Clark walked up to the front door of the house, straightening his tie as he did. He had someone he had to see, to talk to. He paused for a moment before knocking on the door. There was a brief wait before the door opened, revealing a young woman around Clark's age with red hair, holding her bathrobe shut.

"Lana?" He asked "I'm sorry, I thought this was Pete's house?"

"Uhm, it is." She said, pulling a stray strand of hair behind her ear "Actually, it's our house."

"Excuse me?" Clark said, surprised.

"Pete, maybe you should come get this one." Lana said, before gesturing for Clark to come in "You want some coffee?"

"Uh, sure." Clark said, pushing his glasses further up the bridge of his nose "Milk instead of cream if you've got it."

"Coming down now." Pete's voice came from upstairs, him quickly hiding the tin of squirty cream in his hand behind his back "Clark, what are you doing here?"

"I just flew in." Clark said with a small smirk on his face, quickly checking through the wall to make sure Lana was away from where they were "You and Lana, huh?"

"Yeah, listen, Clark, I'm sorry, I should've spoke to you, I mean, I know how-" Pete began.

"Forget it." Clark said, slapping a hand on Pete's shoulder "The split was mutual. She couldn't deal with my job so we decided to call it."

"But you're just a reporter..." Pete began, before a knowing look appeared on his face "Oh. That job."

Clark walked through to the oak and leather furnished living room, before turning back to Pete.

"So how long have you two been..." He began "You know."

"About a year." Pete replied "It started six months after you and her split. I got a call saying she was in town and didn't know anyone, so we went for dinner and stuff happened."

"Fair enough." Clark said with a smile "I'm happy for you, really, I am."

"Wow, you are such a boy scout!" Pete said with a laugh as the two of them sat down in arm chairs across from each other "So, why'd you fly in?"

"I came to apologise, for at the hospital." Clark said, taking the coffee from Lana as she walked in and handed it to him "Thanks."

"Why don't you go get a shower." Pete said to Lana with a smile "I think me and Clark need some guy time."

"Got it." She said with a knowing grin "Nice seeing you, Clark."

"You too." Clark said, waiting for her to be out of earshot before continuing "I know it was an accident, but I acted without thinking, I-"

"Clark, your Dad had just died." Pete said with a smile "You had every right to act without thinking."

"No, I didn't." Clark replied "With what I can do, with the damage I could cause, I never do."

"You didn't seem to think so with that Gorilla on the news." Pete said, smirking as he said "I'm glad you'd cleaned up your act by yesterday afternoon."

"Yeah, the Gorilla thing was... Complicated." Clark said "That's no excuse, but-"

"Clark, let me ask you something." Pete said "What do you call yourself when you're flying around?"

"Superman." Clark said "Everyone knows that."

"Exactly. Super man." Pete said with a small smile "You may have god like powers, but you're still just a man, Clark, capable of making all the same mistakes."

Clark smiled slightly. Pete always had been good at cheering him up. When he wasn't freaking out over Clark catching cars like basketballs. He sipped his drink as Pete began to speak.

"So, what're you doing after this?" Pete asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Go to work." Clark said with a smile "I've been out sick from the Planet for a couple of days. I've got a lot to catch up on. Just need to contact a friend about something first."

...

Clark walked into the bullpen at the Daily Planet. He had a pen drive in his hand as he walked through to Perry's office, putting it on the desk in front of him.

"Kent?" Perry asked "Lois said you were still sick?"

"Lois said what?" Clark asked, pausing "Must've been crossed wires."

"Must've been." Perry said, nodding to the pen drive "What's that?"

"Something I was working on." Clark said with a small smile "There are reports on attendance and contributions to support the article, along with a telephone interview I conducted with Bruce Wayne this afternoon, regarding the Wayne Enterprises charity gala he's hosting. I thought a Human interest piece was a good way to keep myself busy whilst I was out sick."

"Nice move, Kent." Perry said with a smirk "I'll flip it through later, see if I can get you in somewhere on the late edition. You're still not getting the front page, though."

"Let me guess." Clark said "Superman?"

"Batman and Superman." Perry corrected him, pulling a mock up off of his desk and handing it to Clark "What do you think of the headline?"

Clark picked it up, looking at the headline. There was a picture of him and Bruce stood by a police car in their costumes, apparently when they'd been discussing their plan for dealing with Joker and Parasite. The headline read 'World's Finest.'

"I like it." Clark said with a smirk "It works."

"Glad you approve, Kent." Perry said sarcastically "Now get to work!"

"Yes, chief." Clark said with a smile before walking out of the office and moving to his desk.

"I thought you were sick, Smallville." Came the voice of Lois from behind him, making him spin in his chair, seeing her stood there with a small smirk "At least, that's what you told me on the phone yesterday."

"That was yesterday, Lois." Clark replied "Today, I feel pretty... Super."

They both smiled at the joke. After a moment, Jimmy came running in.

"There's a bank robbery in progress. They're armed with some kind of... Minigun." Jimmy said "Sounds like a story to me, Lois."

"Okay, Jimmy." Lois said, getting up "You coming, Smallville?"

"Uh, sure." Clark said, the three of them beginning to walk to the elevator, before both he and Lois said "Hold on, I forgot-"

"Wow, you're both clutses today." Jimmy said, rolling his eyes.

"I forgot my purse." Lois said "Clark, can you run back and get it?"

"Sure, I need my pen anyway." Clark replied, smirking as the doors closed before he moved back to the desk, collecting the purse and checking his pen was in his pocket before walking into the storage room, opening the window and ripping his shirt open.

...

Lex sat at his desk, glossing over the reports his people had covertly collected on Parasite. It looked promising. Definitely something he could refine and sell as a weapon. It was going to make him rich. Or at least, even more so.

He tossed down the latest folder, before there was a beeping from one of the computer terminals in front of him. He observed which one, his expression souring. He pressed a control under his desk, his door locking as the windows tinted. As they did, he pressed another button, the green and purple mechanical form of BRAINIAC appearing as a holographic image.

"Your project failed, Luthor." BRAINIAC said, his tone displaying more disdain than the mechanical voice affected when dealing with Kal-El "Kal-El did not free General Zod as planned!"

"You know, machine, I think maybe you're forgetting the terms of our agreement." Lex said with a small smirk "I agreed to help you ensure your General was freed from his, what did you call it, Phantom Zone? In exchange, I want Superman given to me. You've made no attempt to provide me with this, why would I attempt to provide you with what you want?"

"Because if you don't," BRAINIAC said, his image shimmering and shifting to a duplicate of Lex "I can do it for you. You are not indispensible, Luthor. You would do well to remember your place."

"And you would do well to remember yours, machine." Lex said, standing up "I doubt Superman would take too kindly to knowing you'd hi-jacked his little get away."

"Kal-El is a temporary measure." BRAINIAC said "Once Zod is freed, you can have him to do with as you please. On one condition."

"What's that?" Lex asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Well, that's simple. Make Kal-El's death slow and painful." BRAINIAC said, smirking "Just make sure you give him a threat he'll want Zod's help with."

"I may have a thought on that." Lex said with a small smile "Leave it with me. It may take some time, but I'll contact you when it's ready."

Without any more to say, BRAINIAC's hologram disappeared. Lex pressed a control on his desk.

"Mercy, contact the lab." Lex said "Tell them to start the next stage of Project Doomsday. Call the prototype, I don't know, something that sounds like a prototype."

"Understood, Mr. Luthor." Came Mercy's voice "I'll have them start on subject B-0 immediately."

...

BRAINIAC moved to the console in the fortress. He moved a pair of crystals to different places, a shadowy projection appearing on screen of a man wearing tattered robes, the outline of a scar over his eye and a goatee on his face visible.

"Why do you contact me, BRAINIAC?" The figure asked, it's accent similar to that of Jor-El's.

"I have spoken to the Human." BRAINIAC said "He assures me that, in time, he will have-"

"Enough time has passed already, machine!" The figure spat "When it is done, I expect to be freed immediately. Am I clear?"

"As glass, General." BRAINIAC said, nodding his head "You shall be freed soon enough, and then you shall crush Kal-El and his adopted world under your boot."

"Excellent." The figure spoke, the outline of a smile visible in the shadows "Soon, the Earth and the son of Jor-El will kneel before Zod..."

...

So, this is the end of part one of MoS volume 2. Part two will pick up at about a week after part two of The Bat Volume 2, and will start once that section is finished. R&R, please, no flames, B.