Last time, on Code Red: CRITICAL MASS:

"I will give you what you want, but first, there's something I need from you."

"What?" he asked.

She breathed in sharply. Really, she didn't stand to lose anything, "I want you to make love to me."

Standard disclaimers apply. Superman, Wonder Woman and any other syndicated characters are the intellectual property of DC and Warner Bros.

Thanks of course to Angelic Enchantress for the beta and invaluable inputs.

Rating: Still Rated M for exploration of themes, especially in later chapters. Enjoy!

Code Red: CRITICAL MASS

By Cael-El595

Ch 2: A Choice

There was an outpouring of emotion channeling through Diana at this moment that she could barely decipher - she only knew it involved rage - immense rage - bewilderment, chagrin, confusion, disbelief, irrational fear and back to rage again. She felt an unfamiliar flushing heat rise up her cheeks, and tried to contain it, as though it were possible to contain such emotion. What an embarrassment it would be if it showed, and especially in front of that damnable seductress.

How dare that woman! How could she even conceive of something as low as that? The incredible temerity of it all. She was not even human, she was a lump of mud, and maybe that was why. They didn't have values or feelings. But who was she to say that, being a clay golem infused with life herself? And Kal wasn't human either, despite having lived as one all his life. Surely, no one could accuse either of them of being bereft of values or emotions, or a soul for that matter. The presence of a soul was essential to her very purpose, the spirit of truth channeled through her lasso to dispel any untruth.

Then why was she, who was said to be incapable of deception, deceiving herself? Why in Hera's name did this bother her so much? This was so confusing for her.

No. Not Kal. He was the one person who understood her, the one who meant the most to her. They had been through so much together. He was such a pure soul, noble and selfless. He didn't deserve this.

She had never felt as close to anyone else in the outside world as she was to Kal.

She remembered the first time she'd ever seen him, fighting off the Imperium. She had been in awe of his stellar power at first, mistaking him for a god. Over time she had come to appreciate his tenderness, his warmth and compassion. He was still idealistic, a pacifist who thought there was a peaceful solution to everything. For all his power and despite his masculinity, he radiated an aura that was immediately both otherworldly and fragile. He wasn't as invulnerable as everyone thought. Nothing was farther from the truth.

She would have to protect him.

She would spend most of the rest of her life thinking that. No matter what superhuman powers he possessed, no matter how many times he flew encircling the world, saving it, she would always have to be there for him. Maybe he knew that too, because he seemed to need her as much as she needed him. It was unconscious on both their parts. She had just been too innocent to see it.

It was the entire package — his strength, his vulnerability, his earnestness, his whimsy, and his commanding aura — that had won her over. Kal was a man of fascinating paradoxes, but she'd had a long time to decipher his enigma, to unravel his various layers.

And now she would have to make a choice, because he was looking at her once again for direction (or was it permission?) on how to proceed with Galatea. The damned woman was looking smugly at both of them...oh, that woman knew how to get a rival into a tizzy.

Diana felt like pulling out her sword and impaling that infuriatingly knowing face.

What was to stop her actually?

Calm down Diana. This is no time to lose your temper.

She drew her blade anyway before anyone could object, although she had no intention of actually pushing the blade down that fatal distance- after all, they both knew Galatea was vital to their mission, the one who held the key. It was more to show the woman that she was no easy pushover, and that there would be severe consequences should she pull any nasty stunt.

"I could pierce a hole in your head where you're standing right now."

"But you won't," Galatea replied, still maddeningly in repose, like the sculpture of her namesake, "You need me and you know it."

"Diana," Clark cautioned, sounding remarkably composed despite everything. He nodded to Galatea, "If you would excuse us, the two of us will have to talk this over."

"Of course. I'll wait outside. When you've made your decision, just let me know." Her lips turned up in a knowing smile as she sashayed off.

Diana watched the lithe malevolent figure in that tight dress slink out of the room. Her fingers were still gripping the hilt of her sword; tight enough for her knuckles to turn white. The fact that the sword was still in one piece was ample testimony to the quality of Hephaestus' craftsmanship.

"There has to be another way," she said as soon as Galatea was out of earshot. "We could find out where Ragnor keeps the King. He's got to have him in a room somewhere- "

Clark looked at her, "But there's no time. Ragnor's a Dra'axonian, one of the masters of manipulating the time-space continuum. They specialize in this sort of thing. King Telnas and Queen Magdala could be anywhere. Even with our powers, it could take days to find them. We don't have that luxury Diana. It'll be too late by then."

"What are you saying Kal?" Diana could barely suppress her rage, "Are you willing to go through with it with that… creature? Is that a choice you're willing to make?"

Clark wouldn't look at her, "Diana, it's only a dream. A projection of thoughts. It won't be real."

She gritted her teeth, "Damn you."

"But lives are at stake here Diana. And we all have to make sacrifices. You of all people should know that."

Diana felt as though she would implode. She had always relied on Kal, and now that he was turning towards her, she could sense the cogs in his brain clicking. Hera, he couldn't be contemplating it, could he? Not him surely.

"Diana," Clark said in a low voice. "We don't have time. I've done many things that I'm not proud of – all those people that other Superman lobotomized, all in the name of the greater good... if we count him and that other one that turned Metropolis into a police state over Lois' death, I'm the worst sinner out here." He shook his head sadly. "Some hero I'm turning out to be." He chuckled humorlessly, "I'd always thought heroes were supposed to be pure, clean and innocent. So this...tryst is nothing. It's just a mind game, that's all. It's no different from what you agreed to with Alcmaeon."

"You weren't exactly supportive back then," she spat out. Gods, why did this have to be so hard?

"No, I wasn't. And that was a mistake. I was foolish and shortsighted."

She closed her eyes. This was too painful. And too confusing. Suddenly, she felt the need to look into his eyes, to see him revealed before her. As though reading her mind, he complied, lifting her chin up and turning her to face him. She opened her eyes; found herself staring straight into those gentle eyes, pleading for her understanding.

"I am not betraying anything we believe in. You know that," he looked away. "I've never been too good with words, and I don't know how to convince you otherwise. But this is nothing...nothing at all. It's just like being involved in a virtual simulation, like one of those Amazon Special programs we always use."

The nerve of the man, she thought. How could he even equate those programs with this affair?

It was really unbecoming of her to be this jealous. She was an Amazon, a warrior, pragmatic and strong, and needless emotions would only serve to curtail her efficiency, which was exactly what was happening now. Curses, she was being twisted in and out, getting hormonal and becoming everything she had always been told was a weakness for a woman. She wanted to lose herself in battle right now, a proper diversion from this sinking feeling in her gut. Aphrodite and Ares did balance each other after all. It was the way things had always been.

"It won't be real." He took her hand and held it against his cheek. "Always remember that." He squeezed her hand. "That is all that counts." He seemed to be trying to convince himself just as much as he was trying to convince her.

"Yes, I know that." She felt as though her heart would break. He was right, of course. Every word.

She needed to hold him, needed to be sure though before she surrendered him to that woman. So she fell into him and enveloped him in a tight embrace, and while he stood still for a while, he eventually wrapped his own powerful arms around her and held her close, burying his face in her hair. Tell yourself, she thought, that this is just going to be a temporary dream, soon to be forgotten. And if you can fool yourself into thinking that, you can rest easy.

She was no fool. She had never been one, except when it came to understanding her own heart. The wisdom of Athena made everything so clear, even when ignorance could be such bliss.

She told herself that she was worrying needlessly; that this was Kal she was talking about. But there would be something that would be irrevocably changed about him. After the event...she instinctively knew it. Call it intuition; call it a premonition, but she had a gut feeling that something terrible was about to happen.

"Go," she said, a curious sense of numbness spreading across her body, "before I change my mind."

He nodded and headed for the door without another word.

She watched him exit the room, a sense of foreboding settling all around her.

No good could come out of this, of that she was certain.

-----x-----x-----x-----x-----x-----

Clark's palms were sweaty, and he wished he could wipe them on his cape. But he had already stepped out of the room, and he found himself face to face with Galatea. It was the last thing he wanted to do – display nerves in front of her – even though his eyes betrayed everything. Damn his eyes.

But he couldn't hide it, he was nervous. That woman was making him nervous, eyeing him all over like he was some piece of meat.

It was not an unfamiliar situation, though he still found the going difficult. He was used to being so much the center of attention. Being Superman conferred a certain celebrity, one that could smother anyone. Everyone was looking to him to play some sort of messianic role; and it was one of the things that had influenced his awkward, nondescript persona as Clark. It afforded him some much-needed privacy and enabled him to retain his sanity.

"All right," he said to her, hoping he wouldn't stutter. "I'll give what you want. But how can we trust you?"

"You don't have a choice." Galatea's eyes glinted with amusement. "Are you developing cold feet, Superman? I should warn you this task is conditional. You have to make me believe I am your beloved." She looked at Wonder Woman, glowering in the doorway.

"You said this won't take long," Diana interjected.

"Yes. Twenty minutes. I will have him back here before you know it. Then I will deliver you to the King and Queen."

"And if you're not back by twenty minutes?" Diana asked in a strangled voice.

"Then you can tear this place apart. You will just have to trust me. Or better yet," she took the golden lasso hanging at Diana's girdle and looped one end around her wrist, "Trust this."

"What's to stop you from taking him away and killing him?"

"Diana," Clark said softly, "I can take care of myself." He knew what she was thinking. No you can't, really. Hera, Kal, you need me to take care of you. It doesn't matter if you're Superman, and that you have all these superpowers. To me, you'll always be vulnerable.

Galatea seemed to turn inwardly pensive. When she finally spoke, the expression on her face was wistful, "Believe me, that's the last thing I want to do."

TBC

A/N: Well, there you have it. The answer to the pertinent question on everybody's mind- what would Clark's decision be? There's also another clue in this chapter to the puzzle that is Galatea. This chapter should help you all identify one or even both the DC characters that inspired the character. Many thanks to all who've read and given reviews for Ch1. It takes only a minute of your time, but it goes a long way towards motivating me to keep writing.

The reference to the two Supermen that turned sinners is- you guessed it- Justice Lords and the Superman in 'Brave New Metropolis'. The idea for that is courtesy MeasureOfaLady.

Until the next chapter, take care.

Cael