Metropolis - Convergence (part 5B)
“What’s going on up there?” Jim asked himself as he pointed up into the sky at the glowing form of Brainiac from what he’d come to think of as a concentration camp. It looked like half the population of Metropolis had been gathered into the city’s main park. From his vantage point near the edge of park he could see dozens, perhaps hundreds of the Kryptonian robots stalking the perimeter.
“Is that…?” Vicky began as she too saw the red-cloaked figure in the distance floating up to Brainiac.
“…Superman,” Jim finished; saying the name like a curse. For a time he’d truly believed that the man in the red cape was a hero. He’d almost let himself hope that Lois had been right all this time. He never so badly wanted to be wrong, because a Superman was about the only chance this sorry world had against the likes of Brainiac. The sight of Superman floating side-by-side with the monster Brainiac just proved though that knights in shining armor were nothing but fairy tales.
Well, the world would know the truth, Jim vowed as he again pulled out his cell phone and dialed Perry’s number.
The sky around Brainiac crackled with energy as its task of remaking the world continued. As it had on worlds beyond measure, it would bring order for the greater glory of Krypton and her people embodied in the Lord Kal-El. Yet never before had it faced such opposition as it had here. This world had poisoned the Lord’s mind in a manner it had never seen happen before. That it had taken a full battery of mental flash learning to undo that taint was evidence to how corrupt this world was; how much it needed to be cleansed and brought perfect order.
Admittedly, in Brainiac’s assessment, a good portion of Kal-El’s rebellion could be traced to the biological imperative. It was the single aspect of Jor-El’s design that was indeed flawed; though effectively immortal the desire for a mate was present in all biological organisms and, lacking a fellow Kryptonian to mate with, it was only natural that Kal-El would come to desire a companion from among the beings his image was molded from; the lowly and disgusting natives of this world. Brainiac had done its best to correct this difficulty and, though it considered the solution to be far from perfect, it was the best that could be achieved.
“Vrill Dorax Ran.”
Its name echoed unexpectedly from behind it in the elegant Kryptonian language and for a fraction of an instant its systems reacted as they always did against a potential threat; by raising its impenetrable shields; a gravitic distortion as extreme as that of a black hole; able to bend back even light itself if need be. Such an action proved unnecessary however, for it was only Lord Kal-El who approached.
“You should not be here, Kal-El,” Brainiac pronounced as Kal-El approached.
“A Lord of Krypton does not stand by and let others fight his battles,” Kal-El answered.
The young lord was coming to understand, but there were other issues. “It is not logical for you to risk yourself in battle, my Lord. What if something were to happen to you?”
“I am a god among insects, my loyal servant,” Kal-El replied as he flew up next to Brainiac and looked down at the city below. “I am in no danger and for me to pretend otherwise invites the rabble to unwisely waste itself on the false belief that I am vulnerable. They must see me here clearly to understand where I stand.”
Brainiac could not fault the logic. “Very well, my Lord,” it replied.
“Is there any danger of your plan’s failure?” Kal-El asked as he came shoulder to shoulder with Brainiac.
“None,” Brainiac replied. “all is progressing exactly as planned.”
“That’s where you’re wrong… Brainiac.”
It took almost as long for Brainiac to realize its one mistake as it did for it to realize that ‘Lord Kal-El’ had just spoken to him in English.
It was, in the end, the greatest flaw anyone or anything could ever have, Clark thought; the arrogant assumption that they were infallible; that they never made mistakes. It was a hard and painful lesson to learn; one he had learned all too well over the years. The mistakes he’d made over the years with Lois alone could fill volumes.
Clark often wondered what his life and Lois’ would have been like if he’d done any of hundred things differently. What if he hadn’t let her push him away in the aftermath of the tornado that interrupted their first dance and date? What if he’d shared his secret with her back then? What if he’d asked her to come with him on his journey of self-discovery or if he’d stayed behind in Smallville with her? All questions that could either paralyze you with indecision or learn from if you let them.
Brainiac did not doubt itself or its abilities. It simply could not conceive that a ‘mere’ human could slip the bonds of its power; that Clark Kent did not want to be Kal-El. It could not conceive such things because it was just a machine. An insanely powerful machine, but a machine none the less. A machine that had just made the one mistake that would make all the difference.
All of this went through Clark’s mind in the heartbeat it took for Brainiac’s shields to raise; with Clark still inside them. So confident of the effectiveness of its brainwashing Brainiac had not perceived him as a threat even as he had moved ever closer to the behemoth. The shield had always stopped attacks when they were still several feet from Brainiac and Clark was now inside that perimeter.
Clark knew he had, at best, one shot before Brainiac swatted him away so he lashed out with all his strength into the place where Kelex said Brainiac’s shield generator lay. With the horrendous sound of shearing metal Clark’s fist plunged into Brainiac’s chest cavity. Even through his invulnerability he could feel the tingle of electricity playing along his skin.
And with a flicker Brainiac’s shields vanished, as did the much larger bubble of transmutation energy that it had been generating. At the edges of Clark’s perception he could see the gleaming Kryptonian spires collapse in on themselves and come to rest once again as the familiar landscape of Metropolis.
“Why, Kal-El?” Brainiac seemed to almost plead.
“There is no Kal-El, Brainiac!” Clark fired back. “There never has been. My name is Clark Kent.”
“But this was your father’s grand design.”
“No,” Clark answered. “It was the design of a man named Jor-El and, while I’ll always be grateful that he sent me here to Earth, he’s not my father. My father is Jonathan Kent, the good man Jor-El sent me to; the man who raised me and guided me. It was his dying wish that I use my power only to help people; not to lord over them like some petty tyrant. End this insanity now, Brainiac. Please.”
“Insolent child!” Brainiac retorted as it slapped Clark away and sent him hurtling towards the ground. “Jor-El was the epitome of Kryptonian culture and his will be done. If the humans poison you to this truth then they shall be swept from this world so they can poison you no further.”
“Yeah, Chief,” Jim called out into his phone. “Superman just flew right up to Brainiac. They’re definitely… What the Hell!?!”
Jimmy caught the flash of energy from Brainiac and Superman just an instant before he felt the pressure wave knock him off his feet. Looking up he saw the energy field around Brainiac had collapsed and all around him the alien landscape flickered and then dropped away like a morning mist before the sun leaving the familiar streets of Metropolis in their wake. Even more the field surrounding the city had fallen as well.
“Perry!!!” Jimmy screamed into the phone. “I was wrong!” A laugh involuntarily escaped his lips. He had never been so happy to say those words in his entire life. “Superman’s on our side! He just hit Brainiac hard enough to reverse the changes he’s been making to the city! Can you hear me Perry!?! Superman is on our side!!!”
“I hear you, son,” Perry’s voice came over the cell phone. Jim could barely make it out over the whoops of joy coming from both the people around him and from wherever it was that Perry was.
Then there was another crack like thunder from the sky above and Jim could see Superman being hurled away from Brainiac and towards the city streets below. Then he heard Brainiac’s booming voice echo across the city.
“Eradicators. Show Kal-El the consequences of defiance. Destroy the humans!”
As one the Kryptonian robots around the perimeter of the encampment stopped and began to raise their arms towards the crowd. The crowd itself heard Brainiac’s words every bit as clearly as he had and was starting to scream out in fear. Obviously more people than just his small group had seen the Eradicators kill people with just their eyes. Jim didn’t want to know what their hands could do.
“Um, Perry?” Jim managed. “I’ll call you back. I think Superman just made Brainiac mad.”
“Jimmy?” Sam heard Perry yell uselessly into his phone. “Jimmy?”
“We’ve just got confirmation from troops inside the field, General,” Lt. Matherson announced. “Brainiac’s transformation of the city has been reversed and the shield wall is down.”
Lois was right, Sam thought to himself as he finally allowed himself to believe it. And if Lois was right…
“Get the President on the phone!” Sam barked. “Now!”
“One moment, General,” Matherson replied.
Jim felt himself flinch as the palms of the Eradicators hands began to glow and braced himself for the worst. He’d seen the LexCorp security video of John Corbin and the energy blasters which sounded very much like these. If he was lucky he’d be dead before his pain receptors could send their message to his brain.
Jim’s eyes caught the slightest flicker of red to his right and then the Eradicator in front of him exploded in a shower of metallic parts. Even as he whipped his head around towards the other Eradicators they were already falling to the ground in countless pieces; ripped apart like they were tin-foil. In seconds they were gone and a tremendous cheer began to rise from the crowd.
Jim had just whipped out his camera phone to snap a picture of one of the fallen Eradicators when a glow from above caught his eye. Brainiac hung over them now like a dark avenging god.
“I believe there is an Earth saying that if you want something done properly…”
As if in slow motion Jim watched as Brainiac brought its hands together. He saw people starting to scatter; as if that would make any difference. He saw Amy and her young son Nathan directly in Brainiac’s path.
“Superman…!!!” Jim started to yell as the beast’s glowing hands spat fire downward.
The shock of the blast blew Jim off his feet for the second time in as many minutes, yet as he looked around he and everyone else were still intact. Amy and Nathan were huddled and trembling, but still unscathed. In the distance he could see the streak of crimson that was Superman carrying the bluish-green glow of Brainiac aloft and away.
As he gathered his wits, Jim looked down at his camera phone. He didn’t remember taking a picture just now; his finger must have hit the button by mistake. He took a look at what his camera had captured.
No, not a mistake, Jim managed as he started to whoop for joy. Not a mistake; a miracle.
He looked over at Amy and Nathan and wondered how they’d like being on the front page. There they were on the tiny picture screen huddled in fear as Superman interposed himself between them and the massive blast coming from Brainiac’s hands; taking the brunt himself. Not too long ago he had remarked to himself that not every picture was actually worth a thousand words. But conversely he now reminded himself that there were also pictures that, no matter how many words you used to describe them, said it all.
Clark hurtled himself skyward with Brainiac in his grip. Looking at Brainiac’s chest he could already see circuits shifting and moving; its damage control systems acting to repair the shield generator and render the beast invulnerable again. A quick burst of heat vision melted the partially repaired systems into non-functional slag.
“Curse your ignorance, child!” Brainiac spat. “Your destiny will not be denied.”
“No it won’t,” Clark agreed. “But my destiny isn’t yours to decide. Not yours. Not Jor-El’s. Not even Jonathan Kent’s. My father understood the truth; my destiny is mine to decide!”
“This is not over, Kal-El,” Brainiac replied as it batted Clark away and tore across the sky. Headed straight for the Daily Planet building and the tesseract entrance.