Metropolis Toymart
7:00 a.m.
The stock boy had just finished lining the shelves with the new line of Superman toys, which were to go on sale as soon as the doors opened. As soon as the young man put the last Superman toy on the shelf, a rumbling was heard from not too far away. The young man looked over his shoulder and saw a rampaging herd of parents rushing toward him, ready to pick the shelves clean.
"Alright, you're going to have to form a line-- OH GOD!" the stock boy shouted as the hit the floor and covered his head with his hands and hoped he wouldn't get completely trampled. By the time he was able to stand up in his half torn off shirt, he saw that the shelves were empty. "Well, at least it's over."
"Mitch to the stockroom to replenish the Superman display."
Mitch's lip curled up in sadness as he headed into the back.
Across the street from the store, a boy stood and watched as child after child walked out of the store with a Superman toy, or a toy robot, or a baby doll. Things he had been told he couldn't have. The boy was jealous of all the children he saw coming in and out.
"Is it happening?" a voice asked over the boy's cellphone.
"Yes, father, it looks like the toys are selling out,"
"Good, very good," the voice said. "Come home, son, the fun's just about to begin."
Action Comics #3
"Moral Dilemma"
Written by Tobias Christopher
Now
Jon Kent headed to his bedroom closet, finding his Superboy costume neatly hung on a hanger. Quickly changing out of his farm work clothes, Jon zipped up his top, buttoned his pants, tied his sneakers and attached his cape, standing heroically as a breeze came through his bedroom window, letting his cape flow.
"Your fly's down," Connor said as he stood in the doorway in his regular clothes of blue jeans, a white t-shirt, and black boots. "You ready?"
"Aren't you going to wear your costume?" Jon asked as he quickly zipped up.
"That's Superboy's costume," Connor told him as he put a hand on Jon's shoulder, having thought about it all morning. "And there's only one Superboy now, kid."
"But what if you’re going to help my dad?" Jon asked. "What if I can't do this on my own?"
"I'm still going to help," Connor told him, neither of realizing that this would Connor's final fight. "Clark might need both of us."
# # # # # # # # # #
Miles above Metropolis, an alien ship floated above the clouds. The starship of the A.I. unit known as Brainiac, a villainous computer whose only goal was to obtain all the knowledge in the universe at the cost of every living thing. As Superman floated into the ship, the doors closed behind him as the Man of Steel walked down a brightly lit path. Several tentacles quickly shot towards Superman to restrain him, only to be met with a powerful punch to send them flying back like they were made of tissue.
"Is this why you summoned me here, Brainiac? To test my patience?" Superman asked as he reached the end of the walkway. He looked up to see a hole open in the ceiling as a robotic body was lowered down by thick metallic tubes attached to its body. It was an eight-foot skeletal body made completely of a dense metal alloy. His metallic skull had a yellow honeycomb shaped brain case at the back. "The retro look really suits you."
"Earth humor," Brainiac sneered. "Such a waste of your Kryptonian heritage."
"Let's just get this over with, I promised someone very special that we'd hit the town," Superman said.
"Your human mate and your obligations to her are of no importance to me. The hybrid, however, will be well worth the dissection to learn his secrets. I had hoped you'd bring the abomination with you, but fortunately I always have backup plans to make up for human error."
Superman just stared him down. There wasn't a lot in the universe that could get the Man of Steel angry, but of the few things that could, talking about dissecting his little boy was right there at the top. As Superman raised his fist to attack, a metallic tentacle pulled him back.
"I have only invited you here because I offer you one last chance to willingly surrender," Brainiac said as the robot pulled a lever, turning the lights from a bright yellow to a darkening red. "There need be only one casualty, and that is the hybrid."
As soon as the lights hit Superman, he could feel the red sun energy draining his powers. He struggled against the tentacles, fighting them off as he felt his strength draining.
"You are quickly losing your powers," Brainiac told him. "Soon you will be as powerful as the mortals you pretend to pass yourself off as one of. Then I will use you to bait the hybrid in. He is my true objective on this day."
"Yeah, that's the thing you never understood about me," Superman said as he used his quickly deteriorating super strength to rip a metal pole out of the wall. "I AM one of them. And here's another thing you don't know about me," Superman twirled the pole in his hand as he started beating back the tentacles. "This isn't the first time I've lost my powers. After about the fifteenth time, I started saying to myself 'Hey, I'm on a team with a warrior Amazon and the world's greatest fighter. Why am I not taking fighting tips from them for when this happens again?'"
Superman gave one good hit to the last tentacle, letting it fall to the ground as he looked at Brainiac. "I'm more human than you'll ever know, Brainiac. I will defend anyone of them to my last breath, even the bad ones. You'll never get near my son, or anyone I care about," Superman said as he calmly approached the metallic villain. "Superpowers or not, I'll dismantle you with every ounce of life in me before you even lay eyes on--"
Superman's speech was cut off as the door ripped open before Connor and Superboy flew in.
"Check this place out," Connor said as he looked around. "It's like something out of a Saturday morning cartoon."
"Connor, get him out of here!" Superman shouted as more tentacles came toward him.
"I can't leave you, Dad!" Superboy shouted as he focused his heat vision at the tentacles. "I won't leave you!"
"He's right, we don't leave anyone behind!" Connor shouted as he flew forward and started grabbing the tentacles off of Superman. "Kid, stay in the sunlight! Use your heat vision and take out those red sun filters!"
"Okay!" Superboy said as he focused, while a tentacle snuck up behind him, wrapping itself around the boy's leg and flinging him upside down.
"NO!" Superman shouted as he summoned every ounce of strength he had just before Brainiac grabbed him and tossed him into the wall. "Get away from my son!"
"Yeah," Connor said quietly to himself as the tentacles overtook him, feeling the red sun filters take away the last of his strength. "Get away from... his son."
"It is time to end this," Brainiac said as pushed a button, a tentacle shooting out and tripping Superman and lifting him into the air. All three of them were soon brought deeper into the ship as Brainiac looked at the Men of Steel. "The last son of Krypton, the clone, and the hybrid. I will learn so much from cutting the younger ones open."
"I'm going to stop you," Superman said as he struggled.
"Resistant to the bitter end, Kal-El," Brainiac said as he looked at Jon. "However, I do not doubt that you will find a way to escape. You always do, which is why I have arranged a little... moral dilemma for you."
"Hey! Terminator's ass!" Connor shouted. "Let the kid go before I take a can opener to you!"
"Dad, Connor said a bad word!" Superboy told him with a gasp.
"You're picking now to tattle on me?" Connor asked. "Why don't I just tell your dad what the toilet seat looked like before we left? It looked like a sprinkler system was set off!"
"Boys, can we do this later?" Superman asked as he looked at Brainiac. "What are you talking about?"
Brainiac held out a robotic hand and revealed a small robotic creature crawling around the palm. "This is a nanite. A microscopic robot, when in mass quantities, is capable of virtually anything."
"I know what a nanite is," Superman said. "Get to the point."
"I don't know what a nanite is," Superboy said.
"It's like a metal bug that can build stuff," Connor told him. "And apparently this moron doesn't know how to use them, otherwise he'd build himself a prettier face!"
"I have sought out several of your enemies, equipping each of them with a small supply of these wonderful creatures," Brainiac said, ignoring Connor. "With the instructions to wait until today to begin their plans for the nanites."
"Who did you give them to?" Superman asked.
"That I won't reveal," Brainiac said. "I will reveal, however, that my sensors do know where the first strike will begin, and it will begin within the hour. Metropolis and all of its people are going to die when the full fury of my nanites are unleashed, Kal-El."
"You sick monster," Superman said through gritted teeth.
"Try not to hurt his feelings too much, Clark," Connor told him as he looked at Brainiac. "Me? I would have called him a %*$# &#*@*(!# #*$)@."
"Dad, what's a #*$)@?" Superboy asked.
"I'll tell you when you're 21," Superman said in a sad tone, a part of him having died from hearing Connor say that.
"When the attack begins, I will freely release you, Kal-El, which is when you need to make your choice: Save your city or save your son. The life of thousands vs. the life of one."
"Hey, what about me?" Connor asked.
"You are but a clone, your artificial life does not factor into the equation."
"Okay, Ow."
"I'm not making that decision, I'll find a way to save both," Superman promised. "I'm not letting anyone die. Jon, I promise you that--"
Tears were falling down Jon's face as he looked at his father. "I know how much you love me, Dad. And I want more than anything to be a hero like you. Which is why you have to save the city. Dad, I'm just one person, you can save thousands."
"I'm not leaving you here with this monster," Superman said as he looked at Connor. "I'm not leaving either of you here."
"Then your city will die," Brainiac told him. "By the time you regain your energy from the yellow sun, I'll have mounted all of my defenses against you. All the while, the casualties from the first attack will begin to rise by the minute."
"It's okay," Connor told him. "Jon won't be here alone, I'll do everything I can to help him until you get back."
Superman looked at Brainiac angrily. "This is the line, Brainiac. Even knowing you're just a computer, I've held back against you, knowing that you have some form of life inside of you. But no more. If even one hair on either of these boys is out of place--"
Brainiac walked over to Connor and pulled out several hairs, taking them over to Superman.
"Your threats do not affect me, Kal-El," Brainiac told him. "You lose no matter what you choose."
# # # # # # # # # #
The boy returned home to the large abandoned toy factory that had been closed for years. He headed to his bedroom, which only contained a bed and a few books. There were no toys, no comic books, nothing a boy needed at that age.
The boy sat down on the bed, just staring out the window at the park across the street. Children were playing games, having fun and smiling. The boy wished he could be out there with them, but he was strictly forbidden to let anyone know of his existence.
"The show is about to begin," a voice said from out in the hallway. "Don't you want to watch?"
"I want to go outside and play," the boy whispered as a shadowy figure appeared in the doorway.
"Play? You're about to see what being a child and playing gets you," the Toyman said as he stepped into the room, wearing a sweater vest and a large wooden toy head with a sadistic smile. "Playtime is about to end for every child in Metropolis, and then you, my son, will be the last child alive. The only child worthy of the world I will build from the ashes."
The Toyman left the room and headed to a large control panel, where small nanites were still crawling around. He put his hand on a lever and started pulling it.
"Let the games begin."
# # # # # # # # # #
"It begins," Brainiac said as he saw a single blip on the screen turn into several dozen within seconds. He looked over at Superman. "Your city or the hybrid, Kal-El. You only have time to save one."
"Save the city," Connor told him. "I'll find a way to get me and Jon out of this until you come back. I swear, Clark, I won't let him hurt Jon."
Superman looked into the eyes of his clone, seeing how much he'd matured since the first time the two had met years ago. "I know you will, Connor. I'll get you both home."
"Promises you will leave unfulfilled," Brainiac said as a chain wrapped around Superman. "By the time the sun restores your powers, my ship will be long gone. Goodbye, Kal-El, I do look forward to our next meeting."
"Connor, you need to know that I've always thought of you as a-" Superman said as a trap door opened under him, causing the currently powerless Man of Steel to fall several dozen miles. As soon as he was out of the ship, he could feel the sun's rays hitting him, but not before he hit Metropolis Lake, the chained hero sinking quickly as he struggled.
"Daddy," Jon whispered as he sniffled.
"He'll be okay, Jon," Connor promised as he looked at Brainiac. "You #*$)@."
"But the two of you won't be," Brainiac said as he grabbed Connor by the collar of his shirt. "I believe I'll start with the clone. I have something very special planned for you."
# # # # # # # # # #
As Superman could feel his strength returning, he could hear the screams coming from the city. Lives were in danger, and he had to hurry if he wanted to save them. Then he was going to find Brainiac and save his sons.
And then he would end Brainiac once and for all.
TO BE CONTINUED...
SUPERMAN FAMILY ALBUM
It was later that night at the campsite that Clark and his two friends Pete and Whitney had agreed to share with Lana Lang and her two girlfriends Jen and Courtney. Lana carried a cup of hot chocolate down to the lake where Clark was watching out over the water.
"Thanks," Clark said as Lana sat down. "Beautiful view, isn't it? This is why I love camping here."
"Yeah, it is," Lana told him as she took a sip from her cup. "So, what's all this talk about a haunted house?"
"The old Snyder place," Clark told her. "We kind of... snuck in."
"Clark Kent, I didn't know you were so rebellious,"
"Do you... like rebels?" Clark asked as he noticed Lana was shivering a little. He quickly unbuttoned his red plaid shirt and put it over her shoulders.
"Clark, don't, you'll get cold," Lana told him.
"I'll be fine," Clark said, now just wearing a white t-shirt. "The cold doesn't really bother me."
"Giving a lady your shirt isn't really rebellious," Lana told him. "It's... really sweet."
"Lana, I--," Clark tried to find the words to tell her how much he really liked her, which was when Whitney sat down between them.
"I thought you were talking to Jen," Clark said through gritted teeth.
"I was, but Pete's got that adorable shivering puppy thing going on, so both girls are fawning over him and trying to warm him up," Whitney sighed as he looked at Lana. "You make a wicked cup of cocoa."
"Thanks," Lana blushed as Clark stood up and headed back to camp. Once he got back, he crawled into his tent, ready to get some sleep.
"Good, he's gone," Whitney told Lana. "There's something I wanted to talk to you about, alone."
*
Clark opened his eyes and sat up, seeing he was on the living room floor of the Snyder place. The fireplace was lit up not too far away, but Pete and Whitney were nowhere to be found.
"How did I get back here?" Clark asked as he stood up. That's when he saw the ghost again. The same one he saw earlier. "Why am I here? Am I dreaming? Wait, I can't be dreaming, I'm usually making out with Lana while some weird red-headed kid takes pictures."
"Help us," the boy said. "You're the only one who can."
"That's the same thing you said earlier," Clark told him. "I said I'd help you, but you haven't told me how."
"Lance Snyder," the boy whispered. "Find me."
# # # # # # # # # #
Clark opened his eyes, finding Pete's arm wrapped around him as his friend slept.
"Every time," Clark whispered to himself as he just stared at the top of the tent, knowing that if he moved Pete's arm, he'd wake up.
# # # # # # # # # #
The following morning, everyone was cleaning up the campsite. Clark made sure the fire was properly put out as he looked at Lana, who was packing up her tent.
"So, did you and Whitney enjoy the lake?" Clark asked.
"Yeah, we had a nice little talk," Lana told him. "He said what good friends you two are."
"I guess," Clark told her. "I mean, he's a good guy. Whitney and Pete are like my brothers."
"Clark, I think we need to talk about something, but--" Lana started to say as Pete walked past them, sleep half asleep as he headed into the trees to use the bathroom.
"Is everything okay?" Clark asked.
"Yeah, it's just, and I don't know if I should be saying this, but--"
A scream was heard from in the woods as the two looked at each other. "Pete!"
Clark and Lana ran into the woods, not seeing Pete anywhere. Clark looked around, using his x-ray vision to search for clues. "He must have fallen down that hill. Go back and tell the others, I'll go after him."
"Clark, I don't we should separate," Lana told him as Clark just smiled at her.
"Trust me, I'll be okay," Clark told her as he made his way down the hill. "Pete!"
Clark found Pete laying not too far away, having hit his head. Clark used his x-ray vision to see if he was okay. "Just a bump, buddy. You'll be okay. Let's get you back to--"
A roar was heard as Clark looked up at the large black bear that was towering over them.
"Okay, just stay calm," Clark said as he slowly stood up. "I'm not going to hurt you. I'm just going to pick up my friend and go, there's no reason to get mad or try to eat us."
Pete started opening his eyes and saw the bear take a swipe across Clark's chest, taking most of his t-shirt with his claw.
"No," Pete whispered, expecting to see his best friend fall to the ground, dead. But instead Clark just stood there, his eyes starting to glow red.
"Okay, so that's how you want to do this?" Clark asked as he aimed down at the bear's feet, hitting the ground in front of him. The bear fell back as Clark kept blasting at the ground to get the bear to back up. With Pete supposedly unconscious, Clark flew towards the bear, grabbing it by the scruff of the neck, and flying him deeper into the woods. He flew back, and just before Pete closed his eyes to pretend to be out of it, he saw Clark had zero scratches on his chest.
"Alright, Pete, let's get you back to camp."
# # # # # # # # # #
"Clark, what happened to you?" Lana asked as she hugged him.
"I, uh, tripped and tore my shirt on the way down the hill," Clark said as Whitney slapped Pete a few times to get him to wake up. "Whitney!"
"What? You said he'd be fine," Whitney said as Pete started opening his eyes. "There we go."
"You okay, Pete?" Clark asked. "You had us scared for a minute."
"Yeah," Pete whispered, still in shock from what he saw. "I'm-- I'm fine."
"Well, campsite's all cleaned up," Lana said as she picked up her stuff and joined her friends. "We're heading back to town. Are you boys going to be okay? Whitney, are you going to be... alright?"
# # # # # # # # # #
The previous night
"I'm in love," Whitney told her, his hands shaking as he held his cup of cocoa.
"Whitney, I don't know what to say," Lana said, smiling a little.
"You can't tell the guys, or anyone," Whitney said. "You gotta promise. You're the only one I can trust with this. The guys wouldn't understand. My parents wouldn't understand."
"Of course, you can trust me, Whitney, what are you--"
"I'm in love with--"
# # # # # # # # # #
"Yeah, we'll be fine," Whitney said, forcing a smile.
"We'll be great," Pete said, doing the same as he looked at Clark, who reached out and pulled his two best friends close to him.
"Yeah, three best buddies spending their Saturday together," Clark said with a genuine smile. "It doesn't get any better than this. There's nothing that can tear us apart, right?"
"Right," the other two boys said.
END
7:00 a.m.
The stock boy had just finished lining the shelves with the new line of Superman toys, which were to go on sale as soon as the doors opened. As soon as the young man put the last Superman toy on the shelf, a rumbling was heard from not too far away. The young man looked over his shoulder and saw a rampaging herd of parents rushing toward him, ready to pick the shelves clean.
"Alright, you're going to have to form a line-- OH GOD!" the stock boy shouted as the hit the floor and covered his head with his hands and hoped he wouldn't get completely trampled. By the time he was able to stand up in his half torn off shirt, he saw that the shelves were empty. "Well, at least it's over."
"Mitch to the stockroom to replenish the Superman display."
Mitch's lip curled up in sadness as he headed into the back.
Across the street from the store, a boy stood and watched as child after child walked out of the store with a Superman toy, or a toy robot, or a baby doll. Things he had been told he couldn't have. The boy was jealous of all the children he saw coming in and out.
"Is it happening?" a voice asked over the boy's cellphone.
"Yes, father, it looks like the toys are selling out,"
"Good, very good," the voice said. "Come home, son, the fun's just about to begin."
Action Comics #3
"Moral Dilemma"
Written by Tobias Christopher
Now
Jon Kent headed to his bedroom closet, finding his Superboy costume neatly hung on a hanger. Quickly changing out of his farm work clothes, Jon zipped up his top, buttoned his pants, tied his sneakers and attached his cape, standing heroically as a breeze came through his bedroom window, letting his cape flow.
"Your fly's down," Connor said as he stood in the doorway in his regular clothes of blue jeans, a white t-shirt, and black boots. "You ready?"
"Aren't you going to wear your costume?" Jon asked as he quickly zipped up.
"That's Superboy's costume," Connor told him as he put a hand on Jon's shoulder, having thought about it all morning. "And there's only one Superboy now, kid."
"But what if you’re going to help my dad?" Jon asked. "What if I can't do this on my own?"
"I'm still going to help," Connor told him, neither of realizing that this would Connor's final fight. "Clark might need both of us."
# # # # # # # # # #
Miles above Metropolis, an alien ship floated above the clouds. The starship of the A.I. unit known as Brainiac, a villainous computer whose only goal was to obtain all the knowledge in the universe at the cost of every living thing. As Superman floated into the ship, the doors closed behind him as the Man of Steel walked down a brightly lit path. Several tentacles quickly shot towards Superman to restrain him, only to be met with a powerful punch to send them flying back like they were made of tissue.
"Is this why you summoned me here, Brainiac? To test my patience?" Superman asked as he reached the end of the walkway. He looked up to see a hole open in the ceiling as a robotic body was lowered down by thick metallic tubes attached to its body. It was an eight-foot skeletal body made completely of a dense metal alloy. His metallic skull had a yellow honeycomb shaped brain case at the back. "The retro look really suits you."
"Earth humor," Brainiac sneered. "Such a waste of your Kryptonian heritage."
"Let's just get this over with, I promised someone very special that we'd hit the town," Superman said.
"Your human mate and your obligations to her are of no importance to me. The hybrid, however, will be well worth the dissection to learn his secrets. I had hoped you'd bring the abomination with you, but fortunately I always have backup plans to make up for human error."
Superman just stared him down. There wasn't a lot in the universe that could get the Man of Steel angry, but of the few things that could, talking about dissecting his little boy was right there at the top. As Superman raised his fist to attack, a metallic tentacle pulled him back.
"I have only invited you here because I offer you one last chance to willingly surrender," Brainiac said as the robot pulled a lever, turning the lights from a bright yellow to a darkening red. "There need be only one casualty, and that is the hybrid."
As soon as the lights hit Superman, he could feel the red sun energy draining his powers. He struggled against the tentacles, fighting them off as he felt his strength draining.
"You are quickly losing your powers," Brainiac told him. "Soon you will be as powerful as the mortals you pretend to pass yourself off as one of. Then I will use you to bait the hybrid in. He is my true objective on this day."
"Yeah, that's the thing you never understood about me," Superman said as he used his quickly deteriorating super strength to rip a metal pole out of the wall. "I AM one of them. And here's another thing you don't know about me," Superman twirled the pole in his hand as he started beating back the tentacles. "This isn't the first time I've lost my powers. After about the fifteenth time, I started saying to myself 'Hey, I'm on a team with a warrior Amazon and the world's greatest fighter. Why am I not taking fighting tips from them for when this happens again?'"
Superman gave one good hit to the last tentacle, letting it fall to the ground as he looked at Brainiac. "I'm more human than you'll ever know, Brainiac. I will defend anyone of them to my last breath, even the bad ones. You'll never get near my son, or anyone I care about," Superman said as he calmly approached the metallic villain. "Superpowers or not, I'll dismantle you with every ounce of life in me before you even lay eyes on--"
Superman's speech was cut off as the door ripped open before Connor and Superboy flew in.
"Check this place out," Connor said as he looked around. "It's like something out of a Saturday morning cartoon."
"Connor, get him out of here!" Superman shouted as more tentacles came toward him.
"I can't leave you, Dad!" Superboy shouted as he focused his heat vision at the tentacles. "I won't leave you!"
"He's right, we don't leave anyone behind!" Connor shouted as he flew forward and started grabbing the tentacles off of Superman. "Kid, stay in the sunlight! Use your heat vision and take out those red sun filters!"
"Okay!" Superboy said as he focused, while a tentacle snuck up behind him, wrapping itself around the boy's leg and flinging him upside down.
"NO!" Superman shouted as he summoned every ounce of strength he had just before Brainiac grabbed him and tossed him into the wall. "Get away from my son!"
"Yeah," Connor said quietly to himself as the tentacles overtook him, feeling the red sun filters take away the last of his strength. "Get away from... his son."
"It is time to end this," Brainiac said as pushed a button, a tentacle shooting out and tripping Superman and lifting him into the air. All three of them were soon brought deeper into the ship as Brainiac looked at the Men of Steel. "The last son of Krypton, the clone, and the hybrid. I will learn so much from cutting the younger ones open."
"I'm going to stop you," Superman said as he struggled.
"Resistant to the bitter end, Kal-El," Brainiac said as he looked at Jon. "However, I do not doubt that you will find a way to escape. You always do, which is why I have arranged a little... moral dilemma for you."
"Hey! Terminator's ass!" Connor shouted. "Let the kid go before I take a can opener to you!"
"Dad, Connor said a bad word!" Superboy told him with a gasp.
"You're picking now to tattle on me?" Connor asked. "Why don't I just tell your dad what the toilet seat looked like before we left? It looked like a sprinkler system was set off!"
"Boys, can we do this later?" Superman asked as he looked at Brainiac. "What are you talking about?"
Brainiac held out a robotic hand and revealed a small robotic creature crawling around the palm. "This is a nanite. A microscopic robot, when in mass quantities, is capable of virtually anything."
"I know what a nanite is," Superman said. "Get to the point."
"I don't know what a nanite is," Superboy said.
"It's like a metal bug that can build stuff," Connor told him. "And apparently this moron doesn't know how to use them, otherwise he'd build himself a prettier face!"
"I have sought out several of your enemies, equipping each of them with a small supply of these wonderful creatures," Brainiac said, ignoring Connor. "With the instructions to wait until today to begin their plans for the nanites."
"Who did you give them to?" Superman asked.
"That I won't reveal," Brainiac said. "I will reveal, however, that my sensors do know where the first strike will begin, and it will begin within the hour. Metropolis and all of its people are going to die when the full fury of my nanites are unleashed, Kal-El."
"You sick monster," Superman said through gritted teeth.
"Try not to hurt his feelings too much, Clark," Connor told him as he looked at Brainiac. "Me? I would have called him a %*$# &#*@*(!# #*$)@."
"Dad, what's a #*$)@?" Superboy asked.
"I'll tell you when you're 21," Superman said in a sad tone, a part of him having died from hearing Connor say that.
"When the attack begins, I will freely release you, Kal-El, which is when you need to make your choice: Save your city or save your son. The life of thousands vs. the life of one."
"Hey, what about me?" Connor asked.
"You are but a clone, your artificial life does not factor into the equation."
"Okay, Ow."
"I'm not making that decision, I'll find a way to save both," Superman promised. "I'm not letting anyone die. Jon, I promise you that--"
Tears were falling down Jon's face as he looked at his father. "I know how much you love me, Dad. And I want more than anything to be a hero like you. Which is why you have to save the city. Dad, I'm just one person, you can save thousands."
"I'm not leaving you here with this monster," Superman said as he looked at Connor. "I'm not leaving either of you here."
"Then your city will die," Brainiac told him. "By the time you regain your energy from the yellow sun, I'll have mounted all of my defenses against you. All the while, the casualties from the first attack will begin to rise by the minute."
"It's okay," Connor told him. "Jon won't be here alone, I'll do everything I can to help him until you get back."
Superman looked at Brainiac angrily. "This is the line, Brainiac. Even knowing you're just a computer, I've held back against you, knowing that you have some form of life inside of you. But no more. If even one hair on either of these boys is out of place--"
Brainiac walked over to Connor and pulled out several hairs, taking them over to Superman.
"Your threats do not affect me, Kal-El," Brainiac told him. "You lose no matter what you choose."
# # # # # # # # # #
The boy returned home to the large abandoned toy factory that had been closed for years. He headed to his bedroom, which only contained a bed and a few books. There were no toys, no comic books, nothing a boy needed at that age.
The boy sat down on the bed, just staring out the window at the park across the street. Children were playing games, having fun and smiling. The boy wished he could be out there with them, but he was strictly forbidden to let anyone know of his existence.
"The show is about to begin," a voice said from out in the hallway. "Don't you want to watch?"
"I want to go outside and play," the boy whispered as a shadowy figure appeared in the doorway.
"Play? You're about to see what being a child and playing gets you," the Toyman said as he stepped into the room, wearing a sweater vest and a large wooden toy head with a sadistic smile. "Playtime is about to end for every child in Metropolis, and then you, my son, will be the last child alive. The only child worthy of the world I will build from the ashes."
The Toyman left the room and headed to a large control panel, where small nanites were still crawling around. He put his hand on a lever and started pulling it.
"Let the games begin."
# # # # # # # # # #
"It begins," Brainiac said as he saw a single blip on the screen turn into several dozen within seconds. He looked over at Superman. "Your city or the hybrid, Kal-El. You only have time to save one."
"Save the city," Connor told him. "I'll find a way to get me and Jon out of this until you come back. I swear, Clark, I won't let him hurt Jon."
Superman looked into the eyes of his clone, seeing how much he'd matured since the first time the two had met years ago. "I know you will, Connor. I'll get you both home."
"Promises you will leave unfulfilled," Brainiac said as a chain wrapped around Superman. "By the time the sun restores your powers, my ship will be long gone. Goodbye, Kal-El, I do look forward to our next meeting."
"Connor, you need to know that I've always thought of you as a-" Superman said as a trap door opened under him, causing the currently powerless Man of Steel to fall several dozen miles. As soon as he was out of the ship, he could feel the sun's rays hitting him, but not before he hit Metropolis Lake, the chained hero sinking quickly as he struggled.
"Daddy," Jon whispered as he sniffled.
"He'll be okay, Jon," Connor promised as he looked at Brainiac. "You #*$)@."
"But the two of you won't be," Brainiac said as he grabbed Connor by the collar of his shirt. "I believe I'll start with the clone. I have something very special planned for you."
# # # # # # # # # #
As Superman could feel his strength returning, he could hear the screams coming from the city. Lives were in danger, and he had to hurry if he wanted to save them. Then he was going to find Brainiac and save his sons.
And then he would end Brainiac once and for all.
TO BE CONTINUED...
SUPERMAN FAMILY ALBUM
It was later that night at the campsite that Clark and his two friends Pete and Whitney had agreed to share with Lana Lang and her two girlfriends Jen and Courtney. Lana carried a cup of hot chocolate down to the lake where Clark was watching out over the water.
"Thanks," Clark said as Lana sat down. "Beautiful view, isn't it? This is why I love camping here."
"Yeah, it is," Lana told him as she took a sip from her cup. "So, what's all this talk about a haunted house?"
"The old Snyder place," Clark told her. "We kind of... snuck in."
"Clark Kent, I didn't know you were so rebellious,"
"Do you... like rebels?" Clark asked as he noticed Lana was shivering a little. He quickly unbuttoned his red plaid shirt and put it over her shoulders.
"Clark, don't, you'll get cold," Lana told him.
"I'll be fine," Clark said, now just wearing a white t-shirt. "The cold doesn't really bother me."
"Giving a lady your shirt isn't really rebellious," Lana told him. "It's... really sweet."
"Lana, I--," Clark tried to find the words to tell her how much he really liked her, which was when Whitney sat down between them.
"I thought you were talking to Jen," Clark said through gritted teeth.
"I was, but Pete's got that adorable shivering puppy thing going on, so both girls are fawning over him and trying to warm him up," Whitney sighed as he looked at Lana. "You make a wicked cup of cocoa."
"Thanks," Lana blushed as Clark stood up and headed back to camp. Once he got back, he crawled into his tent, ready to get some sleep.
"Good, he's gone," Whitney told Lana. "There's something I wanted to talk to you about, alone."
*
Clark opened his eyes and sat up, seeing he was on the living room floor of the Snyder place. The fireplace was lit up not too far away, but Pete and Whitney were nowhere to be found.
"How did I get back here?" Clark asked as he stood up. That's when he saw the ghost again. The same one he saw earlier. "Why am I here? Am I dreaming? Wait, I can't be dreaming, I'm usually making out with Lana while some weird red-headed kid takes pictures."
"Help us," the boy said. "You're the only one who can."
"That's the same thing you said earlier," Clark told him. "I said I'd help you, but you haven't told me how."
"Lance Snyder," the boy whispered. "Find me."
# # # # # # # # # #
Clark opened his eyes, finding Pete's arm wrapped around him as his friend slept.
"Every time," Clark whispered to himself as he just stared at the top of the tent, knowing that if he moved Pete's arm, he'd wake up.
# # # # # # # # # #
The following morning, everyone was cleaning up the campsite. Clark made sure the fire was properly put out as he looked at Lana, who was packing up her tent.
"So, did you and Whitney enjoy the lake?" Clark asked.
"Yeah, we had a nice little talk," Lana told him. "He said what good friends you two are."
"I guess," Clark told her. "I mean, he's a good guy. Whitney and Pete are like my brothers."
"Clark, I think we need to talk about something, but--" Lana started to say as Pete walked past them, sleep half asleep as he headed into the trees to use the bathroom.
"Is everything okay?" Clark asked.
"Yeah, it's just, and I don't know if I should be saying this, but--"
A scream was heard from in the woods as the two looked at each other. "Pete!"
Clark and Lana ran into the woods, not seeing Pete anywhere. Clark looked around, using his x-ray vision to search for clues. "He must have fallen down that hill. Go back and tell the others, I'll go after him."
"Clark, I don't we should separate," Lana told him as Clark just smiled at her.
"Trust me, I'll be okay," Clark told her as he made his way down the hill. "Pete!"
Clark found Pete laying not too far away, having hit his head. Clark used his x-ray vision to see if he was okay. "Just a bump, buddy. You'll be okay. Let's get you back to--"
A roar was heard as Clark looked up at the large black bear that was towering over them.
"Okay, just stay calm," Clark said as he slowly stood up. "I'm not going to hurt you. I'm just going to pick up my friend and go, there's no reason to get mad or try to eat us."
Pete started opening his eyes and saw the bear take a swipe across Clark's chest, taking most of his t-shirt with his claw.
"No," Pete whispered, expecting to see his best friend fall to the ground, dead. But instead Clark just stood there, his eyes starting to glow red.
"Okay, so that's how you want to do this?" Clark asked as he aimed down at the bear's feet, hitting the ground in front of him. The bear fell back as Clark kept blasting at the ground to get the bear to back up. With Pete supposedly unconscious, Clark flew towards the bear, grabbing it by the scruff of the neck, and flying him deeper into the woods. He flew back, and just before Pete closed his eyes to pretend to be out of it, he saw Clark had zero scratches on his chest.
"Alright, Pete, let's get you back to camp."
# # # # # # # # # #
"Clark, what happened to you?" Lana asked as she hugged him.
"I, uh, tripped and tore my shirt on the way down the hill," Clark said as Whitney slapped Pete a few times to get him to wake up. "Whitney!"
"What? You said he'd be fine," Whitney said as Pete started opening his eyes. "There we go."
"You okay, Pete?" Clark asked. "You had us scared for a minute."
"Yeah," Pete whispered, still in shock from what he saw. "I'm-- I'm fine."
"Well, campsite's all cleaned up," Lana said as she picked up her stuff and joined her friends. "We're heading back to town. Are you boys going to be okay? Whitney, are you going to be... alright?"
# # # # # # # # # #
The previous night
"I'm in love," Whitney told her, his hands shaking as he held his cup of cocoa.
"Whitney, I don't know what to say," Lana said, smiling a little.
"You can't tell the guys, or anyone," Whitney said. "You gotta promise. You're the only one I can trust with this. The guys wouldn't understand. My parents wouldn't understand."
"Of course, you can trust me, Whitney, what are you--"
"I'm in love with--"
# # # # # # # # # #
"Yeah, we'll be fine," Whitney said, forcing a smile.
"We'll be great," Pete said, doing the same as he looked at Clark, who reached out and pulled his two best friends close to him.
"Yeah, three best buddies spending their Saturday together," Clark said with a genuine smile. "It doesn't get any better than this. There's nothing that can tear us apart, right?"
"Right," the other two boys said.
END