Alright guys, Enjoy
There was a grogginess to Clark's mind that he hasn't felt in a very long time. His eyes opened and the first thing he saw was the blue glow of the aquarium, his mind returned to him a few moments later and he was able to recap on what happened just before he passed out. He slowly picked himself up off the couch and made his way to his feet, thankfully he wasn't dizzy and was able to stay up right without trouble.
He started to walk forward and headed towards the bathroom, removing his clothes as he did so. He was naked as he entered the room and moved in front of the mirror "Ok, not great but it will do" he said to himself as he starred at his body, the large bruises were faded but still present, not unexpected. What made him feel much better was that the larger green vanes spread out over his body where still there, but they were faded as well. It by his estimates it would be until this time tomorrow for him to be completely healed, he found himself surprised, he thought it would take longer than that. Either he's more immune to this then he thought or with how injured he was he got his math wrong.
Either way he wouldn't be complaining, the faster he's back to a hundred percent the better. Turning on the sink, he reached down with his hands and splashed his face. Looking back to the mirror once the water falls away, he let out a sigh at what he saw behind him "if you knew how you were going to die. How would you live your life differently" Lois said behind him.
He didn't say anything back to her, he just shook his head and made his way out of the bathroom, grabbed a new set of clothes and put them on "EDI, what's happened while I've been out?" he asked out loud.
"We are nearing Alpha Draconis system. The planet 2175 Aeia is located here. Operative Taylor is preparing himself for the mission to the surface. If you were unavailable, he was prepared to head down to the planet on his own" the A.I informed him as he got dressed.
"That won't be necessary" he told EDI "I'll head down now, anything else?" he asked as he made his way out of the room and headed towards the elevator.
"Doctor T'soni and Feron departed the ship in favour of staying on the Shadow Brokers own ship before we left. Justiciar Samara and Doctor Solus have also left for the Brokers own ship, though both returned before departure" So Samara got her Kryptonite shard and he didn't know what Mordin wanted to get but he didn't think that it would be anything too bad "lieutenant Williams has also been granted permission to use the QEC, she has given a report to Alliance command about the Shadow Broker. I also detected a signal emitting from the Brokers ship after you the team first returned, I was unable to determine the location of the single" she informed him.
"Don't worry EDI, that was me" he told the A.I, it wasn't in doubt but he was happy that his little device worked. The small will disk he placed on the terminal in the ship worked and all the data the broker had was copied and transferred to his own ship. He would need to head back there soon and search through all those files.
"I see... that was all of note that happened. I recommend you head to the Armoury in order to inform operative Taylor you will be joining him planet floor" she informed him as the doors closed and he headed back down.
"I'll get on that, thanks EDI" he said as the elevator went down by one floor.
"Understood sir, logging you out" the A.I said as the doors opened, he was met with the command centre, and everyone was at work.
Upon hearing the door opened Kelly turned to look at him "Sir!" she said almost jogging over towards him "are you alright? you looked like death when you came in" she was looking at him up and down, checking him for injures and he could tell that she was paying close attention to the green vanes on his skin.
"I'm fine Kelly, feeling a lot better" he said to her with a small smile. Touched that she seemed so worried about his condition.
"Good" she smiled taking a step back "I would have hated our next session to be in the med-bay. It's better in private" she added.
"Right" Clark sighed as he turned to leave, being forced to admire her persistence. The doors opened for him automatically, and he walked in to see Jacob standing in front of the table going over a handful of weapons. He wasn't moving too quickly but Clark could tell that he was slightly on edge. He glanced over his shoulder and when he saw him, he quickly turned around and saluted "Sir, glad to see you back in the land of the living" he said.
"Good to be back" he nodded towards the operative "I hear we're nearing the planet the SOS is coming from?" he added.
"Yes sir. Should be ready to head down in a half hour. I understand we wouldn't be able to do this normally because we're needed on Tuchanka" he looked down for a moment before starring back up at him "I won't forget this sir"
Clark nodded back at him before he moved forward "I assume you would like it if it was just you and me heading down there?" he asked with a quite voice.
Jacob didn't answer for a moment "I would appreciate it sir"
He just nodded back at him before turning to leave "Alright, I'll see you down there" he turned to leave and made his way back to elevator.
The ride down into the planet was a calm affair, Clark and Jacob were sitting opposite each other as they rode down "What do you think we're expecting to find down there?" he asked the operative as the heat from the planet's atmosphere overtook them, making it nigh impossible for anyone expect for him to see through.
"The source of the signal. Weather that's the ship itself malfunctioning and finally doing its job. Some pirates attempting to rob anyone who investigates" he pulled his rifle up and loaded a fresh thermal clip into it "Either way, we're not leaving until I know the truth"
'Well, at least he's determined' he thought to himself as he nodded back towards the dark-skinned man.
"Can I ask you something?" he asked the captain, Clark simply nodded back at him "you lost your dad when you were a teenager right?" he asked.
The suddenness of the question caught him off guard for a moment, he hasn't thought about his dad for a long time. Sure, every now and again his mind wonders back to his younger years and of course his ma and pa make an appearance "Yeah" he answered "he had a heart attack when I was sixteen" he confirmed.
"If you could see him again" Jacob started to ask as he leaned forward and looked at the middle of the ground between them "what would you tell him?"
That was when Clark realized why he was so nervous, a small part of Jacob thinks his dad might still be down there somewhere. Though seeing no reason not to, he answered the question "the truth" he started "that I said some things that I regret, that I love him very much and he was the best dad an alien orphan could have asked for" when he answered the question, a small light came up on the ceiling of the shuttle. Letting them know that they were nearing the area the signal was coming from.
They both stood up and looked out the window as a small island in the ocean came into view and a large ship half buried in the water right next to it "there it is, the Hugo Gernsback" Jacob said.
As the shuttle started to make its way to the ground, Clark took a step back towards the cockpit of the shuttle and banged on the door "when we get out, do a fly around that ship, give EDI time to scan it" he ordered.
"Yes sir" a voice on the other side said back.
The doors opened and the two stepped out onto the grass floor near the beach head of the island "wow" Clark started as the shuttle flew up and made its way towards the downed ship "it's beautiful here" he mused thinking this would be a great place for a beach house.
"Let's get moving" Jacob said as he pulled his rifle up and started to move forwards.
Clark calmly walked next to him, not needing a weapon for obvious reasons "I have ran a scan of the ship. I detect no life signs but there may be useful technology or information still inside" EDI told them as they walked along the coast and got closer to the ship.
"There it is. And mostly intact. They could have survived the impact... but it's been years" the operative mused. As they got closer, it was easy to see an improvised bridge going into the ship to the land and even some storage containers spread around the place "Looks like it was stripped after the crash. They'd have tried to get a beacon up as soon as possible"
"Could have been that the beacon was broken beyond repair until just recently" he thought out loud of Jacob moved forward to a working terminal and turned it on with his Omi-Tool.
"...along with this anymore. We've done horrible things to the crew. The condition they're in, they don't understand what we're doing to them" a disembodied voice said, it was clear that this was a log of some kind but they had no idea how old this log would be "distract them for two seconds and they forget what you did before the bruises show. It's got to stop. I'm talking to the others as soon as..." it cut off after that, the two shared a look with each other and Clark got a bad feeling about this.
"Ok" he said knowing that something was going on here "hang on one moment" he said to his companion as he hovered into the air. Once Clark was one mile into the air, things started to become clearer. The entire island was covered with clutter from the ship and he could see a large settlement within the middle of it all 'So the crew survived at least' he thought to himself but that was when he noticed one woman making their way towards them, behind her though he saw three men. All armed, they looked like they were looking for something. When the woman looked behind herself and started to run, it was made clear what was happening.
He quickly dropped the ground and looked the Jacob "with me" he said as he gave a light jog forward, his companion right behind him. They passed a regular V.I like was seen on the Citadel, they would go back to that later but for now. Someone needed their help. They entered a small flat area that was full of different containers.
That was when the woman saw them "you came" she said with a desperate voice "from the sky? The leader said someone would come! He delayed for so long, but he still has power!" she turned and looked at the direction she just came from "some have lost faith, the hunters! They will have seen your star. They will not let you help him"
Clark calmly stepped forward and gave the woman a calm smile "it's alright, I'm not going to let this continue. You're all going home" he said trying to ignore her words, it was clear something is wrong with her. While it was true they've been here a while, it shouldn't cause the types of problems that would make someone talk the way she was.
"Home" the woman perked up at the word "the leader... he said we serve him, so... we can go home. But we never did, the others. The hunters, they fight him. They were... they were cast out" he looked over the woman's shoulder and saw that the three men that were chasing her caught up "He exiled them. So, they hunt his machines and those who help him. They don't believe that rescue will come" Clark moved faster than someone could see, in one moment he was behind her just before the weapons from the three men could attack her, the mass effect rounds simply bounced off his back. The woman didn't even seem to understand what was happening and she looked to Jacob who was taking cover "Hunters! They won't stop until the leader is dead" Clark moved forward, taking the woman with him and placed her behind some of the containers so she wouldn't get hurt in the crossfire.
"Kill them! Agents of the liar! He will not escape!" they all heard one man yell and it was clear that the same thing that infected the woman did so to them as well.
"Sir, what's the plan?" Jacob asked as he stood up from cover and fired at the men, which stopped them from getting to close.
"Well" Clark started as he tried to think about everything that was happening and what they knew so far "everyone that is here must have done something that would affect their minds in such a way, we'll figure that out later. Though it does provide an opportunity" he looked down to the ground and sighed "god Damit" he said standing up and face the men directly.
He didn't want to do this, it always put a bad taste in his mouth but at the same time this would cause the least amount of violence and would save the most lives. He stepped out from behind cover and allowed the weapons to fire upon him, them not doing anything to him. He lifted himself up into the air. He did slowly and even then, the men still kept firing at him. However, when his eyes began to glow red, and a pair of beams shot out from them. That was when they stopped and dropped to their knees.
He moved forward into the air until he was in the middle of the area "you... your him" the woman said as she dropped to her knees and bowed her head. Almost touching the ground as she did so "I... I never believed... oh great one, please forgive this humble servant" a look of sullen sadness came onto Clark's face as he heard her words.
"We are not worthy" the men said in unison as they too all dropped to their knees.
"Raise" he said to them though his voice echoed out louder than one would expect from him. Jacob moved forward and around the woman, avoiding her like she was a bomb.
"So this was the plan" he said as Clark lowered himself back to the ground "I guess it works" he added with a clearly unsure voice.
"Unfortunately, it does" he agreed as he turned to the three men "All of you, come with me" he ordered them, and he and Jacob walked forward. The people from the ship quickly rose to their feet and walked behind him. The previous hostility completely forgotten.
"Clark, we need to find someone who can make sense of this" Jacob said to him while he kept a watchful eye on the others following him.
"That's why we're going this way" he said as they turned a corner and within an open area surrounded by large cliffs, they could make out what seemed to be where the majority of people where, the same one's Clark saw earlier.
"Is that a settlement? I hope they're as easy to convince to not attack as these guys were" Jacob said as they got closer "we need answers"
When the people of this settlement saw them approach, they started to panic. No doubt at the sight of the men... hunters. However, before they could start to scramble. The woman who they met first ran forward "FEAR NOT MY FREINDS!" she shouted getting everyone attention "for we have been saved! The chosen god as returned to us! He has come to deliver us from evil and save our souls from the shadows" she once again turned on him and kneeled at Clark, he himself doing everything he can to not sigh at her actions.
"One of these people must know what my father has to do with this!" Jacob said as he walked forward a couple of steps, no doubt about to start integrating the people that were moving forward towards them, or more actually, towards Clark.
"You have his face" one of the dozen women said as he looked at Jacob "He promised to call the sky, but he sends nothing"
"He forced us to eat, to... decay. You are cursed with his face!" she snarled as she pointed at him but before Jacob could try and calm them down, they turned back to Clark and many dropped to their knees "please of lord, deliver us from this evil"
Ignoring what the woman was saying, Clark turned back to Jacob "Well, now we know your fathers involved in some way"
"This is just giving me more questions; we need to find my father and get some answers"
"agreed" Clark agreed.
He started to walk forward ignoring the women around them on their knees with their faces against the ground. The camp itself was old and it was clear that all the food that they salvaged after the crash has long since went. Knowing that the quicker they got these people out of here the better, he reached out with his sense yet again and it didn't take long to find what he was looking for. It was route across the island that was full of mechs and other men that were fighting them. Must be the rest of these hunters. Behind them however and lot more mechs, there was a man on his own. Had his own makeshift area for himself, when Clark looked at the man, he resemblance. It was clear that this was his father.
"Alright, I got him" he said as he looked back to Jacob "about a mile that way" he pointed off into the distance.
Jacob nodded at him because his face contorted into a frown "let's go" he said making to move but was stopped when Clark placed a hand on his chest.
"Stay behind me" he said to the operative and made to move himself but stopped when something on the right caught his attention. It was a painting on the wall. It wasn't the best and was very crude but there was no mistaking what it was, it was him. He didn't know when it was drawn but he would hazard a guess and say that it was painted after whatever had affected these people took place. He was focused on this so much that he missed the mechs that where marching forward down the path they were about to take.
"Hostiles detected" an automated voice said, Jacob was able to get the first shot off which hit its target taking the head right off one of the mechs. Clark used his speed to blink into existence right in front of the other mech and ripped it apart with his hands, quickly ending the threat.
There was another woman nearby, she seemed to be taking cover from the mechs though when she looked up and saw Clark, her face fell again "oh he who is justice, protect from us from evil, save our souls"
"Clark, we should get moving" Jacob said as he reached him.
Upon hearing another voice, the woman looked up at Jacob "You... have his face... but you fight his machines. You can help stop this" she quickly turned around and picked up a data pad "this... I forget how to... read, but this... was the start. What he promised, wand what they did to is. We need the sky" she turned back to Clark "merciful once, take us back to the promised land" she quickly went back to her knees while Clark looked over to Jacob.
"What does it say" he asked.
"It's a crew logbook. Some of them thought the beacon repair was taking too long. They were afraid they'd run out of supplies and lose their minds to the decay the local fauna would give them. My father restricted the ship food for himself and the other officers so they wouldn't be affected. Everybody else had to eat the toxic food and hope for treatment later" he switched to the next page "the rest is a casualty list. A few mutinied over the decision. My father and the officers turned the mechs on them" he wasn't even trying to hide his anger.
Clarks face on the other hand was full of contemplation "doesn't make sense, why ten years until the beacon was finally fixed?" he asked out loud.
"It keeps going" Jacob informed him "more incidents, harsh punishments. It's like they're cattle. Or toys" he looked back at the data and kept reading "in a year, all the male crew members are flagged as 'exiled' or dead. They separated out the woman. Assigned them to officers like pets. And after the beacon is fixed, the officers appear in the casualties, too. After! My father took control and didn't stop it!"
"Ok" Clark said as he took a step back and took to the air. All around him where the woman and the three men "Your time here is at an end!" he yelled to all those present and they all dropped to their knees expect for Jacob "I will take you home" he turned around mid-air and turned on his Omni-Tool "EDI" he said in a quieter voice "Get a message out to Alliance command, I want an evacuation ship here as fast as possible. I don't care what you have to say in order to get them here quicker. Hell, get Williams to say what she wants so it can be done quicker"
"Understood sir" EDI said back before he hung up the call.
What followed could only be called a cleansing. Clark didn't touch the ground, he moved forward in the air with everyone following behind him. When the mechs started to fire at him, he just melted them with his heat vision and the stood no chance. Even when the other men fired at him because they didn't know any better but when they saw everyone else and what he could do. They quickly dropped to their knees.
Normally Clark would have let Jacob take the lead but after hearing everything's that happened. He just wanted this to end and to get these people out of here. Soon they reached a large mental door and it held up against Clarks power as well as the mechs did.
They just melted into nothing, when he saw the man who was responsible for all of this. He finally dropped back to the ground. The man looked at Clark with awe on his face that stopped him from speaking immediately, he turned around and faced the crowd which had grown quite large by now "Wait here" he ordered them all and despite they were faced with the man they all blamed for this. It seems the respect they had for him was more important and without a word they dropped to their knees and waited for them to be told what to do next.
Jacob on the other hand did no such thing. When Clark moved forward the man finally seemed to regain himself and started to move forward as well "I hoped that it would be the Alliance that would come for us but I had no idea... well, I'm certainly not complaining. You have my eternal gratitude for helping" he looked over his shoulder towards the crowd of people behind him "please, these people need immediate medical attention" he said to Clark who just walked past the man and leaned against the makeshift railing, crossing his arms as he did so. The subtle look he gave Jacob was enough for the Operative to realize that he was being allowed to do the talking.
"I'm surprised about you even care about your crew" Jacob started as he crossed his arms, forcing the man to look back at him.
"Why wouldn't I care, I'm the captain. Their lives are my responsibility" he said back to his son.
Jacob didn't say anything for a moment, but he did move forward and punch him in the face. Knocking him to the ground "maybe you wouldn't because we've read the logs, we know about everything you've done" he reached up pointed at Clark "and encase you didn't know, he can tell when someone is lying"
The man could have tried to double down on his lie but instead he went down another route "So what are you going to do? Kill me? You're not exactly Alliance, I doubt you have the authority to judge me" he argued back.
"On the contrary" Clark countered as he moved off the railing and stood over the man "he's the one person you need to answer to. After all, the only person a parent answers to is their child"
When he said that the eyes of the man widened "Jacob" he said as he looked to his son "Jacob, no. Not Jacob" he shook his head.
"Why not me!" his son yelled back "would ten years of this look better to anyone else in the galaxy?"
The downed man shook his head as he crawled back and stood up "you have to understand. This isn't me" he denied "the realities of command, they change you. I wasn't ready for that" he looked closely at his son "the only thing that let me sleep peacefully was that I knew I taught you better before I left. I had hoped to leave it at that" he tried to explain.
"Ten years!" Jacob stepped forward "God Damit, why would you do this to your crew?!" he yelled.
"There was resistance to the plan. Mutiny. We had to take a hard line to keep order. And things settled down. As the decay set in, we made sure the crew were comfortable. Some even seemed happier. Ignorance is bliss, right? And they were grateful for guidance, like an instinct. Pure authority was... easy. At first" he started to explain and while Jacob was angry, it was clear that he was paying complete attention "months in, the effect lowered inhibitions. They got territorial. Rank, protocol... they couldn't understand. We had to establish dominance. After a while the perks seemed... normal" he turned and looked at Clark "then one of the women recovered some data from the ship, it was a complete accident. She found footage of you, all the things you could do. With the minds the way they were. They started a form a worship, it kept them happy, so I didn't stop them" well that explained that at least.
"That's it!" Jacob yelled "you created a harem and played king? Ten years in juvenile fantasy?" he asked.
The man stepped back "I can't point to where it all went wrong. But when the beacon was ready, revealing what happened didn't seem like a good idea" he tried to explain.
"In other words, you knew you'd get into trouble for what you did, so you didn't call for help when you could have. If I had to guess I would say that the power cores for most of those mechs became damaged or about to run dry" Clark interjected before he shook his head "well it's over now. The Alliance is coming and you will answer for what you've done"
The man looked saddened by that but Jacob on the other hand looked angry and without warning he pulled up his weapon "He's not worth the fuel to hall him out. Or the air he's breathing. He's damned lucky I don't even think he's worth pulling the trigger" he dropped his weapon and starred right back at him "I don't know who you are. Because you're not any father I remember" he condemned before he turned and started to walk away.
"I'm sorry Jacob. I did the best I could" was all he said to the back of his son.
"I'm ten years past believing that" Jacob said back.
It took nine hours for the Alliance to arrive, a lot faster than Clark would have thought but it seemed that a patrol was passing through the area when the message was sent, he sent Jacob up in the shuttle first so he didn't have to be around his father anymore, he followed when the Alliance ships started to land. Much like with Horizon, they left before they could be discovered and where out of the system before they were spotted.
Once back on the Normandy, Clark made his way back up to the CIC in order to have a talk with TIM about whatever it was that he wanted to talk to him about. Though when he opened the door to the conference room. He could see that Jacob was already in there "what do you mean, it wasn't you?" he asked the person who he was talking too, and Clark had a very good idea about who it was.
Stepping into the QEC he was met with the familiar sight of TIMs office "Jacob, if I had leaked the information about the Gernsback, I would be smiling at you resolution of the situation. I am not smiling" he said back calmly.
"I find it very hard to believe that anything goes through this ship without you knowing about it" Clark countered back just as calmly.
"Mr Kent. It's good to see you back on your feet, I was told your injuries would heal but I'm pleased to see it for myself" TIM said with a nod towards the captain of the ship.
"Case in point" he muttered back.
"I assure you, I had no more reason to believe Jacobs father was alive then he did. Though I am happy to know that the situation is behind you" he nodded.
"Fine" Jacob admitted "you didn't forward it" he asked the next logical question "So who did?"
"I did" a third voice spoke. Clark and Jacob both turned to see Miranda standing next to them.
"I don't know why, but I am surprised" Clark said as he looked over to her.
"It was hardly classified. Just obscure" she explained "there was a time when we first met that it mattered to you. Sending this along seemed like keeping an old promise, I keep my promises"
"Miranda, we'll discuss your liberal interpretation of security protocol in private. Though that can wait. Kent, we need to talk" he said looking directly at Clark, who in turn looked at the two and nodded towards the door. They both left the call though with his hearing he could tell that Jacob was still there waiting for him.
"Kent, it seems that your exploits on Illium didn't go unnoticed" he pushed a button on his chairs arm rest and a handful of different screens showed up around him. Some showed use anchors talking behind a desk but the main screen in the middle showed the Citadel Council "I suggest that you look at this all more clearly later but for now you should know that they're not happy at the death of one of their best"
"I can't imagine they would be" he agreed "but her death had nothing to do with me" he informed him already knowing that it didn't matter if he was involved, his crew was and that was what mattered.
TIM took another puff before continuing "well the council don't seem to care, from the reports that Miranda gave me Spectre Vasir worked as an agent for the Shadow Broker? That is definitely something we can use to our advantage"
"No doubt about that but that doesn't mean it will be easy" Clark countered "politicians don't like when they're proven wrong"
"Indeed" TIM agreed "I've often thought about how the politicians are going to be the ones that cause our end. We could have been preparing for the Reapers for the past two years if they could see past their own fears and deniability" A small smile came onto Clark's face as the countless memories he has of them doing just that over the course of his early years of work as Superman "speaking of, where you able to find the Shadow Brokers ship?" he asked.
"We did" he answered "We found his ship, boarded it and took it over. The Broker himself is dead but unfortunately, it seemed the data and the ship was lost with him" as he said this, he looked up to the corner of the room. To a normal person they would just see the glass wall of TIMs office but to Clark who could look past the hologram and stare right at the camera that over saw the conference room he now stood in.
He hoped that EDI would get the point he was trying to make and not report what really happened or tell Miranda so she wouldn't report it. Not that TIM could stop him or anything but it would save him a headache later "I see... that's disappointing but if the Broker is dead then that means a large obstacle Cerebrus has been forced to deal with removed. While the data would have made our jobs much easier, I'll take no-one having it instead"
Clark crossed his arms and gave him a shrug, happy that he seemed to believe him "So, to what do I owe the pleasure of the call?" he asked.
"We caught a break" TIM started as he sat up in his chair and a separate hologram of the Collector ship appeared in front of them "the spy's I have within the Alliance have been able to report back on what they've found. Needless to say, the ship is marvel of engineering. I'll be sure to send you the full report later, for now I thought it best to say that the ships EM signature is different from the one that the Normandy SR-1 found when it was attacked" he told him.
"Meaning that the Collectors have more than one ship" Clark continued for him.
"Exactly, for all we know they could have an entire fleet of ships just waiting for us from whatever hole they crawl out of" he warned "I know you want to get to the Reapers and that's a goal in which you have my full support but at the same time, we cannot ignore the threat that they can pose if they're not taken care of"
"Agreed" Clark said nodding at his words, it was always the plan to look for the Collectors and get what they know on the Reapers but maybe he's been spending too much of his time focusing on the Reapers lately "Ok, we'll need to keep an eye out for any more word of them, have your spies try and look into the ships past trajectory. We need to know where they came from"
"Agreed" TIM said with a nod "for now I recommended you try and find a way to restore your public image. The council is out right condemning you and your name, it will be much harder to get a meeting with the leaders of the many different species if they think you're out to get them" he advised.
"Yep" Clark said letting out a sigh "I'll get right on that" he turned around and left without another word. The QEC closed behind him and as the table rose he saw Jacob still there waiting for him "So, no idea Miranda was behind it all?" he asked.
Jacob looked down and let out a sigh "No. She's got a good memory. Selective but good. I haven't thought about those days in a long time. I doubt I'll be able to figure out which promise she meant though. Not sure I really want to know. She... requires a better man than I" he gave Clark a knowing look and he didn't flinch at it.
Instead, he asked the next logical question "How are you?" he asked.
The small knowing look he just had was replaced with one of anger "It's all just bull Clark. Captain Taylor can rot in prison... it doesn't change who I am or what I know. I've already mourned the man he used to be. I guess he was a good enough father that even he can't screw up what he taught me"
"Well, I would say you can have a break if you like but I know that you'll just work anyway" when Jacob crossed his arms and gave him a smirk, he knew he had the right idea "Instead, I'm going to ask that you go downstairs and get yourself some food, then you get right back to it" he said.
Jacob stood straight and gave him a salute "Sir, yes sir" he said before turning to leave.
He took a deep breath, he really sure about what do it next. That wasn't true, he knew what he was going to do. He was going to open the door in front of him. It was what happened after that he wasn't sure of. He knew what he wanted, but at the same time he wasn't sure he should. His body was calling out, practically screaming at him to go in there and get this done, it yearned for a connection and right now he was almost denying it.
He didn't know what to do, though he did know that they did have to talk about it at the very least, oh sure, he knew that she tried to talk to him after he woke up from the Kryptonite poisoning. The problem was that he was still too out of it to give the topic his complete attention. In Clarks mind, if there was one thing that needed his complete attention it was this.
After another deep breath he knocked on the door, his hand no doubt echoing within the room. After a moment the orange holographic turned green, the door opened, and he entered to see Miranda sitting behind her desk starring at her terminal. What she looked up to see him, he could hear her heart rate flutter slightly "Clark, what can I do for you?" she asked with a nervous tone in her voice.
Clark himself walked forward until he was standing in front of her and he glanced over his shoulder in order to make sure the door was closed "do you have a minute?" he asked.
She looked at him before glancing down and sighing "yeah, I guess we should talk" she said standing up from her chair and walking behind hit, placing both hands on the shoulder rests "Clark I don't... I don't know what this is" she gestured to the both of them "I understand attraction, I understand sex. Sometimes I can even understand emotion but this... I don't know if it's any of those or..." she started.
"Or if it's something real" Clark finished for her as he walked around the desk until he stood a little closer, the chair being the only thing that's separating them.
She gripped the chair tighter as he said that "this is not the time for that, we are trying to find proof that could mean the galaxy's salvation or complete extinction" she pushed the chair away and started to walk backwards until she was in the living area of her quarters "I...we can't let something like hormones distract us from the mission" she stated as she stopped just at the foot of the bed.
"They do have a habit of being inconvenient" he didn't follow her but he did take a step forward until he was just on the threshold of the second room "but that's the problem, it's not just hormones. Not for me" he reminded her.
He took a step forward, there wasn't a doubt that she didn't remember what he told her about his people "if I were a human, we could just have a one-night stand and be done with it, but I can't. I wish I could" he stepped forward again and Miranda held her ground not backing up "it's not just hormones. Not for me" he stopped right in front of her "it's more than that" he admitted.
Miranda looked at him but he could tell she wasn't really looking, she was seeing through him. Trapped in her own mind for a moment until she finally did sit down just on the edge of her bed "so that's what this is then? Love?" she asked with a bitter smile as she looked up at him.
"No" he shook his head as he kneeled down in front of him "but it very well could become that" he wasn't in love with her, he knew that well enough. But he also knew that he wanted this, he wanted her and he knew that body wanted to the same.
She looked away from him "I've never felt that before. I wouldn't even know if I did feel it later"
"You'll know, everyone always knows" he assured her and she looked back at him, though that was when she noted his hardened expression "but there is one thing you need to know. I've lost someone I've love already. That... it... broke me and I haven't been the same since. I tried to hide who I was with Samara and hope that would work but we know how well that ended, so I won't do that with you. You know pretty much everything about me and you're still here" on his knees he reached forward and grabbed her hands as they rested on her legs "If we do this and it does go that far, I can't lose another woman I love. So you need to tell me this. Do you want this?" he asked.
She looked at him, right into his eyes and when he reached out with his senses, he could tell that she was really struggling with what to do. He couldn't blame her for taking her time with this, he was basically saying that they should ignore their feelings or get ready for what could be a very long relationship. Her heart was beating a thousand times a minute and her breathing was heightened. He stayed like that looking at her for a good thirty seconds, when the one-minute maker past, he decided to help "if you don't think it's worth it..." he started but was stopped when Miranda placed a hand on his mouth.
"that's just it" she started as she slid off the bed and got onto her knees in front of him, both of them being the same level with each other. She moved her hand away from his mouth and wrapped it around his head "for you I think it is" then she leaned forward and pressed her lips against his own.
Clark immediately reciprocated the actions and began to kiss her back. He wrapped both his hands behind her back and pulled her closer, their bodies pressing against each other.
They stopped though that was only due to Miranda needing to breath. After she took said breath, he pulled her back closer and their lips met. She didn't resist it. She did the opposite, she probed the front of his mouth with her tongue and without hesitation he granted her entrance and the two worked in sync to pleasure each other. Miranda let out a moan of passion as she felt his hands roam her back. Wanting more, she pressed her body even closer to his wanting to find a relief for the sudden rise in desire she felt.
His right hand fell from her back lowered going past her perfectly shaped ass and stopping just under her hip. As though she where as light as a feather, he lifted her up off the ground and placed on her back, back on the bed. She broke the kiss with a gasp as she felt his weight on top of her. She moved her head and started to kiss the base of his neck while he moved his hands down her sides and settling on her rear.
With her free hands she grabbed the base of his Cerebrus shirt and lifted it above his head, exposing his upper body to her. He pulled back for a moment to allow the clothing to be pulled over his head but he immediately went back down when exposed this time kissing her neck which she didn't fight against. Her hands moved over his body, feeling the skin and muscles that could withstand nukes and dreadnought cannons if it had to.
Clark was moving on complete instinct as he kissed her neck, his hands moved away from her legs and up to her chest moving past her perky breasts and to the centre of her chest. Reaching for the zip of her Cerebrus suit and without even looking he started to pull it down. If she had a problem with that then she certainly didn't fight against it, when the zip reached her waist, it stopped. Pulling back slightly he moved and kissed her mouth again.
Both his hands reached up and grabbed the loosened jump suit at the shoulders and started to pull it down. She knew what he was doing and shrugged her shoulders in order to shake her it off, which it did. Clark pulled back and hovered over her as he slowly pulled it down, her arms coming free as he did so and when he was lowered past her chest, he got the beautiful view of black laced bra clad breasts, but this wasn't the time for that now, he would get to them later.
For now, he kept on pulling. Miranda had to shimmy herself up the bed in order to prevent herself fall off. Laughing slightly as he did so and soon she was completely free of the cat suit, even the heels she wore came off with it and she was laying before him a beautiful set of black lace underwear that only made her look even better.
She made to move, maybe to remove him of his own clothing but Clark wasn't having any of that. He blinked right in front of her and grabbed both of her ankles, she gasped as he pushed them backwards until her feet where the same level as her head. Thankful she was very flexible, so she had no trouble in doing so, having what he wanted completely open to him. Clark lowered himself and attacked her centre with his mouth.
Miranda gasped as she felt him lowered himself onto her crotch, for a moment she thought that her underwear would get in the way he just ripped them off and tossed them to the ground. Normally she would have been angry as they were expensive but when she felt his mouth a tongue probe her. All she could do was lay her head back and grab her own legs in order to keep them up and give him better access to her.
In the heat of the moment, she had no idea how long she stayed there like that gasping and moaning in pleasure as he used her tongue in the perfect way. Sooner then she thought, she found herself reaching her peak and she wrapped both her legs around his head in a vain attempt to pull him closer into her. Then she hit it and her mouth opened in a slight scream. Her tight hold on his head fell away and for one breath moment she thought they were done.
That was until she felt Clark move and she lifted her head in time to see him taking off his boots and then she remembered that what they just did was only the preview and the main event was about to start. But that was when it changed and a determined look crossed her face, like she said before she may not understand love. But Sex. She knew sex and she knew how to please her partner.
She was a part of this as well and it was time for Clark to get something as well. She shuffled herself off the foot of the bed and she kneeled down just in front of where he was standing. As he went to under his pants, she beat him too it. Reaching up with her hands she grabbed the rim of his pants and pulled as he already undid them. She barely even paid attention to the grey boxers as he pulled them down. When she saw the object of her desires, she didn't waste any time and grabbed his shaft.
Lifting it up she stuck her tongue out and pressed it against the base of his cock before moving it upwards like she was licking a lolly pop. When she reached the top she gave it a flick with her tongue before she pointed it at herself and opened her mouth wide and taking it inside.
Clark's head fell back as the sensation hit him, this was one of the things that people didn't really think about. His senses are something else entirely compared to everyone else's, as she took him in her mouth and her head started to bob back and forth. He could feel the sensations of every cell that was being affected, every inch was feeling pleasure and it took everything he had not to finish right then and there. Though that didn't mean he could stop himself from placing a hand on the back of her head and providing a gentle guide for her. Her silky-smooth locks flowing through his fingers.
His breathing started to get more intense, his lungs taking in air that he didn't need and knew that he was getting close and when she reached up with her hand, started to fondle with his balls while the other stroked his shaft and her mouth sucking the tip. He knew that he needed to change things up. He bent down and placed his hands under her arm pits, she let out a yelp of surprise as he lifted her up and tossed her onto her back.
Most likely know what he was planning, a predatory smile came onto her face as she watched him move up the bed "I can't help but notice you're still overdressed" he said as he stopped moving just in front of her.
Miranda shivered with anticipation as while his hands moved up her side, stopping just shy of her bra which she herself only just realized she still wore "impatient Captain?" she asked him with a small smirk.
"Yes" was all he said before his thumbs moved underneath the fabric and pulled it in two directions, it didn't stand a chance against his strength.
"Ah" she gasped as her breasts quite literally popped free from the restraints "I liked that bra" she tried to sound angry but the smirk on her face didn't move.
"I'll get you another" he said as he pulled her further towards him, his face was right in front of her own. She was so immersed by his eyes and what was about to happen that she all most didn't notice what he was lining up. Then she felt him enter her "oooohhhh, fuck" she gasped as she reached up and placed both her arms around his next, holding him close as he pulled out only to thrust into her again.
Clark allowed all the emotion to wash over him, he acknowledged everything he wanted and allowed himself to take it. He wanted Miranda and she wanted him. His hips moved with an impressive speed and he starred right into her eyes, she tried to return the favour but as he moved her breath quickened, she panted and moaned, her head fell back and she removed her arms from his neck in order to fondle her own breasts as they bounced with each thrust.
For tonight, or however long it took for them to get to Tuchanka. He had no problem giving her his entire focus. Speaking of, his mouth lowered, and he took her right nipple in his mouth. Good thing this room had a heavy bulk head door, or their moans of excess and pleasure would be heard by everyone on board.
Ok everyone, we're going to leave it there. Let me know what you think of the lemon, weather it was too much or too little and of course how Jacobs Loyalty mission. Let me know what you all think in the reviews, and I'll see you all in the next chapter.
Next update: A New Guardian
P.S: I'm going to be doing a 2-week volunteering gig in Africa, so the next update won't be for a while. Maybe by the end of this month but not before. I'll see you all then.