CHAPTER 6: Heroes
Clark felt Lois's heart beating as if it was his own. He flew as fast as he could in the direction of her pounding heart. Clark couldn't explain the extraordinary sense of love that he felt coming from her but he filed it away as a conversation they might need to have when he finished this thing. From up high Clark saw the fiery battle between the two Riders taking place in a clearing below him. He spotted Lois, Lana and Lex struggling on the ground, apparently bound with some supernatural chains.
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Johnny Blaze was fading fast. A few more blows from Kale and he would be down for the count. As he absorbed another blow with the chain Blaze tried to reason with his ancestor once more. "How do you know he isn't playing you like he played me?" Kale paused his relentless beating.
"Because Johnny once I do this I will be his forever! Why would he risk it by turning on me?"
"Think about this! He has a legion of demons under his control! Why would he need you!?"
"Don't try to question the motives of someone like him Johnny!. This ends now. You and no-one else will stop me!" With that Kale wound his chain up and unleashed it with finality across Johnny Blaze. Blaze tried to dodge but was unsuccessful. The full wrath of the fiery links ripped into him and he collapsed onto the ground. Even though he was possessed with demonic powers, he wasn't immortal. Everything started to go dark as he heard Kale laugh and turn to his captives. "Its time I finish this Luthor. Time for you and her to die." Kale turned to Lois. "You're a good person Ms. Lane. But no one should know what happened here. I'm afraid you'll have to die as well. Goodbye." Kale began collecting a ball of fire in his hand and then he flung it directly at Lois.
Lois closed her eyes and waited for the heat of the impact. She hoped it was quick. The only thing she could think of was how much she wished he hadn't wasted time dancing around her feelings for Clark. She felt an enormous gust of wind. Must be from the fireball she thought. She braced herself for impact but it never came. Then she heard him. Clark. 'He came!' she thought. 'He always comes!!'
Clark stood tall on the far side of the clearing. He had landed just in time to use his super breath to put out the fireball that Kale had flung at Lois. "You're not going to hurt anyone Kale. I won't let you." Clark super sped to Lois's side and broke the chains holding her down, then he did the same for Lex and Lana. "Run!" he commanded with whole being. Seeing Lois looking at the broken chains with shock Clark said "They were really rusty now run!!" The three didn't take time to question, they tore off into the woods. Clark now stood alone facing the spectre of Kale in the middle of the dark clearing.
Kale cackled. "You can't save them from me. They were easy enough to find, I will find them again." In an effort to sucker punch Clark, Kale breathed a ball of fire from his mouth. Clark sped out of the way and behind Kale, tapping him on the shoulder.
"Behind you." Kale turned right as Clark's fist was about to pound him in the face. "Jackass." Clark finished as he launched Kale across the clearing. Picking himself up from the muddy ground Kale showed the first signs of hesistance.
"I don't know how you can move like that but I will not let you stop me." he pointed a bony finger at the still figure of Blaze lying on the ground. "He couldn't stop me and you won't either." Kale charged Clark with ferocity and a fist fight of super-powered proportions ensued. Clark was surprised at the monster's strength. It was enough to hurt him with each blow. Clark flipped Kale over him, onto his back and then turned on. He took a deep breath and began to encase Kale in ice. "What are you doing! Stop! Stop!" Kale shouted. As the ice covered Kale's entire body and began to work up his neck Kale did one last thing. Opening his bony mouth he spewed a bunch of flaming chains that began to wrap around Clark, encircling his neck slowly choking the life out of him. Clark dropped to his knees as Kale lit his body on fire to melt the ice it was encased in. "Good effort boy. But futile. Nothing can stop my vengeance."
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Branches slapped Lois in the face, tearing at her face and clothes as she followed Lex and Lana sprinting through the forest. "Clark! Hurry up! You're falling behind!" she shouted. "What you spent too much time away from the farm to stay in good enough shape to keep up with little ol' me?" She didn't hear any snarky response from him so she stopped and turned. Clark wasn't anywhere to be seen. "HEY! You two stop!" she shouted at Lex and Lana. "Clark fell behind we have to go back and help him or that thing will kill him!"
Lex managed to choke out through pants. "Screw... Kent... Leave him..." Lois knew she should have expected that from Lex. He and Clark had not been the best of friends in a very long time. Lex started to run again. "Come on Lana."
Lana glared at him. "No Lex. I'm not coming with you. I'm going with Lois to help Clark." Lex stopped and turned.
"What! Enough of this Lana, you're coming with me." he growled. Lana didn't back down.
"I said NO Lex. All of those horrible things I did. All of it was because you changed me. You brought something horrible out of me. I hate you Lex Luthor. Stay away from me. Lets go Lois." Lois smirked at Lex and then took off into the woods with Lana. Lex stood shocked and shaking with anger. Then he ran off in pursuit of the girls.
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Kale laughed as he circled Clark who was gasping for breath. "Looks like I win and you lose! Lets take a look into your soul before you die shall we?" Kale grapsed Clark's face and stared at him with his blazing eyes. In an instant he was knocked flat to the ground. A rush of memories had flooded both men's minds. Clark saw Noble Kale as a young man, still alive and very much in love with a beautiful woman. Clark saw how Kale had once been a hero and a good man and Clark saw Kale in his moment of despair, speaking to a being made entirely of shadow promising his soul in exchange for revenge. Kale in return saw every good deed Clark had ever done and would ever do in an instant. As he recovered Kale raised his hand and the chains around Clark's neck tightened. He was enraged with jealousy. This man was everything Kale had strived to be in life and had tried to rob him of the one thing he desired more in the world. "You're going to die now! Kal-el!" Kale cackled as Clark's vision started to blur. Suddenly a rock smacked Kale in the head.
"Let him go you bastard!" Clark heard Lois shout. 'No Lois run!' he thought. He couldn't bear it if anything happened to her. The distraction had made Kale loosen his magical grip on the chains. Oxygen started to flow into his lungs once again. Kale rounded on the women.
"Well well, looks like you've made my job easier by coming back." Lex burst into the clearing shaking with anger. "You too Lex. Good. Time to end this." Clark struggled with the chains as he felt something rip them off of him. He turned and saw the leather glad spectre of Johnny Blaze standing tall beside him.
"Sorry I was passed out before Clark. Lets stop this jackass!" Clark rose to his feet and shouted.
"Kale! You're outnumbered. Stop this insanity!" Kale was suddenly aware of the situation. He would not be able to stop them all. He knew what he had to do. "DIE LUTHOR!" Kale screamed as he sent a flaming ball directly at Lex. In an instant Lex grabbed Lana and tossed her in front of him. The fire consumed her and she collapsed to the ground.
"Lana!" Lois shouted and ran to her side. Lex took off into the woods as Clark and Blaze turned their fury on Lex. Blaze wrapped his own chain around Kale, holding him in place while Clark froze him solid. Then Blaze threw a fireball right at the frozen figure and melted it into a thousand pieces. Lois looked up as this happened, but she had been too busy with Lana to see Clark use his abilities.
"Clark she's dying! She needs to get to a hospital right away but we're in the middle of no-where!" Clark was about to act, knowing he would have to reveal his secret when Blaze stepped in. I'll take her he said as he summoned a flaming motorcycle from out of thin air. Clark thought he saw the skeletal head wink at him as he climbed on. "Well come on you two. Hop on and hold her steady. We're in for a fast ride." Lois and Clark picked up Lana and hopped on the back of the cycle, which Blaze made bigger to accommodate the extra people. Then they tore off into the night.
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Clark and Blaze sat side by side outside of the hospital. Lois was upstairs waiting for news of Lana. The fire hadn't burned her skin at all but she was in a coma and needed to be put on life support right away. Blaze explained to Clark that the fire of a Ghost Rider burned a person's soul and not their skin.
"I have a feeling she'll be okay." Blaze smiled at Clark. His face had returned to a normal human face. With skin and without fire.
"I think I'll trust you on that one Johnny."
"If it was going to kill her she'd already be dead. She'll be fine." Blaze stood up.
"Where are you going?" Clark asked.
"Lex Luthor knows about me now. I'm gonna have to hit the road for a while if I want to live a normal life. Besides, I need to find a way to rid myself of this curse I brought on myself. Thanks for your help Clark. I hope we meet again."
"Me too Johnny. Be careful."
"I will Clark. Your secret is safe with me. If you ever encounter anything like that again come looking for me. I don't want my enemies showing up on your doorstep ever again." In a flash Blaze's head lit on fire and reverted to its grinning skull form. The flaming bike appeared again and Blaze screamed off into the horizon. Clark sat back on the bench and sighed.
'Why do I always end up dealing with the weirdest crap?' he thought with a grin. Clark stood up and headed into the hospital to check on Lois and Lana.