Chapter 7
'I'm going to be right back, I promise.'
John Henry's own words echoed through his mind as he tenderly rubbed the hairband on his wrist. He sat in a tiny cell staring absently at a small window in the heavy metal door. There was nothing to look at in the room. Nothing to distract him from the relentless memories and regrets.
Ever since Kal-el's son had broken through his emotional defences he'd felt it all flooding back in. He'd let all his rage, pain and grief express itself in one almighty scream of anguish, and now he just felt raw. He made no effort to escape when the soldiers had swarmed the factory. Where would he go if he did?
He'd arrived in this world without warning or intent, confused and desperate, with no idea how he'd got there or how he was ever supposed to get back. It didn't take him long to realise he was utterly stranded; and that the longer he stayed, the stronger the likelihood his world was gone.
That Natalie was dead.
A tear rolled down the outline of his scar and he didn't make any move to wipe it away. He knew there was still an enemy to fight, but the clarity of purpose he'd had was gone. For so long, he'd just had one mission, one promise to keep. To kill Kal-el. He'd failed on his world, but he'd thought succeeding here would be his chance at redemption.
If he could prevent the same suffering that he'd been so helpless to stop on his world, at least his arrival here had some meaning.
It wasn't all for nothing.
But he had been blocking out a niggling truth since he had arrived. This world was different.
Even before he knew Superman had a family, he could see that he wasn't the same Superman from his world… they might have both been heroes of a sort, but this Kal's legacy was something greater. He was a symbol of hope. The people trusted him, looked up to him.
Not to mention this earth's Sam and Lois' had close relationships with him. And of course, John Henry Irons was dead on this world… Lex Luthor had killed him.
He'd looked into all of his allies when he'd arrived here, hoping maybe one of their doppelganger's could help him get home. Luthor had been top of his list, but he was shocked to find out the man's alternate persona was so far from the man he'd looked up to. It seemed Lex was just as keen on bringing down Superman on this world, but he'd been a lot more villainous in his pursuit. Now, the man was in a coma and the tech he designed here that might have helped them defeat the Kryptonians was a secret only he could tell.
John's heart felt heavy in his chest. He pulled in a shaky breath and placed his hands on the back of his head as he leaned forwards, resting his elbows on his knees. This world was different, yes, and maybe there was a chance this Superman wouldn't turn on humanity like his had… but an army was still being prepared. Morgan Edge was still using X-K to create them. He was still planning on taking over.
He just hoped to God this world's Sam would take him seriously when he told him what was coming.
Beep
Beep
Beep
Clark's eyelids flickered slightly as the strange beeping sound tugged him into consciousness and away from the comfort of oblivion.
'What is that noise?' he thought, frowning inwardly.
It seemed too slow for an alarm clock, but there was something about the tone and pace that seemed oddly familiar.
He tried to call out Lois' name to ask her to turn whatever it was off, but there was something blocking his throat.
Fear and adrenaline flooded his system as he realised there was some kind of plastic tube running from his mouth down to his trachea. The realisation knocked the rest of his senses into gear and he became suddenly and sharply aware of several other factors – there was what felt like a brace secured around his neck, something strapped around his head to hold it in place, and a needle with a tube attached was taped to his hand.
And he was in pain. A lot of pain.
A low groan formed in his throat as his head started to throb unbearably and he became aware of soreness and stiffness all over his body. His nose felt out of shape and his jaw had clearly taken a hit. He felt like he'd been slammed into by a truck several times over – or at least, how he imagined that would feel without powers.
Clark tried to open his eyes but the light that assaulted him was much too bright, they slammed shut again as he winced at the added pain. He continued scanning his senses blindly and realised his top half was bare other than some bandages wrapped tightly around his torso.
His mind was starting to put some of the pieces together as he sensed his environment. The beeping sound, the tube, the fluorescent lights… and there was a very distinctive smell in the air. Something clinical.
He was in a hospital.
Terror flooded his system, and his eyes flew open wildly, despite the brightness. He struggled to sit up but found to his dismay that there were straps holding his arms down.
No, no, no… his mind raced. He couldn't be here, not a hospital. Not again. He willed himself to wake up from what he so desperately wished was just another of his usual nightmares, but his senses told him this was very real.
Besides, in his nightmares, Lex was always right there, tormenting him.
All he knew was that he had to get out of there.
Where the hell was he anyway? How had he gotten there? He couldn't remember anything, and it chilled him to the bone. He was clearly weakened and without his powers.
The bandages around his middle and the jolts of pain whenever he moved told him that maybe he had broken some ribs. The throbbing headache and dizziness that was getting worse the more he moved around told him he'd suffered some kind of head injury too.
Did whoever hurt him have kryptonite? He wasn't feeling the usual signs of it's presence, but that didn't mean they didn't have it somewhere, ready to use against him once they realised he was conscious.
He directed all his strength into pushing against the straps at his side. He fought to ignore the pain as his injuries protested, pushing as hard as he could and gritting his teeth to stop from crying out.
To his surprise and relief, one of the straps snapped. His powers must be starting to come back! Determination gripped him as he realised there might be a window of escape if he acted quickly enough. He lifted his hand to the tube sticking out of his mouth, grunting as the movement triggered another agonising wave of pain from his side. He tugged at it, pulling it up and out at an angle, gagging painfully as he went.
He gasped as he finally pulled it free, and the sudden breath caused him to cough violently.
His chest felt like it was on fire.
'Oh, no Superman, don't do that!' came a voice from somewhere in the room.
At the realisation he was not alone as he thought, panic started to really take hold of him.
Clark pulled frantically at the strap under his chin, unhooking the immobiliser from around his head, and managed to lift himself just enough that he could see the man approaching his side. It was a doctor he didn't recognise.
'It's okay, there's nothing to be afraid of,' the doctor said, looking down at him with concern & confusion on his face.
Clark wasn't remotely reassured at his attempt to show kindness and lull him into a false sense of security. He'd learned his lesson the hard way last time. With his free arm he managed to take the doctor by surprise and shove him across the room.
The man crashed into a metal table full of medical supplies, causing a cacophony of noises as items clashed together and scattered across the floor. He scrambled to his feet, looking at him in shock and called out a couple of names Clark couldn't make out.
Clark sensed fast movement from the other side of the room. He bust open the strap on his other arm and struggled up to a sitting position as quickly as he could, swinging his legs around to hang off the side of the bed in readiness to try and stand. But the hasty movement caused a wave of dizziness that hit him so hard he had to hold his breath against the urge to vomit. His vision became blurry, and his world started to spin.
Suddenly two young men in scrubs were at his side. They pulled him back down onto the bed, each holding an arm in place. He tried to fight back against their grip, but they were stronger than they looked and were using their full body weight to push against him, determined to hold him in place.
'Let me go,' Clark cried out hoarsely.
His throat was so sore, just those three words caused him to wheeze, and he swallowed several times against the discomfort.
He threw all the strength he had into pushing back against the men once more and felt himself lifting slightly from the bed. They looked at each other wildly as they continued to fight as hard as they could to keep him in place.
'For god's sake, hold him steady,' said the doctor, holding a needle up in the air and flicking it gently.
Another wave of dizziness hit him and he couldn't keep up the strength it took to push back against the men's weight. They overpowered him fully and his body sunk back to the bed.
'What are you doing?' he choked out, his face a mixture of anger and fear as he glared at the approaching doctor.
'You need to rest, Superman,' the doctor said, 'You've been through a horrible ordeal.'
Clark's eyes were still full of distrust and confusion as the man plunged the needle into the tube sticking out of his hand, injecting him with its contents.
He closed his eyes as his pain and panic started to subside under the effect of whatever he'd been given. He tried to fight it, still aware of the desire to leave, but his motivation and sense of urgency were leaving him.
He gave in and sank into the darkness until he was once again safely in the comfort of unconsciousness.
Lois paced back and forth so furiously she was surprised she wasn't wearing a trench into the floor.
The boys sat slumped over in their chairs in the hospital hallway, every now and then looking up at their mother anxiously. The night had been horrific and none of them knew what to say or how to deal with what they'd been through.
'Mom,' Jon said softly. 'Do you think you might wanna sit down at some point?'
At first, Lois spun round to glare at her son defensively; but she quickly softened as she saw the concern on both of their faces.
'Oh boys… I'm sorry,' she said, coming to sit next to them and trying to relax. 'I just hate this part so much.'
'This part?' Jordan asked her curiously.
'Yeah,' she swallowed the lump in her throat, 'this isn't the first time your Dad's had a brush with death.'
She bit her lip, not wanting to give the boys any more reasons to be scared, but her own traumatic memories were making it hard to stay present and they deserved to know why.
'I know that sounds scary,' she continued, 'but he's going to be okay. I know it doesn't seem like it right now, but trust me, your Dad's been in worse spots than this and he always gets through them.'
The boys looked at each other, faintly sceptical, but not wanting to upset their mom more than she was already.
'I have been dealing with this for 20 years,' Lois insisted. 'Trust me. Your Dad will fight through this and he will win.'
'I know he's strong mom,' Jonathan began, 'It's just… he looked so messed up, and... I couldn't even find a pulse. I thought he was...'
Jonathan's face started to crumple again, and Lois pulled him in close to her. She reached a hand out to Jordan who already had his arm around his brother, and they held each other in silence.
They stayed like that for a few minutes, until the big swing doors at the end of the corridor flew open. All three of them looked up expectantly as General Sam Lane strode up to his traumatised family.
'Are you boy's okay?' he asked his grandsons straight away.
'We're fine grandad,' Jordan affirmed.
Jonathan just nodded, too emotional to speak.
'Lois?' her dad turned to her knowingly. 'How are you holding up?'
'They won't let me see him,' she replied in a measured tone that suggested he needed to do something about it.
'Honey, you have to let the doctors do their jobs,' Sam reasoned with her.
'Dad, you know what he's been through in so called 'hospitals'. I can't just let him wake up here alone,' she implored him. 'He has to know he's safe. He has to know this is different to last time.'
'I know... this isn't going to be easy on him,' her dad acknowledged, a grim look crossing his features, his own memories of Clark's condition clearly present in his mind. 'But the most important thing is that he recovers. You have to trust me sweetheart, we have the finest medical staff here at the DOD that money can buy.'
'But what harm could it possibly do for me to just sit there?!' she exclaimed in frustration. 'Dad, please. I need to be with him.'
She knew her relationship with the man of steel had been a hard pill for her dad to swallow at first, but over time he'd come to see and even admire just how much love they had for each other.
'I'll talk to the doctor,' he assured her.
Just as her dad was about to try the door to the room Clark was in, the doctor stepped out.
'Ah, General Lane,' the man said, startled to find the General in the doorway but seemingly happy to see him.
'Doctor, how is he?' her dad asked urgently.
Lois and the boys tensed as they waited for the response.
'He's going to be okay,' the doctor reported, and all four of them let out a breath of relief.
'What's his condition,' her dad questioned further.
'The yellow sun lamps have already reduced a lot of the swelling and his strength already seems to be returning somewhat. Several of his ribs were badly broken as well as his nose and his jaw, but he's healing very quickly. The bruises on his chest are already fading,' the doctor reported, sounding quite proud of himself.
'Can we see him?' Lois queried impatiently as she stood up and walked over to them.
The doctor looked at her in exasperation. She'd given him quite a hard time since they'd been there, but he'd continued refusing her access to the room.
'He regained consciousness briefly a moment ago but he's asleep again now. I don't know why, but he pulled his breathing tube out and managed to break out of his safety straps. He seemed unusually disoriented and panicked, but we were able to calm him down with a sedative,' he said, as though this was good news.
'You drugged him!?' Lois exclaimed, glaring at him angrily.
The man seemed visibly irritated and defensive in response to her outrage.
'Yes, Miss Lane, I did. I tried to explain to him that he was safe, but obviously he didn't believe me as he threw me across the room. He seemed hell bent on leaving the hospital, and in his current condition he could do himself some serious damage if he tried,' the doctor explained. 'He needs rest and proper medical care in order to fully recover. Kryptonian healing aside, his body has been through some serious trauma.'
Lois dialled her outrage down a notch at the doctor's rationale, but she was still not backing down. Now that she knew Clark had already woken up here alone once and reacted exactly as she imagined he would, she knew she couldn't let it happen again.
'I'm going to be there when he wakes up again,' Lois told the man.
Her tone made it clear she wasn't asking for permission.
The doctor looked towards Sam for back-up, but he simply shrugged and gave him a look that said, 'there's no use arguing with her.'
'Fine,' the man said reluctantly, 'I suppose it might help for him to see someone he knows when he wakes. But you mustn't disturb him until he regains consciousness of his own accord. Is that understood?'
She nodded, still grimacing at him for having blocked her so far. The man shook his head slightly as he headed up the corridor.
Lois stepped forwards and almost headed straight into the room, before catching herself and glancing back at the boys apologetically.
'It's okay mom, go,' Jon reassured her.
'We'll be okay. We've got the internet to keep us occupied,' Jordan said, lifting his phone up and giving it a little wiggle.
Lois smiled gratefully at them both for being so brave.
'I'll send Rosetti down to keep you boys company. Let him know if you need anything, and I'm only a radio call away if anything happens,' her dad told them.
'Where are you going?' Lois questioned.
His face was grim as he replied. 'I'm going to get some answers out of the son of a bitch who kidnapped my grandkids and put my son in law in the hospital,' he stated with cold determination.
She simply nodded in response. If Clark wasn't lying unconscious on the other side of that doorway, she might have insisted on coming with him, but she had one clear priority right now.
She gave the boys one last reassuring look before stepping inside the room where her husband's badly beaten body lay.
'Everything is going according to plan, sir,' Leslie Larr confirmed, relieved to be delivering good news to her boss. 'The executive program is underway and all the of the X-K has been shipped successfully.'
Morgan Edge smiled devilishly back at her from his office chair
'Wonderful. Miss Cushing has been very helpful in selecting the candidates. And it seems both Superman and Lois Lane are going to be out of the picture for a while now. Remind me to thank this John Irons character for keeping them busy,' he gloated with delight. 'Any more word from our man at the DOD?'
'Just that Superman's condition is stable, but it'll take some time for him to recover fully,' she confirmed.
'Good. Soon it'll be time for my brother to join us. To get to know his true heritage,' he explained. 'Maybe this attack will help him to understand. The humans will never really trust him. He will always be an alien threat to them.'
Leslie simply nodded in response and left him alone in the office.
He leaned back in his chair, turning to look out of the window thoughtfully. He had been waiting so long for all the pieces to come together. Having to suffer through a human life, pretending to be Morgan Edge and squashing down his Kryptonian side to gain the advantage he needed to succeed.
Now he was so close to his father's vision becoming a reality. He would finally be able to prove that he had become a man Zeta-Rho could be proud of. He would finally be able to announce himself to his brother and let him know he was no longer alone. That he could stand side by side with his flesh and blood and make a new Krypton here on earth.
And if his brother refused… well, he'd just have to convince him otherwise. One way or another.