CHAPTER FOUR

EVERYTHING was on schedule. The first wave of attacks happened during the mid-morning rush, and just as anticipated, the Blur had shown up to help. For the most part, he was already too late. Most of the Metro-Line had completely de-railed. Some of the carriages that had become loose had fallen on the streets of the Business district, crushing and killing those below. People could be heard screaming and crying below, and Clark tried to do his best to help those who were still alive in the other carriages—especially those carriages that were packed with people and smoke emitting from them.

Sirens from police, fire trucks, and ambulances could be heard in the distance rushing to the scene. Clark remembered writing an article on Metropolis's Metro-Line. On average, 1.1 million people rode the line each day, and he tried to guess how many people were jammed into the 10 carriages right now. He wondered how many lives he could still save.

He was just about finished putting out one of the fires on the carriages that were full of screaming and injured people, when an explosion could be heard in the distance, causing the earth to slightly shake. He steadied the carriages so they wouldn't fall, but he couldn't make out where the screams were coming from. It was all so loud.

He focused his attention on getting the survivors of the Metro-line out as quickly and fast as possible. He didn't know what was going on, but he sure didn't like it. Something didn't feel right to him, and his suspicions were confirmed when, in the distance, a large billowing cloud of smoke and chemicals, from one of the factories, lit up the sky with a large explosion that literally knocked the Metro-Line off the tracks. He was there to catch it in time, and aside from the screams from the people inside the carriages, and those who would have potentially been crushed, Metropolis was awfully silent.

EVERYONE huddled around the wide-screen television in the Daily Planet, unable to speak as they watched the news. Some reporters didn't even bother looking at the television, opting just to look out the window where the smoke clouds could be seen.

News Report Helicopters and reporters were already on the scene. Not much information was known, other than what at first appeared to be an accident on the Metro-Line, now looked like to be three separate attacks. The Great Metropolis Mall was reduced to rubble, and LexCorp power Plant was completely destroyed.

Lois stared intently at the television screen, knowing Clark was helping those on the Metro-Line. The reporters didn't know how much people were dead, but they were looking into the thousands. This had been the worst attack on Metropolis yet, and for the most part, people didn't know what to do.

CHLOE stood motionless in the Watchtower. With all her gadgets, super-friends, and technological advances on her side, she couldn't see this coming, and it bothered her.

She looked down at her phone as it started to ring. It was Lois, and she knew she should let her cousin know she was okay.

"Lois," Chloe said once she answered the phone.

"Chloe," There was relief in Lois's voice. "The Blur... He"—

"I know," Chloe said. This happened so fast that Clark didn't have time to check into Watchtower. There also wasn't much other members of the League could do. Some were fast and strong, but only Clark could get close enough to the fires without his skin melting off.

"Have you heard from Ollie? Tess?"

"No," Chloe answered, and she was beginning to worry, especially if they were in the Business District.

"Just…be safe," Lois said, and Chloe returned the feeling.

"I'll keep you updated," Chloe added before she hung up the phone, and was back to looking at the satellite images of all three attacks. She had timed them, and they were all thirty minutes apart.

Chloe didn't know how much time had passed since she stopped talking to Lois, but she was taken out of her daze when the elevator door opened and Tess and Oliver stepped in.

Chloe breathed a sigh of relief when she saw them. "You're okay."

"I texted Lois," Oliver said as he focused his attention on the screens. "We couldn't get a signal where we were."

Chloe ran a hand through her hair. "The League contacted me, seeing what relief they can add. To be honest, it doesn't look good."

"We tried to help some pedestrians," Tess began to say. "It's really bad out there. I think there was talk about relief being sent in from Gotham and Central City."

"It's just so random. The Metro Line, the Mall…LexCorp power plant…" Oliver trailed off in his thoughts.

"Do you think Lex had something to do with this?" Chloe asked. It was a question that was on all their minds, considering the last attack was on the power plant.

"Well I certainly wouldn't put anything past Lex," Oliver responded. "I think this is something he would do, and make himself look like the victim, and then turn it around to become 'The People's Hero'."

Chloe looked over at Tess who was studying the screens. If anyone knew Lex, it would be her. "What do you think?"

"I would be the last person to defend Lex," Tess began to say. "But this? It feels planned and sloppy at the same time." She was quiet for a moment. "But regardless, he will benefit from this tragedy in one way or another."

LEX looked out the window of his office at LexCorp. The smoke and debris was still visible from the attacks that left many people dead.

There was a slight knock on his door, as an older, nervous looking gentleman, with a folder in his hands stepped in. "Mr. Luthor?"

Lex turned around to see one of his employees.

"I got the information you wanted." The employee apprehensively made his way over to Lex's desk where he handed the file over.

Lex didn't even bother opening it. "How many people were employed at that power plant?"

"About 20,000."

"And how many people were working today?"

"Anywhere between 10 and 15 thousand."

Lex's eyebrows furrowed. "And the explosion? How much did it take out?"

"We are estimating that 25,000 people may have lost their lives. More if others are exposed to the chemicals."

Lex angrily threw the file on his desk. "I want people working on who is responsible for these attacks, and if I don't have any new information within twelve hours, you will all be fired!"

"Yes Mr. Luthor," The employee said before quickly running out of the office.

Lex placed his hands on his desk, anger boiling over him before, in a fit of rage; he threw everything off of it.

IT was just after one in the morning when Clark finally returned home to the Kent Farm after containing the mess at both the mall, and LexCorp power plant. Lois was on the couch, waiting up for him, and the second she saw him walk through the front door, he looked beat and tired.

"Clark," Lois said as she got up, noticing his torn clothing. He looked upset.

"I failed, Lois. All those people"—

Lois made her way over to him and put a comforting arm around him as she led him toward the couch.

"You did the best you could," Lois said once they were seated. She touched his face, trying to remove the dried ash and blood off of it.

"Did I really?" Clark asked, but he was looking at his hands as if they were stained with blood he deliberately spilled.

"Clark…the attacks…they, even if you wanted to, you couldn't be in three places at once. You were helping those people on the train."

"I should have been." He turned to Lois before asking her, "What is the point of having all these powers if I can't protect people from attacks like these?"

"Clark, if you—if anyone of us—had known something like this would have happened, we could have stopped this. But you are not God. You can't save everyone."

Clark clenched his fists angrily, and then released them as he brought them up to his face and cried. Lois brought him closer to her, allowing him to rest his head on her shoulders. She too had started to grieve for all the lives lost that day.