Part 13

Australia

The Nullarbor

Bart was running as fast as his feet would carrier him. He was running faster than he ever has before. When ever he needed time to think, time to clear his head he would come here. There is no place like it on the planet. One road in the southernmost part of Australia that stretches of over a thousands miles of just open road. Sure, there is the occasional angry tourist who likely made a wrong turn, and then the massive road train that have to cross the country, but that's it. He doesn't need to worry about anyone or anything.

"Than why am I worried?"

Bart comes to a full stop when he spots a road sign, a road sign he has passed by a hundred times, but today he stops. Though he has never stopped to read the sign he knows what it says. '90 MILES STRAIGHT – Australia's Longest Straight Road 146.6 km' He has ran it hundreds of times before. It's the only road where he can run the entire length and only have to dodge the occasional kangaroo or flock of emus. There's barely any traffic ever on this road, which for a speedster like him is heaven. Clark and him had raced a number of times on this road. They had raced so many times he couldn't remember the exact number, but he could count the number of times that Clark has said no. Five. In the weeks since Metropolis had fallen, since Lois and millions of lives had been lost Bart had been trying to get Clark to come here with him for a run. In the past when Clark was down and there seemed to be no end in sight. He would bring him here where they could just run, have time to think, to clear their minds and just let go. That is until today... Today he didn't want to think. Today all he wanted to do was run and never stop, because just maybe if he ran fast enough, if he ran far enough, if he ran long enough maybe things would be the way they were before. And Clark and him would race again, joke around and surf the beach on their way home. ….But that seemed too far out of reach. And he couldn't blame Clark. His friend had been through a lot more than anyone should ever have to go through.

And if today is of any indication, it maybe a while before Clark is his old self again. ...If any of them ever will be.

Two hours before

Australia

Melbourne

Clark had flown to Melbourne Australia after he had heard about a disturbance about a masked crusader who had taken justice into their own hands and taken out a number of gang members who had been disrupting one of the towns communities, but things had gotten out of hand and the very people the masked crusader had been trying to protect had turned against her calling her a murderer and no better than Supermans new world outlook, along with the rest of the worlds heroes. The people of Melbourne had joined together in protest of the very heroes they had once rejoiced.

Clark swoop down wanting to get the situation under control as soon as possible and hopefully he could do it on his own and not have to call Kara and Conner who were on call just in case he needed them. "Please. I ask for all of you to return to your homes or your place of work, before anyone gets hurt," Superman exclaimed as he eyed the angry mob who didn't look too interested in hearing anything he had to say.

"I was wondering when you were going to show up," annouched the masked woman as she turned to face Clark. "It's been a long time."

Clark stared into the woman dark brown eyes. His eyes widen, it was Andrea Rojas aka The Angel of Vengeance. He hadn't seen her in thirteen years. She had once worked at the Daily Planet with Chloe. Before that she and her mother had been attacked by gang members in Metropolis. Her mother had been killed and Andrea had been stabbed in the heart, she had undergone a heart transplant and when she awake she had powers. Power she had used to take out gang members and protect the people of Metropolis. She had even saved his mother once. The two had met while she had been on the hunt for her mothers killer, when she found him, she ended up killing the man against Clark protest who she then used kryptonite so he couldn't stop her from killing Lionel Luthor who had set the hit on her mother. He had been able to get free and stopped her from killing Lionel, soon after she disappeared from Metropolis and he never saw her again. Until today.

"Yeah it has," Clark answered with a smile. He had always wonder what had happened to her and if he would ever see her again. "I see your still hunting down gangs."

"Old habits die hard," she answered with a faint smile. "But the one thing that has changed is people used to be more appreciative. You'd think they be happy that were making the world a safer place."Clark was about to answer her when...

"You think you can come here with your special powers and tell us what to do!" exclaimed a man wearing a long trench coat coming forward from the crowd. "I'm sorry, but we have the right to protest in our own country!" He was not about to let a bunch of super powered beings tell him what he should and shouldn't not do. He didn't care how many times any of them had saved the earth or how many people were still alive because of them. That did not give them the right to be running the show for everyone. "You're the ones who need to return to your homes!" The man ripped off his jacket tossing it to the ground to revel some sort of super energize suit. The man then release glow beam of light at both Superman and The Angel of Vengeance, causing some of the people in the crowd to run away scared out of their minds.

But one of the bystanders remained still and watched, not being able to believe what was unfolding before his eyes. Bart watched as Clark and Andrea jumped the man in the super armored suit. The man had looked so strong, so right and motivated, but he wasn't that strong. However the man had gotten this armored power suit may have had some genetic tweaking, slapped tech onto him and pump himself full of steroids and told himself he was strong. But he wasn't. He couldn't even begin to compare to the real thing.

Bart watched in horror as the scared young man realized he was no super being and he wanted to help him. He wanted to stop this, but for the life of him he couldn't make his legs move. The fastest man in the world couldn't move for the first time in his life. He didn't need super hearing to know the man had been crippled upon impact. He didn't know whether it was by Clark or the new mystery hero, but in the end it didn't really matter. He then waited for Clark reaction who in the weeks past had killed Toyman, stopped war missiles and gone after War Lords, but now he had seriously injured a wannabe hero who was just speaking his mind. How would this effect the Man of Steel who has already been through so much?

Clark seemed to be in disbelief. Frozen. Unsure. He stared at the young man lying on the ground barely moving. He raised his hands staring at them, at what they had done. Bart was sure Clark was questioning his actions. Maybe even regretting them. It wasn't like he was out to hurt the man, he was trying to protect himself. He had only reacted and then the worst possible thing happened.

"Hey," Andrea turned to Clark with concern. "Are you okay?"

"I-" Clark didn't know how to answer that question. He wasn't even sure how he had gotten to this point. One moment the man was talking to them, shouting at them and the next he was lying on the ground barely moving.

Andrea could see Clark was in distress, she had seen that look before years earlier. She turned to the crowd that were starting to mob around them. They were chattering calling them monsters, which only angered her. Did they not see this was an accident? The young man was the one who attacked them first. They were protecting themselves and the people around them. "I suggest you all leave NOW!" she roared.

Within moments the mob was gone and all that remained were Clark, Andrea, the injured young man and Bart who slowly made his way over to them. His eyes met with Clark, which Bart took as Clark saying 'What had he'd done'? "Everything is going to be okay, stretch. I promise," he assured his friend.

"Who are you?" Andrea questioned the young man in red.

"A friend..." he started back away eying the man groaning on the ground.

"Hey, where are you going?"

"To get an ambulance," he exclaimed. "Don't move him!" Bart then ran as fast as he could to the nearest ambulance hoping that it wouldn't be too late to save the young man. He knew the last thing Clark needed weighing on his shoulders was another tragedy, but then Clark seemed to be part of the problem. And whomever this girl was didn't appear to be helping matters. Clark seemed to know this woman. He wasn't sure what their relationship was, but so far she was not winning any points over with him. Once he got to an ambulance and made sure the young man was going to be okay. He would go talk to Clark figure out what going on and what the deal was. And maybe figure out who this mystery woman is.

"Speedy Gonzales, can you hear me?"

Bart skidded to a stop. He tapped into his comm., not believing who the voice coming from the other end was. "Oliver? I thought Clark revoked your access?"

"He did. My wife designed the comms and implaced a backdoor access which I have access too. So, I basicly unrevoked my access."

"That would do it," Bart answered with a grin. "...And as much as I like to sit and chat, I've got to-"

"You don't need to worry about the ambulance. One is almost on the scene, it'll be there in three minutes. Right now I need you to head to the Advance Sciences and Genetic Testing Laboratory, in Canberra."

"Why? What's there?" Bart asked having no clue why Oliver would want him to go there. Science was never one of his strong suites, in fact he had failed science in school.

"I could tell you, but by the time I get done convincing you... which I WILL convince you. You could already be there a dozen times over."

"True point," Bart answered and in a quick flash he was running through the doors of the Advance Sciences and Genetic Testing Laboratory. "Okay I'm here," he annouched. "Now why am I here. You know how much I hate science."

"Because you're on the wrong side of this. And I haven't given up on you."

"I get that Clark and you have a thing going on, but it's not like this is the first time you two have gotten into a corral." While he had made the comment to Victor about having to choose a side, he didn't really believe they were going to have to, but then perhaps he was just in denial because he didn't want to have to choose between either Clark or Oliver. Both were equally important to him. He couldn't count the number of times either one had saved his ass.

"Right now Clarks, not himself," Oliver told him. "He's not thinking straight. And if today is any indication, SHE'S the last thing he needs right now."

"So you know who that chick was?"

"Yeah. Andrea Rajos. Thirteen years ago she worked at the Daily Planet with Chloe. And to make a long story short, she seeks vengeance for the innocent by going after their attackers and has in some cases been known to kill them. Chloe called her the Angel of Vengeance."

"Whoa..." Bart answered. Oliver was right in the state that Clark was in the last thing he needed was this girl in his circle. "I take it she never got the membership invite."

"I'm glad you find this whole thing funny."

"Hey, someone has to lighten the mood."

"I heard you were coming," annouched a woman doctor as she walked up to Bart. "I didn't really believe Mr. Queen when he said you would be coming." She held out her hand to Bart. "I'm Dr. Norris. It's nice to meet you Impulse."

"It's nice to meet you Dr. Norris," Bart answered as he shook the woman's hand.

"He said you wanted to know about the young man?"

"Yeah. I wanted to make sure he was alright," Bart answered as the doctor led him to another room. There on a large screen he saw a profile of the young man in the super suit he had been wearing.

"Meet Mitchell Davies, Galaxor."

"Galaxor?" Bart answered. What the hell kind of name is that? Then again what the hell kind name is Impulse. The name the team had picked for him while he was being detained by Lex's thugs. They came up with the name, because he tended to be very impulsive and was never afraid to say anything to anyone. "What does it mean?"

"I don't know. He just made it up," answered Dr. Norris. "He probably just made it up. We didn't choose him for his creative spark."

"Chose him?" Bart questioned the doctor. "What do you mean? What exactly do you do hear?"

"Why?" Dr. Norris answered. "He was fit. He was able. He didn't ask too many questions and above all he was willing to do anything to be a superhero." Dr. Norris led Bart into a dorm like room. She turned to him with a faint smile. "Sorry, he's not here at the moment. This is his room..."

Bart couldn't believe what was behind the door as he entered the room. It was filled with medical equipment and all sorts of computers and scanners for running test, but that wasn't what caught his eye. It was the posters and pictures that covered the wall. They were all of The League, everyone from The Wonder Twins, to Black Canary, to Superman ….to him. Bart approached the picture of himself, because it wasn't just him. The young man Mitchel was also in the picture shaking his hand. He had met the young man at some point.

"I don't remember that picture," Bart exclaimed softly.

"Why would you? You're the fastest man on the planet."

"How do you think he felt in that moment Bart," Oliver told him. "How do you think he felt when the heroes he looked up to broke him?"

Bart sighed heavily. He didn't know what to think in that moment. He turned to the doctor as much as it would hurt to know he needed to know. "Will he ever be able to walk again."

"We have been running several test, but..." She lowered her head. "No. He will likely never walk again."

The pain and grief was more than he could bear, but then it turned to anger. Had Mitchel never been chosen, never been given abilities then he wouldn't even be in this position. "You know if you're going to tamper with some guys DNA and try to turn him into some kind of superhero. Then you better be damn sure his body can handle it!" he exclaimed angrily into Dr. Norris face.

"You don't understand..." Dr. Norris tried to tell him.

"Bart that's enough!" exclaimed Oliver through the comm.

"Is this one of your pet projects Oliver," exclaimed Bart into his comm. "Giving powers to people whose bodies can't handle it. How the hell is this any better than the shit that Lex used to pull?" He wanted to know, because it sounded an awful lot like Oliver had continued some of Lex's research without the rest of them not knowing about it.

"If you take a minute to cool your jets, I can explain," Oliver exclaimed. "It's not what you think it is."

"No. I think it's perfectly clear," exclaimed Bart as he tossed his comm to the ground and flashed out of the room. He didn't need to hear Olivers explanation. There was nothing Oliver could say that would change things, a young man who had looked up to heroes will never be able to walk again. And every single one of them had failed him.

Arctic

Fortress of Solitude

Clark flew into his Fortress of Solitude the place his birth father had left for him along with everything he needed to know about Kryptonian technology and knowledge of other universes, but there was no data in all that knowledge that could help him now. Nothing to explain why evil exist or how he had to lose everything that was ever important to him. Why couldn't he be happy? Why did bad things keep happening to him? Why did he have to lose so much?

Was he doing the right thing? Was this the right way to prevent more tragedies? The world seemed to be divided some approved of him taking action, while others fought against it. She would know the right thing to do She always knew what the right thing to do was. Anytime he had any doubts she would always assure him that he was doing the right thing. That he just needed to believed in himself and trust himself. "I wish you were here..."

"Talking to your wife?"

Startled. Clark turned around to find Andrea behind him no longer wearing her mask. "How'd..."

"You're not the only one who can move fast," she answered with a faint smile. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to follow you, but after you left. I wanted to make sure you were okay."

"I'm fine," Clark answered.

"Right," Andrea answered. "That's why you were standing alone in a cold ice castle." She started walking around the fortress. It was unlike anything she had ever seen before. "But I have to say Clark, it is very beautiful."

"It's not Clark anymore," he answered. "It's Kal or Superman."

"Is that because you lost her?" she asked softly. "You've given up your humanity?"

"She was the only one that ever made me feel human," Clark answered. Sure his parents had tried and as much as he loved them, he never felt truly human with them. Lois was the only one who ever made him fell he was human and without her he felt empty. That that part of him had died along with her and their child.

"I'm sorry that you lost her," she gripped his shoulder smiling faintly at him. "I know it's never easy losing someone you love."

"I didn't lose her," Clark cried as the tears began to fall. "He drugged me. Made me see things, do things." He looked into her eyes feeling himself fall to pieces. "I killed her. I killed her and our baby." Andrea pulled him into her arms. "I killed my family."

Andrea knew how he felt. She felt responsible for her mothers death. She pulled away to look into his face. She brushed away one of his falling tears. "You may not have been able to save your family and all of Metropolis, but you are saving others from the same tragedy," she told him. "By taking the stand you have, placing order, millions of lives will be safer because of you. You're making a difference Cl-Kal." She smiled proudly at him truly believing in what he was pursuing. It was the same thing she had been trying to pursue for the last thirteen years. "She would be proud of you."

"And what about today?" he asked. "That man's going to be paralyzed for the rest of his life."

"That was an accident," Andrea told him. "He attacked first. Who knows how many people could have gotten hurt if we hadn't acted when we did." She had to get through to him. She had to make him see. "You didn't do anything wrong. They're learn to see that."

"...It's good to see you again," answered Clark with a faint smile. "I always wondered what happened to you.

"I've been around," she answered. "I do have to tell you I was very proud when you showed your face to the world." She took a moment to become mesmerized by the Superman suite he was wearing. She brush her hand over the 'S' "...and that this has more class than that blue shirt and red jackets you used to wear."

"My mother made it for me," Clark answered with a smile. He didn't know what it was about Andrea, but she made him feel like he was doing the right thing. That he shouldn't question himself. That he should just believe. Something he thought he would never be able to do again.

"She has good taste."

Present...

Australia

He hadn't stopped running since he had left the research lab. Since he had learned about one of the projects that Oliver had been running, a project that resulted in a young man never being able to walk again. Bart couldn't believe that Oliver the guy who wanted to put a stop to all of Lex 33.1 bases had actually in a way created his own and was allowing abilities to be given to innocent people. How could he be doing such a thing? Didn't he remember what happened the last time he had tried such a thing on himself? Oliver has practically lost control of himself. So why would he have done this? Bart didn't understand. He didn't want to understand.

Bart knew that having powers, these abilities weren't for the faint of heart. That not everyone could handle the responsible, that not everyone mind and body were capable of handling such power. Even he for a time had used his power for own personal gain until Clark had set him straight and Oliver had given him a chance to make a difference. Which is why he now found himself stopping, stopping to look at a dead kangaroo on the side of the road.

He had read once that the Red Kangaroo could stand six feet tall, two hundred pounds of muscle. You would think such a creature would be an unstoppable force. That there was nothing that could stop it, except for a two-hundred-ton road train truck traveling at seventy miles an hour. The kangaroo never stood a chance... The driver wouldn't have been able to stop in time. And chances are he probably didn't notice

Bart lowered his head. He had slowed down. He had noticed, except now instead of seeing the dead animal he was seeing Mitchel's unmoving groaning body. It was too much for him as his legs gave away.

"What the hell are we doing?" he cried. It was no longer clear to Bart who was right or who was wrong. He could play everything over and over in his mind all day and still come up empty. He didn't want to think about it. He didn't want to have to choose a side. …..But all he wants to do now is run.

TO BE CONTINUED