I totally hadn't seen that coming, but what else would happen when you pair up a homicidal megalomaniac with a delusional fanatic? And of course Clark would get injured in the padded places, seeing how he was crawling to safety at the time. (BTW, that should totally go into the article, even if it is just a veiled reference to one civilian being non-critically injured.)
There's so much that is said here and so much that goes beyond saying. Beautifully written!
Elisabeth