LXXIV
The Hold

In the blink of an eye, Barda watched as Black Adam flew at speed beyond comprehension into the heavens, her idiot husband in tow. He was risking his life for the two stronger heroes that remained behind… and she would not let him down.

"Clark, listen to me. You need to fly us closer to the sun. Heal."

"You have to save him, Barda! That madman will tear him apart…"

"We'll save him, Clark. He's buying us time. Start flying now!"

Although Barda could fly with her aero disks, there was no way she could ever match Clark's speed. The Kryptonian scooped the Female Fury in his arms and took to the sky, flying straight at the sun. With each second, he left the radioactive air in his wake, feeling stronger, the sky a blue blur of speed.

"What's the plan, Barda?"

"For us to save his butt… once you're at one hundred percent."

"Can't we just reason with him? I think he's looking for friends."

"Really, Clark? I thought he was looking for sex. You know, if you were ever into guys, I could probably hook the two of you up…"

"I could drop you, you know."

"Now you know how I feel… Listen, we'll talk to him after we smack him around. If we don't like the answers, we'll smack him around some more. But in order to do that, we need you back to your old self. Got it?"

He felt stronger, but he knew the green poison still weakened him. Adam had pushed him to his knees as though he were a child. There could be no excuses when next he stood against Adam. He had to be ready to fight.

Flying above the world, he gazed back. The simple clarity of the blue and white planet below, the sun shining through the void of space upon his back. It was strange to share this experience with someone. It had been his private joy since he had learned to fly… He would have loved to have Lois here, to show her the beauty of the planet they had shared. Barda slipped behind him and wrapped her arms around him.

"… Ummm… Barda? I'll be alright... just feeling sentimental. " Her embrace was closer to a bear's hug than one of a friend, trapping his arms under her own, squeezing.

"Make me let you go, Clark. Then I'll know that you're healed. Break my hold."

"A test of strength? We don't have time for this."

"I'm not letting go until you break my hold. If you can't free yourself from this, Adam will crush you. Keep talking and I'll just squeeze harder."

Clark felt the power of the woman from Apokolips compressing his ribs. Until recently, he had believed that his own physical power had been irrefutable, absolute. Now he wondered if even at full power, he could break Barda's grip, let alone save her husband from a three thousand year-old being who had the strength of the gods.

"You're not even trying, Clark."

It was true, he wasn't… Clark attempted to push his arms away from his side, but the bear hug remained unbroken. His strength was returning, but the doubt within him sabotaged his ability to use it.

"Clark… Men like Adam, they only believe in strength. That's why he's chosen you and I. He would make us lords of the earth, to rule over the weak. If this was your true desire, you could break my hold."

"That's…ugh… not what I… want."

"Good… Draw your strength from the light. From the memory of Lois and all she believed in."

That was true. Lois had believed in a fellowship of the stars. And now her dreams only lived in Clark. He had been blessed with her great vision, but could no longer see through his tears. He must live so that the dreams he carried with him would live.

"That's it, Clark. You're getting stronger. The world that Adam would create would go against everything Lois ever believed in."

Adam would enslave the world. As the righteous embodiment of gods that had long since faded into the annals of time, this tyrant would conquer without mercy. A man of the past when the borders of empires were defined by death. A time when death counted the victor.

His super vision returning and his eyes clearing, Clark could see the struggle below. Something had happened… Adam and Scott were locked in a titanic struggle…

"Barda! You've got to let me go! He's going to kill him!"

"Then break my damned grip! Or else I swear to the Highfather I'll crush the life out of you for letting him die!"

A green glow emanated from the Kryptonian's body, ejecting all traces of radiation from his body. For a moment after, he glowed of pure light, his body burning against Barda. He pulled free from her grip, free from any doubts and the poison that had weakened him. His friend was in imminent danger and he would save him.

The man of steel was gone in the blink of an eye, leaving Barda alone at the edge of the sky.