Issue #24 – TROUBLES OF THE HEART

Smallville:

As Lana's car pulled away from the farm, Lois' eyes travelled, surveying the place where the world's greatest hero had grown up. While the Fortress of Solitude had a grand, superior feel to it, the Kent farm was more grounded, a simple place that resembled many other farms in the Midwest although a lot of them had shut down in recent years.

Lois gazed upon the windmill, turning slowly as a shallow breeze blew past. She saw fields filled with growing corn that seemed to go on for miles, fading out over the horizon. Near the farmhouse she noticed the barn that Clark had told her about, the place where the Kents had hidden his ship for years. It didn't seem like a place where Superman, the most extraordinary being on the planet, would have grown up. Despite everything Clark had told her, Lois still expected to see something far grander. The Kent farm though, was surprisingly normal.

On the porch, Martha Kent looked out at her son and the woman he had brought with him. She wondered about Lois Lane. While Clark had never been happier, Martha couldn't help but worry that Lois, a reporter like her son, would seek to exploit Clark or expose his secret to the world if she ever found out.

Before Clark had left for Metropolis to begin his new life as Superman, he had told Lana Lang, but that was different. Clark and Lana had grown up together and Martha knew her very well. She knew that Lana wouldn't reveal his secret. She wasn't so sure about Lois though. But she knew that it wasn't fair to judge someone she had never met, and Clark seemed to trust her, so Martha decided to give Lois the benefit of the doubt, smiling and waving as the two reporters approached the house.

"Clark, welcome home," Martha said cheerfully as she hugged her son, "and you must be Lois…"

"Lois Lane, that's me…Martha right? This is a nice house…I bet you could get a lot of money if you sold this place…not too sure about the corn though, seems a bit clichéd. Still it has its charm…now I know where Clark gets his dorky side."

Lois smiled, looking at Martha, then at Clark. Both of them had a bemused look about them and for a moment, Lois wondered why they were looking at her like she was a celebrity who had just checked herself out of rehab to score another hit. By the time Lois' mind caught up with her mouth, she realised that she was rambling and quickly spoke up, attempting to apologise.

"Sorry…nerves…I tend to get pushy when I'm nervous, then again I get pushy when I'm mad…also when I haven't had my coffee…you know I'm pretty much always like this, I suppose you can blame my father for that…military type…a General actually, big on discipline…though after years of babysitting my sister I suppose I've become the rebel and…"

"Lois…" Clark interrupted, laughing nervously as he worried what his mother would think of Lois' rambling.

"What…oh I'm doing it again aren't I…sometimes I wonder how your son puts up with me…but anyway, you have a lovely home here, kinda reminds me of the Walton's or Little House on the Prairie…very warm and friendly…kinda like Clark I suppose…uh…I called you Martha didn't I…sorry…uh Mrs. Kent…"

"It's alright, call me Martha…everyone else does." Martha didn't know whether to laugh or to have Lois committed. She certainly wasn't the shy, girl next-door type that Lana was. But maybe she was exactly what Clark needed. After all, being the most powerful man in the world, he would need a strong woman to put him in his place. Martha chuckled to herself before giving Lois a brief, welcoming hug and turning back towards the house.

"Well come on you two, lets get inside…Lois, there's fresh cup of coffee with your name on it coming right up."

Martha smiled, walking back into the house, followed by Lois, needing her caffeine fix. Clark though, put his hand on her shoulder gently, signalling her to stop for a moment.

"Lois…are you alright?"

"Why wouldn't I be? I'm fine…just nerves…once I get some coffee in my system I'll be right as rain…is rain right? What does that mean?"

"Lois."

"Sorry…deep breath…and relax, ok Clark, I'm ready."

As they walked into the house, Clark began to wonder if it had been a good idea to bring Lois after all.

Metropolis:

Deep underground, Lex and Zod travelled through an old LexCorp access tunnel to another safe house a few miles outside the city. This one was different than the last. Inside, a dozen screens, all connected to a central computer system lit up, showing various images, from security feeds from the tunnel, as well as surveillance footage of a nearby military base.

"What are we doing here Luthor? You promised me the son of Jor-El."

"Yes, I did…and you will have your chance to destroy him…but first, we need a plan. When you went up against him before, you destroyed half the city and still lost."

"What's your point?"

"To defeat Superman, we must take what he values most…the people most precious to him. To do that, we must give him a distraction…we're going to Smallville…therefore we must ensure that he's on the other side of the country…otherwise he will just show up and defeat you again."

Clenching his fists, Zod moved to respond and refute Luthor's claims that Kal-El would beat him, but deep down, he knew that the former head of LexCorp was right. Zod would have to play Luthor's game and be patient.

"What do you have in mind?"

"Double jeopardy…he can't be in two places at once…so we give him something…a mission to save millions of lives. While he's doing that, we make our move…after your fight with Superman, LexCorp was contracted to create a new advanced nuclear missile to combat any future threats from Krypton…as well as having a failsafe in case Superman himself turned rogue. The warhead is laced with kryptonite and while we were only able to complete one before LexCorp went bust and the contract was given to someone else, fortunately, that sole missile still exists and is resting at a silo a few miles from here."

"You plan to use it?"

"Yes…while the president is the only man with the nuclear arming codes, I secretly installed an override during construction that will allow me to take control and target…let's say…Los Angeles."

"Kal-El may survive…"

"You're right of course…he has a habit of saving the day and I'm sure he'll find a way to stop the missile but it will give us enough time to proceed with the next stage of the plan…and if he should die…well it's win-win."

Lex smiled as he sat down in front of the largest screen, his fingers moving as he typed a code on the keyboard that granted him access through the backdoor of the military base's central systems. Meanwhile, Zod stood behind him, secretly hoping that Kal-El would survive the missile attack on Los Angeles, wanting to destroy Superman himself.

Smallville:

The T.V. was on in the corner, although the volume had been muted. Lois, Clark and Martha sat around the kitchen table, unsure of what to say. It was an awkward silence. Lois was sipping from her mug, the coffee doing little to stop her nervous shaking. She had confronted some of the worst criminals on the planet in her time as a reporter, faced danger that most people couldn't fathom and she had done it with confidence. But nothing could prepare her for the meeting with her boyfriend's mother. Martha wasn't just any woman though, she was the mother of Superman. It was Martha who finally broke the silence, asking the most routine of questions.

"So, did you guys have a good trip?"

"It was ok, I suppose we could have flown here but Clark wanted to take the train." Lois replied as she continued to sip her coffee.

"Yeah well the train station is a lot closer than the airport, and Clark doesn't really like to fly." Martha responded. Lois hadn't meant flying by plane. She was talking about flying as Superman. Perhaps Martha had misunderstood, or maybe…could it be possible that Clark's own mother didn't know who he was? No, that wasn't possible. Besides, Clark had told Lois that his mother knew all about his exploits as the Man of Steel.

They were silent again. It definitely wasn't going how Clark had planned it. Then again, nothing ever did. He as going to have to take matters into his own hands and get a conversation going.

"Uh, Mom, Lois is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist."

"Really? Well I've read your work…a lot of interesting stuff about Superman."

"He's the reason I still have a job. Clark could obviously just write the articles himself but I think he lets me go to the editor first with a story a lot of the time."

"Well Clark is a great reporter himself, but Lois, from what I've read, you seem to be in the thick of things quite a lot, you really shouldn't put yourself in danger like that."

"It's the nature of the job…although I suppose I do risk my life more often than most other reporters. Then again, when you've got Superman looking out for you, the risk is greatly reduced."

"But Superman looks out for everybody Lois. You can't expect him to save you all the time."

"I suppose your right…I guess I take him for granted. That's what happens when…well you know."

Martha didn't know though. She didn't know that Lois knew the identity of Superman. Clark had never told her. He had tried to a few times but he always got nervous, afraid how his mother would react. Martha opened her mouth to respond and ask Lois what she meant, but she stopped, noticing that her son was distracted, looking away from the conversation, concentrating on something else.

"Clark, what is it? What's wrong?" Martha asked, causing Lois to also look at Clark, wondering what was going on.

"Turn the T.V. up Mom." Clark answered as he stared at the television in the corner. Grabbing the remote control, Martha raised the volume, allowing herself and Lois to hear what Clark had been hearing though his sensitive ears.

"…top story once again. Lex Luthor, who earlier today escaped the hospital where he had been under 24-hour guard in Metropolis, has issued a threat towards the city of Los Angeles. We have received a video recording, apparently sent to us by Luthor, with instructions to play it every 10 minutes for Superman to hear and we shall do that now…"

Clark watched, stunned as Lex Luthor appeared on the screen, sporting a menacing grin.

"…This is Lex Luthor…I assume you can hear this Superman. Millions of people are depending on you. At this moment, a nuclear missile is on its way to Los Angeles…call it a parting gift. I only hope that with your great speed, you will be able to stop it in time. You may be wondering why I've warned you…I'm just a nice guy…besides, it's no fun killing millions of innocent people if you're not there to witness it. So long Superman…"

Clark stood up, his hand reaching for his tie as he prepared to change and appear as the hero, Superman. Lois sat silently and Martha, looking at her son then back at Lois, realised she needed to give him an excuse to leave.

"Clark, why don't you go into town and get us a bottle of wine…I think we could all use a drink right now and…"

"Wine?" Lois interrupted. "Shouldn't Clark be going after the missile?"

Seeing the look on his mother's face, Clark suddenly remembered that she didn't know that Lois knew who he was. He knew he needed to explain things but he didn't have time to chat.

"Uh Mom…umm…Lois knows….I gotta go…"

Then he was gone, leaving Lois and Martha stunned, staring at each other for a moment, neither one of them finding it easy to find the words to describe what they were thinking.

"He uh…never told you?" Lois asked.

"No…he didn't. But I suppose that's just the way Clark is."

"Tell me about it."

Superman headed west, flying at breakneck speed towards California, his eyes focussing miles ahead of him, searching for the missile. Without know where the missile was coming from though, it was impossible to determine the where in Los Angeles it would strike and Superman knew he would have to concentrate with all of his senses if he hoped to catch it in time.

He began turning south, heading straight for LA, and his arms pulling back behind him as he broke through the sound barrier and beyond. Anyone on the ground below would see a blue blur…assuming they could see anything at all.

As he raced across he country, Superman continued to allow his eyes to focus miles ahead of him, like a hawk spying on its prey. His telescopic vision picked up something in the distance around ten miles ahead of him.

Picking up even more speed, Superman flashed across the sky, catching up with the object in seconds. He'd gotten lucky. The object was indeed the missile he had been chasing. Flying to the nose. He stretched out his hands to force the missile to come to a stop, fighting against the rocket that was propelling it forward.

Superman began to weaken, feeling his strength draining as he struggled to hold onto the missile…scanning inside with his x-ray vision, he saw the root of the problem. A large quantity of refined kryptonite had been inserted and implemented into the warhead's design. He fell out of the sky, crashing hard into ground below, creating a crater in someone's back garden, remaining unconscious as his body tried to absorb solar energy and destroy the kryptonite radiation that had penetrated his cells.

Back in Smallville, Lois and Martha sat, facing each other as news reports began coming in that the military had begun tracking the rogue missile. Both women were confident however, that Superman would save the day.

"So…how long have you known?" Martha asked as she poured coffee into Lois' mug.

"Quite a while now…he told me just before his cousin left Earth."

"Kara…hold on, he told you? You didn't find out on your own?"

"No…it's surprising…I've worked alongside him for so long yet I never really suspected anything…thinking about it now, I have no idea how a pair of glasses is able to fool the world…it's gotta be the worst disguise ever…but it works."

"Don't remind me," Martha laughed, "when I first saw him in those glasses, with the hair and the three-piece suit, I thought he was an intruder breaking into the house."

Both women laughed. The ice had been broken and they were enjoying each other's company, revealing secrets they knew about Clark's life, knowing that they would be a great source of embarrassment for the Kryptonian if he had been there.

"So was he always strong?" Lois asked, curious about Clark's powers and how he handled them, growing up on the farm.

"When he was a baby, when we first found him, his powers would come in flashes. Jonathon and I had some bruises from his tantrum days but it wasn't really his fault. It wasn't until he was a teenager that he really began to take control and develop his powers."

As they talked, Lois noticed something flying towards the house as she glanced out the window for a moment. Reacting, Lois pushed Martha to the floor and fell down herself, ducking for cover as a tractor came crashing through the wall, into the kitchen, flying over their heads, smashing through the living room and out into the driveway.

Raising her head, Lois looked out through the massive hole that now linked the kitchen with the farm outside, spotting two familiar figures. Helping Martha to her feet, she tried to drag Clark's mother away to escape, but in a flash, Zod was there, preventing them from leaving. Lois and Martha backed away slowly, turning and coming face to face with Lex Luthor.

"Hello again Miss Lane…and you must be Martha Kent…well it's a real pleasure to meet the mother of Superman."

"W-what are you talking about?"

"Save it Lois!" Luthor responded, "I know Clark's little secret. Oh don't worry, I'm not going to expose him…I've got something else in mind."

Luthor laughed, angering Lois who lashed out at him with a strong slap to his face. Lex replied with a punch to her ribs before grabbing her by her hair and throwing her to the ground before turning and smiling at Martha.

"I must say Mrs. Kent, you have a nice home here. Now I see where Superman gets his high moral values…you've raised him well…unfortunately, you're going to be visiting his grave pretty soon."

Martha felt hands wrap around her throat. Her feet were off the ground, her lungs struggling to take in air as Zod squeezed her throat. Luthor watched as Martha's face showed the pain she was feeling. He enjoyed the moment, grinning before raising his hand and signalling for Zod to release her. As she fell to the ground, trying desperately to breathe, she prayed silently, hoping that her son would return as Zod and Luthor conversed.

"Would it not destroy Kal-El's heart if I killed this woman?"

"Sure it would. But somebody has to deliver the message right? Besides, Miss Lane here will provide enough heartache to bring him to his knees."

"And he will bow…"

"My son will never bow before you…I know who you are Zod…he will defeat you," Martha retorted angrily. Zod ignored her as his eyes travelled around the farm, looking at where his enemy had grown up.

"This place annoys me."

"Then by all means, destroy it…burn this place to the ground…" Luthor responded as he kicked Lois in the stomach and began to tie her up.

Zod focussed, releasing a heated blast from his eyes, aiming at the house, before sending another powerful surge of heat energy towards the barn, using his superbreath to topple the windmill. Finally, he turned, igniting his heat vision once more and incinerating the crops growing in the cornfields that surrounded the farm.

Martha could only watch as the flames consumed the farm around her. Luthor approached her, bending to whisper in her ear.

"I wonder if you could deliver a message to your dear son for me…?"

California:

Having recovered, Superman had taken off and flown after the missile once more, moving up behind it, trying to stay away from the warhead that held the deadly kryptonite. Ahead of him, the city of Los Angeles was approaching quickly. He knew that he had to do something to stop it, but whenever he got close to the nose, he began to feel the effects of the kryptonite.

The fires from the rocket fuel that pushed the missile forward spread over his face. Taking a deep breath, he began to blow with extremely cold air. Lois called it freeze-breath, icy wind that would even cool lava if it were sustained for long enough.

He blew, cooling the rocket fuel and eventually freezing it, as well as icing up the inner circuitry of the rocket engine. With no forced momentum keeping it airborne, the missile began to fall out of the sky at an alarming rate, threatening to crash and explode in Hollywood.

Superman flew after it, catching the warhead and twisting his body to throw the missile back up into the air. As the missile went skywards, Superman paused, out of breath for a moment due to the kryptonite. After regaining his composure, he flew upwards, catching the missile and ignoring the pain as he drove through the upper atmosphere, reaching escape velocity and powering his way out of Earth's gravitational pull, throwing the missile, setting it on a direct course with the planet Venus.

Floating in space for a few moments, Superman allowed the sun's rays to penetrate his skin, feeling his immense power return to normal levels, before turning back towards Earth, heading home to Kansas.

Soaring above the clouds, his cape fluttering behind him Clark increased his speed, worried that Lois and his mother might be ripping each other's throats out. He laughed to himself, at that thought.

His smile faded though as he saw smoke rising in the distance as he neared Smallville. Focussing his vision, Superman realised that the smoke was coming from the farm. Anxious now, he descended quickly, dropping into Smallville and grabbing a hold of the massive water tower that made up the extent of the town's skyline.

Picking it up and ripping it from it's hinges, Superman flew with the tank, dropping it on the cornfield, allowing the water to douse the flames while he continued on, landing near the house that was now on fire. Taking a deep breath, he began to blow out the flames, first around the house, then the barn and finally the cornfields that hadn't been put out by the water.

Looking around, Clark noticed his mother sitting in a car with Lana Lang. She was obviously shaken up. Moving quickly, he rushed to the car to check on his mother, not knowing what had just happened.

"Mom…Lana…what happened?"

"I don't know Clark," Lana answered, " I saw the smoke and drove over…when I got here, Mrs. Kent was on the ground and the whole place was on fire."

Clark searched with his eyes, looking for a clue to help him figure out what had just happened. Had it been an accident? Was somebody playing a cruel joke? He had his answer when his mother overcame her shock and spoke up.

"It was Luthor….and General Zod…"

"Zod?" Clark couldn't believe it. Zod was supposed to be in jail, deep underground in the Nevada desert. How could he have escaped? He tried to control his anger as he looked around the decimated farm once more, realising that someone was missing.

"Mom…where's Lois?"

"They…they took her…Clark, they know who you are…I dunno how but they figured it out. They came here…not for Clark Kent, but for Superman."

"Where did they go? Mom, did you see which direction they went? Maybe I can catch up with them…"

"I know exactly where they went…Luthor told me. He wanted me to give you a message. He…he said that Lois would die unless you met him at the last refuge of Krypton…"

"the Fortress…"

Martha nodded her head, watching the rage build up inside her son. His fists were clenched, his eyes seemed to burn, like a fire that was consuming him. Lana offered to take care of Martha, getting into the car and driving with Clark's mother to her home.

Alone now, Clark stood, looking north, trying to control his anger and fear. He took off, exploding into the sky, his cape almost ripping apart as he flew faster and faster, crossing the border into Canada. The beginnings of a snowstorm were interrupted as Clark blasted through the clouds, his sheer speed causing them to dissipate.