Part 12

Still within sight Victor and Bart watched helplessly as the massive sea creature knows as the Kraken destroy the ships causing the fishermen to jump ship. They could not believe that AC would go this par to protect the live of the deep ocean. It was like they didn't know him anymore. There was no possible way this was the guy they had met all those years ago when Oliver ha recruited all of them to join him in fighting crime. How could this have happened? That was the question weighing on their minds when Olivers voice came over the Justice Wingers radio.

"Victor, I need you to lock in on AC's comm and remotely activate it," Oliver ordered. "He has it off and I need to speak with him, like yesterday."

"I don't think he's really in the talking mood boss," answered Victor. "But you're welcome to give it a shot." Victor maneuvered the winger to lock in on AC.

"Believe me, he's going to want to hear this."

"All right, locked and set," Victor annouched. "AC's channel is open for communication and I put in a blocker so he can't switch it off again."

"Thanks. Over and out..."

AC was standing on a rock watching as the Kraken unleashed his massive power destroying the last of the ships that had hunted and killed his sea friends. Moment later he heard Over's voice ring in his ear. "You picked a hell of a time to go all ocean activist!"

"Oliver?" AC exclaimed having no idea how Oliver was speaking to him, especially when he had turned off his comm. "How the hell did you get through to my comm?" But even as he asked he already knew. One look up at the sky and he could see the Justice Winger hiding behind a group of clouds. Oliver had to have given Victor and Bart order to remotely turn on his comm. I knew I should have smashed that damn thing! "Look I don't have time for one of your lectures, so you can just-"

"Oh believe me I would love nothing more than to give you an ear hull right now!" exclaimed Oliver loudly. "But that will have to wait. ….He's coming for you!"

"Whose coming?"

"Who do you think?" Oliver shouted. "He's angry. He's in pain and now your attacking all that remains of his blood! Not a smart move on your part."

"Clark?" AC exclaimed. "Come on? What's he going to do? Dunk me under water to death? He has bigger fish to fry than me."

"...Well right now, your at the top of his list of big fish..."

"AC!" Clark exclaimed angrily as he burst though on of the Krakans tentacles.

"You need to stop this AC!" Oliver told him through the comm. "There's no telling what he may do." Olivers voice was urgent and full of fear, because the last thing anyone of them needed was both AC and Clark going head to head with each other. "

"Ollie, you're acting like Clark might kill me," joked AC. The whole idea seemed beyond belief. Sure Clark had killed Toyman, but Toyman was responsible for Lois's death, the destruction of Metropolis. He had every reason to want to kill the man who had taken everything from him, but Clark could never kill one of their owe. Not even for a little disagreement on how to handle certain situations. Otherwise he would have been dead a long time ago.

"I'm not so sure anymore." Oliver answered cautiously. "Be careful."

Before AC could do anything he was scooped up by Clark who was squeezing him tightly by his throat. "Call it off!" Clark ordered forcefully. He could feel the anger and rage flowing through him. AC had gone too far this time.

"They attacked us!" AC gasped.

"Only because you provoked them!" his voice roared as his eyes rang with fury and began to glow brighter and brighter. "I don't want to hurt the creature further, but I will," Clark looked AC hard in the eyes wanting make sure that he was getting his point across. "And if I have to, I will stop you..."

"Do as he says AC," Oliver told him with his heart racing. "We don't need anymore blood shed."

AC could sense a great change in Clark. This was not the same Clark Ken he had met all those years ago in Smallville. The event in Metropolis had changed him. Perhaps he had gone too far, but how far does one go to protect the ones you love? How far do you go to bring them to justice. "All right. Fine," AC answered with a heavy sigh as he waved off his army and told the Krokan to retreat.

Once AC's army was gone and the waves ha died down, Conner, Kara and John were able to pull any survivors from the water and get them safely to the shore. While Clark and AC stood on a beach and talked.

"I called for a worldwide ceasefire!" Clark exclaimed. "What part of that didn't you understand?"

"I know, I saw it on TV," AC exclaimed. "But your voice doesn't reach the depths of the ocean my friend. If you want to rule the surface that is fine by me, but the-"

"I'm not doing this to rule!" Clark exclaimed. "I'm doing this to protect them. To prevent another tragedy from happening." He didn't want anyone to feel the pain he was feeling. To lose what he has lost.

"I get it, believe me I do," answered AC. "You lost the world you came from and now you've lost the place and the one person that was your home. And you don't want to happen to anyone ever again." AC got it. He understood. He has known Clark for a long time. He knew Clark well enough to know why he had wanted to keep Lois on the sidelines. He had been the one to convince him to let her all the way in. Not just as a partner in love, but on their team. "But you can't have my home..." The sea was his home. It was his duty to protect it and he wasn't going to let anyone tell him how he can and cannot protect him home. Not even Clark. "You run things your way on the surface and I'll run things my way down there!"

"What the fell are you doing!" exclaimed Oliver. "Don't provoke him!"

"I told you!" exclaimed Clark.

"Whether you want to admit it or not Clark, your reign of ruling has begun. You made that very clear with your speech at United Nations," AC proclaimed. Even he when he learned the truths of his past where he had really come from and who his mother truly was did not want anything to do with being a ruler. He never saw himself as a king or anything like that, but overtime he ken this is what his people needed him to be. He was connected to them. It was his birthright, whether he wanted it or not. It was what he was always meant to do. "You command the surface world and the sea is mine alone to command!"

"Have you finally lost is!" Oliver exclaimed.

"Kal-El!" Kara exclaimed as she flew towards them. "Turn on your communicator!"

"Cyborg, Impulse what is is?" asked Clark after he turned on his comm.

"We're getting some major radio feed that Atlantean armies are rising in countries across the world," annouched Victor.

"Dammit AC!" exclaimed Oliver

"Arthur what is this?" demanded Clark.

"A reminder," exclaimed AC firmly. "I am not some pathetic follower that will do as I'm told. I will protect my home, by any means necessary. Just as you are protecting yours!" AC looked Clark hard in the eyes. "Consider this a show of strength."

"You idiot!" exclaimed Oliver. "You're just as bad as he is. Clark is not going to respond to an ultimatum!"

Clark clutched his fist together as he stared into AC's eyes. He wanted to rip that smirk off his face, but not. There was only one way to respond to this. If AC wanted to play fire with fire, Clark would show him exactly what strength was. Clark shot up to the skies.

"Where are you going?" Kara asked flying after her cousin. "We can't just let AC go around attacking the shores."

"Don't worry Kara, after this he'll never do anything without talking to me first.

"Conner and John, stay and help the fishermen. Kara is with me," Clark tapped into his comm. "Victor and Bart, your with us."

"Where are we going?" asked Bart.

"AC has shown us his strength. This is ours!" annouched Clark.

Mediterranean Sea

Atlantis

It was time they showed everyone who would threaten anyone just how much power they would be dealing with. There would be no more holding back. People have died because of it. No more would he allow that to happen. He couldn't let it happen.

Clark along with Kara lifted the dome underwater City of Atlantis from the depth of the ocean causing panic and chaos throughout the city. Kara was a bit hesitant that doing this was the right thing to do. That this would be crossing the line, but she couldn't bring herself to turn her back on Clark now. He was her family and he needed her, just as much as she needed him. She couldn't leave him. Not now. Not ever.

Justice Winger

Victor and Bart watched as the two Kryptonians lifted the city from the depths of the ocean. They then then heard Clarks order to follow behind them and give them cover from anyone who may come after them.

"Hey Vic..."

"Yeah..."

"Have you been getting the feeling that sometime soon we're going to have to pick a side?" It had been a question weighing on Barts mind for some time now. So much had happened and the more time that has passed by the more and more it seemed the team was losing what had held it together for so long.

Victor sighed heavily, he had feared that even before Clark had made his speech to the world that their very powerful friend was on the edge of a very thin line and now today made his fears all the more real. "I think we just have," he answered. It was too late now to turn back. There was no telling what Clark would do all he could hope that at some point Clark would come to his senses and things could go back to the way they were before all hell broke lose.

Star City

Watchtower

"...as a city from the darkest depth of the ocean that has never been touched by sunlight. Has been place in the middle of the hottest desert in the world."

"Clark what have you done," sighed Oliver as he turned away from the TV. How could things have gone so bad so quickly? What was happening to them? How could they fall so far? He quickly tapped into his comm., he had to reason with him. He had to get this friend back. The Clark Kent he had known would never have done this. "What the hell Clark-"

"I told you-"

"I know Clark Kent is dead!" exclaimed Oliver. "But that doesn't mean you can threaten an entire city and expect everyone to-"

"No! You don't get a say in this," exclaimed Clark. "You think I didn't hear what your were telling AC?"

"Please...Clar...Kal... whatever you want to be called," begged Oliver pleading with all his heart. "Think this through. This isn't you..."

But Clark didn't want to hear it. It only reminded him of all his failures, of all the people who have lost their lives in Metropolis. He couldn't be that man anymore. He had to be stronger and firmer. It was the only way to keep everyone safe. "Victor remove Olivers comm access. He's no longer with us..."

"...But."

"That's an order!" demanded Clark.

"...Yes sir," answered Victor with a heavy sigh.

"Clark wait, don't-" exclaimed Olive,r but the connection went dead. He lowered his head down sighing heavily.

Mediterranean Sea

on the beach shore

Clark sighed heavily. It was hard enough making the decision in taking the City of Atlantis to the surface and now he had to cut Oliver lose. He knew Oliver was only trying to help, but Oliver didn't understand. Not really. He didn't know what it was like having all this power and having for years held back and watched as innocent lives were lost to crime and corruption.

"Kal," Kara annouched as she fell down to her cousin. "AC is ready to speak with you."

"I don't want to see him," he told her with a heavy sigh. "I haven't achieved anything by talking today." He had tried to get both Oliver and AC to understand, ut his words were not effective enough to get through to them. Only by action was he able to make them see. He turned to Kara with a faint smile, the one person he knew he could always count on to be there for him. "You talk to him." With that Clark flew away.

Kara sighed heavily as she went over to where AC was waiting along with his wife Mera and their one year old son, Arthur Jr. 'AJ'. Kara didn't like that it took having them threaten an entire city to get through to Arthur, it went against everything she believed in. But after what happened in Metropolis everything had changed.

"Once you pull back your armies, your city will be returned to its rightful place," Kara annouched.

"And am I not allowed to defend my boarders from those who would wish us harm, as you are?" AC asked.

"There is a ceasefire in order," Kara annouched. "We don't have to worry about that. No one does."

"I never thought that Clark could be capable of something like this," AC annouched. "He trusts you Kara, he'll listen to you. Get him back on the right path."

"Things are different now," Kara answered with a faint smile. "Everything changed after Metropolis. It changed all of us."

There would be no denying that. AC knew it to be true. He would never have thought of doing this before, but after everything that's happened, losing Metropolis. He had to do everything he could to protect his home. Ever at the cost of going against his friends. "There's going to be a lot of scared people out there who aren't going to want those with the powers of a god running the show."

"We're not dogs," Kara told him.

"You may not intend to be, but believe me that is what they will see you to be," AC told her as he turned to Mera and took his son from her arms.

"Will you pass along a message to Clark."

"Of course," answered Kara.

"Tell him...tell him..." he couldn't even bring himself to say it.

Mera smiled faintly at her husband as she gripped his shoulder gnawing this wasn't easy for him. She looked to Kara. "Please tell Clark. That were both deeply sorry about Lois and the baby." they both knew how much Clark wanted to have a family with Lois.

"I will," she told them. "And I'm sorry about today."

"So am I," answered AC

TO BE CONTINUED