Chapter 16: Reflections of Danger
348 Hyperion Avenue
Lois was examining the sample of red Kryptonite she had found in the warehouse. Clark and Ultrawoman stood at the other end of the room, keeping a safe distance to avoid the harmful effects of the rock on their powers and minds.
Lois turned the sample over in her hands, trying to unlock its mysteries. Her eyes narrowed as she scrutinized every facet of the stone, until she noticed a small "anomaly." The light reflected strangely off one side, catching her attention. She continued to rotate the stone, intrigued, trying to understand the origin of this peculiar glimmer.
Clark and Ultrawoman watched her with growing interest, eager to hear her conclusions. Ultrawoman, however, was beginning to show signs of impatience. The situation was dragging on, and she was struggling to contain her restlessness.
Suddenly, Lois broke the silence, raising her eyes toward Ultrawoman: "Lois, there's something off with the stone. The light is reflecting strangely on it. Can you look with…" She gestured to her own eyes, implicitly asking Ultrawoman to use her enhanced vision to analyze the stone.
Ultrawoman nodded.
"Can you lay it flat in your hand and rotate it slowly, please?" she asked.
Lois complied, carefully holding the stone in her palm. Ultrawoman squinted, using her advanced vision to scrutinize every detail of the crack.
After a few seconds of intense observation, she declared,
"There's a crack in the stone, as if it had been struck."
Clark, who had already begun pacing, rubbed his chin, clearly deep in thought.
"So, let’s recap," he said. "We’ve found a sample of red Kryptonite. Based on our past experiences, this stone has the ability to transfer my powers to someone else when a ray of light passes through it…"
"My powers were transferred to me, but it also caused me to split into two," Ultrawoman continued, her thoughts following Clark’s logical trail.
"And this piece of Kryptonite, which seems to be the source of the transfer, has an anomaly," Lois added, her gaze fixed on the visible crack.
"And just like that, this transfer was different from the previous ones," Clark concluded. "Three successful transfers without this kind of complication, and now, with this crack, we have an unexpected result."
"Let’s assume this anomaly is the cause of our problems," Ultrawoman suggested, her voice filled with determination.
Clark nodded, contemplating the next step.
"We need to test that hypothesis. But before we do anything, we have to understand how this crack might have affected the properties of the red Kryptonite. Maybe that could give us a clue on how to fix the duplication… or at least prevent it from…"
Clark abruptly stopped when he saw Ultrawoman freeze, her gaze distant.
"What’s wrong?" he asked, concern lacing his voice.
"A fire. Again! This time at the Metropolis Opera House," Ultrawoman replied, shaking her head, visibly exhausted by this new emergency. All these fires were taking their toll on her. She was starting to feel overwhelmed; she wasn’t made to be a superheroine, she was a journalist at heart.
Clark approached her, trying to boost her courage and energy.
"Hey, sweetheart, I know this is heavy, I know what it feels like to feel powerless. But I also know that you’re so much stronger than this! You’re the bravest woman I know, you never give up. So trust yourself! You can do this! Go ahead, we’ll join you as soon as we can!"
He kissed her deeply, trying to pour all his love and faith into her. Ultrawoman broke the kiss, and as she gazed into her husband’s eyes, she saw such confidence in her that she immediately felt recharged. She smiled at him with assurance before speeding off in a flash toward the fire.
Clark turned to Lois, grabbed her hand, and pulled her toward the door.
"Come on, we’ve got work to do," he said determinedly. "We need to join her and solve all of this together."
