Part 11

AC flew high into the sky and then dropped back down in the water in a big slash. The huge blow sent him deep under water and it took him a few moments to gather his bearings and regain control. He was soon surrounded by three whales begging him to protect them. AC gave his word he would let no harm come to them. He would do everything in his power to keep them safe.

Up above the water Kara, Conner and John were trying to take control of the situation. With Clark not here, Kara had put herself in charge. "Manhunter see if you can reach their minds and reason with them. Superboy get those people out of the water!" She then tapped into her comm. "Cyborg, keep trying-" But before she could finish, a hand reached out of the water and pulled her under.

"Kara!" cried Conner.

"Holy crap!" exclaimed Bart as both Victor and him had just witnessed with their own eyes AC pull Kara under. "Has he lost his mind?" He couldn't believe that AC had just done that. Sure AC had made some questionable choices in the past, but nothing to this extent.

"Maybe all that water has finally gone to his head," announced Victor. He was too concerned, but not for Kara's safety, though AC was strong and powerful. There was no possible way he could compete with Kara. The only thing that AC will be able to accomplish by pulling Kara under is making her angry. And if there was one thing they all knew. It was not to piss off Kara.

"You think!" exclaimed Bart. Suddenly the Justice Winger began making a loud beeping sound. "Please tell me that beeping means Clark is on his way."

"You know how I feel about lying!" exclaimed Victor as he had to react quickly and barrel rolled their winger to avoid the electric shock that had come from the water. Victor quickly tapped into his comm to contact John Jones. "They've spotted us. Got to move to higher ground. Sorry, you guys you're on your own." He hated to retreat, but he knew that those electric shocks from the Atlanteans weapons had enough jolt that it could take down the whole ship and he wasn't exactly water proof.

"It's alright. We've got it from here," John told them through the come. "Keep trying to get a hold of Clark and Oliver."

AC with one arm wrapped rightly around Kara's neck and the other wrapped around her arms pulled her deep under water. He didn't want it to come to this. Why hadn't they just listened to him?

Star City

Watchtower

"You want to know what I think?" Clark annouched as he narrowed his eyes on Oliver. "You're mad that I was the one who killed him."

"What?" exclaimed Oliver not liking where this was headed.

"You wanted to be the one who killed him," Clark declared. "Didn't you!"

"Have you even been listening to a single word I've said?" exclaimed Oliver as he got back into Clark face. He felt like he was talking to a brick wall. Nothing he said seemed to be getting through to Clark. "If I didn't know better I would say you were on red kryptonite right now, because that could be the only explanation for you acting like a jackass!"

"WHY DID YOU LET HIM DO THIS TO ME OLIVER!" Clark angrily shouted his eye glowed reddish orange, but he remained in control and glow went away. He could feel the pain of what had happened in Metropolis eating away at him. It was tearing him up inside. He wanted to know why? Why did this have to happen? Why him? "Why didn't you take care of him in the first place?"

"What do you want me to say?" shouted Oliver feeling the tears come. He has thought about it every moment since it Metropolis exploded. "That I screwed up? That I made a mistake?" Oliver knew he has messed up, but what was done is done. There was no changing what had happened. "Please Clark, tell me what you want me to do. Help me understand."

"You couldn't possibly understand what he took from me," cried Clark. Oliver has everything that he has ever wanted. He has a wife, a son, a family of his own and it all had come too easy. Oliver didn't even have to lift a finger, he just woke up one day and had it all. While he had to give everything, make sacrifices time and time again. Wasn't he owed to have the life he has always wanted? Didn't Lois and him deserve to have a life together, a life with their child? Doesn't he deserve to be happy? To feel whole?

"He stole the life Lois and I would have had together." It had taken them years to finally finish their wedding, but he had told himself that it was okay, because they would have the rest of their lives to make up for it. But now he regretted that they...that he hadn't tried harder after becoming Superman to finishing their wedding. Flying to Vegas. ...Anything.

"Our child..." The one thing he had always wanted, but feared it would never be possible. "He took that from me." Tears fell from Clark eyes, because he would never be able to hold his child in his arms. He would never be able to watch his child grow up. His child would never have a name. "There was going to be someone else like me in the world. Someone who would have made me feel less alone." Not that he didn't have Conner and Kara, but having his own child would have been more special, more meaningful. He had wanted to pass on the values of Martha and Johnathan Kent onto his child. "And I would have loved that child more than I already do..."

"And look at you,"Clark hissed as he looked Oliver hard in the eyes with such disgust you wouldn't know the two were even friends. "You're sitting alone in the dark ignoring Mia and Dinah. Ignoring the fact that Chloe and your son are trapped in a safe house with no way out for five years." It didn't even register to Clark that he maybe crossing the line. He was too consumed with his grief and anger to see otherwise. "Have you even tried to come up with a way to get them out? Or are you actually happy that they're out of your life and you can go back to being alone?"

"You arrogant son of a bitch!" Oliver angrily shouted a he threw a punch right square in Clarks chest. CRACK! It would be an action he would come to regret. In his anger and fury he had forgotten that Clark wasn't just any grief stricken man. He was a super grief stricken man and a punch in the face would be nothing more than a tickle to him, but for Oliver. It was a world of pain.

"...Show me your hand," Clark annouched. His voice had softened a bit, but the anger and hurt he was feeling hadn't gone away.

"Thanks, but no thanks," Oliver answered as he turned away from Clark.

"Stop being you and let me see your hand," Clark annouched not taking no for an answer. One way or another he was going to have a look at Olivers hand.

Oliver sighed heavily knowing it was pointless in agreeing with Clark, especially in the state he is in right now. "Fine!" he answered harshly as he held out his hand.

Clark used his x-ray vision to get a better look at what was going on with Olivers hand. It's wasn't pretty, but it could been a whole hell of a lot worse. "It's just a hairline fracture and a small amount of ligament damage," Clark told him. "You'll be fine in a few weeks minded that you don't go around punching things and lay off the bow for a while." Clark crossed his arms against his chest. "That was really stupid Oliver."

"Not any stupider than your attitude," exclaimed Oliver. His hand may hurt like hell, but he was still plenty angry at Clark and wasn't done talking. He had to find a way to get through to his old friend. "Your acting like you're the only one who lost something..."

"I didn't lose something." Clark clutched his fists together. "I lost everything!" exclaimed Clark.

"That's exactly my point!" exclaimed Oliver. "When are you going to get it threw that thick skull of yours. You are not alone! It may feel like you've lost everything, but you haven't." Oliver knows Clark is hurting. He knows he's in pain and that Clark feels 100% responsible for what happened. "You still have Conner, Kara, the team. Me!" Tears ran down Oliver face. "Please, stop and think about what your trying to do..."

"I'm trying to save lives!" Clark exclaimed. "I'm trying to prevent another tragedy like Metropolis. Like Krypton!."

"You don't even see it, do you?" Oliver painfully asked him. Clark was too lost in his own grief to even see what was happening.

"See what?" exclaimed Clark.

"What you're becoming..."

"And what am I be-"

"Hey!" exclaimed Dinah as both she and Mia raced up the stairs. "Do either of you listen to your comms?"

"I shut mine off," Clark answered. "I didn't want us to have any interruptions."

"Same here," Oliver answered. That's when he saw the very concerned looks on both of the girls faces. Something was wrong. Really wrong. His heart began racing fearing it was another Metropolis. "What is it?"

"AC and his soldiers were attacking fishermen hunting for whales, Kara, Conner and John intervened. They're fighting," annouched Mia as he eyes locked with Oliver. "Each other..."

"What!" exclaimed Oliver. He couldn't believe, well he could AC did have a habit of not playing by the rules, but still he thought his friend had better judgment than that. It was bad enough he had to worry about Clark, now he has to worry about AC and his band of Atlantean soldiers.

"Bart and Victor are also on scene in the Justice Winger," added Dinah. "They reported that AC took Kara under."

Great! Just what we need. Olivers eyes quickly drifted to Clark knowing exactly what Clark was thinking. "Clark. I know what you're thinking."

"And what am I thinking!" Clark exclaimed as he got right into Olivers face. "How many chances have we given him? How many times have we let things slide by?" Time and time again they have given AC chances, but this time was the last drawl. He couldn't ignore AC action even more, not even to a long time friend.

"And how are his action any different than yours?" Oliver asked him. He knew he may be only added fuel to the fire, but it needed to be said. He had to find a way and just maybe this was the way to do it. "The truth is the two of you are more alike than any of us." He knew that both Clark and AC would deny it, but after everything that's happened, after today, just proves it. "You both put each other above everyone else, but you can't do that Clark." He sighed heavily. "You're right. I can't say I wouldn't act any differently if I had your abilities. I'm not saying I wouldn't try to impose peace, but-"

"But what?"

"You're better than this Clark," Oliver told him. "You have always been a better man than I Clark. You have always done the right thing. Even when you didn't want to." No matter what Clark was always the Boy Scout. Save a life and ask questions later. He had always been the guy who looked for the good even in the darkest of souls. He believed that everyone was worth saving.

"Things change," Clark answered with a heavy sad sigh. "Things can't always go the way they did before. Not when they're people dying.." After the loss of Lois, the baby, ….after elven million people lost their lives in seconds. He couldn't be who he was before. The world needed him to be something else. Someone else. He needed to be someone else. "Come with me Oliver, we can stop AC together."

Stop him how? Oliver didn't even want to ask or know the answer. "I can't Clark," Oliver answered softly. "I'm sorry, I can't be what you want me to be."

"And I'm sorry, I can't be who you want me to be..." Clark sadly told him. "I can't be Clark Kent. Clark Kent is dead, he died when Metropolis fell."

Oliver could do nothing, but watch as Clark vanished out of sight. He didn't want it to be true, but as much as we wanted to deny it he knew that Clark Kent had died when Metropolis fell. He felt like he had failed, but as long as he was still breathing. He wouldn't give up the hope that his old friend would come back. That he would rise from the ashes and be the man he knows him to be. "You going to be okay?" he heard Mia ask him as she gripped his shoulder.

"Can you ask me in a few hours?"

"Why in a few hours?" Dinah asked..

"Because of what I'm about to do," Oliver answered as he went to the computer and turned on his comm. He knew this would likely make things more difficult, but he knew it was the right thing to do right now. Even if it cost him everything.

Japan

Some where in the Southern Ocean

Conner Kent swam deep under water coming directly behind AC who had a hold of his cousin Kara. He acted quickly grabbed a hold of AC forcing the king of the sea to release Kara as the two burst out of the water, as Kara swam up and let out a deep breath.

"I don't want to fight you AC!" exclaimed Conner. After everything that has happened. The last thing he wanted to do now was fight one of his friends, a member of their family, someone who he had fought side by side with. Had everything they have all been through meant nothing? "Call off your army! You're outmatched."

"Outmatched!" AC laughed. "You three aliens, well two aliens and a half, to be correct, may have superpowers beyond this earth, but the sea is deep and full of secrets of his own."

"What are you talking about?" Conner asked as continued to restrain AC.

"You think only the surface world has weapons of mass destruction!" AC proclaimed, as a smile crept onto his face.

Conner didn't like the sound of that. His heart began racing as he looked down at the water and watched at the army began to disappear back deep into the ocean. "What's going on?" he grabbed a hold of AC. "Where is your army going" he demanded.

"As far away as they can!" exclaimed AC.

"It's a tsunami!" John shouted, but his heart began to race as he sensed something else was headed their way. Something far...far worse. His eyes lit up. "Kara get out of the water!" Kara didn't have to be told twice as she two sense something massive within the tsunami heading their way.

"Wh-what is that?" exclaimed Conner.

"Come on Kent?" AC looked him hard in the eyes."Didn't Lex's scientists engineer you with some super brain?" he mocked.

Conner released AC, as his eyes were drawn to the massive creature. His eye's widened. He couldn't believe it. "It's not possible!"

"Says the guy who was cloned using two males genes. One of which isn't even human," smirked AC.

"Conner, forget about him!" Kara exclaimed. "We have to get those ships out of the waves path" Kara knew there would be no way those ships could withstand the wave headed their way and that it's crew would not survive.

"I always thought you were a pain in the ass," exclaimed Conner as he punched AC square in the chest sending him into the water. "And for the record, I'm not the only one here who is half human!" Conner then flew to help John and Kara get the ships to safely along with his crew members.

"It's coming!" shouted John.

"The Kraken!" exclaimed Conner.

"Oh no!" cried Kara.

There was nothing the three could do, but watch as the Kraken's four massive tentacles rose up above the water in the direction of three of the ships. The Kraken slammed down one of his tentacles in the path of the ship. The ship and it's crew members never stood a chance.

TO BE CONTINUED