Ok all, sorry for the wait but I took a break over the Christmas period so we're here now and enjoy.
The clouds were flowing violently around him. Clark did ignore all the sounds that threatened to overwhelm him, as he always did when things got loud. The Rain battered across his clothes as he waited in place for a few moments, attempting to get his bearing and form the best plan going forward. He was high in the sky over the Batarian colony, specifically, he was a few miles above the large prison complex that was holding this Dr Kenson.
It went without saying this is a mission he would be doing on his own, no need to risk the lives of others for something so simple after all. The Normandy had arrived in the system not even twenty minutes ago and he ordered that they immediately make their way down to the planet so he could get to work, the stealth systems of the ship would keep them hidden and the shuttle would be on its way down ready to pick them up to leave.
Of course, the weather wasn't the best, but it would at least keep him hidden from view, giving him time to peacefully look through the prison allowing him to find the one he was looking for. He didn't know what state Kenson would be in when he found her, Clark was no fool. He didn't doubt that there would be a good chance that she would be dead or tortured beyond help, it was a possibility, but he didn't know. If she was arrested for a crime that would be seen as a very bad crime, then he didn't doubt she would be dead. It all depends on what they caught her doing and if they needed her for something else.
There.
Right in the middle of the prison in a very secure-looking cell was the one he was looking for, he could see her now. Kenson matched the image of her in the files he went over. A human, white woman in her late forties with blonde hair. She looked beat up, even from up here could see that one of her eyes was swollen shut and most of her clothes had been torn off. He could see severe bruising around her chest and groin area, he closed his eyes and let out a sign, it was a shame he couldn't have gotten here sooner. Bringing up his wrist he activates his Omni-Tool "Shuttle, you read me?" he asked into the radio.
The response was a quick one "This is Cortez, I read you sir" The pilot's voice came through, Clark knew the voice but only just. Only introduces himself to the man as they road in. Clark could have just flown in himself but he didn't want to ruin his clothes with the heat of re-entry.
"Mark my current location, I want you here in two minutes to extract the target" he ordered as he lowered his arm.
"Understood sir, location marked. ETA one minute, forty seconds" the pilot responded before the connection was cut.
Clark remained in place for another couple of seconds, going over the last couple of details he needed to plan on before he acted. When that was done he moved…. Or fell would be more accurate. His body started to fall towards the ground with the started speed that a body like his would get to normally when falling.
It was only when he neared the roof of the prison that he started to add to it. He adjusted his stance with his legs slightly bent, he moved to the right slightly to land where he needed to land. Just before he touched the roof of the prison, he started to push himself down.
It went without saying that the concrete did very little when met with him. It crumbled like wet cardboard, and the roof caved in, for him it happened slowly. He could look through the dust he created with the collision. All those guards that were having lunch and sitting down calmly, jump in place at the shock of his collision.
Not even able to turn their heads in his direction before he went through the floor and onto the next level.
It all played out similarly, he watched as no one was killed by the increasingly heavier and larger pile of stone and metal as each floor was caved in a he went down to the next one, and he could see guards jump out of the way, prisoners looking on in wonder at what that banging was happening right next to them and no doubt thinking if they could use this as a means of escape.
Clark didn't even blink as he did this, he didn't smile or frown, his face was completely blank as he went down twenty floors into the ground before he came to a stop at the bottom one because of course the one he was here for was right at the bottom.
The final floor caved in under his power and he stopped moving. His legs were bent as he stopped moving. He stood up straight quickly enough and looked forward, landing in the cell of the one he was here for. It would be a standard design from what he's seen. Cold rock walls, a one-way mirror that covered most of a wall. A rusty-looking metal table in the middle of it all that she was clamped onto.
Clark walked forward a few feet and stopped when he stood beside it "It…... it's him" he heard a voice whisper behind him. He didn't need to turn in order to see that it must have been the guards behind the mirror.
He ignored them for a moment as he looked at Kenson, she looked like death. Her face was even more bruised than he realized, the rest of her wasn't much better. He knew well enough that almost every species in the galaxy used torture in one way or another, they all denied it but it was true. Though the extent of how far they went changed with all of them, that being said it was very clear to all who was the worst of them all. It was the Krogan funnily enough, though the Batarians held a close second.
"Run… RUN!" he heard them shout.
He rolled his eyes slightly as he turned his head to look at the mirror, normally he wouldn't be for all of this, but based on what Kenson looked like. He liked what they did to her even less when he looked through the window and saw that the two guards were making their way to the door with a sprint. Clark's eyes glowed red and two beams shot out, going through the glass and meeting flesh. The reaction was similar to a very hot knife going through butter, their bodies just fell apart and landed on the ground.
He did the math in his head and thought about how long it would take for the rest of the guards to figure out what just happened, how long it would take for them to get to him and how long it would take them to stop being so scared that they would try and kill him.
He didn't have long.
He turned back around and looked at the doctor who was only just awake, her body was very malnourished and based on what he was seeing as he looked at her organs, she wouldn't last much longer "Doctor Kenson" he said as he placed his hands on the side of the table next to her body "can you hear me?" he asked.
Her head flinched slightly as she heard him speak, maybe it was the gentleness of it that made her think this would be different than all the other times people had spoken to her recently, but she found the strength to turn her head slightly and open her eyes ever so slightly, to anyone else they may as well be closed "It's…it's you" her voice was barely even a whisper. Though to his surprise she started to smile, something that must have been difficult with the number of teeth she was missing and breaks in her jaw bone "You…. Will be the… herald" she smiled, missing how Clark frowned at her words "inform the whole….. galaxy of their might"
A very uneasy feeling came into his stomach as he listened to what she was saying. Taking a closer look at her head, her brain to be specific. He started to go through all the spectrums, looking for something specific. He closed his eyes and let out a sigh as he saw it, he saw it as clear as day. As small as blood cells, Reaper tech going through her brain.
Indoctrination.
Whatever it was that she was doing, it was very close to Reaper tech, which unfortunately led credence to her own words that she had proof of the Reaper's arrival. He leaned forward to her face "Yes, I will tell them all" he said to her "Where will they come from? When do they get here?" he asked, figuring he may as well find out what he could if she's delirious enough to think he's on her side for some reason. Why would she think that he has no idea?
"The base" she said with another smile "the comet… that we were going to…. Use. Destroy relay. Buy time. So… foolish" she said before her smile fell and her head moved back forward, no muscles being able to support it anymore. Looking to her chest Clark could see that her heart had stopped beating.
She was dead.
Right on queue Clark could also hear the stampede of heavy boots making their way towards him.
He reached for her wrists and broke the clamps keeping her in place before doing the same with her feet. She may have been indoctrinated but he didn't doubt that she was a good person despite it all. Being as respectful as he could, he picked her up in his arms, took a couple of steps back and didn't stop until he felt the rain on his head. He flew up into the air just as he heard all the guards enter the room behind him.
Thankfully it didn't take longer than a couple of moments before he was high in the sky above the prison and based on the sounds coming from it, the prisoners were all taking advantage of the chaos that had been caused by his arrival.
Slowly coming to a stop in the air, he heard the sounds of an engine and turned his head to see the Kodiak shuttle fly towards him. It came to a surprisingly smooth stop just in front of him, he didn't even need to say anything before the door opened and he was allowed to step inside and come out of the rain. Again, he didn't even need to speak before the door closed behind him and he felt the shuttle engines vibrate under his feet and they set off.
He turned and moved over to the seats. As gently as he could he placed Kenson down on them, laying sideways across three chairs and let her lay there for a moment "Cortex, get us back to the Normandy. Tell Chakwas to prep the medical bay for a body, I need an immediate cremation" he said allowed knowing that even behind the closed door the pilot would hear him.
"A body, sir?" he said back, though instead of his voice coming from the cockpit it came from the speakers above him.
"Kenson didn't make it" he confirmed as he moved to the chairs on the opposite side and got to one knee, under the middle seat was a single large duffel bag that had a handful of different supplies that would be used in the case of an emergency. First aid, flares, food rations, stuff like that. There was one under every chair. He wasn't looking for them though. No, he moved a lot of that stuff out of the way until he saw the large warm blanket. Grabbing the cloth he pulled it out of the back and walked back over towards the doctor. Unwrapping the roll he placed it calmly over the woman. Covering her body as best he could.
He was feeling the all-too-familiar feeling of weightlessness wash over him for just a moment before the artificial gravity took over. He sat on the other side and thought about what he was going to do next.
He stood with his hands clasped behind his back, looking out the window of the observation room on the Normandy, all around him he could hear the activity of the crew. All the conversations that were going on, gears and electricals doing their functions. He tried to block them out, but he wasn't doing the best job of it at the moment.
His breath was quickening and his heart was beating far faster than it was before, he knew what was coming, he knew it was only a matter of time now. Looking out the window he could make out the planet in the distance, the small colony that could very well not be there in a few hours.
The sounds of footsteps getting louder and louder with an all too familiar click hit his ears and he was able to calm himself down slightly before he heard the door open behind him and her scent hit his nose "We've finished the scan of the system" for a reason he wasn't sure he understood why, her voice was a lot more comforting then it used to be, like a lifeline he could hang on too "We think we've found what Kenson was talking about" she stopped next to him and reached out the data pad for him to look at "a comet about half the size of Earths moon. There wasn't anything special about it except for a large amount of energy signals coming from it. When the probe reached it we found this" As Clark held the data pad she swiped the screen.
An image of a small base on the dark side of the comet came into view, what stood out however was the collection of large tower-like structures. Spread out both far and wide across the entire side of the comet. He looked at it for just a moment before he spoke "Thrusters?" his voice held a confused tone for a moment before he spied the Mass Relay in the background of the image. That was the moment it all came together for him "She was going to destroy the Relay" he turned and looked at her before handing the data pad back to her.
Miranda took it and nodded yes "That's what we think" she added as she turned and tossed it onto the nearby couch.
"If they did that it would destroy most of the system" he frowned as he looked down into her eyes "The entire colony…"
"And everyone on it, all three hundred thousand of them" she continued for him, her own eyes holding little emotion in them as she spoke.
"And now they've been indoctrinated. Well… Kenson has so we can assume everyone in that base has as well" Clark added as he sighed and looked back out the window "They were going to kill them all. For what?" he asked.
"You know what?" she said to him calmly "The needs of the many…..."
"That doesn't…" he started taking a step forward with a frown on his face, turning around to face her with his hands on his hips "No" he looked down and shook his head "It doesn't apply here" he added.
"It does" Miranda nodded back at him, meeting his eye unflinchingly "You just can't see that because of what you are. Kenson and her team have been cut off from the mainstream news for a while, they didn't know you were back. As far as they knew, we are on our own" she stepped forward again and stopped when she was by his side, her body right up against the window, looking out of it as his body was facing away "Let's think about what they knew. They were convinced that the Reapers were closing in, they believed it enough that they spent all of their resources building an engine for a comet. Suppose we can assume that this system was how the Reapers were going to enter the rest of the galaxy using that Relay. If they destroyed it, they buy everyone else…"
"Six months" Clark said finishing the thought for her "If they don't arrive from anywhere else and have to use standard FTL to get to the next one. Then they buy the galaxy in six months" he fell back and didn't stop until his back hit the window, only just stopping himself from sliding to the ground "It's not even close to being enough" he sighed.
Miranda turned her head to face him, despite her calm expression. There was no denying the fear in her eyes "Even after everything that's happened? Earth's more defended than it's ever been" she stated.
"It is" he nodded back at her "If we take everything we know for a fact. Based on all the reports that Shepard got from reliable sources and what we have found out from the Collector base. One Reaper capital ship for every species harvested since this all started. If we assume that during every harvest the galaxy had enough races to harvest as our own does right now. You combine that with at least thirty-seven million years of harvesting. Remember that dead Reaper we found that was that old? Then you're looking at three thousand seven hundred capital ships. Of course, that number changes drastically if one considers how many races are in the galaxy for each harvest"
It didn't sound like a lot, not at all. Especially when one considers that Earth just got an extra fifty thousand ships "Only one Reaper ship took out the entire Citadel defence fleet" she added even though they both knew it.
Clark nodded at her sadly "Yeah, that's not even counting those destroyer ships that attack Genisis at the Collector base. God knows how many of those they have. Then there's the ground troops. They could attack every home world at once or just go one at a time" he closed his eyes and let out a sigh "They wouldn't stand a chance. They might be able to get a couple of them but even with me being generous with the estimations. They would always lose at least one of their own fleets before they take out one single Reaper"
She looked away from him and out the window, looking at the planet off in the distance. All the stars behind it, all of it. She didn't know what to say…... no, that wasn't it. She knew exactly what she wanted to say but a part of her didn't want to. Clark needed to come to this conclusion on his own. He knew it all, there was no way he didn't. If he didn't get involved here and now then that was it, this war begins and it wasn't a war they would win. It may be long and bloody, they may last longer than one would think, but they couldn't win. He was the only hope they had left.
Right now, she knew he was wrestling with himself, he said he would get involved if it was hopeless which it is but the point of it all was that the people would know about it, they would know they had no chance but still fought anyway. Maybe he would have waited until the fleets were destroyed or the Earth was half ruined.
There's a big difference however between saying what you were going to do and actually doing it. If she were to guess she would say that he was looking away from the planet so he didn't have to remind himself that everyone on it would be dead soon if he didn't. Maybe he thought he would have had the strength to keep his word.
Well, Strength wasn't the word she would use. Stubbornness is more likely. She would hazard a guess that he trying to convince himself that all the guilt he would feel would be worth it in the long run.
"What if it wasn't your choice?" she said aloud, the randomness of the statement causing him to turn to look at her.
"What?" he asked confused.
"What if it wasn't your choice?" she asked again, resting her chin on his shoulder "What if I asked you too? Would you do it for me?" she looked up into his eyes as he processed what was asked "Can you put the suit back on, be the hero again, just one more time. For me?" she asked.
He didn't say anything for a moment, she didn't doubt that he knew exactly what she was doing. It was complete bullshit, all of it. All she was doing was providing a loophole for him. He didn't need to think that he was going back on his word, that he was leaving the people so they could grow stronger on their own so that they wouldn't rely on him to save them from themselves.
"If you knew how you were going to die, how would you live your life differently" his eyes moved up and he saw her standing just behind Miranda. Lois gave him a small smile as she looked, and Clark's mind flashed back to what was most likely the worst day of his life.
Metropolis
7th June 2016
"FLOOR IT!" Captain Morgan of Intergang yelled as his armoured truck drove at high speeds through the streets of the city. It was all going so well, their organization was growing in strength, weaponry and tech. Their 'alleged' criminal ties had been disproven for the third time last week so that big blue boy scout had no reason to give them the time of day.
But within their main HQ slash barracks in the city suddenly started sounding alarms left and right. Telling everyone to evacuate with what they could carry. Doing his job as best as he could, he grabbed four of his guys and piled into the truck with all the equipment and data they could. The pre-planned evacuation routes are already known to the drivers. Before they could even leave the underground parking lot, the radio told them that the National Guard was on their way.
And the more fucking SUPERMAN! I was in the boss man's office tearing security apart. It seems he got evidence that was enough for the president to call in the army for them. They were going underground.
"WHAT DO YOU THINK I'M DOING!" The driver shouted back as the truck swerved around the cars as fast as it could. Trying desperately to get away as fast as he could.
For Morgan, the fear got the better of him for the first time in a while and he turned to look at the three in the back seats "ONE OF YOU GET ON THE TURRET, I WANT TO BE PRIMED FOR A BOY SCOUTS FACE IF IT SHOWS UP!" he ordered and as professionally as they could.
One nodded and stood up, making his way towards the large turret built into the ceiling of the truck, he moved around it and pressed a couple of buttons on a small screen. They all heard the familiar sounds of gears and machines, they couldn't see it but those on the sidewalks would watch in both fascination and horror as a large turret sprouted from the roof and turned around until it was facing the same direction as the truck. Unlike most weapons, of course, this one stood out due to the glowing blue colour that came from the barrel of the weapon. Giving it a powerful and otherworldly vibe.
"INCOMING!" the driver shouted as he tapped the screen next to the wheel, showing a live image of the city as they drove through it. Behind them, an unknown blip was making its way towards them fast "GET READY! BEHIND!" he shouted.
Morgan looked over his shoulder through the hatch and saw that the one who mounted the weapon was typing with one hand and holding a piloting stick with the other, no doubt taking aim at that alien asshole.
"CONTACT!" the shooter yelled.
"Weapons free…..." Morgan started to yell but couldn't go any further as the whole truck lurched, he and everyone inside felt weightless for just a couple of moments. During that time he knew full well what was happening, having been in plenty of crashes in his time. The captain tried to look out of the passenger window as the truck flipped in the air. For just a single second he made out the faces of a terrified-looking family of three. The mother and young son were frozen in place as they looked at their death approaching, he could see the father attempt to push them out of the way but he was too slow, his arms weren't even raised towards them yet.
Then they were gone.
Morgan blinked and the family was gone, he couldn't see anything. Only darkness was accompanied by a large bang and the truck landed on its side. His head crashed against the now cracked window, based on the ringing he was hearing even through the sounds of crashing it was a hard hit. He could see flashes from the front window of the truck though it was spinning, it wasn't until later he realized it was because the truck was spinning on its side as it still moved forward.
It couldn't have been more than a few seconds but it felt like hours before they came to a stop. His eyes slowly opened and the light from the day started to hit him. It was all burly at first, he could make out a couple of things, the road, the buildings a couple of people on either side who were slowly getting closer to them.
Then he came.
Even with his disoriented eyes, that fucking alien was hard to miss. The burly images started to take shape, he could see the crowds of people come into focus as they stepped back. The buildings on either side of them were clear as day. Even the road in front of them came into view, the cars in front of them, the traffic, the lights, all of it.
Then there he was. While his body was still a little out of focus, that flowing cape was what gave him away and that he was floating in the air a little further ahead of them. Slowly making his way towards the ground.
That was when his vision returned to him completely and he saw the anger on the alien's face.
Clark mentally frowns as he looks at the truck that has only now stopped moving on its side, coming to a somewhat gentle stop, all things considered. Glancing to the right he saw the family that he just saved from being crushed all hugging each other and both mother and son were crying about everything that just happened. Though not feeling it, he let a smile come onto his face as he faced the crowd that was starting to gather.
Making sure they all knew everything was going to be ok, something he found himself believing. Intergang had been a thorn in his side for far longer than it should have been, but unfortunately, they were just as good at covering their tracks as Luther was. But no one can cover their tracks so well forever, all it took was one mess up, one lazy moment and he had them. Just like Lex.
Luther may be on his way out of prison today, but he would put him back, no matter the cost. But he was bringing his mind back to the present. Clark's feet touched the ground and he made his way towards the front of the truck. Waving his hand slightly to gesture for people to get back from it. Stopping just in front of the overturned truck's front windshield, he kneeled in front of it and looked at both the driver and passenger, ignoring those in the back for the moment.
He reached forward and the glass didn't hold for a single fraction of a second, the no doubt extra reinforced glass broke as soon as his skin met it. He reached through it and grabbed the collar. There was no resistance as he was pulled out and dumped on the ground. Normally Clark would have done more to keep him restrained but based on the sounds getting louder, the police and army both were nearby. They can deal with this, he has to get back to the Daily Planet and take a look at this evidence that Lois found, it should be enough to make sure Luther stays behind bars, but he needs to be sure before he can bring it out into the public.
"Fucking… alien" he heard a voice mutter from back inside the truck, he turned his head and looked through the metal just in time to see the one who looked like he was controlling the roof-mounted weapon slam his hand into a broken screen he was half laying on. Clark's eyes widened for a moment before he started to move.
The weapons of intergang always did cause him trouble, they were adapted alien tech which meant they were a lot more advanced. Clark only just moved around the truck to see the roof turret fire.
It wasn't a bullet or a missile. One of them he could stop. It wasn't a round of plasma that he could block, it would still hurt but he could do it. No, these intergang turrets fired laser weaponry which means as fast as light. The blue cannon was no longer or larger than his arm, with wide eyes he was only just able to move his head a couple of inches, so it didn't hit him directly.
Then he realized his mistake, he turned his head and saw where the weapon was firing, it was going to hit a tall skyscraper. He didn't need to look to know it was full of people, it was the middle of the day after all. Clark moved as fast as he could, he turned and ran forward a couple of feet, bringing his foot down on the turret to make sure it couldn't be used again.
Then he lifted himself into the air before he turned. His eyes widened in horror as he saw that the blast was already more than halfway towards the building. He wouldn't make it in time, if he shot off at full speed the shock wave would crush everyone around him. He moved as fast as he was allowed to.
The air bent around him as he flew down the road, he tried to think about where the blast would go and what his plan would be to help those who would be hurt. What he didn't expect was that the weapon would also explode when it penetrated the building window.
The blast came from the middle of the building where the round detonated on itself. The shock wave spread across the windows before they all blew outwards, shattering the glass and showering all that was below it. It went without saying that the crowds around both the crash and now the building just got larger and larger. Idiots. He couldn't help but think to himself as he moved faster, now that he was far enough away from the ground.
However, he didn't reach it before he saw the real problem. The blast hit the central support structure and the weapon travelled across the surface of what it hit, doing more damage in the process. To put it simply, a large part of the centre of the building was now just gone.
He knew what was going to happen next. The cracks started to appear before his eyes could even widen. Even with his speed, the effect of the weapon was so quick that the top half of the skyscraper started to slide and tilt just as he reached it. Clark smashed into the building with both hands as he tried to keep it in place "UGH!" he gasped as he tried to keep it steady but the only thing, he did was to hold it in place for a few extra seconds before the floors under the top half of the building he was holding steady started to cave in.
Which made keeping this part of the building steady a lot harder. He had to lower himself along with the top of the building in order to try and keep the leverage the bottom of the building gave him. He ignored everything else, all the screaming, all the yells of fear, all the crashes and all the crumbling rock that assaulted his ears. He looked up into the window he was just under, he saw a group of people all dressed in suits that looked like they were in the middle of a meeting.
They were screaming, yelling, and trying to help each other get out of the room. A hard thing to do now that they were in on a noticeable angle. He noticed that a man in a no doubt expensive suit slipped and started to roll across the ground and didn't stop until he hit the window just shy of where Clark's head was on the other side. His eyes widened as he looked at Clark and he knew the look well enough "YOU'RE OK!" he shouted through the class and the determination in his eyes seemed to be enough to calm the man down somewhat.
Clark started to look around and try to find the best way out of this. The building wasn't getting any better. He looked to the ground, it may just be best to place the top half of the building on the ground, some would be hurt but it would be the best way forward "If you knew how you were going to die, how would you live your life differently?" one voice, one single voice was able to get through everything that was around him.
"Lois?" he asked with a confused voice, why did he hear that? It wasn't even conscious, he just heard her.
Turning his head he looked towards the Daily Planet on the other side of the city, he looked through all the buildings in his way and when his eyes landed on the tower, he looked through those walls and….
The beating in his chest quickened, his breath became laboured, his eyes widened, and his mouth hung open. She was there, sitting at her desk a crowd running away from her as she looked at a half-wrapped package on her desk, her finger was pushing into a button and she wasn't moving "Lois!" he said again, already moving but the second he did so the building he was keeping in place crumbled more and he was forced to remember every life he was literally holding onto.
"I…. hope you can hear me" she continued with a shaking voice "I bet most money that everyone would say that they would undo the mistakes, that they would try and repent before the end"
Clark was looking around trying to find the best way out of this, he couldn't freeze the building in place, the amount of ice it would take to keep the building up would kill even more people. He couldn't carry the building somewhere with that much pressure and weight at one point, the building would just snap in half again. He looked down to the ground but the crowd was just getting bigger "MOVE!" he shouted at them in desperation, but those idiots just wouldn't get out of the way.
"But it's the regrets and mistakes that make us who we are. At the end of the day, what are we if not the consequences of our own actions? People would call every story I chased after a mistake. All the reckless actions I took to get them, were all mistakes from a certain point of view. But would I even have met you if I didn't? I don't think so. And you know how much I love you"
"COME ON!" he yelled in anger as he decided to say screw it and started to lower the building to the ground, he wanted to just drop it but he couldn't, he couldn't kill so many. He just hoped they got out of the way.
"Clark, I don't want what's about to happen. I don't want to die and I hate that I don't know what you'll do if I do. I like to think that you'll mourn, you'll move on and you will be the hero that I love so much…..." A sniff escaped her as she took a shaking breath "but the more I think about it, the more I realize that it's not fair for me to say that. It's not up to me what you will do or won't do. That symbol on your chest, it's all some people have, it's all that gives them hope. Even if you don't believe it yourself it means something. That is the true power you have"
"LOIS!" he shouted as the building neared the ground, all around him people screamed in horror as it looked like he was about to crush them. They all turned and ran away in horror at what they thought he was doing. When he reached the ground he let the building fall on him, his body broke through the concrete and the glass around him. Now inside the building, he started to run through everything in his way. He couldn't just fly through at top speed, it would kill just as many.
"Be their hero Clark, be their angel, be their monument, be anything they need you to be. Or be none of it" Lois voice got more and more shaken and emotional as spoke "Whatever you think you owe this world, this species. You have already paid back a thousand times already! At the end of it all Clark…... I…. I just want you to do what you want. Not because it's the right thing but because it's what makes you happy. I want you to know, that I would not a lived a single day differently. Not one"
"LOIS!" he shouted again as he cleared the building and shot himself into the air. And moved towards the Daily Planet, and the glass shattered around every building he flew past, his speed caused a powerful wind that knocked people over and created an almost vortex of wind.
"I love you Clark, I always will"
He caught sight of the building and was reaching out with his hand. He looked through the miles ahead of them and through the glass windows of the middle floor. He could see his wife's head turn and look at him as he approached. He watched as she smiled at the sight of him. He watched a bright flash over and took his view of her. He watched as she disappeared within it. Her skin caught fire, the office around her being blown apart. And all of it was gone in an instant.
He was in the office that was on fire. The flames around him refused to go out, he didn't even feel them, didn't even notice all the helicopters around the tower. All the sirens and all the people. He just looked down with a frozen face at the half-melted and destroyed body that was in his arms. He could feel the vibrations of what was left of her organs attempt to function for a few more vital seconds. Tears rolled down his eyes as he looked at her, trying to force himself to remember the beauty she once held.
His hand wrapped itself around his burnt scalp and pulled her into his chest, his other hand was placed against her stomach. He closed his eyes as a powerful red light started to come from them, a light that got brighter and brighter even as his eyes shut.
It just kept growing and growing until it was all just too much "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" he screamed at the top of his lungs. His head was thrown backwards as his eyes opened and what was left of the roof of the building after the blast was erased. Not blown up, not destroyed, completely vaporised.
The pain of Superman was felt by all as the shock wave from his scream was so powerful, not only did it shatter every piece of glass in the city and deafen everyone within three miles. The shockwave reached around the entire planet.
Present Day
Normandy
He spent days going over the event in his head. He went over the bomb that was used; it was a tricky little thing. When Lois opened the package the trigger was set, the explosion wasn't going to be stopped, it was ready to take out the entire building but to make sure it got her, if she held her hand on the scanner. Then the power of the explosion would be lowered so much that it would only take out that one floor. She saved a lot of lives that day, all at the cost of her own. A part of him was so proud of her for doing that, another selfish part hated her for exchanging her life for others.
It's been a good long while since he thought about that day in any real detail. True, he always knew every detail about it all. Perfect and photographic memory was a bitch like that. He tried again; it's been a while since he actively tried to think about it all. But maybe Kelly was right, maybe after so long of being in shadows. Being on the Normandy has started to bring some things to light, he's out in the public eye again, he's saving people again and now there's a big bad someone wants him to stop again. But he wasn't going to do that.
Was he?
He thought back again to the last things Lois said to him 'not because it right, but because he wanted to do' Clark spent a lot of time staying out of the light because he didn't want to, because he didn't think that the people deserved it. After everything that he had done, because after saving the entire Earth and everyone over a dozen times. Humanity still had the gall to think that they could get away with the murder of his wife. That they could let the man who killed her get away with it. No, no he wasn't going to allow that and those that thought he would be dammed.
He still sometimes thought about what happened after, about how close he was taking over completely. Saving them whether they would accept it or not. The only thing stopping him was the thought of Lois turning in her grave because of it.
Is what he's doing now any better? The question in his head was there now and it wasn't leaving him. How many people have died because he just stayed out of it? How many could he have saved, would the attack on the Citadel even have happened if he had been there? Or would his open presence have caused a lot more political strife for humanity if the other races knew they had a being of his power on call for them? it would be like the Cold War.
But he wasn't there. He didn't want to be there; he was tired of being in the spotlight. Sure, he helped when he was there but that wasn't anything major or history-altering. That was something he had no problem doing. Besides, he liked not being the centre of attention, he liked having the time and freedom to do his own projects and experiments. But he liked helping as well.
He couldn't deny that even if he tried, he wouldn't say that saving people was a core of his being, it was just something he liked doing. He liked being the hero, he liked saving the day, and he liked being the one people could look up to.
'Do I miss it?' he asked himself as he thought about it all. He didn't like it when he was on the Citadel, talking down to the council and ruining their careers. He didn't regret doing it, but that didn't mean he liked it. But when he was on Illium helping that girl find her parents, that was a feeling he hadn't felt in a while.
Maybe he did miss it a little bit.
There was a whole world out there, three hundred thousand people just living their lives in peace, and they were all about to die. With the little defences they have, they would get steamrolled by the Reaper forces. All those people.
He could save them.
He looked back down to Miranda's blue eyes and a small smile came onto his face. He leaned forward and didn't stop until his head rested against hers "No" he said to her as he pulled away.
She didn't look angry, upset or any emotion really "No" she said back to him, it wasn't a question, not at all. Just conformation.
"Maybe…... Maybe I've been focused on the big picture for too long" he started to speak "Maybe I've lost more of my humanity than I realized…. Maybe I've forgotten…." He looked down and sighed "I used to hate those in power who only cared about the big picture, that they would forget about everyone under them in their own pursuits for what they wanted. I know I'm not the same, everything I have now I did on my own in secret. I didn't step on anyone to get here" Miranda looked at him with her complete attention "but that doesn't mean I want everyone else to suffer. I said that I would only help if you needed me, if you could never win this without me" he looked down right into her eyes "You'll never win this war"
"Clark I…" she started, no doubt in an attempt to either say that maybe they could, she didn't think it was possible but the pride she held in humanity was strong.
He silenced her with a kiss, she didn't argue against it. The two stayed in that embrace for longer than either would have thought but they didn't have a problem with it. At least that was until something caught their attention.
"RED ALERT! RED ALERT! RED ALERT!" Eed's voice blared over the ship intercom system "ALL HANDS TO BATTLE STATIONS, ALL HANDS TO BATTLE STATIONS! THIS IS NOT A DRILL! THIS IS NOT A DIRLL!" all of it accompanied by a bright red light flashed over their heads.
The two pulled away from each other and seemed unbothered by the chaos. They rested their foreheads against each other for a moment longer "This is Commander Williams to all hands! We have hundreds of Reaper contacts entering the system! We are evacuating immediately! Clark! Get the fuck up here now!" she added with a hint of desperation.
That was when the two lovers separated and took a step back from each other "Maybe just one more time" he started "I'll be the hero again. Not because it's right, but it's because I want to" he added.
Miranda smiled shyly at him "No" she added with a shake of the head.
"No?" Clark asked tilting his head at her.
"No" she said again, the smile not leaving her face as she spoke "You're always going to want to save people. You're always going to be the hero. It's what I love most about you. Now go on boy scout. Do whatever it is that you want to do" she added.
Clark smiled brightly at her words before turning to leave "Keep an eye on Genisis for me" he called back before the door to the observation room closed behind him.
He walked down the corridors of the Normandy, and all of the crew saw him with looks of fear and worry. They all stepped to the side and allowed him to pass, looking at him with expressions of near awe and worship, like they wanted to ask him to save them but stopped themselves before they could.
He stepped into the elevator and waited for just a moment, drowning out all the panic talking and plans being both made and discarded at the same time. They didn't know what to do, not that he could blame them of course. They're scared after all.
Yet for some reason, he felt weirdly at peace in the situation. The doors of the elevator opened, and he saw the chaos first-hand. The entire of the CIC was nearly unrecognizable. There wasn't a single person staying in the same place for more than a couple of moments, they were running, shouting, sprinting and crying. Ashley was next to Traynor near the small terminal and neither looked any better. Williams was shouting what he assumed were orders to Traynor, most likely telling her what messages to pass on.
If he looked behind her towards the galaxy map, he could see the reason why. The map of the galaxy was shrunk to a map of this system, he could see a large red circle near the end of the system. Out of that circle was a land that pointed to a number, when he first looked at the number it was four hundred, but not even a second later it moved up to over a thousand and that number just got bigger and bigger the more he waited. They were all here.
After a single moment, the volume of all the chaos started to die down and he turned his attention to everyone else, they all started to turn to look at him. Their scared expressions do not change for a moment, though with how quiet they all got. It wasn't hard to see how much they wanted to beg him to help "Clark…" Williams started as she stood quietly next to Traynor who looked like she was about to start crying "What…... what do we do?" she asked him.
He didn't answer for a moment, taking a couple of steps forward until he stood in front of the two, though quickly noticing that everyone's head turned as he moved. He smiled at them "It's going to be ok, get back to the Sol system" he added before he turned and started to make his way towards the cockpit.
It seems that EDI didn't wait for the orders to reach her before she acted, the ship engines turning on as the Normandy made its way towards the Mass Relay "Wha… wait!" she shouted as she ran after him, ignoring the way everyone looked at her like she was crazy, questioning the only one who could save them "what are you doing?" she asked as the two made it to the airlock next to the cock-pit.
Looking out the front window, Clark could see the Relay getting closer and closer. Joker was waving his hands around franticly, clearly panicking about the Reapers that were no doubt making their way towards it as well "EDI, we need more power to the thrusters!" he shouted at her.
"I'm working on it!" the A.I uncharacteristically shouted back with a worried tone.
Clark turned back to look at Williams who was standing behind him with a much more panicked expression "But then what!? Will that be enough!?" she asked.
"Ashely" he said calmly as he placed a hand on her shoulder, not oblivious to the fact that most of the CIC had followed her and the small corridor was now almost comedically tight "It's going to be ok"
That was all he said before he pulled his arm back and activated his Omni-Tool with a couple of commands. His clothes started to change, the long black trench coat started to change shape and colour, the black shirt morphed into something thicker and tighter, his black boots did the same thing and soon they all started to fuse together.
Everyone present looked at him in both wonder and almost outright reverence. After a few moments Clark stood before them, no longer in the dark and casual clothing the others have seen him in. Now he stood before him as the symbol they grew up seeing on all the cartoons and old vids, the one they heard on all the old stories.
The red cape flowed behind him, despite the fact there was no wind around them. The primary blue colour of the suit shone brightly and the crest on his chest was on that every being in the galaxy recognized and if he was going to do what Ashley thought he was, they were going to look at it with religious worship from now on.
This wasn't Clark anymore.
It was Superman.
He gave her one more final smile before he took a couple of steps back and the airlock opened behind him without any words. As the door closed he looked through the window in the door and waited for a moment, the pressurization began and he could see Ashely move to the small head-sized window in the door, looking at him in amazement. He felt the airlock door open and he took a couple of steps back. When he was on the edge of the airlock he spread his hands out wide and allowed the zero-G of space to take over. He just floated away, and as he did so he watched as the Normandy flew faster and faster until it reached the Relay, and he watched as the ancient machine activated and the frigate was shot out into deep space back to the Sol system.
When it was gone he turned his Omni-Tool on again and pointed it at Mass Relay. With a couple of commands, he played the hack, not even a minute later the great machine that was most likely millions of years old switched itself off. The large dais in the middle of it that has been spinning for so long started to switch itself off. He couldn't have the Reapers escape after all.
While they would turn it back on eventually it would take them a couple of days to go over the hack he created.
Hovering in the spot he turned around and looked to the planet in the distance, he could see all the Reapers heading towards the planet, their hulls heating up from re-entry, he could hear the army shout orders to each other, the rounds from their ships breaking upon the machines shields. He could hear the civilians scream in terror at what was coming.
He waited for one single second to take it all in, to form a plan about what he should do going forward. When the plan was made.
He shot forward into the fire.
Ok, everyone, this is just one more chapter to go and I have to say no one is more surprised by that than me. This will be the first story that I finish and I'm looking forward to going back to Star Wars and getting it all done as well (not that it will be soon of course) I did have some writer's block about the whole Clark and Miranda bit at the end and thinking about what reason to give Clark to go back to helping apart from the obvious because it's right stick.
Anyway, let me know what you all think, and I'll see you in the next chapter.
Next Story update: Return of Hope