report." – Lex eyed every person: clearly there was some tension because one and all knew about Lex's plan and its possible consequences.
Amanda Waller was the secretary of Defense and one of the most loyal people Lex had encountered in his Administration. – "The Superman Protocols are ready for application whenever you say Sir: The level of security has been raised to the maximum level and every authority since the National Guard to the Army has been warned. The U.S Army has called 15 000 reservists."
"Good enough." - With the explanation given by his secretary of Defense, Lex turned his attention to someone else. – "What's the status of project "Metallo", General Lane?" – Lex inquired.
"Dr. Alistair Creed has just finished the prototype. His experience with robotics and his experiment with Victor Stone were fundamental to the project: using the fundamental parts of project he carried with Victor Stone as a subject, Dr. Creed created a new alloy and the use of a meteor rock encountered in Smallville, state of Kansas, managed to increase the power of the robot." – Lex smirked with the results but he let Gen. Lane continue. –"Based on the reports of Superman's powers and the tests we made, Metallo can match or possibly surpass Superman in terms of strength, vision, audition and reaction."
Calmly, Lex grabbed a photo of his pocket and began looking at it. –"So you say Metallo is ready…"
"Yes, Mr. President." – The General declared.
"Then Metallo has a new priority."- Lex threw the photo to the General through the desk. – "He's working with Superman since day one. I want him dead or alive. He's a traitor to this country and to mankind. I prefer him dead."
The General looked at the photo and recognized the person. – "Sir, he should be arrested and go to court and be judged."- The General stated.
"DON'T QUESTION MY ORDERS!" – Lex shouted, furiously, punching the desk. Realizing he lost his temper, Lex took a deep breath and regained his calm. – "I'll have no discussion: execute the order. I want him dead or capture in the next 24 hours." – Abruptly, he got up and exited the room: Mercy joined him.
"When is going to be the press conference?" – Lex asked, walking in the corridor.
"One hour, Mr. President." – Mercy replied, categorically.
Lex headed to the Oval room where he stood there waiting: it was an imitation of the real oval office in the White House. With the recent attempt upon his life, his staff determined he was no longer safer in the White House. Everyone was nervous and expect from him, a determined response. The wait was long and the anxiety rose by the minute. Everything he planned for the last year and half was set: There was no place for mistakes.
He heard someone knocking at the door: Mercy opened the door. – "It is time." – She declared.
He exited the oval room and went to the Press Room where the journalists were waiting.
He stopped at a mirror located at the mirror, seeing his image: He bend forward and adjusted his tie. He waited for his announce.
"The President of the United States of America."
Then he entered the Press Room. He took a good look to his audience before he started his press conference.
"Ladies e Gentlemen, members of the Press: when I was elected as President, a year ago, I made a vow: to serve and protect this country and its citizens. Today I come to you with disturbing news that puts in jeopardy, the lives of the American people." – He paused for a while: then he was sure that everybody in the room had their attention on him.
He signaled one of his assistants and all lights were turned off and a screen was shown. - "As you see on this screen, these photos were taken in 2005. Location: Smallville, State of Kansas. Clearly what is shown in these photos is a space ship of alien origin. This isn't a hoax: I was there back then. In its composition there had elements which aren't found in the period table: meaning that they aren't from this planet or any part of this Solar System."
He continued. – "According to eye witness, from this ship, a living being came out and kill almost every police officer whose arrival came after some distress calls. Only one survived but he became mentally unstable. The ship was carried to a warehouse to be studied but several weeks later, it vanished without a trace: even today we can't find this ship. As for the living being, it was similar to any human but it possessed superhuman powers, identical to Superman's. In fact, after careful examination, a group of scientists discovered this entity shares the same origin with Superman."
The mention of Superman caused several reactions among the journalists: suspicion, fear, disbelief, concern, eyebrows raised, and whispers due to the recent attempt on the President's life…
He kept on. - "This alien force is considered to be hostile and a danger to the world: My counselors have concluded this force has the power to conquer the world and destroy the free world as we know it. Their technology is far more advanced than ours and their will to conquer is even greater."
The press was following Lex's speech with full attention: The world was about change radically. – "This isn't their first attempt: according to ancient manuscripts found in Romania, Central Europe, a individual from Superman's home planet tried to conquer the world with a help a piece of their technology, known here on Earth as Dragon Eye. The medallion was used two years by a known terrorist named John Corben and he was stopped by Superman but the medallion disappeared without a trace: it's most likely Dragon Eye was taken by Superman but we don't know what use Superman will give."
Lex paused for a few moments: his moment of triumph had begun and then he could start to feel the insecurity in people's eyes.
Again he looked at other of his assistants and a second screen was shown. –
"This was taken three days ago." – The images shown were violent showing several wounded people and destruction. – "These images are from the terrorist attack made upon LexCorp days ago: the investigation which occurred in the following days revealed a set of strategic placed bombs around one of the building's floor. The detonation of the bombs was a shock for this administration and especially to me: the detonation was caused by a heat signature which we were able to locate its origin from outside the building and by visualizing a recent video recording which puts Superman as the source of the heat signature: Superman is responsible for the terrorist attack on LexCorp." – Immediately whispers were heard among the audience: Shock was the domain feeling among the audience.
"Ladies and gentleman…" – He waited for the whispers to fade and their attention turned again to him. – "Facing and analyzing all the evidence and the recent attempt on my life, the government of United States of America considers Superman as a threat to national security and an enemy of state."
He eyed everyone looking for reactions and the result was the one he expected. – "As an enemy of state, Superman must be stopped. However to avoid any bloodshed, The United States issues an ultimatum to Superman: Superman has a period of 48 hours to turn himself in order to go to a trail. Any act of resistance will be seen as an act of war: if Superman doesn't surrender in that time period, it will also be seen as an act of war." – He looked to a camera and emphasized his speech. – "Make no mistake Superman: we will use any means to stop you. I just hope this ultimatum can and will avoid a war. Thank you, ladies and gentleman, members of the press."
He waved to everyone, signaling goodbye but unexpectedly someone asked a question, breaking the "no question" rule of the session.
"Lois Lane, Daily Planet: where did you get that tape? Is it authentic?"- Her voice was defiant, challenging Lex into a duel of worlds. Slowly Lex turned to face Lois directly while she continued asking questions. – "Why you are only revealing this now since the footage you showed has years old? Is this just an issue of xenophobia and racism?"
"When it comes to national security, issues of xenophobia and racism aren't considered, Miss Lane." – He replied with an icy tone in his voice. – "This isn't really much a surprise coming from you, miss Lane: after all, we all know about your colored friendship with Superman. Perhaps you should be warned about him: either he's deceiving you or you are aware of his plans and then you would have to be arrested under the charge of treason. Choose your side wisely, Miss Lane." – The chilly tone continued and Lex exited the room.
Seeing Lex leaving the room, Lois even tried one more question. – "How did you get this information Mr. President?… The people need to know the truth!"– Lex didn't even bother to answer Lois's fierce question and continued walking to his room while three agents walked in Lois's direction, grabbed her and escorted her to the exit.
Walking away from the press, Lex headed to his room where he sat on his chair finding the silence he needed, accompanied by Mercy, his personal assistant.
"I thought you wanted to go in a war in Superman." – Mercy declared, surprised with Lex's ultimatum.
"The Ultimatum is a mere formality. It's to avoid any suspicion of war hunger and revenge. I want the American people… I want the entire world at my side." – He replied while preparing another scotch: he rose his glass to Mercy and then he drank the scotch.
"Ahh….Mercy, my dear…Hunt season has just began."
To be continued…