Post by Stardrifter on Sept 29, 2011 19:35:58 GMT -5
by
Stardrifter001
Parasite Eve
Our top story today. Fresh off quelling a wildfire in California, Superman met with the President at the White House. The two discussed ways to do more to help those in need within our borders, as well as policy for foreign aid. Superman made a point to say this is not an endorsement for the upcoming election. When pressed about his politics, Superman evaded the question. "It's not my place to get involved with..."
The radio falls silent, causing Jonathan to turn to check what is wrong. He stops short when, to his surprise, a man is standing in front of him. "OH! Jesus!" Jonathan cries, his hand grabbing his chest in shock. "Don't do that to me Clark!"
Clark's grin drops in an instant as he grabs his father. Jonathan quickly pushes his hands away, too proud for the assistance. "Are you okay Dad?"
"I'm fine. Just fine." Jonathan steadies himself and looks up at his son. By 12 years old Clark was already as tall as him. It wasn't long after that he surpassed him. Jonathan straightens his glasses, adjusts his suspenders, and slaps Clark in the arm. "Why'd you turn off my radio? I was listening to that. Your Mom and I are proud of you."
Clark smiles and reddens slightly as they walk out of the barn. It's a bright, warm afternoon on the Kent Farm. The smell of Martha's baking in the house reaches them even out here. "It was nothing Dad. I..."
"Nothing?" Jonathan barks, slapping Clark in the back of the head. "How many times have your mother and I met the President of the United States? Hmm? None! That's how many." Clark rubs the back of his head as his father teasingly berates him. "We always knew you would be destined for greater things. We just didn't know how great. Now that you've found your calling, we like to hear about it. If not from you, then the news will have to do."
"Well I'm here now so you can hear all about it over dinner."
"Did you tell your mother?"
"Yes Dad. I told her to expect four for dinner."
"Four?" Jonathan raises an eyebrow at that. "Bringing home some city girlfriend to the farm to meet Mom and Dad? It's about time you moved on from..."
"No," Clark interrupts. "It's not a girlfriend. I just invited Lex to dinner. He'll be here shortly."
"Ah I see." It disappoints Jonathan that his son evades the topic, but he knows better than to push. "Well it'll be good to see Lex again. Been a while. I'm glad he's there in Metropolis too. Don't want you all alone in the big city."
Clark shakes his head. "I'm not all alone. I'm getting to know some people at the Planet. It's a change of pace from Smallville but I'm getting the hang of it."
Jonathan looks up at the sun and wipes his brow with his rolled up sleeve. "Well I have some work to get to before supper. So if you..."
"I'm on it!"
A warm smile covers Jonathan's face as the words drift off at super speed.
****
"This doesn't have to be hard Rudy," Detective Dan Turpin tells a nervous middle aged man sitting at the table. "All you have to do is tell us what happened."
Rudy continues to stare down at his hands, clutched tightly together. Sweat beads down his face. The room is uncomfortably warm and every time Detective Turpin speaks it stinks of sour croute. He keeps leaning down over Rudy like he's trying to smother him.
"Look Rudy," Detective Maggie Sawyer says from across the table. She runs her hand through her short brown hair and pushes a glass of water over to him. "I understand how you feel. You're scared. You don't have to be. We can protect you. We..."
"You can protect me?!" Rudy blurts out with an uncomfortable chuckle. He finally looks up from his hands to meet Maggie's gaze. "If there was anything you could do you wouldn't need me! I ain't no snitch!"
Turpin stands up in frustration. He loosens his tie, wipes his bald head, and grabs for his coffee. It's long since gone cold but he doesn't care. "Fine then. We'll just let you go home to your wife and kids. You can eat a big dinner and go to sleep in your soft bed. I'm sure you'll sleep very well. I mean, you ain't no snitch. So when Morgan Edge hears you've been hold up in the police station all day with the cops, he won't do nothing."
Fear threatens to overtake Rudy. He stares off like a deer staring into headlights. Maggie picks up where her partner leaves off. "I don't know, Dan. I mean we're talking about Morgan Edge. He's one of the country's most notorious crime bosses. Everyone knows he runs Intergang, yet no one can find a shred of proof. He doesn't strike me as the type to leave something to chance."
Turpin walks back to the table and sits on the corner, ignoring Rudy. "Yeah you're right. You don't get to where Edge is by leaving loose ends. He hears about a guy who witnessed him personally killing a man, the guy's boss no less, he's not gonna care if the guy 'ain't no snitch.'"
Rudy drops his head into his hands, blubbering. His fingers run through his thinning hair, slick with sweat. "I'm gonna die!" he cries.
"Not if you let us help you!" Maggie reaches out and takes Rudy's hand. He looks up at her and sees the conviction in her eyes. "We can protect you. You and your family. I know it's frightening. But if you stand up to Edge, in court, he'll go away forever and he'll never be able to hurt you."
"You promise?"
"We promise." Turpin tells him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Nothing's going to happen to you."
****
The sun is setting when the black sports car come roaring down the road. It makes the turn into the Kent Farm faster than it should, drifts slightly, then rights itself and speeds toward the house. Clark and Jonathan watch as it pulls up, stopping just short of them, kicking dust up everywhere. The front license plate reads LEX12.
"Subtle," Clark quips as Lex gets out of the car.
"What can I say, I love these Kansas back roads. Allows me to just let loose a bit."
"Until you let loose into a tree."
"Oh lighten up Clark," Lex laughs and pats him on the shoulder. "Do you really want to live forever?"
"I certainly wouldn't mind myself," Jonathan smiles as he and Lex shake hands. "Good to see you, son."
"Sorry I haven't been by lately. Been so busy."
"Of course. Running a business takes it's toll on a man. Especially in Metropolis. I hear things have been pretty crazy there lately, what with men flying about and fighting criminals."
"You know, I hadn't even noticed."
The three men laugh and head for the house. Before they even set foot inside, a voice calls out from the kitchen. "You boys had better not be setting foot in my house with those filthy shoes on!"
Grumbling, Jonathan stops to take his shoes off. Clark stops as well, leaving just Lex to continue in to the kitchen. "If Heaven exists, it must smell like the Kent kitchen."
"Lex!" Martha sets aside chopping vegetables and gives Lex a hug. "You're looking a little thin. Are you eating enough?"
"If you agree to move out to Metropolis I'll eat as much as you want."
Martha blushes slightly and heads back to her vegetables. "So how are things in the big city? Are you looking out for my Clark?"
"Oh I think we both know Clark doesn't need any looking after," Lex tells her as Clark and Jonathan walk in. Jonathan gives his wife a kiss on his way to the refrigerator. He comes back with three beers.
"Dinner will be ready soon, so you boys better wash up if you want any," Martha tells them with authority.
****
"We've sent officers for your family," Maggie tells Rudy as they ride out of the police station in the back of an unmarked black car. Turpin is ahead of them in another car. A third car with more officers follows behind. Despite the level of protection and secrecy, Maggie is still nervous. A fact she tries her hardest not to show to Rudy.
"You're sure they'll be all right?" Rudy asks again, nervously, for the seventh time.
The cars stop at an intersection. Maggie places a hand on top of Rudy's hand. "Trust me. This is our job. We're good at it."
The light turns green and the cars begin to enter the intersection. Maggie sees it coming an instant before it happens. A black van runs the light and crashes right into the car in front of them. They skid to a stop, seatbelts straining into their chests, as the side door of the van opens to reveal three gunmen.
Maggie grabs Rudy and pulls him down with her. "Get down!" she shouts, but not in time for the officers in the front seat. A hail of bullets rip into the car. She can smell the blood.
More vans pull up around them with more gunmen. A firefight breaks out between the officers in the third car and the gunmen.
The smell of urine comes from Rudy, mingling with the smell of blood. As the firing on their car peters out, Maggie takes what time she has and pushes the door open. Grabbing Rudy by the collar, she jumps out of the car and fires her pistol. They keep their heads down and run around to the trunk of the car. Paralyzed by fear, Rudy is little more than dead weight.
A bright flash blinds Maggie momentarily, then an explosion erupts behind her. Looking back she sees the entire third car in flames. Another flash, this time she sees the arc of electricity, flies past and hits the remaining officer.
Weapon ready, Maggie jumps up to find the source of the blasts. She sees a man standing in front of one of the vans, his hands glowing with electricity. He's dressed in a fine black suit and tie. The upper half of his face is covered with a black bandanna.
Maggie fires three shots at him then ducks back down. The man quickly raises a hand and the three bullets spark in the air before falling to the ground. He then points his hand toward their car.
Grabbing Rudy, Maggie tries to run but doesn't get far. The car explodes, the force sending them flying. Maggie lands hard on an abandoned car in the middle of the street. Her head spinning and her ears ringing, Maggie's last sight before losing consciousness is two of the gunmen lifting Rudy up by the arms.
****
Laughter fills the dining room at the Kent house. Clark, red from embarrassment, can't help but laugh along.
"And...and then..." Lex is interrupted by another laughing fit. "And then Clark just looks at me and he...he says, 'There are times I really hate having x-ray vision!'"
More laughter erupts. Clark watches his parents, just as red as he is now and grabbing each other for support as they laugh, and feels a wave of love wash over him. The two most important people in his life, he finds he's not upset at all about Lex telling them a story he'd never wanted them to know.
As the laughter dies down, Martha stands up to start clearing the table. Clark jumps up and takes the plate from her hands. "I got it, Mom." In a blur all the dishes disappear from the table. When he comes back, Clark kisses her on the cheek and hands her a cup of tea he heated himself with his heat vision.
"Thank you, Clark," Martha smiles as she sits back down. "You really know how to spoil your mother."
"So Clark," Jonathan begins, bringing the conversation to more serious matters. "About this super hero business. I know so far it's been pretty simple. Well, simple for you anyway. But your Mom and I keep up with the news. There are these people with powers showing up all over the country. Heck all over the world. The last time we had super heroes running around, you know the Justice Society, it didn't end well for all of them. They got involved in that damn war and I can't imagine it didn't change them.
"What I'm trying to get at is, what are you going to do when people start coming for you? When it's not just giant robots and earthquakes and burning buildings. What happens when you have to face someone with powers?"
Clark doesn't think before responding. "If they're committing a crime I'll stop them."
"You'll fight them?"
"If that's what it takes."
"What if it takes more?"
Jonathan's question hangs there for a moment. Clark can feel their eyes on him, waiting for an answer. "You mean will I kill someone?"
"If you're going to fight crime, you're might end up facing criminals who can go toe to toe with you. I know you want to do what's right, but what if it becomes a matter of life or death?"
The line of questioning catches Clark off guard. He didn't expect this from his father. He never really thought about it himself. As he searches for an answer, there's a knock at the door.
"Excuse me." Martha gets up to go answer it. She opens the door to find a young redhead woman standing there.
"I'm sorry Martha, I don't mean to be a bother, I was just..." The woman loses her train of thought as she looks into the dining room. "Clark?"
Clark's heart skips a beat. "Lana?"
****
Rudy awakens to darkness. His hands are bound behind him. He can feel fabric over his head and face. The back of his head throbs in pain. "Hello? I-Is anyone there?"
His only answer is a sharp blow to the face and the laughter of many men. The blow knocks him out of the chair he is sitting on. The floor is cold and hard. Rough hands drag him back into his chair and pull the hood from his head. Light, sharp and painful, blinds him. When his eyes finally adjust he sees a man in a black suit and tie standing in front of him.. The top of his face is covered in a black bandanna. Rudy smirks at the unexpected thought that it reminds him of the Man in Black from Princess Bride. The smirk earns him another punch to the face.
"Something funny?" the man asks, his voice calm and deep. "Wipe that smile off your face before I do."
"As you wish," Rudy mutters, but keeps back the smile from his private joke.
The men around the Man in Black, about a half dozen, are your garden variety thugs. Typical employees of Morgan Edge. They smile and laugh and make rude gestures at him. Rudy's head begins to clear and the reality of his situation sets in. The men laugh harder at the puddle forming beneath him.
"Welcome, Mr. Jones. It must be comforting to be in such familiar surroundings."
The voice comes from behind Rudy. He looks back to see a man walk around him. His stride is one of a man in complete control of his environment. Rudy can't remember ever seeing a man with such confidence in his life. His suit is a custom fit whose worth is beyond Rudy's reckoning. The man is in his mid forties, but his flawless skin and short, neat brown hair make him appear to be no older than thirty. Rudy would recognize this man anywhere. He watched as the man shot his boss in the head. Morgan Edge.
"Oh don't tell me you don't know where you are? You spend, what, forty hours a week here?"
Rudy takes a moment to really focus on where he is. It's a large, well lit room with rows and rows of crates, tanks, barrels, cylinders, and other containers. The crate closest to him has the tell tale symbol on it. Edge can see realization take hold in Rudy's eyes.
"That's right. S.T.A.R. Labs: Metropolis. Sorry about the mess, but I don't think you'll need to worry about it. S.T.A.R. Labs is going to need to find a new janitor in the morning." Edge leans down in front of Rudy, bringing his face within a foot of Rudy's. The stench of his expensive cologne causes Rudy to cough. Edge barely notices. "You see, this S.T.A.R. Labs facility, as well as many others around the nation, belongs to me. You won't find my name anywhere, or any financial reports, but it belongs to me. Your boss, Mr. Fredericks, thought he could take what was rightfully mine. Skim a little off the top as it were." Edge grabs the back of Rudy's head, twisting his fingers through his hair. "No one takes from Morgan Edge. No one."
After another moment of Rudy wincing in pain, Edge lets go and stands back up straight. "I don't really like to get personally involved in such matters. Any successful boss will tell you, delegate. Delegation is the key to successful management. Still, every once in a while, you need to get in there and do it yourself. Remind the people that you still got it."
Edge walks over to the masked man and takes a handkerchief out of his breast pocket. He wipes his hands on it and continues to talk, not looking back at Rudy. "I have nothing against you personally, Mr. Jones. You were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Still, examples must be made. This time I am delegating. My friend here is going to be taking care of you. My men have taken to calling him, 'The Electrocutioner.' A bit melodramatic, but fitting. As you'll soon see." Edge drops the handkerchief on the ground and walks away. "Make it quick."
Electrocutioner walks over to Rudy. There's no hint of emotion on his face. His mouth is completely neutral. His eyes are cold and distant. He reaches down and grabs Rudy around the chin with his right hand. His grip is like iron, so tight Rudy fears his jaw will break.
CAN'T READ MY, CAN'T READ MY, NO HE CAN'T READ MY POKER FACE!
The sudden eruption of song in an otherwise silent moment startles everyone. Electrocutioner turns, showing the faintest hint of anger, to see one of his men fumbling for his cell phone. It's a momentary distraction, leading to a momentary swelling of courage for Rudy Jones.
Whether in panic or a last ditch will to live, Rudy jumps to his feet and kicks Electrocutioner in the groin. He lets go of Rudy's face and tumbles over. The men go for their guns, but Rudy is already sprinting away, weaving through the rows of storage. There's no plan to his movements, no ultimate goal, only the need to be anywhere but here. Finally, like any frightened prey, he ducks into a dark corner to hide. On a nearby box he finds a box cutter and works to free his hands.
Rudy can hear the men searching for him and tries to slow his breathing. His heart is racing so fast he can feel it in his ears. A yelp escapes his lips as a weaselly faced man rounds the corner.
"Here!" the man yells. "I got 'im!" The man reaches out for him, oblivious to the box cutter in Rudy's hand. In a flash Rudy swings it at the man, slicing into his stomach. There's a sharp intake of breath as the man falls backward. He raises his gun and fires off two shots. They're wild, missing Rudy completely, instead hitting two containers in the stacks above him. One releases a dark green gas, filling Rudy's lungs and causing him to double over in a coughing fit. The other bursts open in a spray of a bright purple liquid. It lands all over Rudy and burns him on contact.
The screams are horrific. It takes Electrocutioner and his men a minute to figure out where they're coming from. When they finally come upon Rudy, he's lying in a puddle of the purple liquid, his skin shriveled and discolored. The gas has dissipated and the Electrocutioner moves forward, slowly, and kneels down over the body. He takes care not to touch him. What's left of Rudy's clothes are in tatters. His hair lies on the floor around his head. Electrocutioner can't detect any breathing at all.
"He's dead," he says, matter-of-factly. He goes to stand up, but the purple liquid coating the bottom of his shoes is slick and causes him to slip. He puts out a hand to steady himself and leans directly on to Rudy's chest. A sudden pain runs through his body, as if all his strength was suddenly taken from him. Electrocutioner's men jump back in surprise as Rudy's eyes open, sparking with electricity.
-to be continued-