Chapter 6: Surprise Reunion
The Fortress of Solitude was his home away from home. It was the place he could get away from the stress of everyday life and think. Here, he could find answers to the most complex questions; he had some of his great ideas for inventions that would benefit all of humanity in this place. There was a vast array of knowledge spanning dozens of galaxies at his disposal. This knowledge had to be protected from those that would use it for evil. This fortress, located at the very icy tip of the world, would be more than adequate.
As Superman made for the crystal platform, he passed a carved-out shelf in the wall of ice to his left. There, on the shelf and frozen in a block of ice, was the head of Metallo. He looked at the half human and half android face of his one time nemesis. John Corben had been a bully all through school. He constantly and mercilessly tormented him and his best friend, Lex Luthor; although Lex was able to escape it when his father pulled him out of public school to put him into private school.
As Clark Kent, Superman had to deal with Corben all through elementary and high school. Never once did he retaliate against him by using his powers, though he had been tempted many times. He was able to forgive him, and forget, but Lex never could. His father's teachings corrupted him, and taught him how to hate and how to destroy anyone who came against him. When he took over Luthorcorp and renamed it Lexcorp, Lex followed his father's teachings.
Lex would eventually find a way to get his revenge by killing John Corben and putting his memories into an android powered by a Kryptonite heart. The android had called himself Metallo, and in the end, he turned around and killed Lex. Superman was too late to save his life, but before he died, he had shared with him Metallo's weakness: separating his head from his body had forced the android to power down.
The decision was made that it was too dangerous to keep the head and body together, in case someone might get the idea of putting him back together. So, Superman took the head and brought it to his fortress, while General Lane had made arrangements to take the body to a top-secret facility.
He was beginning to regret bringing the head here. Seeing it brought back terrible memories. It reminded him of the horrors Luthor had put him through, locked in a dungeon, and weakened to the point of death by a piece of Kryptonite. If Metallo had not taken that piece of Kryptonite to save his own life, Superman would have died there in that dungeon. How could his former best friend become that twisted?
He walked up to the crystal podium, which recognized his presence by dimming the lights inside the Fortress. Appearing on a platform on the far end of the Fortress was a holographic image of his Kryptonian father, Jor-El. "Hello, my son. If you have come seeking for information, all you must do is ask. What is it that I can help you with, Kal-El?"
"Father, I have been having strange visions lately. I have had them since I was young, but only now are they becoming more frequent. Are these visions from you?"
"No, my son. I have not been speaking to you in your dreams. Tell me about these… 'visions'."
"I see death and destruction as if that was Metropolis's future. I see a monster and an android with a strange symbol on his forehead. I also hear a voice from the shadows saying that I am going to die, and that the Earth would be purged."
"When you were a young man, I tested you by having you fight an image of an android. Tell me, is this the same android you have recently seen in your visions?"
"I believe it is the same android," Superman replied.
"Then, it is as I have feared. These visions do not come from me, but from Darkseid."
"The ruler of the planet Apokolips?"
"Yes. I have taught you about him and his ruthless crusade to conquer everything and everyone. He is aware of your survival, and by now, has located the planet Earth. The android you have seen is known as Brainiac."
"Was Braniac not a part of Krypton? A super computer of sorts?"
"He was. At the very end of our lives, I suspected treachery from this android. I suspect that he is ultimately responsible for Krypton's destruction. It would not surprise me if Darkseid had found a way to corrupt him, and turn him to be his servant. These visions that the dark lord is projecting into your mind may be his intentions."
"So Brainiac is on his way here to Earth?"
"Yes, if he has not arrived already. If you have been having these visions since you were young, then there can be no doubt that Darkseid has set his sights on Earth. He may be sending Brainiac to be his herald. There are other signs that you must be aware of. His influences should be able to be clearly felt in some aspects of your world."
A sudden realization dawned on him. It all made perfect sense now. "Crime is on a rise in Metropolis, the city where I reside. A gang of young kids are walking around with weapons beyond any technology that this planet is capable of."
"Darkseid has then already made contacts on your world. This technology is being given to these young humans; this strategy is not new. He deceives the members of the underworld, offering them wealth and power, and as a show of good faith, hands them the technology to acquire it. In the end, however, they will die just like everyone else."
"Why bother with this deception at all, then?"
"Darkseid thrives on evil and corruption; he feeds off it. He has an obsessive disbelief in life. He believes that life is so weak that it has to bow before death. In your world, there is the pseudo-Christian belief in the existence of a heaven and a hell in the afterlife. If that is true, than Darkseid would be Satan."
"I must stop this," Superman replied angrily. "I will not let Darkseid harm this planet."
"The powers of that Earth's yellow sun will serve you well, but I warn you, my son, do not underestimate him. When it comes to intelligence, there is none greater than his. I fear that he may also be stronger than you by now. Your confrontation with Brainiac will serve as a test for you, but make no mistake; he has already learned everything he needs to know about you. Do not take the dark lord lightly."
"Hi!" Clark said to every single person he passed as he made his way to his desk. His parents had always instilled into him the importance of being courteous, but sometimes he tended to go overboard.
With a suitcase in one hand and a cup of hot coffee in the other, he was nearing his desk when another reporter bumped into him, causing him to spill his coffee all over his shirt. The man was Steve Novak, and he often got kicks by playing practical jokes on Clark. "Oops, sorry about that Kent," he laughed. "I hope that wasn't too hot for you to handle."
"Of course not," Clark replied dryly. "I didn't like this shirt, anyway."
Clark continued on to his desk. When he reached it, he set down his empty cup and briefcase. Looking over to the desk next to his, he saw the woman that he had a crush on: Lois Lane.
She was a very strong willed woman, who was the best at what she did. Her aggression and beauty made for a very lethal combination. There was not a man who did not dream about dating her, but all of them were too intimidated by her attitude. Heck, she even intimidated him. She was the daughter of a military general, and perhaps she would have done just as well being in the military if that was what she had wanted to do with her life.
Lois was striking up a conversation with a young girl at her desk. When Lois noticed Clark, she turned to face him, escorting the young girl up to him. "Hey Clark, I want to introduce you to my baby sister, Lucy!"
"Nice to meet you, Lucy!" Clark shook her hand and then noticed that she was looking at the coffee stain on his shirt. "Oh, I had a little accident with my coffee this morning."
"Oh, Clark, you can be such a klutz sometimes," Lois said, shaking her head. "She's come to visit before she heads off to college."
"Really? What are going to study?"
"I'm going for my Bachelor's degree in political science," Lucy replied curtly, with an air of confidence very much like her sister.
"Somehow, that seems very fitting," Clark remarked with a smile.
"Hey, Mr. Kent, I need to ask you something. I-" Jimmy came strolling along in his typical, youthful manner when he saw Lucy standing there. Everything that was on his mind coming into work this morning had evaporated.
There was a moment of awkward silence until Lois jumped in. "Jimmy, this is my younger sister, Lucy," Lois said, hoping to help the boy save what little dignity he may have left.
"Hi!" was the only word he could come up with to say. It was as if he had forgotten how to function.
"I take it that you're a photographer?" Lucy grinned, looking at the camera that was hanging by a strap around his neck.
"Yeah."
"Jimmy here has gotten some very impressive photos of Superman published. He's probably the best photographer we have," Clark added, but leaving out the fact that he was the only full-time photographer on the Daily Planet's payroll.
"That's interesting," she replied, showing no signs of whether or not she meant that sarcastically, or if she was really interested.
"Jimmy, why don't you show Lucy around," Lois replied. "Clark and I have to get ready for a meeting with the boss."
Jimmy's eyes lit up with excitement. "Sure!"
"We're still on for dinner tonight, right, Sis?"
"I promise, no working late tonight; I promise!" she assured her.
The two teens walked away as Jimmy showed Lucy around the office. Lois sighed. "I feel bad that she has to be stuck here with me instead of enjoying herself in the city."
Clark nodded. The Intergang had such a hold of this city that martial law had to be put into effect. The police also had posted a recommendation that no one be alone while walking through the city. Crime had never been so out of control that such drastic actions had to be taken. "Speaking of which, did you find out anything about yesterday's events?"
"Of course I did," she replied curtly. "I discovered that while Superman was busy with a group of those kids, their actual target was the police headquarters."
"You're joking!" He knew that the Intergang was not afraid of the authorities, but to attack a police headquarters was beyond crazy.
"I wish I was. They ravaged the evidence cage. The Intergang is clearly looking for something in particular. Whatever it is, they are risking a lot to get their hands on it."
She was right; the Intergang had taken their crime to a whole new level. They were no longer doing crime for the sake of terrorizing the people; they had a distinct agenda. He was going to have to keep that in mind the next time he encountered them, especially when he knew they were carrying weapons from Apokolips.
"Kent, Lane, come with me to my office," Perry White, the executive editor of the Daily Planet said stopping at their desks.
"Sure thing, sir," Clark responded on behalf of himself and Lois. She was not raised with the same level of courtesy has he had been.
The two reporters followed the hefty, aging man, who had only recently gone a diet due to the recommendation of his doctor. Being forced to lay off red meat, he had become more irritable as of late.
"You two are my best reporters, so I figured that I would give you a heads up. There is a strong possibility that the Daily Planet is going to be bought by Lexcorp."
"Lexcorp!" Lois exclaimed, "They had gone bankrupt ever since Lex was discovered to be responsible for Bizarro and Metallo. How can they afford to buy the Planet?"
"I'm as shocked about this as you are, but I have the new CEO of Lexcorp, standing in my office, wanting to see my best reporters."
"Whoever he is, he sure ain't from around here. Who in Metropolis doesn't know that I'm the best reporter here?"
"The new CEO is not a 'he'," Perry replied as they reached his office.
They walked into the room to see a business woman with dark red hair standing at the desk. When she turned around to face them, Clark lost his composure. She was the last person he had ever expected to see again.
"Kent, Lane, this is the new CEO of Lexcorp: Miss Lana Lang."