TOCChapter 27 Clark had no idea how much time had passed since he’d found himself back in the old hospital, both hands cuffed to the radiator. His blindfold was firmly in place, leaving him guessing how late it might be. He'd lost all track of time while fighting to keep Luthor out of his body.
After his return, it had taken him some time to regain his equilibrium. The effort to keep Luthor out had taken its toll.
For all he knew, his nemesis might already be back in Metropolis.
Clark supposed he could give defeating him another try, but he felt tired. Not so much physically. His body was well rested, if a bit achy after sitting in the same position for what might have been hours on end. The injection had done its work and improved his health. Mentally, however, he felt worn out after two days of constant worry and struggle against a force that could just push him out of his body.
It gnawed on him that he was unable to help Lois in what may be the worst danger she had ever faced.
He knew he should try again and concentrate on finding his own body and reclaim it, at least for a time. If he managed to occupy his body while Lois tried to break into S.T.A.R. Labs, that would increase her chances of finding the kryptonite before SuperLex found her. But for that to work, he’d have to know what time it was, which would be difficult even if he didn’t wear a blindfold.
Essentially he was back to square one.
His stomach growled and his tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth, reminding him that he’d neither eaten nor drunk anything in many hours. A headache pounded behind his eyes. Part of him was glad they were shielded.
Clark started to count in his head, trying to get some sense for the passage of time. But with no point of reference that made little sense, so he stopped after a while. At least another ten or twenty minutes had passed, perhaps even half an hour. He shifted his position as his shoulders started to ache again, but due to the handcuffs he could only make minor adjustments. They helped a bit.
He released a sigh, which gradually transformed into a frustrated growl. Sitting here waiting was driving him crazy. Acting on impulse, he tugged at his cuffs with more insistence, but they didn’t budge. Figures! He knew that shortly after Kelly’s injection he might have been able to break them if he’d really focused his efforts.
But what powers he might have had had disappeared by now, used up by the healing process. Which was why he was feeling much better now. Only it didn’t help in the least because he was cuffed to a radiator, helplessly waiting for the events to unfold. He hated every moment of this. Superman shouldn’t be sitting here; he should be out saving the world.
But right now, he wasn’t going to save anyone, probably not even himself, because someone else was Superman, and -
“Stop it right there,” he mumbled.
Clark tried not to flinch at the sound of Luthor's voice. Sitting alone in the darkness, restrained and helpless, brought back unwanted memories of a night spent in a cage. It was different, of course. The pain was bearable in comparison. He wasn't on the brink of death, not yet anyway. But as he chastised himself, his voice had taken on almost the same threatening tone with which Luthor had taunted him so many months ago. It was strange; though Luthor wasn’t anywhere near him, hearing his voice made it seem like he was sitting right next to him, whispering words of discouragement.
Realizing that such thoughts were neither healthy nor getting him anywhere, Clark pushed them aside. He had to focus on what he could do, not on the things he had no influence over. Exhaling slowly, he tried to forget about his discomfort or the hunger and thirst that made concentrating difficult.
Clark relaxed his shoulders and leaned his head back against the radiator, breathing in through his nose and out of his mouth. Once again, he searched for the elusive connection to his own body. It was harder this time, though he had no idea why. Perhaps he lacked the urgency of a cruise ship about to sink, or maybe Luthor had erected his mental walls more firmly after Clark’s latest attempt to fend him off.
But eventually, he stumbled upon the fragile strings that still connected him to his own body.
Following them, he pushed against the other consciousness with all the strength he could muster.
Nothing happened.
Clark thought about Lois and the people who would suffer if he lost. He remembered his own fear as he'd been trapped in the harbor area. The scream that had announced Luthor's loss of control and the resulting explosion which might have well killed him.
So many people in the cruise ship would have drowned if it hadn't been for Clark's efforts.
Keeping all that in mind, he pushed harder.
And harder.
The other consciousness pushed back.
For a while, they kept struggling until suddenly something yielded.
Clark had the strange sensation of tumbling, as if a door opened unexpectedly. The world tilted and a rush of dizziness filled his head with cotton wool.
He blinked the cobwebs away he recognized the darkness of the abandoned subway tunnel and the familiar sensation of his powers coursing through his body again. His hands were clenched into tight fists. Clark felt a slight tug against them, heard a sharp intake of breath that wasn’t his own and with a start, looked up into a pair of dark brown eyes. They were wide with fear.
As Clark realized he was holding up a man by his lapels, so high that his feet were dangling a least two feet above the floor, the shock almost made him drop the hapless guy. Just in time, he remembered to set him back gently. Clark's heart was pounding in his chest and his gut constricted in shame.
Trying to regain control over his emotions, Clark checked the other man for injuries. His turban sat askew. The man straightened his robe and his headgear, then took a step back. The fear in his gaze gave way to something else. A flicker of curiosity, perhaps?
Clark wasn't sure, but the scrutiny with which he was being studied now didn't sit well with him. Clark's hands were trembling slightly, and he tightened them into fists. He wondered if his nervousness was a result of his almost attack on the man in East-Asian attire or the sudden change of roles. Even though he was still stronger than the other man, fear bubbled up inside his chest. He'd seen pictures of this man before.
“You’re Clark Kent, I assume,” the man said.
Clark gritted his teeth, trying to suppress his unease. “And you must be Asabi.”
The man clasped his hands in greeting and bowed his head. “You have a remarkable strength of spirit.”
There was a strange gleam in Asabi’s eyes, which Clark had a hard time placing. It looked like respect, awe even, but there was also something else.
Though he was used to seeing sentiments like these in other people’s expressions as Superman, with Asabi it sent a chill down his spine. He set his jaw a bit firmer, trying not to let on that the man was freaking him out. Instead, he folded his arms in front of his chest and gave Asabi a stern look.
“Oh, is that so?” he said gruffly. “What did Luthor want from you?”
“He’s looking for Mr. St. John,” Asabi said quietly. “Listen to me-”
A surge of panic flooded Clark. “Did you tell Luthor where to find him?”
He felt the strong impulse to grab Asabi by his lapels again, but as soon as he realized what his hands were about to do, he dropped them again. His chest was heaving with every breath he took. Asabi just stared back at him, his face no longer betraying his emotions. Clark’s heart, however, was hammering in his ears, and his gut clenched in terror.
Trying to regain control of himself and the situation Clark looked around. He was in Luthor’s hideout again, plunged in a darkness that was only faintly illuminated by artificial light. There was nothing to give any indication of how late it was.
“I don’t know where he is.”
Asabi’s voice pulled him from his thoughts, and as Clark looked back at the mysterious man, whose stare gave him the creeps, it almost felt as if he was looking through him, directly into his soul.
“I have never seen a life force quite like yours.” As the man spoke, Clark had the strangest sensation of something rippling forth, making contact without touching him. “In my experience, a displaced soul has a hard time staying connected to its rightful body. You, however, managed to maintain your connection throughout rescuing that cruise ship. That is very impressive for someone who has no experience with the traveling of souls. Unless, of course, your people possessed that ability. Since you’re looking like an Earth human, your soul might have taken over a human’s body when you arrived on Earth.”
Clark felt sick. He’d heard that accusation before, with Trask. That Asabi seemed interested rather than put off, didn’t make the idea any less appalling.
“I didn’t take over anyone’s body,” he said through clenched teeth.
His jaw ticked, and it took him every ounce of self-control not to attack the man again. He huffed in frustration, suddenly feeling trapped in his own body. What was he even trying to accomplish here? He’d meant to look out for Lois, but there was a good chance that Luthor would have pushed him out of his body, before he’d even found her.
That he was here in Luthor’s lair at least meant that he posed no immediate threat to her. So if he stayed here as long as he could…
Clark felt a chill run down his spine as he thought about spending another minute talking to the spooky Indian guy.
Asabi eyed him with the same penetrating gaze as before. “I wonder if you possess the strength to get your body back on your own. Of course, I know that Gretchen has stolen the Zelig stone, but that won’t be of much use if you don’t know its secrets…”
Clark stared at the man. “You mean if I fight hard enough, I could win my body back for good?”
“I’m not sure,” Asabi conceded. “Mr. Luthor has a strong will, too. It won’t be easy to defeat him. And it might very well cause both your bodies irreparable damage.”
Clark folded his arms in front of his chest, wary of the mysterious man who knew of ways to transfer one soul into the body of another being. “Why are you telling me this? Shouldn’t you be on his side?”
“I firmly believe that the world needs to stay in balance. Where there is good, there must be evil. If Luthor remains in Superman’s body, there is only evil. He must not prevail. Therefore, I will tell you the secret of the Zelig stone. You must clasp it to the palm of your natural body. Hold the gaze. When you feel the other's heart beating in time with your own, as if it
were your own, only then -”
Something knocked into Clark and he tumbled, losing his connection to the ground. A strong wave of dizziness blinded him and as he blinked his eyes open and everything swam back into focus, the world around him was once again pitch black.
His hands were cuffed to an old radiator and his shoulders ached.
Feeling exhausted, he leaned his head back and tried to breathe through the nausea raging in his stomach. There was a secret to using the stone Gretchen Kelly wanted to steal for him. And he hadn’t been able to hear all of Asabi’s instructions. He could only hope that he’d heard enough.
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