Fic: Man of Steel: A Risk Worth Taking (19/?)
Title: Man of Steel: A Risk Worth Taking (19/?)
Author: Babette babettew54
Canon: Superman (MOS)
Pairings; Characters: Clark/Lois, Martha Kent, Sam Lane, Lucy Lane, Lex Luthor, Bruce Wayne, Original Character(s)
Rating: M
Word Count: 4,200
Summary: Lois couldn’t decide whether to ask him out or overwhelm him with questions hopefully to complete the ‘Story of the Century.’
Spoilers: None. It is just speculation about hand touching in the trailer and what it could mean for Clois. The story continues with more speculation about Clois and the upcoming sequel.
Disclaimer: DC Comics/Warner Bros. Entertainment owns these characters. This is strictly for my own amusement.
Author's Notes: In this next chapter, which will be another fast-paced ride for my readers, but after the previous chapter, everyone will have their hands full dealing with Lex’s insane plot to destroy the Man of Steel. That’s not saying much is it, oh well, you have to read and find out what happens next. Read on! :D:D
X-posted: (FFN); (A03)
Previously:
ACT I: The Only Thing That Matters
( Chapter 1)( Chapter 2)( Chapter 3)( Chapter 4)( Chapter 5)
( Chapter 6)( Chapter 7)(Chapter 8)( Chapter 9)( Chapter 10)
( Chapter 11)( Chapter 12)( Chapter 13) ( Chapter 14)( Chapter 15)
ACT II: All I’ve Ever Wanted
( Chapter 16)( Chapter 17)( Chapter 18)
Chapter 19: Krypton's Last
Metropolis airport, a few hours later:
In those few hours on his escape from New York, Henri was able to go through most of Paul's papers. It was critical that his daughter be found as soon as possible. There were several addresses where Paul apparently worked for Lex and they were close together if not on the same block. That must be where Erica is located. She hadn't returned his phone calls while in New York. Henri also wondered where Lena could be. He prayed that were not running. He then got a horrible feeling inside his chest. They have to be alright, they have to be.
While waiting for a cab, he sent several text messages to Clark telling him of different addresses where Erica and his granddaughter could be, and how scared he was. After entering the cab, he decided to head to the penthouse first, hoping that Lena was there, but then he received a call from an unfamiliar number. It was Lena's babysitter. She went on to tell him that Lena's mother had left this number in case of an emergency. The city was being evacuated, all the parents had come for their children, but Lena had not been picked up. Extremely relieved to realize that Lena was well, but now Erica was out there somewhere, probably with Lex and that frightened him.
~o~o~
Meanwhile, back in the Arctic:
"Kal," Jor-El said again. He looked around his ship. "Where is Zod?"
Lois and Clark glanced at each other. "Father, General Zod is dead and … I killed him."
"You killed him?" Jor-El was not entirely surprised by this. He knew how determined Zod could be. Zod had, in fact, killed him.
"I'm sorry, Father, but …"
Jor-El interrupted him. "I had a feeling that something like this would happen."
Lois and Clark were genuinely surprised to hear this. At their shocked expressions, Jor-El went on to explain. He paced for a bit. "Kal, killing Zod does not surprise me. He probably told you that he killed me. You may not have felt it at the time, but revenge is a powerful emotion."
"But that was not the reason I killed him Father. The terraforming machines were about to destroy the planet. After Lois and I succeeded in eliminating the machines, I had to stop Zod somehow. He was determined to kill everyone, and he knew that I was the only one who could stop him."
Jor-El nodded in agreement. "Kal, one day, you will put this behind you and move on with your life."
"I know it will take time but with Lois beside me, we will move on." He glanced at his fiancé, then she gave him a reassuring look.
Lois squeezed his hand. "Jor-El, Clark and I are extremely fortunate to see you again, but we are here on urgent business. Zod's body was stolen, and apparently his DNA is being used to create clones. They could destroy everything that Clark and I have worked so hard to protect."
Jor-El was thoughtful. "I see, but of course, there can only be one way to stop the clones."
"And what's that?" Clark asked.
"Time, in time, they will die."
"But how much time are you talking about?" Clark asked. He wondered if everyone could survive the onslaught of various clones with Zod's DNA coursing through their veins.
"A few hours should be enough, but no more than that." At their confused expressions, he went on to explain. "Because Zod's DNA is different from yours Kal, and the fact they do have human blood, his DNA will overrun their human side, and during that conflict, their organs will not be able to coexist; hence their demise will happen eventually."
Lois and Clark glanced at each other, both worried what this could mean for them and their ability to have children.
As if reading their thoughts, Jor-El continued to explain. "I see no reason why the both of you would not be able to reproduce if that is what you want. Remember the codex, Kal? It will allow you to have children."
"But how did you know …?" Lois began.
Jor-El nodded at her hand then he grinned in appreciation.
Lois held up her ring hand. "Yes, Clark and I are engaged and we want to get married."
Clark squeezed her hand. "Lois will be my partner for life, Father. Our union is what I want, what she wants." His words brought tears to Lois' eyes.
"And I want that for you Son." Jor-El meant every word. "The time is right. The bridge between two peoples, Kal, you and Lois, that is what I meant."
Lois and Clark glanced at each other. They smiled. "We have our answer. Thank you, Father and we will see you again, and soon."
"Goodbye, my Son. Goodbye, Lois."
"Goodbye, Father." Clark removed the 'S' key and gave it to Lois for safekeeping.
And then they were gone.
~o~o~
High over the skies of Metropolis, minutes later:
After receiving Henri's messages about Erica and Lex's location, they headed to the Justice League headquarters. Clark hastily introduced Lois to the League. Lois was surprised but extremely pleased to know that Clark would have help during the coming battle.
"Lois, now promise me you will stay here where I know you'll be safe." Clark just received a glare that meant he must be joking. "I'm not kidding," he said as if reading her mind.
Bruce had a few words for her. "Lois, we don't know how strong these clones are or what to expect. You'll be safe here."
"But how can you be sure? What if there are bombs and explosions and …" Lois was extremely worried.
"We will keep the fight contained this time. Don't worry. Now we have to go." The best way to keep her working was to keep her busy in some way. "Here, come over here, you can contact the press, the authorities, your Father, everyone that you can. Ok? You can communicate with us if you need to." He kissed her cheek. "I'll see you later."
"Be careful," she felt the need to add, then she got busy, happy to help in some way. A minute later, Lois turned from the monitor, but they were gone.
~o~o~
Nearly an hour later, downtown Metropolis:
Henri returned to a city that was being evacuated. With so many vehicles, including police and military personnel, he barely managed to reach the sitter's and pick up Lena. It had taken almost an hour, when normally, a thirty minute drive would have been plenty of time to hit the city.
He finally saw Lena and tears blinded. Lena ran to him when he came through the door. He held her tightly to him. She was shaking and extremely frightened. He could see that clearly.
"Grandpapa," Lena whispered, so happy to see him. She pulled away and looked behind him. "Where's Mommy?"
He glanced at the sitter then back at his granddaughter. "We'll go get her now, Ok?" He turned to Ms. Johnson. "Thank you for calling me. Have you heard from her?"
"No, I'm sorry, I haven't." She needed to leave to be with her family. "I have to close up now."
"Of course, I understand and thank you again." Henri hurriedly left the babysitter and headed to the address in Paul's things. He did not know what he would happen when he got there, but Erica was probably there and he had to get her. He slowly made his way to the buildings within forty-five minutes, but what he found there would stay in his memory for a lifetime.
~o~o~
Fifteen minutes earlier, at Lex's lab:
The clones were outside lined up in the street like soldiers about to go into battle. They were armed with alien weaponry that had been pulled from the downed ship. Lex proceeded to inspect his troops, up one row and down the other.
The men and women were dressed just as instructed. Long red capes flowed from their shoulders and down their backs, the 'S' symbol was on their chests, battle armor covered their bodies, and helmets with breathing devices covered their heads.
Lex knew that Kryptonian DNA was not compatible with humans or Earth's atmosphere, but in time they would adapt. He had waited as long as possible before injecting the clones with Zod's DNA. That way, the adjustment period, would not make itself known until it was too late. Immensely pleased with his decision, he gave a nod and the strongest clones, the exact ones that had been born first, lead the way. "MOVE OUT!"
Henri had witnessed the whole scene. He had pulled into an alley, left his car and watched from a distance. Seeing his son's face on the clones wearing Superman's costume made him sick. Lena asked him what was happening. She wanted to be with him, but he forbade her, then she quieted down. He looked up into the sky and still no Superman. Where is he? He looked up at the sky again. There he is, but he's not alone.
~o~o~
"What the hell?!" That was Bruce from his flying ship. He spoke into the communicator. "Luthor has totally lost it. How many clones do you see?"
"There must be at least a hundred or more," Wonder Woman replied.
"Well, there are only six of us," Superman said. "I think we're evenly matched. Don't you agree?" He tried to make light of the situation.
"Agreed," they all spoke at once.
"Let's do this!" Superman watched the clones, and there were too many. Making a difficult decision not to sabotage their weapons because they could be harmed, he quickly dived down and using his breath, the clones were caught off guard and immediately fell away to the ground. Their weapons flew into the air and Clark burned most of them into dust. "They are strong, so be careful." Then he thought of something. "Get as close as you can then remove their masks. Hurry now!"
Batman landed not far away on a side street. He spotted Henri. Henri yelled to him. "Where's Erica? I can't find her!"
"She must be inside! Go and be quick!" Batman instructed. He watched as Henri spoke to Lena then he entered the building. Bruce returned to the battle that had moved away from the buildings and was now in the street encompassing several blocks. It was a large industrial area with mostly huge complexes, no traffic and remarkably few civilians. He spotted a few of them running in the opposite direction.
Martian Manhunter, Green Lantern and Hawkgirl now had their hands full with the clones. Clark was right, they were unusually strong and removing their masks appeared to make them sick, but they continued to fight even without their masks.
Hand-to-hand action was the only way to stop them. Their strange weapons were fired at close range, but the JLA managed to avoid the blasts. With Wonder Woman and Green Lantern's help diverting the blasts then destroying the weapons, it was a definite problem for them to get close.
The battle rages on.
~o~o~
Meanwhile, in JLA headquarters:
Lois was the first to introduce to the media and to the army about the clone fight. She contacted her Father first, who immediately dispatched a squadron of soldiers to the area. Lois also told him about the JLA, that there were six of them in different costumes, that they were friends and that they were on our side. Clark had informed her about the clones and what they were wearing.
She then told him that it was all a ploy to discredit Superman and to put him in a bad light. The clones are not from Krypton. This was not like before. She stressed that point over and over again. She told her Father to be careful.
Lois managed to get a live camera feed of the area, and she was shocked, she almost fell out of her chair. The clones did not look like Clark, but they were dressed like him, with the cape and the 'S' shield, armor of some kind, but that was where the similarities ended.
"Lex is one sick son-of-a-bitch," Lois muttered, getting angrier by the minute. He has to be to think he could get away with this insanity.
~o~o~
Henri meanwhile told Lena to stay put. He was going to get her Mother. Lena was so scared, but she nodded her head and remained in the car.
Henri entered the building and immediately spotted Lex, and he was in an office apparently putting together sensitive papers. He heard a ticking sound. Was that a bomb? Henri was a former soldier, and he knew that sound.
Lex glanced up when he heard the door close. "I suggest you leave if you don't want to get blown into bits." He smirked at him.
"Where's Erica? What did you do to her?" Henri wanted to strangle him, but he refrained and kept quiet. He had to locate her.
Lex did not answer and walked out the building. "Good luck!"
"ERICA!" Henri yelled as he went from one room to the next calling her name again and again. He checked the lower levels and then he headed upstairs. He came upon the empty pods and went a little crazy. "ERICA, WHERE ARE YOU?!"
He listened carefully, then he heard a moan. He checked all the pods and then he found her. Her face was bloodied, but she was alive. He hurriedly picked her up. She slowly opened her eyes. "Father?"
"You're going to be alright. Lena is here and …"
"Where do you think you're going?" It was 'clone-Paul.'
Henri staggered back and almost dropped her. "Paul?"
Paul cocked his head to the side. "Father …?" He quickly softened, then he stood firm, his arm held out with a gun in his hand. "I was told to keep her here. Now put her down and leave."
"But Paul, she's your sister and we're family. There is a bomb in this building and we have to leave right NOW!" Henri prayed he would not kill him. He did reveal a bit of knowledge in his eyes, but he had no choice. He had to save his daughter.
Paul cocked the gun. "Don't move; I'm warning you."
Henri gasped as Batman dropped from above and hauled Paul to the ground. It was becoming apparent that Paul had not been injected with the Zod DNA. He was only human, so Bruce was stronger. He took his gun, and they all hurriedly exited the building minutes before it blew up. The second building also exploded moments after the first. They were all thrown to the ground by the force of the blasts.
After Batman had entered the building, Wonder Woman spotted Lex as he tried to escape the area. She followed the car for about a mile and let him think he was getting away, then she dropped down in front of his car, and of course he was not going to stop, in fact, he floored it.
Diana shook her head at him, then the car crashed into her and Lex's airbag deployed and he was knocked unconscious. She removed him from the car, along with is briefcase, tied him up and brought him back to the scene of the fight. She left him with the army that had arrived moments before. She informed them that the battle would be ending soon.
General Lane stared after her unbelieving that she was a superhero ready to fight with the rest of them. The military were unable to do anything but watch. Sam then made the decision to have his men stand down. Bullets flying could cause more harm than good.
Returning to the fight, Diana relished the confusion and conflict all around her. The clones were beginning to wane. Just as Zod refused to give into defeat, so did they, but eventually their bodies would betray them.
The lead clones with green-k implanted in their armor underneath the 'S' shield also began to feel the effects of the rock, and with their breathing masks removed, there was no stopping the effects. Superman also felt the effects, but it was not as harmful as in Smallville or the warehouse months ago. He then used his heat vision to move the guard hiding the green-k. It took a moment because his powers were weakening. Once the green-k was melted, his friends took care of the weakened clones within moments.
Wonder Woman flew over to him. Holding him up, she asked, "Are you Ok?"
"I think so," he replied. "Give me a minute."
Meanwhile, Martian Manhunter then found himself caught up with three clones all women. They surrounded him, but then he disappeared into thin air. The clones were shocked unbelieving until their masks were removed from behind. J'onn was a tricky one. He left them trying to breathe then they lost consciousness.
Not an unfamiliar story for Hawkgirl. She was able to avoid the alien weaponry with John's advice, but then her hammer came in handy in removing their masks, with just a quick smack to the head dislodged the masks without any trouble at all.
In his efforts to remove the masks, Green Lantern was also having a problem. Every time he thought he had matters under control with avoiding the alien weapons fire, then he found himself surrounded by the clones. After enclosing himself in the green sphere several times, he came up with a weapon to remove the masks, a hammer.
Hawkgirl smirked at his choice of weapon. He smiled at her and then began smacking heads left and right to remove the masks.
Wonder Woman was enjoying herself, and so was Batman. They fought side-by-side and even with her power to stop the alien weapons with her arm shields, she was able to bang heads with her fists and kicks to the head did the trick too.
Batman grinned as he watched her for a moment. Grinning at her toughness, but then he quickly became way too busy kicking clone asses up and down the street.
About an hour later, all the clones were left gasping for breath and sluggish on the ground. Clark was the first to call an end to the fighting.
General Lane had witnessed most of the fight, and of course he was appalled that Lex Luthor had put this tragedy together and he would be punished to the full extent of the law.
Superman then walked over to him. "Thank you General for not interfering out there. I know you wanted to, but we had everything under control."
"I can see that." He looked around. "Where's Luthor?"
"Right here," Diana said and brought him over to the General, still tied up.
Lex had come around and smirked at all of them.
"Anything to say for yourself?" General Lane asked.
"You won't be able to prove any of this was my fault. You will regret this one day." He glanced at Superman. "Trust him if you want, but you will be sorry, mark my words."
"Take him away." General Lane was done with threats against Superman, his future son-in-law. His men took him away and gave him to the authorities along with his briefcase.
Clark turned and spotted Henri, Erica, and Lena. He walked over to them. "Is everyone alright?"
Lena was always supremely intuitive. She stared at Superman. His voice sounded sincere, reminding her of someone else. Her instincts told her to keep her mouth shut. Instead, she wanted to thank him for helping her family. She walked over to him and pulled his cape. Eyes watering she looked up into his face. "Thank you, Superman." Her lower lip quivered, and Clark had no resistance. He picked her up and held her close.
Lena whispered in his ear. "I know who you, Mr. Clark."
Clark grinned but did not accept her statement. He put her down and smoothed her hair. "You're welcome Lena."
Everyone thanked him, including Erica. Still holding her Father close, she had to say it. "I'm so sorry, for not believing in you and trusting you. Can you forgive me?"
Clark frowned and had to wonder if she were referring to Clark, not Superman. "There's nothing to forgive. I'm just glad everyone is alright. Take care of each other, Ok?" He turned and left them staring after him, his cape flapping as he walked.
"What about me?" That was clone-Paul.
Erica and Henri glanced at each other then back at Paul. Erica had decided. "You little brother, are coming with us."
Paul did not know why he felt this way, but he wanted to stay with them, and then a slow grin appeared. Erica, Henri, and Lena glanced at each other, and with uncertain smiles on their faces they left the area and headed home.
A little while later, the clones had been removed with only a few still alive. The paramedics were reluctant to disclose whether they would survive or not.
Minutes later, the Justice League was introduced to the General. Sam was a bit dumbstruck and did not know what to make of this group. "Are there any more of you out there?" Sam asked, truly intrigued.
"Could be," Clark responded with a grin. "General, I'm sure we'll see each other again." With a knowing look, he saluted him then he turned and nodded to his friends. They all took off into the sky as Bruce's flying ship followed close behind minutes later.
Sam and his men were totally stunned as their heads turned toward the sky.
~o~o~
Minutes later, back at Watchtower:
Lois knew the fight was over. Lex was now in police custody. Erica, Henri, and Lena had been found and reunited. Hearing a sound, she looked up as the superheroes flew into headquarters from the balcony. Her fiancé was the first to arrive. Smiling, she ran to him and held him close, and of course, she did not care who saw them. She leaned up and kissed him square on the lips.
"Lois?" Clark whispered, but he needed this. He kissed her back for a moment.
Everyone smiled and shook their heads.
"Were there any problems out there, and what about the green-k?" Lois asked and looked her fiancé up and down. "You seem fine."
"I took care of it," Clark responded.
"It didn't bother you? That's odd," Lois commented.
"Clark, do you think it's possible you may have gained resistance to it? I mean, you've been close to it several times now," Bruce asked.
"I doubt it. I certainly felt the effects, but it wasn't debilitating. It's a slow process usually, so I wasn't totally surprised I did not lose my powers."
"Well, I'm glad everything turned out Ok. It could have been a lot worse," Lois said.
"We'll leave now. I'll be in touch. Lois and I want to plan a wedding and all of you are invited."
"When is the wedding?" Diana asked.
"Sooner rather than later," Clark replied and smiled at his fiancé.
"My thoughts exactly," Lois said and smiled in return.
TBC!
~o~o~
Song(s) Inspiration: DNA and You Die or I Do, Man of Steel Original Soundtrack, Hans Zimmer.
A/N: Whew, I'm glad that's done! I had fun with it, but it took a bit of plotting, and it was a tough decision to release clone-Paul from the attack. Lex could have killed the entire family, but he did possess some small amount of heart. The 'fortress' scene was also trying. No chewing out Clark; I was firm in my decision. I hope it rang true for my readers, and I know not everyone will accept Jor-El's reaction, but hey, it's my story! *Ok?!* Comment when you get a moment, please, please. *begs unashamed* Thank you for reading!
Author: Babette babettew54
Canon: Superman (MOS)
Pairings; Characters: Clark/Lois, Martha Kent, Sam Lane, Lucy Lane, Lex Luthor, Bruce Wayne, Original Character(s)
Rating: M
Word Count: 4,200
Summary: Lois couldn’t decide whether to ask him out or overwhelm him with questions hopefully to complete the ‘Story of the Century.’
Spoilers: None. It is just speculation about hand touching in the trailer and what it could mean for Clois. The story continues with more speculation about Clois and the upcoming sequel.
Disclaimer: DC Comics/Warner Bros. Entertainment owns these characters. This is strictly for my own amusement.
Author's Notes: In this next chapter, which will be another fast-paced ride for my readers, but after the previous chapter, everyone will have their hands full dealing with Lex’s insane plot to destroy the Man of Steel. That’s not saying much is it, oh well, you have to read and find out what happens next. Read on! :D:D
X-posted: (FFN); (A03)
Previously:
ACT I: The Only Thing That Matters
( Chapter 1)( Chapter 2)( Chapter 3)( Chapter 4)( Chapter 5)
( Chapter 6)( Chapter 7)(Chapter 8)( Chapter 9)( Chapter 10)
( Chapter 11)( Chapter 12)( Chapter 13) ( Chapter 14)( Chapter 15)
ACT II: All I’ve Ever Wanted
( Chapter 16)( Chapter 17)( Chapter 18)
Chapter 19: Krypton's Last
Metropolis airport, a few hours later:
In those few hours on his escape from New York, Henri was able to go through most of Paul's papers. It was critical that his daughter be found as soon as possible. There were several addresses where Paul apparently worked for Lex and they were close together if not on the same block. That must be where Erica is located. She hadn't returned his phone calls while in New York. Henri also wondered where Lena could be. He prayed that were not running. He then got a horrible feeling inside his chest. They have to be alright, they have to be.
While waiting for a cab, he sent several text messages to Clark telling him of different addresses where Erica and his granddaughter could be, and how scared he was. After entering the cab, he decided to head to the penthouse first, hoping that Lena was there, but then he received a call from an unfamiliar number. It was Lena's babysitter. She went on to tell him that Lena's mother had left this number in case of an emergency. The city was being evacuated, all the parents had come for their children, but Lena had not been picked up. Extremely relieved to realize that Lena was well, but now Erica was out there somewhere, probably with Lex and that frightened him.
~o~o~
Meanwhile, back in the Arctic:
"Kal," Jor-El said again. He looked around his ship. "Where is Zod?"
Lois and Clark glanced at each other. "Father, General Zod is dead and … I killed him."
"You killed him?" Jor-El was not entirely surprised by this. He knew how determined Zod could be. Zod had, in fact, killed him.
"I'm sorry, Father, but …"
Jor-El interrupted him. "I had a feeling that something like this would happen."
Lois and Clark were genuinely surprised to hear this. At their shocked expressions, Jor-El went on to explain. He paced for a bit. "Kal, killing Zod does not surprise me. He probably told you that he killed me. You may not have felt it at the time, but revenge is a powerful emotion."
"But that was not the reason I killed him Father. The terraforming machines were about to destroy the planet. After Lois and I succeeded in eliminating the machines, I had to stop Zod somehow. He was determined to kill everyone, and he knew that I was the only one who could stop him."
Jor-El nodded in agreement. "Kal, one day, you will put this behind you and move on with your life."
"I know it will take time but with Lois beside me, we will move on." He glanced at his fiancé, then she gave him a reassuring look.
Lois squeezed his hand. "Jor-El, Clark and I are extremely fortunate to see you again, but we are here on urgent business. Zod's body was stolen, and apparently his DNA is being used to create clones. They could destroy everything that Clark and I have worked so hard to protect."
Jor-El was thoughtful. "I see, but of course, there can only be one way to stop the clones."
"And what's that?" Clark asked.
"Time, in time, they will die."
"But how much time are you talking about?" Clark asked. He wondered if everyone could survive the onslaught of various clones with Zod's DNA coursing through their veins.
"A few hours should be enough, but no more than that." At their confused expressions, he went on to explain. "Because Zod's DNA is different from yours Kal, and the fact they do have human blood, his DNA will overrun their human side, and during that conflict, their organs will not be able to coexist; hence their demise will happen eventually."
Lois and Clark glanced at each other, both worried what this could mean for them and their ability to have children.
As if reading their thoughts, Jor-El continued to explain. "I see no reason why the both of you would not be able to reproduce if that is what you want. Remember the codex, Kal? It will allow you to have children."
"But how did you know …?" Lois began.
Jor-El nodded at her hand then he grinned in appreciation.
Lois held up her ring hand. "Yes, Clark and I are engaged and we want to get married."
Clark squeezed her hand. "Lois will be my partner for life, Father. Our union is what I want, what she wants." His words brought tears to Lois' eyes.
"And I want that for you Son." Jor-El meant every word. "The time is right. The bridge between two peoples, Kal, you and Lois, that is what I meant."
Lois and Clark glanced at each other. They smiled. "We have our answer. Thank you, Father and we will see you again, and soon."
"Goodbye, my Son. Goodbye, Lois."
"Goodbye, Father." Clark removed the 'S' key and gave it to Lois for safekeeping.
And then they were gone.
~o~o~
High over the skies of Metropolis, minutes later:
After receiving Henri's messages about Erica and Lex's location, they headed to the Justice League headquarters. Clark hastily introduced Lois to the League. Lois was surprised but extremely pleased to know that Clark would have help during the coming battle.
"Lois, now promise me you will stay here where I know you'll be safe." Clark just received a glare that meant he must be joking. "I'm not kidding," he said as if reading her mind.
Bruce had a few words for her. "Lois, we don't know how strong these clones are or what to expect. You'll be safe here."
"But how can you be sure? What if there are bombs and explosions and …" Lois was extremely worried.
"We will keep the fight contained this time. Don't worry. Now we have to go." The best way to keep her working was to keep her busy in some way. "Here, come over here, you can contact the press, the authorities, your Father, everyone that you can. Ok? You can communicate with us if you need to." He kissed her cheek. "I'll see you later."
"Be careful," she felt the need to add, then she got busy, happy to help in some way. A minute later, Lois turned from the monitor, but they were gone.
~o~o~
Nearly an hour later, downtown Metropolis:
Henri returned to a city that was being evacuated. With so many vehicles, including police and military personnel, he barely managed to reach the sitter's and pick up Lena. It had taken almost an hour, when normally, a thirty minute drive would have been plenty of time to hit the city.
He finally saw Lena and tears blinded. Lena ran to him when he came through the door. He held her tightly to him. She was shaking and extremely frightened. He could see that clearly.
"Grandpapa," Lena whispered, so happy to see him. She pulled away and looked behind him. "Where's Mommy?"
He glanced at the sitter then back at his granddaughter. "We'll go get her now, Ok?" He turned to Ms. Johnson. "Thank you for calling me. Have you heard from her?"
"No, I'm sorry, I haven't." She needed to leave to be with her family. "I have to close up now."
"Of course, I understand and thank you again." Henri hurriedly left the babysitter and headed to the address in Paul's things. He did not know what he would happen when he got there, but Erica was probably there and he had to get her. He slowly made his way to the buildings within forty-five minutes, but what he found there would stay in his memory for a lifetime.
~o~o~
Fifteen minutes earlier, at Lex's lab:
The clones were outside lined up in the street like soldiers about to go into battle. They were armed with alien weaponry that had been pulled from the downed ship. Lex proceeded to inspect his troops, up one row and down the other.
The men and women were dressed just as instructed. Long red capes flowed from their shoulders and down their backs, the 'S' symbol was on their chests, battle armor covered their bodies, and helmets with breathing devices covered their heads.
Lex knew that Kryptonian DNA was not compatible with humans or Earth's atmosphere, but in time they would adapt. He had waited as long as possible before injecting the clones with Zod's DNA. That way, the adjustment period, would not make itself known until it was too late. Immensely pleased with his decision, he gave a nod and the strongest clones, the exact ones that had been born first, lead the way. "MOVE OUT!"
Henri had witnessed the whole scene. He had pulled into an alley, left his car and watched from a distance. Seeing his son's face on the clones wearing Superman's costume made him sick. Lena asked him what was happening. She wanted to be with him, but he forbade her, then she quieted down. He looked up into the sky and still no Superman. Where is he? He looked up at the sky again. There he is, but he's not alone.
~o~o~
"What the hell?!" That was Bruce from his flying ship. He spoke into the communicator. "Luthor has totally lost it. How many clones do you see?"
"There must be at least a hundred or more," Wonder Woman replied.
"Well, there are only six of us," Superman said. "I think we're evenly matched. Don't you agree?" He tried to make light of the situation.
"Agreed," they all spoke at once.
"Let's do this!" Superman watched the clones, and there were too many. Making a difficult decision not to sabotage their weapons because they could be harmed, he quickly dived down and using his breath, the clones were caught off guard and immediately fell away to the ground. Their weapons flew into the air and Clark burned most of them into dust. "They are strong, so be careful." Then he thought of something. "Get as close as you can then remove their masks. Hurry now!"
Batman landed not far away on a side street. He spotted Henri. Henri yelled to him. "Where's Erica? I can't find her!"
"She must be inside! Go and be quick!" Batman instructed. He watched as Henri spoke to Lena then he entered the building. Bruce returned to the battle that had moved away from the buildings and was now in the street encompassing several blocks. It was a large industrial area with mostly huge complexes, no traffic and remarkably few civilians. He spotted a few of them running in the opposite direction.
Martian Manhunter, Green Lantern and Hawkgirl now had their hands full with the clones. Clark was right, they were unusually strong and removing their masks appeared to make them sick, but they continued to fight even without their masks.
Hand-to-hand action was the only way to stop them. Their strange weapons were fired at close range, but the JLA managed to avoid the blasts. With Wonder Woman and Green Lantern's help diverting the blasts then destroying the weapons, it was a definite problem for them to get close.
The battle rages on.
~o~o~
Meanwhile, in JLA headquarters:
Lois was the first to introduce to the media and to the army about the clone fight. She contacted her Father first, who immediately dispatched a squadron of soldiers to the area. Lois also told him about the JLA, that there were six of them in different costumes, that they were friends and that they were on our side. Clark had informed her about the clones and what they were wearing.
She then told him that it was all a ploy to discredit Superman and to put him in a bad light. The clones are not from Krypton. This was not like before. She stressed that point over and over again. She told her Father to be careful.
Lois managed to get a live camera feed of the area, and she was shocked, she almost fell out of her chair. The clones did not look like Clark, but they were dressed like him, with the cape and the 'S' shield, armor of some kind, but that was where the similarities ended.
"Lex is one sick son-of-a-bitch," Lois muttered, getting angrier by the minute. He has to be to think he could get away with this insanity.
~o~o~
Henri meanwhile told Lena to stay put. He was going to get her Mother. Lena was so scared, but she nodded her head and remained in the car.
Henri entered the building and immediately spotted Lex, and he was in an office apparently putting together sensitive papers. He heard a ticking sound. Was that a bomb? Henri was a former soldier, and he knew that sound.
Lex glanced up when he heard the door close. "I suggest you leave if you don't want to get blown into bits." He smirked at him.
"Where's Erica? What did you do to her?" Henri wanted to strangle him, but he refrained and kept quiet. He had to locate her.
Lex did not answer and walked out the building. "Good luck!"
"ERICA!" Henri yelled as he went from one room to the next calling her name again and again. He checked the lower levels and then he headed upstairs. He came upon the empty pods and went a little crazy. "ERICA, WHERE ARE YOU?!"
He listened carefully, then he heard a moan. He checked all the pods and then he found her. Her face was bloodied, but she was alive. He hurriedly picked her up. She slowly opened her eyes. "Father?"
"You're going to be alright. Lena is here and …"
"Where do you think you're going?" It was 'clone-Paul.'
Henri staggered back and almost dropped her. "Paul?"
Paul cocked his head to the side. "Father …?" He quickly softened, then he stood firm, his arm held out with a gun in his hand. "I was told to keep her here. Now put her down and leave."
"But Paul, she's your sister and we're family. There is a bomb in this building and we have to leave right NOW!" Henri prayed he would not kill him. He did reveal a bit of knowledge in his eyes, but he had no choice. He had to save his daughter.
Paul cocked the gun. "Don't move; I'm warning you."
Henri gasped as Batman dropped from above and hauled Paul to the ground. It was becoming apparent that Paul had not been injected with the Zod DNA. He was only human, so Bruce was stronger. He took his gun, and they all hurriedly exited the building minutes before it blew up. The second building also exploded moments after the first. They were all thrown to the ground by the force of the blasts.
After Batman had entered the building, Wonder Woman spotted Lex as he tried to escape the area. She followed the car for about a mile and let him think he was getting away, then she dropped down in front of his car, and of course he was not going to stop, in fact, he floored it.
Diana shook her head at him, then the car crashed into her and Lex's airbag deployed and he was knocked unconscious. She removed him from the car, along with is briefcase, tied him up and brought him back to the scene of the fight. She left him with the army that had arrived moments before. She informed them that the battle would be ending soon.
General Lane stared after her unbelieving that she was a superhero ready to fight with the rest of them. The military were unable to do anything but watch. Sam then made the decision to have his men stand down. Bullets flying could cause more harm than good.
Returning to the fight, Diana relished the confusion and conflict all around her. The clones were beginning to wane. Just as Zod refused to give into defeat, so did they, but eventually their bodies would betray them.
The lead clones with green-k implanted in their armor underneath the 'S' shield also began to feel the effects of the rock, and with their breathing masks removed, there was no stopping the effects. Superman also felt the effects, but it was not as harmful as in Smallville or the warehouse months ago. He then used his heat vision to move the guard hiding the green-k. It took a moment because his powers were weakening. Once the green-k was melted, his friends took care of the weakened clones within moments.
Wonder Woman flew over to him. Holding him up, she asked, "Are you Ok?"
"I think so," he replied. "Give me a minute."
Meanwhile, Martian Manhunter then found himself caught up with three clones all women. They surrounded him, but then he disappeared into thin air. The clones were shocked unbelieving until their masks were removed from behind. J'onn was a tricky one. He left them trying to breathe then they lost consciousness.
Not an unfamiliar story for Hawkgirl. She was able to avoid the alien weaponry with John's advice, but then her hammer came in handy in removing their masks, with just a quick smack to the head dislodged the masks without any trouble at all.
In his efforts to remove the masks, Green Lantern was also having a problem. Every time he thought he had matters under control with avoiding the alien weapons fire, then he found himself surrounded by the clones. After enclosing himself in the green sphere several times, he came up with a weapon to remove the masks, a hammer.
Hawkgirl smirked at his choice of weapon. He smiled at her and then began smacking heads left and right to remove the masks.
Wonder Woman was enjoying herself, and so was Batman. They fought side-by-side and even with her power to stop the alien weapons with her arm shields, she was able to bang heads with her fists and kicks to the head did the trick too.
Batman grinned as he watched her for a moment. Grinning at her toughness, but then he quickly became way too busy kicking clone asses up and down the street.
About an hour later, all the clones were left gasping for breath and sluggish on the ground. Clark was the first to call an end to the fighting.
General Lane had witnessed most of the fight, and of course he was appalled that Lex Luthor had put this tragedy together and he would be punished to the full extent of the law.
Superman then walked over to him. "Thank you General for not interfering out there. I know you wanted to, but we had everything under control."
"I can see that." He looked around. "Where's Luthor?"
"Right here," Diana said and brought him over to the General, still tied up.
Lex had come around and smirked at all of them.
"Anything to say for yourself?" General Lane asked.
"You won't be able to prove any of this was my fault. You will regret this one day." He glanced at Superman. "Trust him if you want, but you will be sorry, mark my words."
"Take him away." General Lane was done with threats against Superman, his future son-in-law. His men took him away and gave him to the authorities along with his briefcase.
Clark turned and spotted Henri, Erica, and Lena. He walked over to them. "Is everyone alright?"
Lena was always supremely intuitive. She stared at Superman. His voice sounded sincere, reminding her of someone else. Her instincts told her to keep her mouth shut. Instead, she wanted to thank him for helping her family. She walked over to him and pulled his cape. Eyes watering she looked up into his face. "Thank you, Superman." Her lower lip quivered, and Clark had no resistance. He picked her up and held her close.
Lena whispered in his ear. "I know who you, Mr. Clark."
Clark grinned but did not accept her statement. He put her down and smoothed her hair. "You're welcome Lena."
Everyone thanked him, including Erica. Still holding her Father close, she had to say it. "I'm so sorry, for not believing in you and trusting you. Can you forgive me?"
Clark frowned and had to wonder if she were referring to Clark, not Superman. "There's nothing to forgive. I'm just glad everyone is alright. Take care of each other, Ok?" He turned and left them staring after him, his cape flapping as he walked.
"What about me?" That was clone-Paul.
Erica and Henri glanced at each other then back at Paul. Erica had decided. "You little brother, are coming with us."
Paul did not know why he felt this way, but he wanted to stay with them, and then a slow grin appeared. Erica, Henri, and Lena glanced at each other, and with uncertain smiles on their faces they left the area and headed home.
A little while later, the clones had been removed with only a few still alive. The paramedics were reluctant to disclose whether they would survive or not.
Minutes later, the Justice League was introduced to the General. Sam was a bit dumbstruck and did not know what to make of this group. "Are there any more of you out there?" Sam asked, truly intrigued.
"Could be," Clark responded with a grin. "General, I'm sure we'll see each other again." With a knowing look, he saluted him then he turned and nodded to his friends. They all took off into the sky as Bruce's flying ship followed close behind minutes later.
Sam and his men were totally stunned as their heads turned toward the sky.
~o~o~
Minutes later, back at Watchtower:
Lois knew the fight was over. Lex was now in police custody. Erica, Henri, and Lena had been found and reunited. Hearing a sound, she looked up as the superheroes flew into headquarters from the balcony. Her fiancé was the first to arrive. Smiling, she ran to him and held him close, and of course, she did not care who saw them. She leaned up and kissed him square on the lips.
"Lois?" Clark whispered, but he needed this. He kissed her back for a moment.
Everyone smiled and shook their heads.
"Were there any problems out there, and what about the green-k?" Lois asked and looked her fiancé up and down. "You seem fine."
"I took care of it," Clark responded.
"It didn't bother you? That's odd," Lois commented.
"Clark, do you think it's possible you may have gained resistance to it? I mean, you've been close to it several times now," Bruce asked.
"I doubt it. I certainly felt the effects, but it wasn't debilitating. It's a slow process usually, so I wasn't totally surprised I did not lose my powers."
"Well, I'm glad everything turned out Ok. It could have been a lot worse," Lois said.
"We'll leave now. I'll be in touch. Lois and I want to plan a wedding and all of you are invited."
"When is the wedding?" Diana asked.
"Sooner rather than later," Clark replied and smiled at his fiancé.
"My thoughts exactly," Lois said and smiled in return.
TBC!
~o~o~
Song(s) Inspiration: DNA and You Die or I Do, Man of Steel Original Soundtrack, Hans Zimmer.
A/N: Whew, I'm glad that's done! I had fun with it, but it took a bit of plotting, and it was a tough decision to release clone-Paul from the attack. Lex could have killed the entire family, but he did possess some small amount of heart. The 'fortress' scene was also trying. No chewing out Clark; I was firm in my decision. I hope it rang true for my readers, and I know not everyone will accept Jor-El's reaction, but hey, it's my story! *Ok?!* Comment when you get a moment, please, please. *begs unashamed* Thank you for reading!