Action FanFic 4
'My Night With Superman'
We land on her terrace in a few moments. She kept the door leading into her apartment unlocked from there. I suppose being on the 12th floor you're not likely to get anyone trying to break in that way. However, criminals get stranger and stranger. She goes and gets a drink and sits down at the patio table. I take a seat myself and realize that the cape does tend to pull a bit when I do that. Maybe I should've told Ma that I didn't need the cape after all. She'd probably say it's distinguished, and truthfully it is. I adjust myself in the seat and she gets her recorder ready, and more surprisingly she has an old fashioned notepad and pencil. I didn't think anyone used those anymore but me!
She looks up at me and she smiles a gentle smile. That then fades away, so much so you can actually see the progression. In the blink of any eye she turns into the woman that was so excited that she'd had the chance to corner me to Lois Lane reporter with a story on her mind. "So I guess the big story is, where are you from?"
"That's pretty direct." I smile and I laugh.
"That's the name of the game. I'm a nominated journalist and I didn't get that way for lobbing soft questions. So, where are you from?"
"Actually, I'm from the planet Krypton."
"Planet...YOU'RE AN ALIEN?!"
"Yes, ma'am. My homeworld was destroyed when the sun went nova."
"Are there others like you? Can we expect more Supermen to show up out of nowhere?"
"No, as far as I know I'm the lone survivor . My father designed a rocket for me to escape in. Unfortunately due to lack of planning and faith in my father's research, the planet's scientists disagreed that they were in any danger. So they didn't do anything more than just wait out what they considered to be a 'shift in the planetary orbit.'
"How old were you when you were rocketed from Krypton?"
"As a matter of fact I wasn't born yet. My mother's womb was placed in a device called a birth matrix. I learned much of this later thanks to data records."
"Then it got here and you learned you had powers?"
"Something like that."
"How old were you when you landed?"
I never expected her to have those sorts of questions. I truly didn't think this out as much as I'd have liked. So this starts out with lying to the public, but it's something that was bound happen. Didn't figure on it happening so soon. It's bad enough lying about my identity, but the rest of the story? Have to think of something..."The matrix was designed to allow me to age over time as it traveled and then when I hit a certain age, it would keep me in stasis until it landed on Earth. So I'd say about 18."
"You seemed to have mastered our language and customs pretty easily."
"I spent many years inside a shelter that the matrix was told to create once I arrived here. It found the most remote location possible and once constructed it starting to give me the necessary education that would allow me to interact with people. Luckily it was able to access the internet flow and extrapolate information that would help me acclimate. For the first few years though, it was nearly impossible for me to understand all that was going. Leaving the confines of my shelter was difficult at best, especially when I started discovering all these amazing abilities."
"When you discovered them all of a sudden you decided to use them to save the world?"
"No. At first there was fear that something bad could happen. Someone getting hurt if my slightest touch was too strong. There was a learning curve that no one could ever have imagined. Again I praise the internet for it's help, otherwise you probably wouldn't be sitting there talking to me right now."
"How so?"
"The Justice Society of America was a great influence in my decision to come forward. There was a lot of traveling, hiding my self amongst the crowds. One day, the greatest of tragedies happened. The world marks it as 9/11. It was the hardest thing in the world for me to live with. All this power that could've stopped that massacre from happening, and me too afraid that all my abilities would only make the situation worse. I was so uncomfortable with my own abilities that I feared causing more death and destruction. "
"What changed? What made you decide enough was enough and to get a handle on your powers?"
"I was the events of that day, Ms. Lane. It felt like it was time to control this gift that was bestowed upon me. Not just for my sake, but for the world. If I could save lives and stop such a terrorist act from ever happening again, then it would all be worth it. "
"Then why aren't you in Afghanistan looking for Osama Bin Laden or Al Qaeda? Even more to the point putting an end to the current conflict by stopping terrorist groups killing innocents?"
"Namely because it also paints me as a bio-weapon of mass destruction. I would willingly help anyone, but in a war zone I change the balance of power. My fear is that it would cause a nuclear response. Unfortunately, no country is truly ready for that. It all sounds convenient, I know. I just can't risk people suffering because I got overconfident."
She nods in approval of what she hears. I'm so happy that she's willing to accept it. She's still shocked about my alien revelation, that's written all over her face. She's about to ask another question when a sound catches my attention. "We have a break in at S.T.A.R. Labs. Suspects appear to be heavily armed and dangerous. All available units respond." The voice sounds panicked. I wonder what they've got at the Metropolis S.T.A.R. Labs that's got them bugged.
The Scientific and Technological Advanced Research Laboratories was founded by a scientist for the express purpose of learning things for people. They have no government ties or business backing. The funding they get comes from wealthy scientist living well off of patents from past discoveries before the founding of the institute. S.T.A.R. has given more 'ethical' business access to their research when they've promised to use whatever the discovery was to the fullest of its benefit. Such corporations as Ferris Aircraft and WayneTech have benefited for this deal. It's speaks to the character of those companies.
Lois looks me over. "What's wrong?" She stares hard into my eyes.
"Trouble. I've got to go! Thank you for listening to my story!"
Jumping from the balcony, the leap nearly puts me to S.T.A.R. before the need to fly becomes necessary. It's beautiful over the city, seeing the skyscrapers nearly dragging my feet. There's a certain freedom to being able to breathe in the clouds. It's so cool. Stop Clark, can't focus on that now. There's a job at hand, and it requires all the attention you can muster!
I circle the building and look inside with my X-ray vision. There it goes again, parts of the building are shielded from my vision. I've never had this problem before! When this is over there's gonna be some much needed research done as to what's blocking my sight. At least it's not totally blocking me out, I can see the crooks. They have those same cannons as the guys at the bank! Where are they picking up the ordinance at? I mean a .45 or some sort of automatic I'd understand, but not this. They've got a few scientists blocked off and a janitor. The police are outside and being kept at bay again!
Capt. Sawyer's down there. She's looking happy to be at two of these in one night. Better make my presence known before barging in. No sooner does my body turn to make the landing when she looks up and sees me. "Superman! Come to save our butts again?"
"I wouldn't put it that way captain. You have a job to do and I'm just an outsider."
"Yeah, well they've got more of those guns again. We found out when one of my men got barbequed on the way in. So we really don't know what the situation inside is."
"There are at least four inside with the same guns. They have three scientists and a janitor hostage."
"How do you know that?"
"I have a sort of X-Ray Vision."
"You don't say? So the lead-shielded rooms are probably a problem for you." Lead! Why didn't I think of it before? Out on the farm I never had to look through lead, everything was steel or wood. Anything lead never really needed to be looked through. I feel like a world class idiot right now for not knowing. All this time with my powers, and there's still stuff to learn!
"Yes, it does make it difficult to get an accurate count. Still, it'd be easier for me to deal with the situation rather than your men getting hurt."
"Then do it!" Frustration just poured from her voice. There's no way to properly console her on this. She's a cop that's been trained to deal with the worst of the worse and then there's this guy who can bend steel in his hands. No one can be trained for that.
Jumping into the air, I start to assess the best possible place to enter. The crooks are still in the same part of the building and they're pushing someone towards a door. The janitor! I've got to save him!
"Get in there!" The leader demands. He gives a forward nod to the janitor and one of his guys turns his gun. "You see, you ain't gotta choice!"
"You can't put him in there! There's a radioactive isotope. He needs the proper suit to be in that room!" One of the scientist screams out. She seems bold considering her circumstances. That's very brave of her, trying to save the man from certain death while she's facing her own mortality.
"Perhaps you want to go in?"
My feet crack the ceiling open just far enough away from the room that I'm certain I didn't crack the roof above it.
"What the hell are you?! Open fire!" I stand in front of the scared scientists trying to keep them safe from the weapons fire. Need to do something fast! Maybe use my Heat Vision. When the two red beams shoot from my eyes the look on their faces is priceless, yet no deterrent from their course of action. The janitor reacts to the moment, seeing that I'm not going to be able to move my ground too much until such a time as I can deactivate all the weapons. The thug wrestles with him and it gives me the opportunity to disarm the last two guys.
I go to move to apprehend one of the men still firing, when I notice that only one of the guns is still pointed at me. The one I disarmed has run down the building probably to alert his friends to my presence and the other is firing on the janitor. I go as fast as I can to intercept the blast once I realize what's going on. It all moves in slow motion. The janitor manages to duck the minute the man turns the gun. When it's fired it cuts the man in half and then melts through the protective layers in the door. I sweep down to grab all of the people I can, but the blast is immanent. The janitor goes to reach for me and I try to get him but the wave of radiation nearly overtakes us before I move the scientist from the area. The blast is spectacular. Luckily I'm able to get them outside to the police.
"Where's Rudy?" The scientist that argued with the thug asks me.
"That was the janitor?"
"Yes! Where is he?"
"I'm sorry ma'am, I couldn't save him." She and the others turn solemn. The best thing to do is to check if there's anything left to recover. I use my X-Ray and Telescopic Vision to try and determine how much of him is left. It's impossible, he's alive!
"Doctor, he's alive..."
"If he was exposed to that isotope then he's assured not to be for too long."
"His skin is horribly scarred. He looks almost purple now." Rudy starts really getting his wits about him, he looks at his hands and then slowly examines himself further. He howls in shock and starts to run our way. "He's coming."
"He's still able to walk?"
Capt. Sawyer interjects, "What happened in there?"
I hand over the man I was able to grab. "Ask him while I round up the others and get a Hazmat team out here." Going back over the gate, the crook start to fire again. There's the one that ran and he's shouting at them to continue the barrage. I'm trying to keep the focus on me, if they turn their attentions for a moment someone else is going to get hurt. It's bad enough Rudy had to pay for my inability. I'll have to ascertain the best way to handle these situations in future, so no accidents like this happen again. Let's rush them, they won't expect that. The ground quakes just a little as I land harder than what they expected. They stumble just enough for one to drop his weapon. My Heat Vision melts the trigger so he won't be trying anything again. The other two manage to keep theirs well in hand and they start to fire again. Two with guns and two runners. This could be a problem! I shouldn't have let that guy get away earlier.
The door flies open and there stands Rudy. His pants are tattered and his shirt ripped away from him. He sees the two fleeing and gives chase. He moves rather quickly for someone who looks like he's in such pain. The two guys firing at me look towards the noise which gives me enough time to knock them out, but the two that Rudy is chasing they're trying to get over the fence. Rudy's got one by the leg. The sight is almost too much to bear. The man's muscles start to atrophy and his body is withering to a husk. It's gruesome, right out of a Mummy movie. Rudy gains a little bit of energy and he smiles. "Sorry, Terrance. Guess the money wasn't that good."
I hear one of Dr. Faulkner's lab partners pull a Geiger counter from his coat "There's no radiation being emitted from him."
"That's not possible."
Rudy turns his attention to the other guy that can't seem to scale the fence any better. I bolt to get in between him and Rudy before he ends up dead too. "Stop Rudy, this isn't the way!"
"Outta my way, hero!" He smacks me across the face and at first it doesn't hurt, but then there's a drain as he grabs me. It feels like he's sucking the life from me and there's a weakness that I haven't felt since before my I had my powers. The cops obviously see this and start shooting at him. Thank you Capt. Sawyer! He's letting go and leaving me like a dried up mass on the ground. He jumps toward the barricade. "Man, I was creeped out by what happened to me, but the power I have now... This is amazing!"
I get to my feet and I grab the guy he was about to kill. He's paralyzed with fear, and rightfully so. The power that Rudy has at his fingertips is frightening. Worse yet, he seems to have gained my powers on top of that. This morning I got a job at a paper and by tonight I've saved a plane, stopped two robberies, and now have a man that's drunk on the power he's been given. Wonder what tomorrow's going to bring me?
"Kitty Faulkner" Rudy says with almost an evil touch in his voice as he land in front. The impact he had is worse than the one that I did. The vehicle around actually jump and a few even tip. The police surround him and he merely claps his hands together in what sounds like thunder. The concussive nature knocks them back away. If vehicles weren't destroyed before, they are now. Some of them erupt into flames. He nods in approval of his new found skills and turns his attention back to the doctor. "You won't believe what happened to me!"
"Rudy, I'm so sorry about all this."
"Not me! That thing gave me the most awesome power ever! I know what that guy Terrance had in his head! Ya know, that creep that I did in first? And thanks to the guy in the cape I'm invulnerable! I can siphon off power like gas from a truck!"
"Don't hurt us, please!"
"Kitty, I'm surprised at you. You've always been good to me, why would I want to do that?"
"Maybe because she was keeping you occupied while I gift wrap you?" Leaving the stunned crook in the hand of the police I retrieve a sheet of metal from the wrecked SWAT team truck. Moving as quickly as I can muster, he gets wrapped like meat in tin foil. The problem is that his strength is now on par with my own. He rips through it like paper.
"That was good thinking, but you seemed to forget something…what is it that you're called…Superman? Huh, I took that outta your head when I absorbed your powers!" He hits me like a freight train and I careen back into the building, breaking out the wall in the process. "Here I come Supes, I wanna see what else I can dig out of that skull of yours."
Need to clear off the rubble and consider what my next move is. If you can't touch the guy that you need to stop then it's obvious you need to find another way to hit him at a distance. An idea hits me, just need to keep him busy and set him in position.
"What's the matter Superman? Afraid to dance with me?"
"Why are you doing this Rudy? No one seems to think you're a bad man."
"Yeah, but everyone knows I'm a nobody! This sort of power doesn't come everyday no way am I gonna waste that. My looks maybe gone, but then I was never not the prettiest person around to begin with. So if I have to sacrifice my ugly mug to get this sort of power then so be it." He takes to the air, and he wobbles a bit. "What the hell?"
Quickly as my feet will move me I move towards a big metal door and rip it off its hinges. I take a small swing at him knocking him to the ground. He's bleeding a little bit. His power must be wearing off. "Feeling weak are you Rudy?"
He looks at me with deep hatred in this now beady yellow eyes. "I can feel the hunger in my gut really coming back with a vengeance. All I need to do is get my hands on you, then I'll be strong again."
"I'm not going to let you kill anymore tonight Rudy, least of all me!" It sounds demanding, like I'm trying to put an end to it. Hope he falls for it. As he tries to leap forwards, it's obvious he isn't buying into it. Still, his feeble attempt to get to me isn't winning him any sort of speed awards. In a moments notice my Heat Vision starts to melt the door and I step through it. Let's hope this pseudo-armor gives me some sort of advantage. First and foremost, let's cool it down before the slag ends up hurting him worse than necessary. A little puff of breath should do the trick.
"I ain't going down like that! You don't have the muscle capable of putting me down!" I stand my ground as he charges me. It's the only thing to do. It's a gamble, but if it works then it'll give me the edge to put him down until he can get help. The police are trying to keep others back.
Lois is out there in the crowd. Wonder how long she's been watching this? She's a fine reporter that one. Clark should be here too, this is going to draw attention to him if he's missing the big stories of the day. Of course the massive amount of people coming to witness this is almost staggering to me. It makes me feel bad that all of this is leading the police to act more like referees than actually being able to arrest someone. Lois is still trying to find an inroad to get close enough to the action.
He makes it to me and starts to punch. There's still a bit of strength behind them, but it's wearing him down. That's what I'm looking for. He can't have the treat until he gets through the wrapper. He gives a barrage of punches to my chest, midsection, even my face and he gets a set of 10 bloody knuckles for his trouble. He's breathing hard. "I'll get you, dammit! Give me one shot at those powers and I'll put you down for good, just like Terrance!"
"That's gonna be another day Rudy. You've done enough leeching off of people." I pull my punch a little and he goes flying back into a wall, which he doesn't bust through. It ends in a thud which puts him out in a heartbeat. From there it's just a matter of wrapping him back up in a steel sheet, which the lab is more than happy to provide thanks to a lot of the damage done by the idiots with the guns. Now that the police have them all in custody, I suppose it's time for cleanup and answers.
Capt. Sawyer briskly walks in my direction. She mutters things under he breath that I'd feel more comfortable not hearing. She barrels up to me and tries to get as up in my face as possible. "What went wrong?"
"These cannons of theirs for one. I did my best to get them to drop them, but in the end it wasn't enough. I wasn't prepared for what I was doing and the situation got out of hand. Rudy jumped one of them to help me and when one of this cohorts noticed he ended up firing and now we have this."
"Yeah, a freakin' vampire. Just what we need!"
"Capt. Sawyer, I'm offering my most humble apologies for this. I know that's not enough, but I never intended for this to happen."
"Sadly, this isn't your fault." She huffed out. She wouldn't look me in the face as she said it. She was disgusted with me, but there was more to it than that. "The city has been holding back funding for months while crimes like this have been going on. We're undermanned and outgunned in every conceivable way. We've pretty much been giving into demands while we try to figure out what's best to do about this."
"It sounds like you're being intentionally held back. Do you think that someone in higher power is taking bribes?"
"I'm almost certain of it. Look, I don't know you enough to trust you. You just have one of those faces, ya know?"
"I get that a lot." She needs to be reassured that she's doing the right thing by trusting me. Hopefully she will and maybe Superman can flush out some clues that'll help Clark Kent to ferret out who's causing these crimes.
"Listen Superman, if you want to hear about this, I'm willing to talk. I've got only a few people on the force I can talk to about this and I'm scared to say too much. We're all afraid of the consequences. If you want to talk, then meet me at this place at 11:30 tomorrow night."
"The Ace 'O Clubs? I'll make it captain, unless there's another emergency."
"Good, I'll meet you there."
She walks off and she looks less assured about anything. I'm a friendly face, and I mean well. Perhaps she's just wanting me to meet her so she can warn me off. It's important that I be there. First and foremost, lets see how Lois is doing. Oh, she's gone! She must be off writing the story now. It's only an hour before the deadline to the morning edition. I bet she's glad for the LexCorp voice recognition software. All she'll have to do is dictate her story and do a bit of editing. That means tomorrow the world will know about me. It now slightly worries me though that if there is a bigger threat manipulating things in this city, they'll know too. My first day on the job and now I'm wondering what I've gotten myself in to.