Chapter Two
The images of Superman ignoring the security at Cadmus and destroying the turnstile, as well as the elevator, flooded the news media. They played with Breaking News scrolling across the bottom, as if were on a loop. Talking heads, experts, and pundits from the right and left were interviewed on the half hour offering up such insights as he came from a superior society and thinks of us as ants to he was suffering from delayed Post Dramatic Stress Syndrome from losing his world and family. It was a muddle of half thought out insights and self righteous opinions. Unfortunately, it became the drumbeat leading the public once again to fear Superman.
As Director of the News Division of the Daily Planet for Morgan Edge's media conglomerate, Lois Lane tried to find a balance approach to Superman, but there was blood in the water and too many sharks circling for the kill for her to maintain balance. She decided to ride the wave of negative, but to have the real story to push back with once the wave broke. As long as the numbers were good, Morgan Edge would be satisfied. Lois knew how to feed the beast.
It was amidst the chaos of feeding the beast that Clark walked into the office and found a note from Lois on his desk. She wanted to see him right away. He sighed. For the past three years she had been trying to get him more involved in the on-air news. She have him interviewed about one of his news breaking articles or have him on a panel show so he could give his opinion. He hated it, but he did some of for Lois. The remains of his one-time crush on her made it hard to refuse her.
Through the pandemonium of a big news breaking day, he made his way to Lois' office. He took the elevator up several floors, got off, and walked past the receptionist desk, who was dealing with all lines lit, almost unnoticed. The door to her office was open so he walked into the room.
Dressed in her favorite colors of purple and black, expensive black pant suit with a silk purple shirt, she was on the phone yelling at someone, while lighting her umpteenth cigarette of the day. Lois was forever quitting but never quite getting there. When she saw Clark in his usual chinos, rumbled white oxford shirt that was too sizes too large for him, glasses, slumped shoulders, an tousled hair, she saw potential that never seem to come to fruition. Of course, she had her theories on why he was still untapped potential and one of them was because the man before her was actually Superman. She kept this theory to herself, though.
"Smallville," she said then hung up the phone, "have you done any work on this Superman story yet?"
"No, Lois. I've been working on an investigative piece on the inadequate wiring used in low income housing by the construction company that won the city bid," he said.
She looked at him as if he had two heads. Once again, she started to doubt her Superman as Clark theory.
"Well, the Justice League has been contacted, but they haven't responded yet. I need a statement from them, as well as one from Superman himself. I want you on it," she said.
"I think my article is too important to drop, Lois. This wiring can cause house fires," he replied.
"You aren't dropping it, Smallville, but you are putting it on the back burner, while you work on important breaking news," she said. "Clark, I run this division otherwise I'd do it myself. I need you to do it."
"Why don't you have Jonathan do it?" asked Clark.
Jonathan Carroll was Lois' boyfriend and former foreign correspondent. He was slowly repositioning himself in a new role, since he had moved to Metropolis full-time. So far he was working as a afternoon anchor for the Daily Planet's cable news channel.
"I need you, Clark," she said. "People are afraid of Superman again. We can't have that, can we?"
He chuckled to himself. Six years ago he'd have broke into a smile if she said that to him, but now Lois was just another person who wanted something from him.
"I trust you, Clark," she said with an inviting smile.
Clark shrugged.
"Okay, but I'll be out of the office for several days. I'm on my cellphone if you need me," he said.
"Remember, I need a Justice League quote and something from Superman. See if either one of them will appear on the news for an interview. Anything on-air with either the JL or Superman would be rantings gold," she said.
Clark turned and waved then walked out of her office. She had just given him an excuse to visit the Watchtower. It was time for Superman to pay the piper for his actions.
Ceremony of Innocence
Wonder Woman got the emergency call from the Justice League and cut short her visit. She arrived on the station still out of the loop. Themyscira still didn't get satellite TV. Stepping off the transporter pad, she was greeted by an argument between the Green Lantern, Flash, Green Arrow, and Batman. She stopped and listened to it.
"We need to take action against him. No one is above the law," said John Stewart.
"How about we have a trial before you go for the punishment?" Green Arrow sarcastically asked.
"I agree with Robin Hood," said Flash. "Supes deserves the benefit of the doubt."
"He acted impetuously and hurt the reputation of this organization," said the Lantern.
Batman looked over at Wonder Woman. When Flash said Supes, he saw her nostrils flare as her instincts to protect Superman flared up. She was about to lose her temper. He needed to control those instincts of hers, if the Justice League was going to survive this.
"Diana," he said, "we need to talk in private."
"Okay, Bruce," she said.
She followed him to one of the many private, smaller conference rooms. He opened the door, she entered, and then he entered and closed the door behind him.
"What is going on with Kal?" she demanded.
"He did something rash, Diana," said Bruce. "He was visiting me at the Batcave when he saw who was behind the men in the Kryptonite powered mech suits."
"Who was it?" she barked.
"Cadmus and Lex Luthor. The thought of Cadmus hurting Kara and trying to kill him caused him to fly off the handle a little. He paid Cadmus a visit," said Batman.
Bruce walked over to the table and picked up a remote. He turned on the TV and true to form the CCTV footage of Superman at Cadmus was playing. He muted the TV before a pundit came on and drove Wonder Woman into a state of fury.
"The Justice League has to do something about this," he said to her.
"He had a right to confront those behind the attempt on his and Kara's lives," she stated.
"He could have gone about it legally," Bruce said.
Diana laughed without humor. Batman was preaching legalities.
"You would not have gone about it legally," she snapped.
"I wouldn't gotten caught on camera," he replied. "Plus, I'm not Superman. People aren't afraid that I'm going to take over the world."
"That's silly, Bruce," she said. "This is Kal we are talking about. He had no such aspirations."
"Is it really silly, Diana?" he asked. "They fear you, Diana, and you aren't as powerful as Clark. You manage to assuage their fears by standing for something, by have a set of clear values that you have pledged your life. The public knows the values you espouse and have to come believe that you will live by them. Superman is similar. He stood for something, but that something isn't roughing up some guards at a company and ignoring laws."
Diana heard what Bruce had to say. She knew that in many ways he was right. Kal should have found another way.
"Damn it, Diana, somewhere in the Arctic he has his of Solitude which has Kryptonian technology, including weapons. The Guardians in OA would love to get a hold of his Kryptonian database. If we aren't careful this can snowball against, Clark," Bruce told her.
"What do you expect me to do?" she asked him.
"Don't try and protect him and don't automatically take his side," he answered.
She stood there glaring at Bruce. Her nature was torn at the moment. Part of her wanted to rush to Kal's defense. Hera be damned, she loved him and wanted to be with him. The consequences could come and she and Kal wold deal with them together. That was her heart.
Her mind told her that if the Justice League acted appropriately and Superman went along with it, this furor would die down. They had to show the world that he wasn't a lawless threat to them, even if he had put his life on the line for this planet many times. To be Superman meant that he had to be forever proving himself.
"Bruce, what to you intend to do?"
"I intend on asking the Leadership Council to suspend Clark as a member for a period of six months. During that six month period, he should serve some kind of community service. As the Chairperson of the League, Dinah will have the last say on how to handle this, but this will be my suggestion," he said.
"I will support you," she said.
Bruce felt his body relax. It was possible now to avoid a major mistake, if they follow his lead. The was a knock on the door. Bruce walked over and opened it.
"Superman and Supergirl are here," the Green Arrow told him.
Bruce sighed. It was time to see if he could stop this before it became a bigger problem.
Ceremony of Innocence
Batman and Diana walked past Clark and Kara as Barry Allen stood talking to them. Diana felt Clark's eyes on her for a moment. She wanted to break away from Batman and be with the man she loved, but she knew that wouldn't be any help to him. Right now she needed to trust in Batman's plan. They entered the Leadership Council room and walked over the dais seats to sit. Batman noticed that John Stewart, Guy Gardner, Simon Baz, and his protege Jessica Cruz.
Leadership council consisted of Batman, Aquaman, Wonder Woman, one of the Green Lanterns, Flash, Green Arrow, Superman, and Black Canary. With Superman excluded from the Leadership Council for now, Hawkman took his place. Batman and Wonder Woman sat down, as did the rest of the Leadership Council, except the Green Lantern. After some more whispered discussion, John Stewart joined the council.
Superman and Supergirl entered the room and walked into the well of of the room. There was no table or chairs left for them to sit. Behind them was stadium seating sat some of the Justice League.
"Before we start these proceedings, Superman, we wanted to know if you wanted to make a statement," Dinah politely said.
"I have no statement to make at this time," said Clark.
"Really," Kara chose to speak up instead.
Clark looked at his cousin and shook his head, "Kara, this is my fight."
"No, Clark, you were angry because I was hurt," she said then stepped forward. "This is ridiculous. You know that Clark only did what he did because I got hurt. You know how overly protective he is when it comes to those he loves. We need to explain his actions not punish him for them. We should be arranging a press conference and some one on one interviews."
Clark looked at his cousin. With her long blonde hair and Kryptonian armor, she was getting older, finally maturing. A small smile passed across his lips.
"Clark shouldn't be punished here. Please, don't overreact. Don't judge him, but help him," she ended her speech.
"Thank you, Kara, for your opinion," said Dinah. "I am willing to take suggestions about how we should move forward."
"Chairperson, may I speak and offer a suggestion?" Batman spoke up.
"Yes, Batman."
Clark knew Bruce well enough to know that he had come up with a potential solution. Often Bruce's solutions hurt, but they didn't cause lasting pain.
"I believe we should suspend Superman for six months from the League, and during that six month period he should perform some form of community service. We will tell hold a press conference telling the world about our decision then offer Superman's community service to the UN for whatever tasks they need him to do," stated Batman.
"His life has been nothing but community service," growled Kara.
"Does anyone second this suggestion?" asked Dinah, ignoring Kara's remark.
"I second it," Diana said quietly.
Clark looked at her for a moment then turned his eyes to the floor. Diana was right to second his motion, but damn if it didn't hurt. Six month suspended. It wasn't enough, at least, not in his opinion. He wanted more time away from the League.
"Are there any other suggestions or should we vote on this one?" asked Dinah.
"I think we need a trial and not some show trial or easy suspension. We need to show the world that we are willing to make the tough decisions," said John Stewart.
"A trial," Barry Allen spoke up, "are you kidding me? We put Supes on trail."
"Maybe you want a firing squad to go with that trial?" asked Green Arrow.
"The Green Lantern has a point. I agree with the idea of a trial," said Hawkman.
Bruce looked at Hawkman and Green Lantern. In essence both of them were nothing more than intergalactic cops. He should have figured that into his suggestion. Now that Hawkman and Green Lantern have asked for a trial they won't be satisfied with less.
Bruce looked at Wonder Woman. She was starting to breath heavily and her nostril were flaring. Diana was on the verge losing her famed temper. 1
"Are you people listening to the news?" asked John. "They are afraid of us again because of his actions. We need to take actions that assure people that we can be trusted to police ourselves when we act outside the law."
"What law? Guardian law or human law? I don't know about you but I don't trust either of them," said the Green Arrow.
Batman closed his eyes. This was what he was afraid of. Now there would be nothing but arguments.
"I have a solution," Superman spoke up.
By his tone and his serious expression on his face, what he was about to say wasn't going to make anyone happy.
"I recognize Superman," said Dinah.
"I offer my resignation from the Justice League effective immediately," he said.
Diana stood up with fire in her eyes and slammed a fist down on the dais.
"Kal, no! I won't allow it," yelled Wonder Woman.
"You lost a say in my actions when you decided to been made then when you sacrificed us for your people. This is my choice to make and I've made it, Princess."
She hated when he called her princess. The words were like a slap across the face. Diana's face flushed red with anger. Gracefully, she leapt over the dais and moved with grace and speed at Superman. He stood there waiting for the inevitable knowing that Diana had little control when she lost her temper.
Bruce shook his head. He knew Clark too well not to know that he pushed the Princess' buttons on purpose. Bruce smiled and thought – the bastard got his way.
"This is going to hurt," Clark said to himself.
Kara heard him and laughed. She knew her cousin angered Diana on purpose now. Diana's fist connected with Clark's jaw sending him off his feet and onto his backside.
Slowly, Clark got up. He offered a smile to Diana that told her that she had been played. Suddenly, Diana realized Clark got exactly what he wanted.
"I'll take that as acceptance of my resignation," he said.
"And mine," added Kara.
Clark looked at her. She smiled at him. Clark chuckled to himself. Together they exited the room leaving gaped mouths, one angry Amazon, and an amused Batman.
Ceremony of Innocence
On the large screen plasma TV in her office Lois Lane sat on her desk and watched the broadcast of the Daily Planet's Breaking News Special. The TV was muted. Anchorman threw it over to Clark Kent, who was dressed in an ill-fitted suit. His hair was still tousled, even though she told slick his hair back. An image of Superman came up. She unmuted the TV.
"Because actions at the company known as Cadmus, I have resigned my membership in the Justice League. The League in no manner endorsed or sanctioned my actions. As a matter of fact they were appalled by them. Wonder Woman even gave him a hard right hook to the jaw," he smiled.
"Why did you did attack Cadmus, Superman?" Clark Kent asked off screen.
"I went to Cadmus because I believe that they are a front for a secret government agency run Amanda Waller. This agency developed battle armor fueled by Kryptonite which was worn by six mercenaries who attack and injured Supergirl and also attacked me. I believe Batman still has the information showing their funding. I went their in anger, which was wrong. I should pay a price for that and I intend on doing so. You see not only am I leaving the Justice League, but I intend on curtailing my public actions, Mr. Kent. In other words, I an extended leave in order to decide what I want to do with my life," Superman stated.
"Does that mean you won't be helping out at natural disasters or during other moments of crisis when you are needed?" asked Clark.
"I believe the Justice League should be able to handle all disasters and crisis in my absence. Unfortunately, this Cadmus incident reminded me that this is my adopted planet, and even though I love this planet as my home, it appears to fear me. I don't know if I can live with that. I need time to consider my options," Superman said.
"Does that mean you are considering leaving earth as your home?"
"Yes."
The pre-taped interview ended and the camera panned back to Clark Kent. Lois muted the TV once again. She was unsure as to whether jump for joy at breaking one of the biggest stories ever, or cry at the thought that Superman was thinking of leaving earth.
Ceremony of Innocence
Bruce sat cowl down in his Batcave nibbling on a roast beef sandwich with horseradish sauce and homemade French fries along with a hot cup of coffee. On his console was the Superman interview. He turned it off and took one of his fries and dipped it in horseradish sauce then ate it.
"Smells good," said Clark.
"I can have Alfred make you one," said Bruce, who then swiveled in his chair to look at his friend.
"No thanks."
"Diana is looking everywhere for you," Bruce told him. "She checked the Planet, Smallville, your apartment in Metropolis and then the Fortress of Solitude. It appears her permission to enter has been revoked," said Bruce.
"I didn't want to deal with her yet," smiled Clark.
"I can't blame you. She's pissed at you."
"Thank Rao that Kryptonian technology can keep a demigoddess out," said Clark.
"You can't avoid her forever," said Bruce.
Clark didn't answer but shrugged. He didn't want to avoid her, but he thought it best for now. Reaching into the red belt around his waist he took out a flash drive and tossed it Bruce, who caught it with one hand.
"There is a design on that for improvements to your armor. It will make it lighter, stronger, and a few other surprises," said Clark.
"Why?"
"I know I caused you a headache today but telling the truth about Cadmus and I need a favor."
"What's the favor, Kent?"
"I want to sell the farm. I thought I'd give half the money to Kara and then my half will allow me to quit the Daily Planet while I make my decision," said Clark.
"You are really going through with this," said Bruce.
"I need to, Bruce."
Bruce folded his hands in front of himself and smiled.
"2.5 million dollars, including the house. I can turn the farm into an organic specialty farm and get plenty of publicity," said Bruce.
"You don't have to buy it."
"I know, Clark, but I am. What are friends for?" he asked with a smile.