Chapter 24
Metropolis
Clark sat slumped on his couch, deep in depression. The conversation with is mother's doctor had been rolling around in his mind for hours now. He kept telling himself he should be able to do something, to fix it, to save her. What's the point of having all these amazing powers, if you can't help those closest to you? The thought that he was just going to have to watch it happen ate at him. It was in his very nature to want to do something, but in this case there was nothing to do. Some things even heroes can't change. These feelings were all too familiar to him; only Ma had been there to help before. This time he would have to face it alone. That terrible day when Jonathan Kent died had been one of the worst in his life. Clark had been angry, wounded and overwhelmed with grief. He remembered thinking where was the justice, the logic of this good man dying, while the worst sort of criminals managed to keep on going? Why was it the good always seem to suffer the most? Ma and Pa had raised him to believe that there was a reason everything happened and that it was part of a larger plan, yet try as he might, he couldn't see it tonight. It all seemed too senseless, random and chaotic to him. He thought about Bruce's answer to it all, anger, but what had that really gotten him? He'd been trying all his life to make what happened in that alley have some meaning, but what if it didn't? What if the real lesson of the Waynes murder was that life is meaningless and cruel? What if it all comes down to just randomness? If that was the case, then Bruce's constant struggle to bring order and justice to Gotham was doomed from the start. In turn that meant Clark's mission of a better world was just as much an illusion. Whichever choice you made, anger or hope, the final results were always the same. In the end, things always fall apart. As these dark, nihilistic thoughts dominated Clark's mind, he felt himself slipping deeper and deeper into depression. The sound of someone lightly knocking at his door finally made him pull himself from the couch and answer it. Opening the door, he saw Zatanna standing there. She had a sad expression on her face and seemed nervous standing there. She didn't seem to know what to do with her hands and finally just put them in her pockets.
"Hey," she said, managing a small smile.
"Hey," Clark replied and then reached out and gently pulled her to him. They stood there in the doorway, hugging each other for several minutes. Each found comfort in their embrace for different reasons. The apartment door down the hall opened and an elderly lady in a bathrobe stepped out and glanced at Clark and Zatanna.
"Uh-hum," she said, giving them a look.
"Hello, Mrs. Davidson," Clark said to her.
"A little late to have strange young women in your apartment, isn't it, Mr. Kent?' The older lady informed him with a sour look on her face.
"This isn't a stranger, Mrs. Davidson, this is my girlfriend, Zatanna," Clark replied to the elderly neighbor. Clark and Zee shyly pulled out of their hug and turned towards the older lady.
"Hi, nice to meet you, Mrs. Davidson," Zee said to her. The older lady looked her up and down before she answered.
"She's certainly a looker, Mr. Kent, but not much of a dresser." With that Mrs. Davidson turned around and went back into her apartment.
"Nice meeting you too," Zee called after her, a note of sarcasm in her voice. "Can we go inside, Clark? I don't think I can deal with anyone else looking at us."
"Sure, come on," Clark replied, ushering her into the apartment.
"Everybody's a critic of my clothes lately," Zee said as she stepped inside.
"She did say you were a looker, that's something, besides I like the way you dress," Clark offered.
"Thanks, Clark, you always look on the bright side."
"Not always," Clark said softly, closing the door.
Bonneville Salt Flats
The torch lights flickered and reflected off the water to create strange patterns on the wall of the great hall. Nathan had been standing in the middle of all the dreamers for nearly two hours, mesmerized by the subtle interplay between the light and shadow. He was here as a focal point for the energy. It washed over him like a tidal wave. He could feel it ripple his skin, as his body began to undergo changes. This would be his sacrifice to the cause of raising the old ones. He would gladly pay it. The power was too intoxicating to resist. If his outer appearance began to match his inner fury, so much the better. The first of the lesser demons were starting to stir from their sleep and the great ones would follow them. Finally it would be Cthulhu time and this world would make way from the next. All the pain and torment would be washed away in an orgy of blood and death. Nathan would be it's prophet, it's first disciple, it's herald of things to come. Standing in the center of the dreamers he could already feel the fear and panic spreading across the globe. Despair would soon follow as the realization of what was coming sunk in. They were so close now. The days to come would see the rise of those first lesser demons. He would unleash them on the world to spread the chaos and horror even faster. Soon an army of believers would be unleashed and the final battle would begin. Vengeance was truly at hand. A rare smile came to Nathan's lips as he contemplated all of this.
New York
The public relationships campaign that Lex was funding was going even better then Grace had projected. The message about superheroes had caught the attention of the twenty-four hour news networks. Heroes meant ratings and the one thing every network had in common was a love of ratings. The seemingly random attacks around the globe just added fuel to the public's interest. Show after show featured talking heads supposedly debating the merits of Grace's message. It was really just a sophisticated shouting match where the most vocal and reactionary got the most airtime. Grace wouldn't have had it any other way. She remained always off camera orchestrating it from the background. Her carefully picked surrogates would deliver the message and be handsomely paid for it. Tonight was special, as a unique message was be delivered. It was the ultimate example of narrowcasting. This message was for the heroes themselves.
The fact was when Zod had first made his pitch; Grace hadn't been interested in the project. It had been tried before with not much success. Reshaping mass public opinion on something so entrenched, as heroes were next to impossible. Perhaps in a totalitarian state with complete control over all the media it would be possible over decades, but that wasn't possible in this case. It was when Zod offered a new twist on it, that her opinion changed. Targeting the message to the heroes themselves intrigued her. Why go after the whole world, when you can attack the source? She watched as her carefully chosen spokesman led the interviewer right to where they wanted to go.
"So, Linda, the question that I have is at what cost?" The spokesman said.
"Are we talking about property damage, here, Ed," asked Linda, the interviewer.
"No, not in this case," he replied, shaking his head. "I'm talking about the cost to the superheroes themselves. Under those masks and uniforms their just like the rest of us. They have family and friends they love and love them. The question is what is the toll on those family and friends?"
"Interesting," Linda said, "that a new angle no one's brought yet."
"The collateral damage, I call it," the spokesman said. "We see it in the families of police officers all the time, the higher rates of divorce, suicide, illness, not to mention alcohol and drug dependence. I would imagine it's even worse among superheroes families. Think about how stressful it must be to have to face everyday with the knowledge that someone you care about is risking his life and there's nothing you can do, but wait. With their secret identities, the families of heroes can't even share with anyone their stress and worry. They are forced to suffer alone."
"Stress is a big contributory to several illnesses," Linda offered.
"Exactly. Yes, the heroes face dangers everyday, but so do the ones that love them. Who knows if this isn't damaging their health, both mental and physical? I look at it as a pyramid, with the hero at the top, but unseen below is all the family and friends. They're the support for the hero, but has the hero ever wondered at what cost they give this support?"
"Well, you certainly raise some interesting points. We have to take a break, but when we come back we'll open it up to you the viewers! You're watching Linda Live!"
With that the show went to commercial. Grace gave her spokesman a thumbs up and a smile. Stage two has started, Grace thought to herself, her superior would be pleased.
Metropolis
Lois Lane sat in her apartment alone. In the space of a day her whole world had been turned upside down. Clark Kent was Superman; it was still hard to believe. The man she'd been in love with since the moment she saw him had been right in front of her all along. Some reporter I turned out to be, Lois chided herself, I saw the forest but not the tree right in front of my face. She cringed thinking of some of the things she'd said to both of them about the other. When it had hit her in the office today, she thought the room was spinning and feared she might pass out. They'd have probably thought I was imitating Lisa to get some sympathy, she grumbled to herself. Her first instincts were to confront him, but as she looked at the sadness in his eyes Lois knew it wasn't the time. Silently she'd slipped away, back to her office. The rest of the workday had been a blur. Somehow she'd managed to make it home and had been here on the couch ever since. Her emotions had run the gambit, from joy to sadness to anger to embarrassment. Why didn't he tell me, she wondered? He knew he could trust me, I've shown Superman that in the past, Lois thought. Then a thought hit her, it wasn't about Superman, it was about Clark Kent. Clark, she thought, mild mannered Clark Kent, hiding in plain view. The man infuriated her some times, so much so that she just wanted to grab him by the collar and shake him. Guess that wouldn't work, cause he's Superman, Lois realized. This was all going to take awhile to get used to. Clark's dating Zatanna, Lois suddenly remembered. What did that mean for her and Superman? Was it over between them? No, Lois quickly told herself, that was definitely not what it meant. She wanted to hate Zatanna for stealing him, but was that really what she did? Lois had met Zatanna and as reluctant as she was to admit it right now, Zatanna seemed like a genuinely nice person. Truth be told, Lois didn't know what she was going to do for the first time in her life. Did she have feelings for Clark that were more than friendship? Grudgingly she admitted to herself, she might have been just a little jealousy when she found out he was dating Zatanna. So yes, maybe she did, but were they the same feelings she had for Superman? She was still trying to wrap her head around the fact that they were the same person. Lois realized that before she could confront him, she had to sort out her own feelings. The one thing she was certain of was that it wasn't over between her and Superman, …Clark. Damn it, Lois said to herself, that's the first thing I have to figure out, what to call him.
Metropolis
Across town, Clark and Zatanna were sitting together just watching TV. A somber mood hung over the room. They listened to the news show talking about the cost on the families of superheroes. When it went to commercial, Clark turned off the TV.
"That's certainly not helping," he said gloomy.
"You're worried about your mother," Zee asked.
"Yes."
"How she doing?"
"Not good."
"I'm sorry Clark, although I've never met her, she sounds wonderful. I hope things get better."
"Well, if you're going to meet her it better be soon," Clark bitterly said. "Oh, God forget I said that. I'm sorry, Zee, I don't think I'm going to be very good company tonight.'
"Hey," she said, wrapping her arms around him. "It's okay, it is. I know what you're going to through. You don't have to put on a brave face for me. As far as being good company, this is the only place I want to be tonight, Clark."
"Thank you, I'm glad you're here," he said with a smile.
"You're welcome," she replied, kissing him. He started to responded, but then pulled away.
"Please, don't take this the wrong way, Zee, but I'm really not in the mood tonight. I don't believe I just said that."
"I wasn't trying to seduce you, Clark." She smiled at his slight blush.
"You weren't?"
"No, not every kiss is an invitation for more, Clark," she replied.
"I know, it's just that we've been rather active lately, so I thought." Clark tried to explain, feeling more embarrassed with each word.
"Shhh, don't dig yourself any deeper," she whispered to him. She kissed him again and then pulled back a little. "That kiss was to say I think you're sweet for being embarrassed just now."
"I didn't realize kisses got that specific," he said.
"Absolutely, you can say a lot with a kiss," she replied, leaning in to kiss him again. "That one was to say, I'm here for you as a friend."
"I did notice a bit of a difference," he admitted. "You seem to know quite a bit about kissing."
"Of course, a kiss is like magic, Clark," she explained. 'Each kiss is unique, and expresses something special."
She leaned in and kissed him again. This one was tender and lingered just a little longer than the others.
"That one is to let you know you're not alone tonight, Clark," she said seriously to him.
"Thank you," he said gratefully. "You know, I think I'm learning to enjoy magic."
She smiled and kissed him again.
"I'll let you figure out what that kiss means for yourself."
Stonehenge
The machine was ready; there would be no more delays. The Kryptonian crystals glistened in the air, power pulsing through them. Morgaine and Zod stood gazing on the machine, their eyes alive with hope.
"It begins," Zod whispered. "Are you ready, Morgaine?"
"Yes, I've been ready for centuries, Zod," she replied. Zod nodded and then was overcome with a coughing fit. His whole body convulsed with each new coughing spasm. His left knee gave out and he slumped down to the ground. Morgaine stood there watching, as it seemed to go on and on. Finally it lessened and Zod knelt there on his hands and knees, spitting up blood and gasping for air. It was Morgaine that reached down and helped him to his feet again.
"It grows worse, you're time is short," she said, more a statement of fact then a question. Still trying to catch his breath, Zod could only nod weakly.
"Your machine is the answer for both of us, Zod, let us take the risk together."
He would have protested, but in his weakened condition he could barely stand, let alone put up a resistance. Reluctantly, he let her help him into the central chamber, while Anon manned the controls. Two titanium power nodes rose out of the floor. Morgaine helped him over to them, placing one hand on each. She moved opposite him, placing her hands over his. Their eyes locked, as this was the moment.
"To the future," she whispered.
"Yes," he finally managed to say.
"Begin!" she cried and Anon throw the switch. The whole room light up as the crystals began to glower brighter and brighter. They became blinding white as power not seen in a millennium surged through them. When it seemed the light would become too much to stand, the crystals linked up and an overwhelming discharge rushed down to the twin titanium power nodes. Both Zod and Morgaine screamed as the power rushed through their bodies. Anon stood with his mouth agape watching as energy surrounded the two. They seemed to be vibrating as if being ripped apart. More and more energy coursed through them. The pure white light filled the chamber until it obstructed them from sight. Only their screams could be heard. With a blinding flash, the whole building shook. Anon was knocked the ground by the force of it. In that moment, the screams stopped and Anon feared the worst. Shielding his eyes, he tried to see what was happening to the General and Morgaine, but the light was too intense. The old barn was coming apart at the seams as the cascade of energy battered it. When it seemed the whole place would blow apart, the machine suddenly winked out and silence filled the room. Anon managed to stand and looked fearfully into the chamber. He watched in shock as Zod and Morgaine were finally released from the power nodes. Both bodies fell to the floor. Quickly turning the machine off, Anon them rushed to their aid. As he opened the center chamber, Morgaine was beginning to stir while Zod lay motionless. When she reached out a hand and Anon went to help her up.
"Did-Did it work," she managed to ask. Not waiting him to answer she pushed herself away from him and staggered over to the polished metal wall. Her golden mask, which had been a symbol of her curse for so long looked back at her. Her hands were shaking as she reached up and removed it. As she slowly pulled it off, hope and fear swelled within her. It had been so long she had almost lost hope. She kept her eyes closed and took several deep breaths before finally opening them. Staring back at her was a face she hadn't seen in centuries. The machine had worked. A laugh of sheer joy erupted from her lips as she began to strip off her golden armor. For centuries her magic had kept her alive, her withered and ancient body protected inside her magical golden armor. That was at an end now. Zod's alien machine had restored her youth and beauty. As the last of her armor slipped away, Morgaine's eyes danced over each and every lush curve of her rejuvenated form. Her full lips turned upward in a smile as she gazed upon her beautiful face once again. The sound of Anon calling to Zod made her finally turn away from her reflection. Zod still lay motionless on the floor, as Anon struggled to wake him. Morgaine wondered if the disease had already done it's work and his body was just too weak for the process. A twinge of sadness marred her joy at this thought. Anon looked from Zod to her.
"The Master, I fear," the man said, not able to speak the words.
"It would appear the process was too much for him," Morgaine said. Anon began to weep and slumped back on the ground.
"Appearances can be deceiving," a voice said. Both Morgaine and Anon turned to look at Zod. His eyes opened and then he sat up. He looked down at his hands, flexing them. A smile came to his face.
"I am whole again," he said in triumph. Anon wept harder overcome with joy. Slowly Zod got to his feet. The old, ravaged body was replaced with the new. Zod looked across at Morgaine and smiled. They held each other's gaze, recognizing the look of joy in the other's eyes.
"You look spectacular, Morgaine," Zod sad to her.
"As do you," She replied. "I think the machine even made us younger."
"I believe you are right." Zod laughed, his voice full and deep. Morgaine joined him, both overwhelmed with delight.
"What is your wish, General," Anon asked from bended knee. Zod seemed to think about this for a moment. A cold smile came to his face.
"I believe it is time for many to pay for past crimes, Anon. Let the universe once more fear the name Zod!"
He strode across the chamber towards the door. Forgetting his renewed strength he ripped it off the hinges effortlessly. His smile grows as he looked at the mangled door in his hands.
"How typical you are, Zod," Morgaine said with distain. He turned and his eyes flashing his annoyance at her.
"Why?"
"We have been given a new life, Dru-Zod and your first reaction to dwell on the misfortunes of the past one. Is there no joy in your soul, Zod?"
"Would you have me forget what made all this necessary," he countered.
"No, we never forget," she said, her voice as cold as his. "Must vengeance be the first order of business?"
"What would you suggest, Morgaine," he asked. She smiled and walked slowly towards him. The thin shift she wore clinging to her rejuvenated body. She stopped right in front of him.
"I have been restored, Zod and you are the man you once were," she said. "It has been ages since I felt the touch of a true man. How long has it been since you were with a whole woman?"
Zod felt the passions rising within him as he gazed on her lush, tempting body.
"Perhaps a celebration would be in order," he said, lightly brushing her arm with his fingertips.
"A celebration like the world hasn't seen before, Zod," Morgaine replied. Her own long dormant desires flared at his touch and she took a step closer. Zod reached out and pulled her the finally short distance to him.
"Vengeance can wait another day," he said and then kissed her.
"Or two," Morgaine replied, returning his kiss with growing passion.
