Chapter 23

LexCorp

Lois Lane had been sitting across from Lex Luthor for the last half hour. Whenever he did anything, it was good copy. Lois could already taste the front paper her story would get. The fact that she thought what he was saying was all a load of crap was beside the point. She knew Lex well enough to realize that behind all the altruistic words there was something in it for him. The only problem was figuring out exactly what that was.

"So if I have this right, Lex, you've seen the err of your ways, but you're still against the Justice League. Oh, and Superman in particular, of course." She looked up from her notes and gave him a smile. Lex returned it, knowing by her tone she wasn't buying any of it.

"Against is too strong a word, Lois, concerned is more appropriate."

"So the fact that they saved us all on more than one occasion, concerns you? Is that what you're saying?"

"That would be a slight twisting of my words, Lois," Lex said. "Come on, you're better than that."

"Seriously, Lex, off the record, what's in this for you?" Lois decided that all this dancing around was getting her nothing, so she went straight at the heart of her interest.

"Oh, off the record, well now I'll tell you all my illegal and scary plans, Lois," Lex replied.

"Fair enough," she admitted. "You can't blame me for trying. Let me ask it another way. Lex Luthor is a businessman and in that capacity, what does his business gain from this campaign?"

"Security."

"Ha! Get rid of the heroes and you get security?" She gave him a derisive look. "Isn't that like taking down the fence around the hen house to keep the foxes away?"

"Laugh if you want, but let me ask you Lois. Before Superman got to town, when was the last time a building was damaged or destroyed by a criminal?"

"Come on, Lex, are you seriously trying to pin the damage criminals cause on Superman?"

"You didn't answer my question, Lois." Lex pointed out to her.

"Frankly, I don't know, Lex," she admitted.

"Never."

"Yeah, so?"

"It's not a coincidence, Lois," Lex said. "Do some research for yourself. Check out every city that has a superhero and see how things have escalated since they started. Gotham has always been corrupt, but they never saw anyone like the Joker until Batman arrived."

"Crime rates are down in all those cities, Lex," Lois replied.

"Property damage is up and so is lose of life." Lex pulled out several sheets of paper as evidence. "Look at the research yourself and you tell me if it's a fair trade off."

Lois took a look at the research. "Can I have a copy of this?"

"Of course, take that one, I've got others."

"So all this is about property damage, Lex? I just find that hard to believe," Lois said.

"All right, Lois, you wanted something off the record, so I'll give it to you," Lex replied. "The property damage is a small part of my concern, but the major reason is I saw the writing on the wall."

"I'm not following you."

'"Let's be straight with one another, Lois, we've known each other for years," Lex said. "I was Superman's arch enemy, true?"

"Yes," Lois admitted.

"For all my wealth and power, Lois, I'm still just a man," Lex admitted. "I'm obsolete when you think of who Superman fights nowadays. Just take Darkseid for an example; he's got the power of a God. You and I are just ants to beings like that. Soon the villains won't just be destroying cities, they'll be destroying the planet."

"That's why we need Superman and the Justice League," Lois replied. "They've saved us countless times before and will again. It's what makes them heroes, Lex."

"That's a nice speech, Lois," Lex said to her. "You supposedly care for Superman. Haven't you ever worried about him? What if he can't stop that next villain?"

"He will." Lois replied, even though the thought disturbed her.

"Even heroes die, Lois," Lex said to her. "You're smarter that the average Joe on the street, so you must realize that every year the odds shift away from Superman. One day the villain that he can't defeat will appear and what happens then? We both know Superman won't walk away or quit, that's what makes him a hero. If you really care for him, is that a sacrifice you want him to make?"

"What's the alternative, Lex? Give up," Lois asked.

"No," Lex replied. "We need to step back for the edge, Lois. This upward spiral dooms us all. Superman is a symbol, not just here on Earth but across the galaxy. That makes him a target for every nut and crazy out there. Earth isn't ready for what might come. We need to lower our profile. For too long we've depended on that small band of heroes up in the sky to defend us against all comers. Maybe it's time we all stepped up and did our share and let them step back for a while."

"Here I always had you pegged for a cynic, Lex." Lois replied automatically, but on the inside his words seemed to hit a cord. She was troubled by the ideas and thoughts he'd brought up. She didn't really have a good answer at hand to counter his argument.

"Didn't you know, Lois, secretly the biggest cynics are the biggest dreamers."

Metropolis

Zatanna had been sitting in her pajamas, curled up on her bed for the last three hours. She'd ordered room service and was planning on just camping out in her room all day, watching TV and indulging in comfort foods. The whole situation on the Watchtower was still fresh in her mind and she didn't want to see anyone today. She could almost imagine the gossip spreading like wildfire after she left. Zee cringed a little as she thought of the whispers and looks she would get when she had to go back for her next shift. No one would want to hear she was actually dating Clark, as gossip about one of the Big Three was just too juicy. Up until now, she also been more than willing to participate in it, even betting on some of the relationships. She had taken the odds and bet that Bruce would end up with Selina, even though the favorite was Diana. Oh, God, she thought, they'll be betting on Superman and me now. Digging a spoon deeper into the Rocky Road ice cream, she hunched down even deeper in the covers. I wonder what the odds on us are, she absently thought?

The Watchtower

Superman arrived back from his mission and instantly felt the change. Heroes he'd barely spoken to were suddenly giving him big knowing smiles. He wondered about his teammates, as they seemed to forget he had super hearing. Within the first five minutes of his arrival, he knew that the secret was out of the bag. Did they really think they could gossip about him, without him hearing it? He was pleased to find out the odds on him and Zee were 4 to 1, which were actually better odds then ones of Bruce and Diana hooking up. He had his money on Bruce and Barbara, but hopefully Bruce didn't know that. The odds were much longer, but knowing Bruce he would always do what you least expected.

As he reached the cafeteria, the whispers seemed to get more animated. Fine, Clark thought, if they want to think I'm clueless, I'll play along. Putting on his most placid face, Clark went over and poured himself a cup of coffee. He nodded to a few of the members and then walked to the windows to gaze out at the stars. He just stood there with his back to the room, letting them think he had no clue. He seriously doubted most of them would say anything to him. Being Superman had a way of distancing him for most people, even the other heroes. It was a perception that bothered him most times, but for once he was working in his favor. A small smile crept across his lips as he heard the disappointed whispers from the others. They all wanted to know, but none of them had the courage to ask. Well, almost none of them. The shift of the air currents meant that Wally had just entered the room. Seeing Superman, Wally immediately came over. He stopped right next to Clark and flashed a big smile. Clark could feel the excitement level go up several levels in the room. They all knew Wally would ask.

"So, you and Zatanna getting freaky with each other, huh, Big Blue," Wally said. A smattering of laughter came from the nearby tables. Clark did his best impression of Batman's cold gaze and turned and looked at those nearest to him. The laughter stopped and suddenly everyone had some place else to be. And everyone thinks Batman's the scary one, Clark smiled to himself.

"So is it magic, Supes?" Wally joked with a suggestive wink. "Or in your case, it would be super magic, right?"
The mass exit of the cafeteria almost became a stampede now. Clark slowly turned to Wally and said softly, "Yes, I'm dating Zatanna."

"You dog!" Wally exclaimed, "Isn't just like you to throw us all a curveball and date the hot magic chick! Congrats, man!"

"Thank, Wally, I think." Clark gave him a look and then turned back to the windows.

"So, is she a goer? Nudge, nudge, wink, wink," Wally asked, elbowing Clark in the ribs.

"You didn't really just ask me that, did you," Clark replied. Before Wally could dig a deeper hole for himself, Diana walked into the cafeteria. She gave Wally a withering look, as she walked towards them.

"I'll talk to you later, Big Blue," Wally said nervously. "A word to the wise, if she asks if they're too big, she's talking about her hands."

"What?"

"Just trust me on this one, buddy. The hands," Wally said and then vanished from the room. Clark had no idea what that was all about and just shook his head in confusion.

"How was your mission, Kal," Diana asked.

"We got there a little late to stop most of the damage, but I think we were able to minimize the lost of life."

"That's good, good," Diana said, stepping up next to him.

"How about yours," he asked.

"About the same," she offered. They were silent for a moment, just looking out the window.

"So you're really not going to say anything about it," she asked, finally.

"I figured you'd heard all the details by now," he replied. "It seems to be all over the station. They got most of them wrong by the way. Neither of us wear our costumes like everyone seems to think."

"If you don't wear your costumes, what do you wear? Oh," Diana said, and then realized what he was implying. "I-I hadn't heard that-that rumor."

"I didn't mean to embarrass you, Diana. It's just some of the gossip going around."

"You seem to be taking all this rather well, Kal," she said.

"Well, I'd have preferred to keep it private, but it's out there now, so there's not much I can do about it."

"So then you and Zatanna are more than dating?"

"More than dating?"

"You're seriously courting her," Diana asked, clarifying her question.

"I guess," Clark replied. "Although, courting sounds like we're going out for buggy rides or something."

"You are being intimate with each other, is what I meant, Kal," Diana said, a little irritation coming through in her voice.

"Oh, um, yeah, I guess you could say that," Clark replied, blushing a little.

"Sex, Kal, you are having sex with Zatanna." Diana continued to clarify, wanting to make sure he understood what she was saying.

"Yes, Diana, I got your meaning when you used the phrase being intimate with each," Clark replied sheepishly. Diana nodded at this information, crossing her arms in front of her.

"May I ask why you didn't tell me about this major development in your life? I thought we were friends? We used to tell each other everything."

"I don't know, it just didn't seem to have anything to do with the League," he offered.

"That never stopped you before." She countered.

"True, but I'm not dating Zatanna as Superman, I'm dating her as Clark Kent."

"They're both you, I don't understand the distinction," Diana asked.

"No, I guess you wouldn't," Clark replied. "You don't have a secret identity, so it might be hard to explain. How about this, have you noticed a difference in the way people look at you between when you're just Diana of Themyscira and Wonder Woman?"

"No," Diana replied, not following his explanation.

"No, I guess they wouldn't," Clark said. "I'm pretty sure people always look at you the same way, no matter what you're wearing."

"Are you still talking about the rumor about you and Zatanna wearing your costumes? I got what was implied in that already, Kal. I don't see what that applies to why you didn't want to tell me?"

"Let's both just forget about that, please? I'll try again," Clark said. "You've seen me when I'm not wearing this costume, right?"

"Well, yes, once in the locker room," Diana said, blushing. "But that was strictly an accident."

"I meant dressed in my suit and tie, Diana," Clark replied. She blushed a little more and he gave her a curious look. "We'll just skip that last statement."

"Um, yes, I've seen you dressed regularly." Diana nodded, shifting her eyes to look out the window.

"Okay, well, when I'm Clark Kent, which is most of the time, people see me as an ordinary guy. I can walk down the street without anyone giving me a second look. That's the part of me that grew up in Smallville, went to school like everyone else, did the same things like everyone else. When I put on this costume, which if I do up here again, I'll be sure to lock the door, people see me completely different. Yes, I'm the same guy, but the perception is completely different. Look at all the gossip going on up here, for example. I doubt it's of that much interested at the Daily Planet who I'm dating."

'Actually, it's in today's paper, I thought you knew." Diana informed him.

"What? What's in today's paper?"

"There's a small item that Zatanna is dating a reporter, Clark Kent."

"Cat Grant," Clark groaned. "I didn't even think about her."

"So it seems your explanation is mistaken,' Diana said. "I still don't understand."

"Okay, it's simple. I like that Zee wants to go out with me, Clark Kent. I know a lot of women that would go out with me as Superman, but that's more about the costume that actually about me. Zatanna knows me as Clark and as Superman, but she was interested in Clark Kent. It's nice for a change to have a woman interested in me for me, Clark Kent. I guess I didn't tell you, because I wanted to enjoy that for a little longer. It was our private little secret, just Zee and me. I hope that explains it."

"Yes, I think I understand," Diana replied. "May I ask a question since it's already out?"

"Yes, of course."

"What about Lois? Have your feelings for her changed?"

Clark was caught completely off guard by her question. With all that had been going on in his life, from Ma's health, to dating Zee to trying to manage the whole Albino affair, he hadn't stopped and even considered Lois in that way.

"I don't know." He admitted.

England

Some sixty miles or so outside of London was Stonehenge. The great monoliths still attracted tourists by the score each year. Scholars and laymen had been pondering over their meaning for hundreds of years, yet they were still a mystery to this day. As another tour group went through them, the sheer scale of the rocks mesmerized them all. The tour guide diligently repeated the known facts about them, as she did day after day to each group. If by chance one of the groups had turned their eyes away from the stones and peered out over the rolling landscape they might have spotted a small wooden structure some half a mile away. Even if they had, it would have been meaningless to them, just a rundown old barn from some vanished farm to all appearances.

Just like the stones, though, this weather beaten structure held a secret. Inside the barn was an alien apparatus that would soon change the lives of two people, Morgaine le Fey and Zod. The fifth crystal was finally completely charged and the last adjustments to the machine were being made. It was only a matter of hours now and even Zod could feel his excitement building. Neither he nor Morgaine spoke, perhaps out of superstition or simple fear. Their transformations were within reach, yet they didn't dare to hope too much. Each had faced disappointments in the past and knew the hard lessons they taught. There was an understanding between them. They would celebrate and dream once they were successful. There would be plenty of time afterwards but for now the work went on in silence.

The Daily Planet

Clark was sitting in his office talking to his mother's doctor. The news wasn't good; the latest test results weren't showing any improvement. The drugs weren't draining the fluid fast enough, so it was building up in her lungs. This meant that her breathing was hindered and put added stress on her heart. As Clark sat there listening to the doctor explain that they were going to try a different treatment, a sense of concern overtook him. He took his glasses off and laid them on his desk as his hand went up to his brow. The doctor tried to put the best spin on it he could, but just by his tone, Clark knew the odds weren't good. He thanked the doctor and hung up the phone. Sitting there, he ran his finger across his lower lip, wondering what he was going to do.

Lois was sitting in her office, trying to get some work done. Her mind though, was preoccupied with what Lex had said the day before. With all the work she'd been doing on the bogus Albino story, she hadn't really thought about Superman. She suddenly realized she hadn't seen him much lately. She just took it for granted that he was busy and would eventually stop by to see her again. Sitting there at her desk, she began to wonder if he was all right? He always seemed so indestructible but after talking with Lex she was thinking about him in a different way. Her mind flashed back on all the times she had seen him injured, some of them quite seriously. It never occurred to her that he must have needed medical attention and got it from somewhere. What if he was injured right now? She would never know. He could be dying at that very moment from injuries he'd suffered saving the world from some other lunatic. For the first time she saw that behind that iconic uniform, there was a man. She'd been so caught up in the idea of Superman that she'd never really considered that. She'd never really told him how she really felt. What if something happened to him and she never got the chance? No, stop it, Lois, she said to herself; it's just Lex's p.r. campaign messing with our head. He's fine, there's nothing to worry about. She half convinced herself of this and decided the thing to do was get out of her office.

As she stood up and headed out into the newsroom a smile came to her face. She remembered Clark had offered to do anything to make it up for her for playing that stupid joke. Well, she thought, a very expensive dinner at San Ramos sounds like the perfect thing. She quickened her step as she headed towards his office. She was just about to speak, when she suddenly stopped in her tracks. Clark was just hanging up his phone and the worry was plain on his face. The thought that it must be about his mother came immediately. Lois prayed it wasn't bad news, but from his expression she knew it probably was. She took another step towards him, but stopped again. She realized Clark had his glasses off and it was as if a veil had been lifted from her eyes. Standing there, looking at him it hit her like a blinding flash. In that moment she knew without a doubt that Clark Kent was Superman.