Superman: Aftermath - Chapter 7
Title: Superman: Aftermath
Author: Saavikam77
Fandom: Superman Returns
Pairings: Lois/Richard, Clark/Lois
Rating - This Chapter: PG-13
Summary: In the days following the events of Superman Returns, both Clark and Lois are reeling from events that have changed their lives forever, and the city of Metropolis is in shambles. Things only get worse as Lois's relationship with Richard takes a nosedive, the US government wants to send a survey and potential mining mission to New Krypton, and vast amounts of kryptonite show up in the hands of criminals on the streets of Metropolis.
Chapter Summary: Superman responds to an explosion in uptown Metropolis. Clark goes missing, leaving Lois frustrated at his absence.
Chapter Word Count: 4,345
Disclaimer: This is a work of fan-fiction. Superman and the DC Comics universe are property of DC Comics and Warner Brothers. No money has been made or will be made from the production of this work. Darn it.
Author's Note: Bryan Singer's version of "Polly" was an older, grouchy woman, at least in the SR script. My version is decidedly not. :p
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Chapter 7
Sarah finished reconnecting the power conduit that serviced the northwest elevator of the Metropolis Towers Condominiums main building, and returned her tools to her utility belt. With a quick check by her voltmeter, she was happy to see the electricity flowing smoothly through the repaired lines. And it had only taken her and her crew four hours up here in the service room on the roof to get everything running again. Considering the mess they'd found when they arrived that afternoon, she considered their repair time a new record for a MetroPower crew. Beat that, Sid, she thought. She could almost see the look on her friend and coworker's face when she passed him on the way down through the building. He'd probably gape at her, jealous that she got to knock off for the night after their nearly twenty hour shift.
“Okay, Bob,” she called to her assistant, “Let's get everything packed up and head down. We're taking the stairs.” Her last order was met with a groan from the three men on the roof with her. My crew, ladies and gentlemen, she mentally rolled her eyes. “Deal with it. You know as well as I do that there might still be problems with the elevator shaft. No one rides it until the building inspectors clear it. Andy, give me a hand with this,” she motioned to their largest tool and supplies box. The two of them took hold of either end and moved it toward the stairwell door. Despite its wheels, the thing was still unwieldy and would take some serious maneuvering to get down the twenty-one flights.
Once the crew had secured the rest of their tools, they set off down the stairs, looking for all the world, it seemed to Sarah, like a line of baby ducks in their yellow hard hats. They passed the top floor of the building, where another MetroPower crew worked on the power lines. Sarah paused. “Hold up, guys. Terry, you take the other end of this. I'm going to check on Sid's crew.” And rub it in his face. “I'll meet up with you guys a few floors down.” She handed her end of the tools and supplies box to the crewman and passed through the stairwell door onto the twenty-first floor.
“Sid?” she called out, not seeing the crew leader among the few other workers who scurried about through the hallways.
A tall man in another yellow hard hat came around the corner, seeking the person who had summoned him. “Yeah? Oh, Sarah. Hey, you guys aren't done yet, are you?” he asked incredulously.
“You bet your butt we are!” she beamed. “You owe me fifty bucks mister.” She held out her palm.
Sid crossed his arms and shook his head, “Nuh-uh. Only if none of the other crews in here aren't finished yet. And that includes the water and gas guys!”
Her eyes widened with disbelief. “Oh, come on! You know they can't possibly be finished. Their work is too damn messy and dangerous for them to move at our speeds. Come on, pay up.”
“No way. Not until you've confirmed they're not finished.”
“Fine, I'll just radio down to Gene with the MetroGas crews and we'll see.” She pulled her radio from her utility belt to call down to the crew working on the floor beneath them, and―
FWOOOOOOOOMMM!!!!!
In a deafening, screaming roar, the floor under her feet was driven upward, sending her and everyone else toppling over as a wave of blistering heat seared her jeans and work shirt and melted the bottoms of her boots. Smoke followed, choking off her air and blinding her. She lost all sense of direction as she scrambled for purchase, finding none, the sudden white pain of fire licking at the skin on her hands and face. Oh, God, what is happening!? Then everything around her was on fire, and she could see people beating away the flames, screaming in agony as their flesh began to burn as well. Sid, where's Sid!? She tried to crawl to where he had been standing a moment before, but the floor was buckled and tilted upward, blocking her advance.
Sarah's stomach churned, as, without warning, she found herself falling. The floor completely gave way beneath her, and she realized in horror that everything above her was falling, too. God, no, this can't be real!! She kept falling, through the floor below all the way to the nineteenth floor, and landed, hard, the impact driving the breath out of her. Flaming debris fell on top of her, trapping her, a section of what might have been a wall moments before pinning her down. Struggling for breath, she swept her hands wildly around, finding no relief from the weight crushing her chest and the fire and smoke surrounding her. God, no, she continued to pray silently, screams echoing from everywhere. “Help!” she managed to choke out as she reached blindly for someone, anyone.
God, no, I don't want to die here!
* * * * *
Passersby on the street watched in shock as the top three floors of condo tower erupted into flame and suddenly collapsed in on themselves. Screaming panic followed in the span of time it took for the sound of the rumbling explosion to die, and the resulting fleeing mass of humanity crushed away from the engulfed building in stricken horror, the shared memory of falling buildings and clouds of ashen debris still too fresh to allow any other coherent action or thought.
Only the handful of city utility crews and supervisors on the ground had any sense about them as it dawned on them what had happened. Rushing back into the building, they knew they needed to get their people out before the entire structure either went up in flames or came down around them. With crews on nearly every floor, they had to hurry; to hell with the rescue crews that were probably on their way. There was no time.
Of the people fleeing in terror and the remaining utility workers on the ground, none of them noticed when Superman, a mere flash of red and blue, appeared in the sky, heading straight for the burning, smoking, crumbling building.
* * * * *
Approaching the tower, Clark surveyed the scene before him, scanning quickly through the dense smoke to see what he was dealing with. Thirty-two people were trapped inside, their screams rising from the debris, their heartbeats and choking breaths loud in his ears as he focused on them. If he didn't dig them out quickly, either the flames would get to them or the smoke would suffocate them. Flying out to make a wide circle around the top of the building, he drew in an enormous breath, compressing the air down into his lungs as tightly as he could. Hurry... In a torrent of freezing wind, he expelled the breath, extinguishing the worst of the flames and clearing away much of the smoke. Some of the screams grew louder. Some stopped. No time. More black clouds rose from beneath the charred rubble, betraying the fire that still burned there. Have to hurry!
Diving, he went straight for the top of the pile of collapsed floors and began to dig, keenly aware of every breath, heartbeat, scream, and moan of the now twenty-eight people still alive in the midst of the rubble.
* * * * *
Lois ran from the elevator, through the double doors, and into bullpen, her heart racing as she surveyed the quiet newsroom in search of someone to send out to cover whatever was happening across town. “Jimmy!” she called out. “Polly!”
No one answered her as she rushed through the nearly deserted room, only the evening compliment of copy editors still at work while most of the night-shift city reporters were out on assignment. Dammit, if I have to, I'll go myself! she swore as she came around a corner and practically slammed into the younger woman she'd been seeking. “Polly!”
“Christ, Lois, what is it?” the other reporter asked, disentangling herself from Lois's grip and flipping her blonde hair back.
“Explosion, I think. Uptown. I heard it from the roof.”
Jimmy finally came rushing around the corner from the conference room snarfing a pot sticker, his camera in hand already. “Just got it on the scanner!” he mumbled around his food. Swallowing, he finished, “Metropolis Towers Condos. Might be a gas explosion. They said something about utilities crews.”
“That's up on Fourth Street,” Polly said.
“Okay. You two get going, and I'll let the Assignment and City Desks know you've gone,” Lois nodded; being a senior reporter and the fiancée of the assistant editor gave her some default powers, after all. “And if I can find Clark, I'll probably send him out, too, after we get this New Krypton article done,” she finished, stalking away toward the conference room.
Jimmy called after her as he and Polly headed toward the elevator lobby, “Lois, I don't know where he went. Said he was sick or something.” Shrugging back at her gob-smacked expression, the young photographer rushed out through the bullpen doors, barely managing to snag the elevator before it could head down without them.
“Dammit!” he heard Lois exclaim loudly as the doors shut behind them.
* * * * *
Sarah had begun to lose consciousness. The searing pain of the fire and the phantom cries around her faded as her mind swept her away to a beautiful place. Suddenly she stood in the midst of Centennial Park, the sky a bright blue above her, the trees fully green in the midst of summer. Cool breezes brushed her blond hair back from her face in the warm sunlight. Looking upward to the sky, she saw him there, descending, like an angel, a blue angel with crimson wings spread out against the pale sky behind him.
“Can you hear me?” his voice called out to her from somewhere above. The angel hovered above her, calling to her. She felt a weight lifted from atop her body, and the image of the angel in the park dissipated, replaced with the thick stench of smoke and an impossibly dark haze. Strong arms lifted her gently from the ruins and she slowly opened her eyes, whimpering as pain wracked her body. She saw the angel again, but here he was real. Crystal blue eyes looked down at her as she realized they were flying. He had found her, he had saved her. Her angel.
“Superman,” she said, her voice barely a whisper. “Sid, Bob...”
“It's okay. I'll find them,” he assured her in a tone that must have come straight out of heaven.
Sarah felt light, and she knew they were descending to the street below. She looked up as the building seemed to rise past them, “Gas lines...” she choked, “exploded.”
The angel nodded at her before gently setting her down on an ambulance gurney. “Here you go.” He turned to the paramedics who rushed to the semi-conscious woman, “She'll be all right. Looks like a broken femur and a few broken ribs...”
Sarah closed her eyes again and the heavenly words of the angel faded away into silence.
* * * * *
With the street filled up with fire trucks, ambulances, and police cars, their lights blaring and sirens screaming, it was a scene of barely controlled chaos as rescue personnel dashed about tending to the injured. Fire fighters had cleared the building of the hundred plus utility workers, while the surrounding condo towers were evacuated as well.
Clark took quick stock of the situation. Having finally cut the remaining flames down, he'd managed to pull fourteen of the now twenty-five victims from the destruction, tossing aside concrete walls and floors, furniture, and appliances to reach them. Eleven more to go, he thought as he ascended once again to the top of the building. He prayed he could reach them in time, as the cries for help diminished with each trip into the rubble, the heartbeats slowing and breaths dying.
Three rescues later, and somewhere between the first and second crumbled floor, he pushed aside a slab of concrete and found a man whose hard hat read Sid. The man's thready pulse was weak, his breaths shallow. “Sid!” he called out as he freed the utility worker from the crumbled concrete surrounding him.
No answer.
Please let him live... he prayed, the desperation of the long rescue already beginning to get to him.
“Sid, can you hear me!?”
Come on!!
Sid choked weakly, gasping.
Please... Clark begged as he began to descend toward the ground with the limp man in his arms.
The thready pulse slowed.
No... “Sid!!”
A gasp.
An exhalation.
Sid's heart stopped.
Clark was six floors from the ground.
No... he wailed to himself as he looked at the man's stilled face, masked with soot and blood. But... maybe there's still time.
As soon as his boots touched the pavement he laid Sid's body gently on another gurney and watched, wide eyed, as the paramedics took over. “His heart just stopped,” he choked, shaking his head in shock.
The nearest EMT, an older man with dark skin and stark white hair, put a wide hand on Clark's shoulder and looked him in the eye. “We'll take care of him, son. And even if he doesn't make it, you know there's nothing more you could have done. Nothing anyone could have done.”
Clark was oddly comforted. “Thank you,” he replied.
“Don't thank me, son. Just get back up there and help get the rest of those people out of there.”
Clark nodded and took to the sky once again. Seven more people needed his help.
* * * * *
More than a half-hour after sending Jimmy and Polly to cover the explosion, Lois had still not located Clark. She'd tried his cell repeatedly, with no answer, in between watching the partial building collapse scenario unfold before the WGBS news cameras and trying to finish the work Clark had begun on the New Krypton story. “Where the hell is he?” she cursed under her breath as she tried his cell again, only to be kicked over to his voice mail. “Dammit, Clark!”
Furious, she slammed her cell down on the conference room table, only to realize she still needed to let Richard know what was happening and that she would be a lot later getting home than she'd planned. “Oh, hell...” she groaned, snatching the phone up again and pressing the speed dial button for their house phone.
After a ring, Richard picked up, “Lois?”
“Hey,” she sighed, exasperated. “Have you had the news on?”
“Why? What's happening?” he asked, a hint of fear and dead seriousness overtaking his voice.
“Explosion, uptown.”
She heard him click on the TV. “Holy crap,” he muttered. “Where are you?”
“Don't worry, I'm at the office. But I did send Polly and Jimmy. Would have sent Clark, too, but I can't find him, and his cell keeps going straight to voice mail. Jimmy said he was sick, or something, but he just up and disappeared on me.” She couldn't help a furious tone as she recalled quite a few untimely disappearances from years ago; she'd been hoping he wouldn't repeat his old habit of making himself somehow scarce when he was needed. Damn him.
“I'm sure he'll turn up, Lois.”
“Yeah, that's what Perry used to say,” she rolled her eyes.
“Huh?”
“Never mind, Richard,” she almost snapped. “Anyway, it's gonna be a while before I can get out of here now. I'm still trying to finish the article on the signal, and without Clark here, it's gonna take me all the way to deadline. Maybe longer.”
“Damn.”
“No kidding. Look...” she began, then sighed. “Is Jason still up?”
“Yeah. Hold on,” he said slowly, clearly disappointed. She heard him sigh as well as he sought out their little boy, and a rustle as he handed the phone over to him.
“Mommy?”
“Hey, Munchkin,” she said sadly. “I'm so sorry. I've gotta stay at work for a little while longer than I expected.”
“Is it cuz' of the fire on TV?” he asked.
“Yeah, Sweetie. It is. I love you so much, you know that?”
“Uh-huh. I love you, too, Mommy.” There was a pause, then, “Mommy, is Superman okay?”
Lois startled at his question. “What? Why would he not be okay, Jason?”
“Cuz' he looks tired.”
Glancing up to the nearest monitor, she saw the WGBS news camera focusing in close on the hero as he deposited another victim on a stretcher and stepped aside to let the paramedics work, breathing anxiously and running a hand through his mussed, soot-streaked hair. “That's it. That's the last of them,” she heard him say in an exhausted tone, the warm light gone out of his voice. “The rest are...” he trailed off as he spotted the news camera, narrowing his eyes and shaking his head.
“Oh, honey,” she said into her cell, her heart tearing in half at the sight of the man she'd practically ripped apart on the rooftop not long before, so clearly distraught. “I'm sure... I'm sure he'll be fine.”
* * * * *
Ducking into an alley on the far side of the tall condo towers, Clark sank to the ground, leaning heavily against a brick wall for support as he landed on his own cape and let his booted feet slide out away from him. Too many people had died. Sixteen people. Sixteen people too many.
How am I ever supposed to get used to this again?
The last four days had been uneventful enough in the disaster department that he hadn't had to deal with many losses, only the aftereffects of the deaths at Luthor's hands, but now this... and all on top of the train wreck his own life had become. The things Lois had told him on the roof of the Daily Planet...
He kicked at a broken bottle on the sidewalk, sending it crashing against the opposite wall.
All this death - all this death and destruction and pain - was useless. If only he'd stopped Luthor sooner. If only he'd never left in the first place!
A voice from the past rang through his head at that. “You can't save everyone, Clark. You may not like it, but it's true. And it's going to hurt like the dickens.” His Ma had been right when she'd told him that after his first real failed rescue, waggling a finger at him sternly. She'd been right so many times now. Every time he'd lost a life, her voice came straight to him, reminding him that this was the way it was. That it wasn't his fault. That he could only do so much. That it would be painful.
He wouldn't ever get used to it, but at least he could be prepared for the day-to-day losses he knew would come eventually. The rest... well, the rest would just have to be dealt with in its own time.
Taking a cleansing breath to try to put his guilt aside for the moment, he swiped his hands over his face and through his hair to rid himself of as much of the ash and soot as he could. Somewhat satisfied, he stood and changed back into his civilian clothes. His work suit came out a little rumpled after the long rescue, but it wasn't like anyone would notice.
His glasses completed his disheveled look as he stepped out of the alley to seek out Jimmy and Polly, whom he'd seen amongst the crowd of eager press.
* * * * *
“I swear, Polly, I saw him go that way!” Jimmy insisted, urging the blonde reporter to follow him down the sidewalk, around the outskirts of the growing crowd surrounding the barricades.
“You're seeing things! Really, why would he be skulking around that far from the action?” she protested as he dragged her along by the hand. “Besides, you said he was―”
“Just trust me, okay?”
In a moment they had passed the last of the barricades set up around the partially ruined condo tower, and Jimmy's eyes widened as he saw a figure rounding the corner from the other side of the next building, the familiar form swiping a hand through his hair and nervously adjusting his glasses. “Clark!” the younger man called out happily, then turned back to Polly. “See! I told you I saw him! He probably came around this way to avoid the blocked off street.” Running ahead of her to catch up to the other reporter, he called out again, “Hey, Clark!”
Clark looked up in time to see the red-headed photographer nearly sprinting toward him, grinning, and he smiled faintly in false surprise. “Jim, where were you guys?” he asked innocently as Jimmy caught up to him, out of breath. “I tried to find you before I left, but―”
“Are you kidding? We couldn't find you!” he panted. “Lois was furious when she got back to the bullpen and you weren't there, man.”
“Oh... Uh...”
Jimmy shook his head, catching his breath. “I think she might try to rip your heart out with her bare hands, Clark. You know she hates it when you just take off on a story without telling her.”
Honestly at a loss for words, Clark just gaped, not quite sure that perception of the matter was all that inaccurate. In either of his guises, it seemed like Lois wanted to - and would, if given the chance - eat his liver for breakfast; he did remember, after all, how much she had despised his disappearing act.
“Heh,” the younger man smirked, the pair turning to walk back to where the Fire Chief was answering press questions. “Bet she'll cool off when you show up with the exclusive, though. Right, Clark?” he said with a wink, patting the other man on the shoulder as they got back to where Polly waited for them.
“I sure hope so,” Clark sighed, giving Polly his usual dorky wave hello, before attempting to straighten his jacket and tie unsuccessfully.
Noticing, Jimmy raised an eyebrow at him. “You must have been really sick, man. You look like hell.”
The tall reporter only gave a noncommittal shrug. “Yeah. But the news had to be covered.”
“Hey, it's not like we weren't headed down here anyway, when the report came over the scanner and Lois came tearing through the bullpen looking to send someone.”
Another sigh. “I suppose.”
Before they could get too enveloped by the crowd of reporters and other onlookers, Jimmy pulled out his cell. “Speaking of which, I'd better call her to let her know we found you!”
Clark gulped audibly. Oh, this was not going to go well.
* * * * *
Not long after saying goodnight to Jason, Lois finally clicked on the Send icon on the company laptop to send the New Krypton article to Copy. About time, she thought sourly, no thanks to you, Clark. Looking up, she checked the clock. Ten after eight. Ten minutes after their final deadline. “Oh, they'd better take this,” she muttered, turning to eye the Copy Desk out in the bullpen. Clark Kent is gonna have hell to pay when he gets his ass back here if they don't.
With that thought, her cell phone chirped at her from beside the laptop on the desk. Glancing warily at it as she snatched it up angrily, she saw it was Jimmy calling. “What?” she demanded when she answered.
“I hope you're not still looking for Clark. He's down here with me and Polly,” he said.
“What!? How the hell did he get down there? I thought you said he was sick!?” Lois wanted to strangle them both.
“Wait, uh, here's Clark...” The muffled sound of shuffling came through as Jimmy handed the phone off to her absentee partner.
“Lois? Sorry, um... I didn't mean to ditch you. You were out getting some fresh air, and I heard the first call on the police scanner. I didn't think I had time to come get you, so I got down here as fast as I could.”
“But you told Jimmy you were sick?” she snapped, knowing she wouldn't get an answer that would satisfy her, but pressing for one anyway.
“What? Oh, that was before. I think the shrimp didn't agree with me,” he explained.
“Well, why didn't you take Jimmy with you? Or just send someone else?”
“I couldn't, um, find him, and... uh... sorry,” he stammered.
Oh, this night just keeps getting better and better. Frustrated beyond her own tolerance, Lois began tapping her chewed fingernails on the desk. “Fine. How's the situation down there? The WGBS cameras got a few shots of Superman.”
“Looks like everything's contained now. The fire's out, anyway. And Superman got everyone that was trapped out of the building, though... a few people... um, didn't make it.” Lois thought she heard Clark's voice crack with that last bit, and a very faint, but slightly familiar feeling tickled the back of her mind before she brushed it away.
“Yeah, I saw as much on the live broadcast,” she said more quietly, thinking of the lost look on his face that the cameras had captured.
After more rustling, Jimmy came back on the phone.
“Hey Lois, I got some really fantastic shots, and me and Polly already talked to a few of the utilities workers and got some quotes. We're gonna hang here and see if we can't get a statement from the Fire Chief, and with whatever Clark got, we should have some good stuff for tomorrow's evening edition.”
“All right. Try to get some more interviews while you're there, and I'll tell the City Desk to expect you later. Oh, and tell Clark he'd better live in fear for the next few days,” she finished coldly.
“Uh... No problem,” Jimmy said, before Lois pressed the End button to disconnect the call. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she began to pack up her work to get the hell home for the night.
* * * * *
Author: Saavikam77
Fandom: Superman Returns
Pairings: Lois/Richard, Clark/Lois
Rating - This Chapter: PG-13
Summary: In the days following the events of Superman Returns, both Clark and Lois are reeling from events that have changed their lives forever, and the city of Metropolis is in shambles. Things only get worse as Lois's relationship with Richard takes a nosedive, the US government wants to send a survey and potential mining mission to New Krypton, and vast amounts of kryptonite show up in the hands of criminals on the streets of Metropolis.
Chapter Summary: Superman responds to an explosion in uptown Metropolis. Clark goes missing, leaving Lois frustrated at his absence.
Chapter Word Count: 4,345
Disclaimer: This is a work of fan-fiction. Superman and the DC Comics universe are property of DC Comics and Warner Brothers. No money has been made or will be made from the production of this work. Darn it.
Author's Note: Bryan Singer's version of "Polly" was an older, grouchy woman, at least in the SR script. My version is decidedly not. :p
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Chapter 7
Sarah finished reconnecting the power conduit that serviced the northwest elevator of the Metropolis Towers Condominiums main building, and returned her tools to her utility belt. With a quick check by her voltmeter, she was happy to see the electricity flowing smoothly through the repaired lines. And it had only taken her and her crew four hours up here in the service room on the roof to get everything running again. Considering the mess they'd found when they arrived that afternoon, she considered their repair time a new record for a MetroPower crew. Beat that, Sid, she thought. She could almost see the look on her friend and coworker's face when she passed him on the way down through the building. He'd probably gape at her, jealous that she got to knock off for the night after their nearly twenty hour shift.
“Okay, Bob,” she called to her assistant, “Let's get everything packed up and head down. We're taking the stairs.” Her last order was met with a groan from the three men on the roof with her. My crew, ladies and gentlemen, she mentally rolled her eyes. “Deal with it. You know as well as I do that there might still be problems with the elevator shaft. No one rides it until the building inspectors clear it. Andy, give me a hand with this,” she motioned to their largest tool and supplies box. The two of them took hold of either end and moved it toward the stairwell door. Despite its wheels, the thing was still unwieldy and would take some serious maneuvering to get down the twenty-one flights.
Once the crew had secured the rest of their tools, they set off down the stairs, looking for all the world, it seemed to Sarah, like a line of baby ducks in their yellow hard hats. They passed the top floor of the building, where another MetroPower crew worked on the power lines. Sarah paused. “Hold up, guys. Terry, you take the other end of this. I'm going to check on Sid's crew.” And rub it in his face. “I'll meet up with you guys a few floors down.” She handed her end of the tools and supplies box to the crewman and passed through the stairwell door onto the twenty-first floor.
“Sid?” she called out, not seeing the crew leader among the few other workers who scurried about through the hallways.
A tall man in another yellow hard hat came around the corner, seeking the person who had summoned him. “Yeah? Oh, Sarah. Hey, you guys aren't done yet, are you?” he asked incredulously.
“You bet your butt we are!” she beamed. “You owe me fifty bucks mister.” She held out her palm.
Sid crossed his arms and shook his head, “Nuh-uh. Only if none of the other crews in here aren't finished yet. And that includes the water and gas guys!”
Her eyes widened with disbelief. “Oh, come on! You know they can't possibly be finished. Their work is too damn messy and dangerous for them to move at our speeds. Come on, pay up.”
“No way. Not until you've confirmed they're not finished.”
“Fine, I'll just radio down to Gene with the MetroGas crews and we'll see.” She pulled her radio from her utility belt to call down to the crew working on the floor beneath them, and―
FWOOOOOOOOMMM!!!!!
In a deafening, screaming roar, the floor under her feet was driven upward, sending her and everyone else toppling over as a wave of blistering heat seared her jeans and work shirt and melted the bottoms of her boots. Smoke followed, choking off her air and blinding her. She lost all sense of direction as she scrambled for purchase, finding none, the sudden white pain of fire licking at the skin on her hands and face. Oh, God, what is happening!? Then everything around her was on fire, and she could see people beating away the flames, screaming in agony as their flesh began to burn as well. Sid, where's Sid!? She tried to crawl to where he had been standing a moment before, but the floor was buckled and tilted upward, blocking her advance.
Sarah's stomach churned, as, without warning, she found herself falling. The floor completely gave way beneath her, and she realized in horror that everything above her was falling, too. God, no, this can't be real!! She kept falling, through the floor below all the way to the nineteenth floor, and landed, hard, the impact driving the breath out of her. Flaming debris fell on top of her, trapping her, a section of what might have been a wall moments before pinning her down. Struggling for breath, she swept her hands wildly around, finding no relief from the weight crushing her chest and the fire and smoke surrounding her. God, no, she continued to pray silently, screams echoing from everywhere. “Help!” she managed to choke out as she reached blindly for someone, anyone.
God, no, I don't want to die here!
* * * * *
Passersby on the street watched in shock as the top three floors of condo tower erupted into flame and suddenly collapsed in on themselves. Screaming panic followed in the span of time it took for the sound of the rumbling explosion to die, and the resulting fleeing mass of humanity crushed away from the engulfed building in stricken horror, the shared memory of falling buildings and clouds of ashen debris still too fresh to allow any other coherent action or thought.
Only the handful of city utility crews and supervisors on the ground had any sense about them as it dawned on them what had happened. Rushing back into the building, they knew they needed to get their people out before the entire structure either went up in flames or came down around them. With crews on nearly every floor, they had to hurry; to hell with the rescue crews that were probably on their way. There was no time.
Of the people fleeing in terror and the remaining utility workers on the ground, none of them noticed when Superman, a mere flash of red and blue, appeared in the sky, heading straight for the burning, smoking, crumbling building.
* * * * *
Approaching the tower, Clark surveyed the scene before him, scanning quickly through the dense smoke to see what he was dealing with. Thirty-two people were trapped inside, their screams rising from the debris, their heartbeats and choking breaths loud in his ears as he focused on them. If he didn't dig them out quickly, either the flames would get to them or the smoke would suffocate them. Flying out to make a wide circle around the top of the building, he drew in an enormous breath, compressing the air down into his lungs as tightly as he could. Hurry... In a torrent of freezing wind, he expelled the breath, extinguishing the worst of the flames and clearing away much of the smoke. Some of the screams grew louder. Some stopped. No time. More black clouds rose from beneath the charred rubble, betraying the fire that still burned there. Have to hurry!
Diving, he went straight for the top of the pile of collapsed floors and began to dig, keenly aware of every breath, heartbeat, scream, and moan of the now twenty-eight people still alive in the midst of the rubble.
* * * * *
Lois ran from the elevator, through the double doors, and into bullpen, her heart racing as she surveyed the quiet newsroom in search of someone to send out to cover whatever was happening across town. “Jimmy!” she called out. “Polly!”
No one answered her as she rushed through the nearly deserted room, only the evening compliment of copy editors still at work while most of the night-shift city reporters were out on assignment. Dammit, if I have to, I'll go myself! she swore as she came around a corner and practically slammed into the younger woman she'd been seeking. “Polly!”
“Christ, Lois, what is it?” the other reporter asked, disentangling herself from Lois's grip and flipping her blonde hair back.
“Explosion, I think. Uptown. I heard it from the roof.”
Jimmy finally came rushing around the corner from the conference room snarfing a pot sticker, his camera in hand already. “Just got it on the scanner!” he mumbled around his food. Swallowing, he finished, “Metropolis Towers Condos. Might be a gas explosion. They said something about utilities crews.”
“That's up on Fourth Street,” Polly said.
“Okay. You two get going, and I'll let the Assignment and City Desks know you've gone,” Lois nodded; being a senior reporter and the fiancée of the assistant editor gave her some default powers, after all. “And if I can find Clark, I'll probably send him out, too, after we get this New Krypton article done,” she finished, stalking away toward the conference room.
Jimmy called after her as he and Polly headed toward the elevator lobby, “Lois, I don't know where he went. Said he was sick or something.” Shrugging back at her gob-smacked expression, the young photographer rushed out through the bullpen doors, barely managing to snag the elevator before it could head down without them.
“Dammit!” he heard Lois exclaim loudly as the doors shut behind them.
* * * * *
Sarah had begun to lose consciousness. The searing pain of the fire and the phantom cries around her faded as her mind swept her away to a beautiful place. Suddenly she stood in the midst of Centennial Park, the sky a bright blue above her, the trees fully green in the midst of summer. Cool breezes brushed her blond hair back from her face in the warm sunlight. Looking upward to the sky, she saw him there, descending, like an angel, a blue angel with crimson wings spread out against the pale sky behind him.
“Can you hear me?” his voice called out to her from somewhere above. The angel hovered above her, calling to her. She felt a weight lifted from atop her body, and the image of the angel in the park dissipated, replaced with the thick stench of smoke and an impossibly dark haze. Strong arms lifted her gently from the ruins and she slowly opened her eyes, whimpering as pain wracked her body. She saw the angel again, but here he was real. Crystal blue eyes looked down at her as she realized they were flying. He had found her, he had saved her. Her angel.
“Superman,” she said, her voice barely a whisper. “Sid, Bob...”
“It's okay. I'll find them,” he assured her in a tone that must have come straight out of heaven.
Sarah felt light, and she knew they were descending to the street below. She looked up as the building seemed to rise past them, “Gas lines...” she choked, “exploded.”
The angel nodded at her before gently setting her down on an ambulance gurney. “Here you go.” He turned to the paramedics who rushed to the semi-conscious woman, “She'll be all right. Looks like a broken femur and a few broken ribs...”
Sarah closed her eyes again and the heavenly words of the angel faded away into silence.
* * * * *
With the street filled up with fire trucks, ambulances, and police cars, their lights blaring and sirens screaming, it was a scene of barely controlled chaos as rescue personnel dashed about tending to the injured. Fire fighters had cleared the building of the hundred plus utility workers, while the surrounding condo towers were evacuated as well.
Clark took quick stock of the situation. Having finally cut the remaining flames down, he'd managed to pull fourteen of the now twenty-five victims from the destruction, tossing aside concrete walls and floors, furniture, and appliances to reach them. Eleven more to go, he thought as he ascended once again to the top of the building. He prayed he could reach them in time, as the cries for help diminished with each trip into the rubble, the heartbeats slowing and breaths dying.
Three rescues later, and somewhere between the first and second crumbled floor, he pushed aside a slab of concrete and found a man whose hard hat read Sid. The man's thready pulse was weak, his breaths shallow. “Sid!” he called out as he freed the utility worker from the crumbled concrete surrounding him.
No answer.
Please let him live... he prayed, the desperation of the long rescue already beginning to get to him.
“Sid, can you hear me!?”
Come on!!
Sid choked weakly, gasping.
Please... Clark begged as he began to descend toward the ground with the limp man in his arms.
The thready pulse slowed.
No... “Sid!!”
A gasp.
An exhalation.
Sid's heart stopped.
Clark was six floors from the ground.
No... he wailed to himself as he looked at the man's stilled face, masked with soot and blood. But... maybe there's still time.
As soon as his boots touched the pavement he laid Sid's body gently on another gurney and watched, wide eyed, as the paramedics took over. “His heart just stopped,” he choked, shaking his head in shock.
The nearest EMT, an older man with dark skin and stark white hair, put a wide hand on Clark's shoulder and looked him in the eye. “We'll take care of him, son. And even if he doesn't make it, you know there's nothing more you could have done. Nothing anyone could have done.”
Clark was oddly comforted. “Thank you,” he replied.
“Don't thank me, son. Just get back up there and help get the rest of those people out of there.”
Clark nodded and took to the sky once again. Seven more people needed his help.
* * * * *
More than a half-hour after sending Jimmy and Polly to cover the explosion, Lois had still not located Clark. She'd tried his cell repeatedly, with no answer, in between watching the partial building collapse scenario unfold before the WGBS news cameras and trying to finish the work Clark had begun on the New Krypton story. “Where the hell is he?” she cursed under her breath as she tried his cell again, only to be kicked over to his voice mail. “Dammit, Clark!”
Furious, she slammed her cell down on the conference room table, only to realize she still needed to let Richard know what was happening and that she would be a lot later getting home than she'd planned. “Oh, hell...” she groaned, snatching the phone up again and pressing the speed dial button for their house phone.
After a ring, Richard picked up, “Lois?”
“Hey,” she sighed, exasperated. “Have you had the news on?”
“Why? What's happening?” he asked, a hint of fear and dead seriousness overtaking his voice.
“Explosion, uptown.”
She heard him click on the TV. “Holy crap,” he muttered. “Where are you?”
“Don't worry, I'm at the office. But I did send Polly and Jimmy. Would have sent Clark, too, but I can't find him, and his cell keeps going straight to voice mail. Jimmy said he was sick, or something, but he just up and disappeared on me.” She couldn't help a furious tone as she recalled quite a few untimely disappearances from years ago; she'd been hoping he wouldn't repeat his old habit of making himself somehow scarce when he was needed. Damn him.
“I'm sure he'll turn up, Lois.”
“Yeah, that's what Perry used to say,” she rolled her eyes.
“Huh?”
“Never mind, Richard,” she almost snapped. “Anyway, it's gonna be a while before I can get out of here now. I'm still trying to finish the article on the signal, and without Clark here, it's gonna take me all the way to deadline. Maybe longer.”
“Damn.”
“No kidding. Look...” she began, then sighed. “Is Jason still up?”
“Yeah. Hold on,” he said slowly, clearly disappointed. She heard him sigh as well as he sought out their little boy, and a rustle as he handed the phone over to him.
“Mommy?”
“Hey, Munchkin,” she said sadly. “I'm so sorry. I've gotta stay at work for a little while longer than I expected.”
“Is it cuz' of the fire on TV?” he asked.
“Yeah, Sweetie. It is. I love you so much, you know that?”
“Uh-huh. I love you, too, Mommy.” There was a pause, then, “Mommy, is Superman okay?”
Lois startled at his question. “What? Why would he not be okay, Jason?”
“Cuz' he looks tired.”
Glancing up to the nearest monitor, she saw the WGBS news camera focusing in close on the hero as he deposited another victim on a stretcher and stepped aside to let the paramedics work, breathing anxiously and running a hand through his mussed, soot-streaked hair. “That's it. That's the last of them,” she heard him say in an exhausted tone, the warm light gone out of his voice. “The rest are...” he trailed off as he spotted the news camera, narrowing his eyes and shaking his head.
“Oh, honey,” she said into her cell, her heart tearing in half at the sight of the man she'd practically ripped apart on the rooftop not long before, so clearly distraught. “I'm sure... I'm sure he'll be fine.”
* * * * *
Ducking into an alley on the far side of the tall condo towers, Clark sank to the ground, leaning heavily against a brick wall for support as he landed on his own cape and let his booted feet slide out away from him. Too many people had died. Sixteen people. Sixteen people too many.
How am I ever supposed to get used to this again?
The last four days had been uneventful enough in the disaster department that he hadn't had to deal with many losses, only the aftereffects of the deaths at Luthor's hands, but now this... and all on top of the train wreck his own life had become. The things Lois had told him on the roof of the Daily Planet...
He kicked at a broken bottle on the sidewalk, sending it crashing against the opposite wall.
All this death - all this death and destruction and pain - was useless. If only he'd stopped Luthor sooner. If only he'd never left in the first place!
A voice from the past rang through his head at that. “You can't save everyone, Clark. You may not like it, but it's true. And it's going to hurt like the dickens.” His Ma had been right when she'd told him that after his first real failed rescue, waggling a finger at him sternly. She'd been right so many times now. Every time he'd lost a life, her voice came straight to him, reminding him that this was the way it was. That it wasn't his fault. That he could only do so much. That it would be painful.
He wouldn't ever get used to it, but at least he could be prepared for the day-to-day losses he knew would come eventually. The rest... well, the rest would just have to be dealt with in its own time.
Taking a cleansing breath to try to put his guilt aside for the moment, he swiped his hands over his face and through his hair to rid himself of as much of the ash and soot as he could. Somewhat satisfied, he stood and changed back into his civilian clothes. His work suit came out a little rumpled after the long rescue, but it wasn't like anyone would notice.
His glasses completed his disheveled look as he stepped out of the alley to seek out Jimmy and Polly, whom he'd seen amongst the crowd of eager press.
* * * * *
“I swear, Polly, I saw him go that way!” Jimmy insisted, urging the blonde reporter to follow him down the sidewalk, around the outskirts of the growing crowd surrounding the barricades.
“You're seeing things! Really, why would he be skulking around that far from the action?” she protested as he dragged her along by the hand. “Besides, you said he was―”
“Just trust me, okay?”
In a moment they had passed the last of the barricades set up around the partially ruined condo tower, and Jimmy's eyes widened as he saw a figure rounding the corner from the other side of the next building, the familiar form swiping a hand through his hair and nervously adjusting his glasses. “Clark!” the younger man called out happily, then turned back to Polly. “See! I told you I saw him! He probably came around this way to avoid the blocked off street.” Running ahead of her to catch up to the other reporter, he called out again, “Hey, Clark!”
Clark looked up in time to see the red-headed photographer nearly sprinting toward him, grinning, and he smiled faintly in false surprise. “Jim, where were you guys?” he asked innocently as Jimmy caught up to him, out of breath. “I tried to find you before I left, but―”
“Are you kidding? We couldn't find you!” he panted. “Lois was furious when she got back to the bullpen and you weren't there, man.”
“Oh... Uh...”
Jimmy shook his head, catching his breath. “I think she might try to rip your heart out with her bare hands, Clark. You know she hates it when you just take off on a story without telling her.”
Honestly at a loss for words, Clark just gaped, not quite sure that perception of the matter was all that inaccurate. In either of his guises, it seemed like Lois wanted to - and would, if given the chance - eat his liver for breakfast; he did remember, after all, how much she had despised his disappearing act.
“Heh,” the younger man smirked, the pair turning to walk back to where the Fire Chief was answering press questions. “Bet she'll cool off when you show up with the exclusive, though. Right, Clark?” he said with a wink, patting the other man on the shoulder as they got back to where Polly waited for them.
“I sure hope so,” Clark sighed, giving Polly his usual dorky wave hello, before attempting to straighten his jacket and tie unsuccessfully.
Noticing, Jimmy raised an eyebrow at him. “You must have been really sick, man. You look like hell.”
The tall reporter only gave a noncommittal shrug. “Yeah. But the news had to be covered.”
“Hey, it's not like we weren't headed down here anyway, when the report came over the scanner and Lois came tearing through the bullpen looking to send someone.”
Another sigh. “I suppose.”
Before they could get too enveloped by the crowd of reporters and other onlookers, Jimmy pulled out his cell. “Speaking of which, I'd better call her to let her know we found you!”
Clark gulped audibly. Oh, this was not going to go well.
* * * * *
Not long after saying goodnight to Jason, Lois finally clicked on the Send icon on the company laptop to send the New Krypton article to Copy. About time, she thought sourly, no thanks to you, Clark. Looking up, she checked the clock. Ten after eight. Ten minutes after their final deadline. “Oh, they'd better take this,” she muttered, turning to eye the Copy Desk out in the bullpen. Clark Kent is gonna have hell to pay when he gets his ass back here if they don't.
With that thought, her cell phone chirped at her from beside the laptop on the desk. Glancing warily at it as she snatched it up angrily, she saw it was Jimmy calling. “What?” she demanded when she answered.
“I hope you're not still looking for Clark. He's down here with me and Polly,” he said.
“What!? How the hell did he get down there? I thought you said he was sick!?” Lois wanted to strangle them both.
“Wait, uh, here's Clark...” The muffled sound of shuffling came through as Jimmy handed the phone off to her absentee partner.
“Lois? Sorry, um... I didn't mean to ditch you. You were out getting some fresh air, and I heard the first call on the police scanner. I didn't think I had time to come get you, so I got down here as fast as I could.”
“But you told Jimmy you were sick?” she snapped, knowing she wouldn't get an answer that would satisfy her, but pressing for one anyway.
“What? Oh, that was before. I think the shrimp didn't agree with me,” he explained.
“Well, why didn't you take Jimmy with you? Or just send someone else?”
“I couldn't, um, find him, and... uh... sorry,” he stammered.
Oh, this night just keeps getting better and better. Frustrated beyond her own tolerance, Lois began tapping her chewed fingernails on the desk. “Fine. How's the situation down there? The WGBS cameras got a few shots of Superman.”
“Looks like everything's contained now. The fire's out, anyway. And Superman got everyone that was trapped out of the building, though... a few people... um, didn't make it.” Lois thought she heard Clark's voice crack with that last bit, and a very faint, but slightly familiar feeling tickled the back of her mind before she brushed it away.
“Yeah, I saw as much on the live broadcast,” she said more quietly, thinking of the lost look on his face that the cameras had captured.
After more rustling, Jimmy came back on the phone.
“Hey Lois, I got some really fantastic shots, and me and Polly already talked to a few of the utilities workers and got some quotes. We're gonna hang here and see if we can't get a statement from the Fire Chief, and with whatever Clark got, we should have some good stuff for tomorrow's evening edition.”
“All right. Try to get some more interviews while you're there, and I'll tell the City Desk to expect you later. Oh, and tell Clark he'd better live in fear for the next few days,” she finished coldly.
“Uh... No problem,” Jimmy said, before Lois pressed the End button to disconnect the call. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she began to pack up her work to get the hell home for the night.
* * * * *