Lois parked her Jeep on the highest covered level of the parking garage across the street from the court and locked it. She glanced at her watch and noted that she had twenty-four minutes to get to court and grab a seat.
“Lois?”
She spun in surprise and saw a tall man walking towards her. He wore a stringy beard, wearing sunglasses and parts of a beat-up old military uniform. His face and hands were dirty and his long, unkempt hair was in disarray. She stepped away from the Jeep to give herself maneuvering room.
“Get back! I don’t know what you want, but I warn you I can take care of myself!”
He stopped in mid-stride. “I know you can, Lois.”
The voice. When he spoke this time, she recognized his voice. “Clark?” She shook her head and spoke more softly. “Superman?”
He nodded and removed the sunglasses. “Right on both counts.”
She glanced around and saw no one. “We’re alone. I’ve already checked.” He tapped the side of his head just behind his eye.
“Oh, Clark!” She ran to him and wrapped her arms around him. “I’m so glad to see you!”
His arms slowly came up to return her embrace. “You feel like you’ve lost some weight.”
She burrowed into his chest. “I – haven’t been very hungry lately.”
“Have you eaten today?”
“Um. I had a granola bar in my office this morning.”
“That’s probably not enough.”
She grinned up at him. “Then you can take me to dinner tonight. Anywhere in the world. Just surprise me.”
He didn’t answer. She felt him holding himself in reserve, and she stepped back, still grasping his shoulders. “What’s wrong? What is it?”
“Did they tell you?”
“About the deposition? Yes. Ron called me and told me Blair asked me to come.” She shrugged. “So, here I am.”
“Oh.” He straightened. “Ron didn’t tell you that I’m testifying?”
She nearly fell from surprise. “You – you what?”
“I’m testifying in my own defense.”
She gasped for breath, then pulled her jaw back into alignment. “Are you insane? The DA will eat you alive! You can’t take the stand!”
He shook his head. “That’s pretty much what Connie and Blair said, too, but I insisted.” He almost smiled. “They said they think I’m crazy, too, along with a few other choice epithets and adjectives.”
“Well they’re right!” She turned and paced away, then stomped back. “You can’t do this, Clark! You’re going to be acquitted just like you wanted! The jury won’t convict you on what they’ve heard so far! But if you –“
“Lois!” The steel in his voice stopped her. “I have to do this. I can’t walk out of there without telling my side of the story.”
She stepped closer and lowered her voice. “Look, you’ve covered enough trials to know that putting a defendant on the stand is like putting a florescent bulls-eye on a deer during hunting season! This is not a good idea!”
“That’s about what Connie said, although she said it even more colorfully than you did.”
“She’s right, Clark! I don’t care how she said it, she’s right!” She reached out and gripped his elbows. “Please, please, let the jury decide on the evidence. You’ve got this one in your back pocket!”
Without answering, he reached into the faded jacket and pulled out a copy of the Metropolis Star. He unfolded it and showed Lois the lead editorial.
“’Why doesn’t Superman tell us what he knows?’ That idiot! Don’t you – “
“This is what’s in my back pocket, Lois, and they aren’t the only ones. The Washington Standard, the New York Times, the Denver Daily News – “
She slapped the paper out of his hands. “I don’t care about them! I don’t care, not a whit! You can’t live your life by other people’s opinions!”
He dropped his hands to his side. “Clark Kent can’t. But Superman has to.”
She took two deep breaths, trying to steady herself. “No, you don’t have to! Superman has the same freedoms the rest of us do.”
He shook his head. “No, he doesn’t. He has to be blameless. He has to be better than anyone else.”
“Why?” She lifted her fists and forced herself not to scream into his obstinate face. “Why does Superman have to be better?”
“Because Superman has to be trusted completely. Because Superman’s mistakes mean people can die. Because Superman’s choices make a bigger difference than anyone else’s choices.” He gestured aimlessly. “I don’t make these rules, Lois, but I have to play by them.”
She took another deep breath and splayed her hands downward. “Okay. Okay.” She breathed deeply again and let it out through her nose, slowly. “Okay. I can handle this.” Lois forced herself to relax. “I still don’t think this is a good idea, Clark, but I do understand why you think you need to do this. I’ll be in court this afternoon. I’ll be there for you.”
His eyes were oddly distant. “Good. I can use all the friends I can get.”
She stepped closer. “I know. And after the verdict comes in, maybe we can go someplace quiet and talk about our future.”
He shook his head. “I don’t think so.”
She paled. “What? What do you mean, you don’t think so?”
“I won’t be here.”
“Won’t – you what? What does that mean, exactly?”
“It means – it means I’m going away. I’m leaving Metropolis. For good.”
Her vision narrowed and the noise from the street seemed to vanish in the distance. The world in the tunnel before her eyes turned gray and she felt light as a feather. She saw Clark step towards her and reach for her, but she couldn’t understand what he was saying.
After a long moment, her vision cleared, and Clark’s words finally came through. “ – okay? Lois! Talk to me! Please!”
She suddenly felt concrete under her knees. “Okay. Hey, why am I –“
“You almost fainted.”
She shook her head and the last of the dizziness seeped away. “Oh. I guess I really should eat something.”
“More than a breakfast bar, anyway.”
She stood cautiously, testing her balance. “Did you – you did, didn’t you?”
He eyed her cautiously. “Did what?”
“You said you wouldn’t be here. You said you were leaving forever.”
His face fell. His mouth opened but nothing came out.
She pushed herself away from him. “Why? Why would you say such a cruel thing to me?”
He waved his hands randomly. “I think I – it’s really for your own good, Lois.”
Anger twisted her features. “For my good?” She stepped closer and lowered her volume but not her intensity. “For my good! You idiot! You moron! You Kryptonian coward! You think – “
“Now hold on! I am doing this for you!”
“Oh, really? Then explain it to me, Mr. Super-Smart-man! Tell me how your leaving me is a good thing for me!”
He stepped back a stride. “I’m a trouble magnet, Lois. I bring danger wherever I go. I bring bad guys, usually guys with guns or bombs and the will to use them. If you’re around me, you’ll get caught up in it. You’ll get hurt.”
“I’m already hurt! How could being with you be worse than being without you?”
He looked stunned. “I – but I thought – you and Ron – “
“What?” She leaped at him and hammered her fists on his chest several times before he caught her wrists. “Me and Ron? Gahhh! You idiot! You dope! You imbecile! You snake worse than – “
“That’s enough!” He pushed her back a step. “You know you can’t hurt me.”
She almost screamed. “But you can hurt me, is that it? I can’t hurt you but you can hurt me? Is that why you’re leaving, so you won’t hurt me any more?”
“Lois, please don’t – “
“You scum! You liar! You can fold that idea into three corners and wear it where the sun don’t shine! Is this your solution? You leave so you can’t hurt me?”
“Yes!”
His abrupt reply stopped her. She realized that he meant it, and that yelling at him wouldn’t change his mind. “Please, Clark,” she begged, “don’t go away! We can work this out! We can fix it! Just don’t go!” She wrapped her arms around him again. “Please don’t go, Clark. I love you. Please don’t go. Please! I don’t want to lose you again!”
He gently disentangled himself from her. “I’m sorry, Lois. I have to go.”
He stepped back and turned away from her. “Clark – “
“I’m sorry, Lois. Have a good life.”
He had taken three steps when she whispered, “I’ll print it.”
He stopped and turned his head. “Print what?”
“The secret.” Her voice intensified. “Your secret.”
“What?” He faced her. “No! You can’t mean that!”
“Why not? If this is slice-my-heart-to-ribbons day, tomorrow will be cut-Superman-to-the-quick day.” She put her hands on her hips and snarled, “You don’t make the rules, remember? You just live by them! Well, I’m making a rule right now! You betray me and you get betrayed right back!”
He held her gaze for a long moment. “You wouldn’t.”
“Watch me!”
He sighed. “What about my parents?”
“You’ll take care of them. They can go into the Superman Witness Protection Program. You can give them new identities and send them to Florida to run an orange grove. Or maybe ship them to Oregon to operate a sawmill.” She spun on her heel and faced away from him. “You’ll think of something. You always do.”
He reached out and touched her wrist. “Lois –“
She spun again and slapped his face. “Don’t touch me! You have no right to touch me!” She panted heavily. “I’ve got to go to court now and watch you be a fool again. And that’s how I’ll report it, too! Superman the Stupidman testifies in his own defense when there’s absolutely no reason to!”
“Lois, please – “
“No! If you’re leaving then leave! Get away from me and stay away!”
He looked into her eyes for a moment, then nodded. “Goodbye.”
She watched him walk to the stairwell and open the door. In a moment, she heard the telltale ‘whoosh’ of his takeoff as he headed towards the courthouse.
She glanced at her watch. She had eight minutes to get to court.
And after that she had the rest of her life. Alone.
*****
Connie breathed a sigh of relief when Superman strode into the courtroom at one-twenty-nine and forty seconds. She gave him a laser glare as he sat in the chair beside her.
“Thanks for deciding to show up at literally the last minute.”
He turned a flat expression to her. “I had something I had to do.”
“At a time like this?”
“Yes.”
“You going to tell me about it?”
“No.”
Her eyes widened. “I’m your attorney!”
“I don’t want to talk about it!”
She waited, but he only leaned back and crossed his arms. Connie sighed deeply. “You know, you can really be exasperating when you put your mind to it.”
The bailiff saved her from his razor-edged reply by calling the court to order. Everyone stood until Judge Fields banged his gavel on the bench yet again.
Fields looked pointedly at the video monitor, then turned to the defense table. “I hope this movie is of a lighter tone than the last one.”
“This is Clark Kent’s deposition, Your Honor. We’re ready to proceed.”
Fields waved his hand. “In that case, counselor, go for it.”
Connie nodded and pushed the play button on the VCR remote. Clark was in the middle of the picture, seated at a small table. Melanie Welch was on his right and Blair Collins sat to his left.
Blair’s soft Southern drawl oozed out of the speakers. “This is the video deposition of Clark Kent, recorded Thursday, August 29th. My name is Blair Collins, affiliated with Superman’s defense. Also present is Melanie Welch of the District Attorney’s office. Mr. Kent, are you ready to answer some questions?”
“Yes.”
“You do understand that this deposition carries the same weight as your testimony in court would, and that your obligation to tell the truth is just as strong?”
“I understand that.”
“Good. Please tell us where you were on the night in question.”
He shifted in his chair, which squeaked. “I was across the street from Mayson Drake’s office, waiting for her to leave. We had plans that evening.”
“Were those plans personal plans?”
“Yes.”
“Were they of a romantic nature?”
His eyes darkened slightly. “Yes, they were.”
“What was your relationship to Mayson Drake?”
“We were dating.”
“Was this a serious relationship?”
He leaned his elbows on the table. “Why are you asking these questions?”
Blair lifted her hand. “Please, Mr. Kent, bear with me. I only want to establish the context of your relationship with Ms. Drake.”
He sat back, apparently mollified. “Okay, if you say so.”
“I do. Now, will you tell me how serious this relationship was?”
He blushed, and several jurors chuckled. “Mayson and I were talking about – something permanent.”
“Like marriage?”
He averted his gaze and turned in the chair. “We hadn’t mentioned ‘marriage’ exactly, but we both knew it was a possibility.”
“I see. So, her death was a personal shock to you?”
“Of course it was!”
“And since Superman is your close friend, wasn’t he upset that you’d just lost someone so important to you in such a violent manner?”
Clark lifted his head. He actually looked surprised by the question. “Yes, I guess you could say that.”
Connie glanced at Jack and Melanie, but they were both studying the video playback as intently as anyone else in the courtroom.
Blair leaned back. “Thank you, Mr. Kent. Now, I’d like for you to tell us, in your own words, what happened that night, starting from the moment you met Lois Lane on the street.”
He nodded. “Meeting Lois Lane wasn’t a planned thing. We just happened to be across the street at the same time. I was meeting Mayson, and Lois was meeting one of her reporters. We just happened to be at the same place at the same time.”
“Did this reporter work for the Daily Planet?”
“No. This was while Lois was the editor at the Washington Standard’s Metropolis bureau.”
“I see. What was this reporter’s name?”
“Laura Nguyen.”
“Can you describe her?”
He frowned in concentration. “Short, about five-foot-two. Slender. She weighed maybe a hundred pounds, probably a bit less. Attractive with a pleasant smile. Long, shiny dark hair, Oriental features, and a small-caliber handgun.”
Another chuckle made its way through the courtroom. Blair continued, “And what did Laura Nguyen do with her gun?”
“She pointed it at Lois and me. She told us we were lucky to be there to see the show, and that she’d get a bonus for killing me along with Lois and whoever her primary target was.”
“Who was her primary target?”
Clark paused and sighed. “We realized – that is, Lois and I realized at the same time that Laura was talking about Mayson. I turned and started running across the street, and that’s when I heard two loud pops.”
“What were those pops?”
“Laura had shot at me. The bullets would have hit me in the middle of the back if Superman hadn’t stopped them.”
“So, Superman saved you from being shot, and then what?”
“He and I both started across the street again, but that’s when the bomb in Mayson’s car exploded. Superman blew out the fire and pulled her out, but we were too late.” He heaved a deep sigh. “She was already dead.”
“What happened next?”
“Superman yelled.”
“He yelled? What did he yell?”
“Nothing understandable. It was just a scream of – I don’t know, something like an ‘I’m freaking mad and I’m not taking this anymore’ kind of scream.”
“Then what happened?”
Clark shifted again. “Understand, I’m not real clear on this next part, but the next thing I knew I was at my apartment. I checked my pocket and found that the map of Intergang’s underground headquarters was gone.”
Melanie leaned in. “Wait. What map are you talking about?”
“The one Lois Lane gave me.”
Melanie shook her head. “You didn’t mention it before.”
“Oh. I’m sorry, I guess I didn’t. Lois gave me the map just before Laura appeared and before Mayson came out of her office. She’d gotten it from a source in the Intergang investigation. That was when she told me she’d learned that Bill Church was the head of Intergang. There were several of us at the Planet who knew who he was, too.”
“So you’re saying that Superman took you to your apartment, took the map from you, and then left on his errand of vengeance?”
Clark frowned. “I wouldn’t characterize it as an ‘errand of vengeance,’ Ms. Welch. And I really don’t remember how the map got out of my pocket and into Superman’s hands.”
Blair lifted her hand. “Mr. Kent, where is that map now?”
Clark shrugged. “I don’t know. I haven’t seen it since.”
Blair nodded. “What did you do next, Mr. Kent?”
He shifted in his chair again and averted his eyes. “I – don’t remember a whole lot about that night. But I do remember lots of ice.”
“Ice?”
“Yes. Ice like ice that cools down drinks. You know, frozen water?”
“Not much o’ that in Georgia ‘cept in freezers.” Blair paused while Clark and Melanie laughed slightly. “You went to a bar?”
He shook his head. “No. At least, I don’t remember doing that. I just remember the ice.”
“What happened next?”
He sighed. “I went in to the Daily Planet the next afternoon and quit. I moved back to my parents’ farm in Smallville, Kansas.”
“So you’re not employed as a reporter now?”
“No. Not since that day.”
“What do you do for a living?”
“I do travel pieces for various magazines and travel sections of major newspapers. And I still do some hard news pieces on a freelance basis. Plus, I’m writing novels now.”
Melanie squeaked in obvious surprise, “Novels?”
Connie stifled a laugh and glanced at her opposite number. Jack looked at his sister and shook his head, while Melanie frowned at him and pointed at the television.
On the video tape, Clark also chuckled. “Yes. But I’m using a pen name, and I’m contractually obligated not to tell you what the titles are or who the publisher is or what my pseudonym is. All I really can say is that they’re fairly successful.”
Blair nodded. “Thank you, Mr. Kent. That’s all I have. Any questions, Melanie?”
“Just one.” Melanie leaned close to Clark. “Mr. Kent, can you tell us anything at all about Superman’s actions that night? Anything that we haven’t heard already.”
Clark’s eyebrows rose. “Ms. Welch, there’s no way for me to know what’s already been said at the trial. I don’t even know when you’re going to show this deposition.”
“I know. Just give it a shot, okay?”
Clark fidgeted for a moment, then said, “All I can tell you is that moment when I sat on the sidewalk with Mayson’s body in my lap, I desperately wanted to bring Bill Church to justice myself. If he’d been standing right in front of me at that moment, I don’t know what I might have done to him.”
On the tape, Melanie nodded and closed the folder in front of her. “Thank you, Mr. Kent, Ms. Collins. I have no more questions.”
Blair grinned. “Me neither. I guess this is the end of the tape, then. Mr. Kent, thanks for coming in on such short notice.”
He stood and shook hands with both women. “My pleasure.” He glanced at his watch. “I’m sorry, but I have an appointment I have to keep, and then I have an afternoon flight to catch, so I’ll say goodbye.”
In the back of the courtroom, Lois tried to harden her heart against the pathos she knew Clark had been feeling when he’d made that tape. He’d managed to sidestep the issue of his secret identity without lying directly and without making anyone suspicious about his own actions that night. It helped that he wasn’t there to be cross-examined.
She considered what might happen if she sent a note to the prosecutor saying that Clark was indeed in the room. She actually derived some momentary twisted amusement from it.
Connie stood and stopped the tape with the remote, then she handed the remote to the nearest bailiff and turned to face the judge. “Your Honor, our intention at this point was to rest our case, but – contrary to my advice – my client insists on taking the stand in his own defense.”
The gallery was electrified. Judge Fields nearly fell out of his chair. “What? Are you kidding?”
Connie shook her head. “I wish I were.” She took a deep breath. “The defense calls Superman to the stand.”
Jack leaped to his feet. “Your Honor! The prosecution was not notified that the defendant planned to testify! We ask for a recess to prepare!”
Fields shook his head. “Uh-uh. The defendant is the one witness who goes on the list automatically, Jack, and you know it. Defense doesn’t have to call the defendant if they don’t want to, so there’s no problem with you not being notified early. You should have been ready for this.” He turned to Superman, who by now was standing beside the witness box. “Which brings up a very good point. Superman, do you understand that you cannot be compelled to testify at your own trial?”
He nodded. “Yes, Your Honor, I understand.”
“Do you also understand that if you do testify, the prosecution will have every right to cross-examine you?”
“I understand that also, sir.”
“Very well.” Fields lifted his hands and dropped them. “The witness may be sworn in. Ms. Hunter, good luck.”
“Thank you, Your Honor.”
Connie waited while the oath was administered. The bailiff indicated the witness chair and said, “Please state your full name for the record.”
Without batting an eye, Superman answered, “Kal-El.”
Connie stood. “Kal-El? Can you tell us what nationality that name is?”
“It’s Kryptonian. It’s no secret that I’m not originally from Earth.”
Connie stepped forward. “The name ‘Kal-El’ is, um, a bit odd to my ears. I’m going to address you as Superman, if that’s acceptable.”
He nodded. “That’s preferable, actually.”
“Good. Tell me, Superman, why did you kill Bill Church?”
He didn’t bat an eye. “I had originally intended to take everyone in the bunker into custody, including Bill Church. When I heard how large this organized murder was, and how many people had already died that night, I just lost a tiny bit of control and – and a man died at my hands.”
She leaned forward and pointed at him. “You say you ‘heard’ how large the murder plot was. How did you hear of this?”
“I can hear radio and microwave communication signals if I decide to listen for them.”
“Really? How does that work? Are you hearing, say, syndicated ‘Ivory Tower’ reruns right now?”
He ignored the chuckles from the gallery. “No. I only hear that kind of thing when I need to hear it.” He shrugged. “I wish I could explain it better. It’s almost as if there’s an unconscious part of my mind listening in on things like that, and only when I need to hear it consciously do I become aware of what’s going on.”
“Like the apartment fire in Brazil the other day? The one that made you late for your own trial?”
“Yes, exactly like that.”
She nodded and stepped towards the jury. “So, you headed towards Intergang’s headquarters, intending to arrest Bill Church, but when you heard how many people had already died, you changed your mind?”
Jack stood up. “Objection. Defense counsel is leading the witness.”
“Overruled. The witness may answer. But make sure you clarify any inaccuracies in your attorney’s summary.”
Superman nodded. “Thank you, sir. What Ms. Hunter just said is accurate. Except that, instead of changing my mind, I was – I guess you could say I was caught up in the circumstances. It wasn’t really a conscious, logical decision on my part, but something that I just did in the moment.”
“Superman, you mentioned one person by name on the tape. Why did Mayson Drake’s name come out of your mouth just then?”
“Because she was the one who had just died right in front of me. She was foremost on my mind.”
“But surely you’ve seen people die before. Not even Superman can save everyone.”
“True.” He took a deep breath. “But Clark Kent is special to me. He was there too, and he’d just seen someone he cared deeply about, someone he was thinking about making a permanent part of his life, literally blown to pieces right before his eyes. That also affected my thoughts.”
“What about your feelings?”
He nodded. “It affected my feelings, too. I was angry. I wanted the killing to stop. I wanted the criminals to face justice and stop stealing and bribing and extorting and murdering the innocent.”
“And that’s why you took Bill Church’s life? Out of a desire to stop the lawlessness?”
“Yes. Looking back on it now, with more than three years to think about it, I’m not certain it was the right decision, but that’s how I felt at that moment, so that’s how I acted.”
“I see. What about the other Intergang leaders you took into custody that night?”
“I did not harm any of them in any way. As far as I am aware, they are just as healthy now as they would have been had I taken no action at all against them that night.”
Connie nodded and stepped close to the jury box. “Now for a really, really big question, Superman. If you were faced with a similar situation tomorrow, what would you do?”
He leaned back in the chair. “I can’t predict the future, Ms. Hunter. However, I will say that I fully intend that no one else will ever die at my hands.”
She leaned on the front rail and bored her gaze into his eyes. “No matter what this hypothetical person may have done to you or to people about whom you care deeply?”
He nodded slowly. “That is my intention, yes. No matter what this person might have done, to me or to others.”
“Thank you. Nothing further at this time, Your Honor.”
Jack stood and fumbled with his tie for a moment, then walked hesitantly towards the witness box. He turned and looked back at Melanie, then sighed and continued towards Superman.
“Hello, Superman.”
“Hello, Mr. Reisman.”
Jack stopped about three feet from the witness box. “Tell me, Superman, do you bear me any ill will for having you arrested and bringing you to trial?”
“No. I know that you’re only doing your job. It’s actually been a real learning experience for me.”
“Oh?” Jack crossed his arms. “How so?”
“I’ve gotten to see how the justice system works from the other side of the badge. I have a better idea of what people who are arrested go through as they work through the system.”
“I see.” Jack turned and meandered towards the jury. “You said, the ‘other side of the badge,’ didn’t you?”
“Yes.”
“But you don’t have a badge, do you?”
“No, I don’t.”
“So you aren’t a law enforcement official?”
“No, I’m not.”
“Didn’t you turn down a Metropolis law enforcement commission several years ago? Before you killed Bill Church?”
“Yes.”
“Why did you do that?”
“Partly because of the problems involved in my crossing back and forth between jurisdictions, and partly because I didn’t want the Metropolis Police to be issuing me orders.”
Jack spun back to face him. “Oh? Are you that much smarter than the police?”
“No, I only – “
“Are you in possession of that much more information?”
“Not really, I just – “
“Do you think you’re too good to work with our officers?”
Superman held his peace for a moment, then said, “None of the above, sir.”
“Then why don’t you want to be held accountable for what you do?”
Superman gave him a twisted grin and asked, “I’m here, aren’t I? If that isn’t being accountable, I don’t know what is.”
Knowing he’d lost that point, Jack walked in the other direction. “Let’s talk about some of the things you did that night, other than killing Bill Church. Why did you take those other twelve people to various law enforcement agencies?”
“Because I’m not a law enforcement official.”
Jack’s voice strengthened. “They why did you burst into that office that night? Wasn’t it to even the score with Intergang?”
Superman slowly shook his head. “No. Taking a person’s life doesn’t cancel out the death – or deaths – that person has already caused.”
“So why didn’t you just bring Bill Church to one of Metropolis’s police precincts? Surely they would have arrested him on your say-so!”
“You’re probably right about that.”
“Then why? Why did you kill him?”
Superman took a deep breath. “Because I got angry and lost control for a moment. Because he was responsible for so many deaths and injuries already and I simply felt that I couldn’t let it go on. So I stopped him.”
“You stopped him?” Jack slapped the front rail of the box. “You took it upon yourself to accuse, try, convict, and execute a man, all in one brief moment?”
“No.”
“What? What do you mean?”
“I already knew about Intergang’s activities. I knew about the gun smuggling and the drugs and the extortion and the corruption in the DA’s office – “
Jack threw his hands in the air. “Your Honor, this last isn’t testimony, it’s hearsay!”
The judge asked, “Superman, what corruption are you talking about?”
“Mayson Drake’s predecessor was jailed for accepting bribes. He confessed to receiving the bribes at his trial, but he never named the person who gave him the money. He was killed in jail just before Ms. Drake could interview him about his activities.” Superman pointed to Jack. “Mr. Reisman was not the district attorney at the time, he was an assistant like Ms. Drake was. The scandal I was referring to ended his predecessor’s career.” He lowered his hand. “For the record, I am unaware of any hint of scandal or improper conduct linked to this district attorney or to anyone in his office.”
“Thank you. Jack, your objection is overruled.”
Jack snorted, but looked away from the judge just before being verbally spanked. “Let’s go back to my question. You said that you decided to kill Bill Church before you broke into his office?”
“Not exactly, no.”
“Oh? Then please, tell us exactly.”
Jack stepped away and put his hands behind his back as Superman began speaking. “I knew, as I said, about some of the illegal activities of Intergang before this. I also knew that there was an ongoing investigation into their activities, their infrastructure, and their personnel. The more I learned, the more I decided that they needed to be brought to justice.”
“Why didn’t you act before that night? You might have saved the lives of nearly fifty people.”
Superman’s expression hardened. “Believe me, Mr. Reisman, that thought has occurred to me a number of times. I didn’t take action prior to that night because I had no real proof, which is, as you know, a necessary component of any criminal trial.”
Several members of the jury smiled slightly. Superman continued, “And because I had no proof, I took no direct action. If I had, I would surely be the super-powered vigilante you’re making me out to be.”
“But because you let people die before you did anything, you’re innocent?”
Connie leaped to her feet. “Objection! The prosecution is out of line!”
Jack waved his hand once. “Withdrawn. No more questions.”
Connie stayed upright. “Redirect, Your Honor?”
“Go ahead.”
“Superman, do you think you did the right thing that night?”
He hesitated. “I honestly don’t know.”
“Think back to that moment in time. Did you believe that taking Bill Church’s life would end much of the violence and death caused by Intergang?”
“Yes.”
“Is that indeed what actually happened?”
“Well, yes, it did.”
“Yet now you say you’re not sure that you did the right thing.”
Superman gestured to the jury. “Isn’t that their job? To decide if I did the right thing or not?”
Connie nodded. “Yes. Yes, it is.” She sat down. “No more questions, Your Honor.”
Judge Fields said, “The witness may step down.”
Connie stood. “Your Honor, the defense rests at this time.”
The judge stared at the clock for a long moment, then banged his gavel. “It’s getting late in the day. We will hear closing arguments at nine o’clock on Monday morning. This court is adjourned until then.”
Lois watched the jury file out. She still believed they’d come back with a ‘not guilty’ verdict as long as Superman didn’t do anything else stupid over the weekend.
She couldn’t believe Reisman hadn’t flayed Superman into tiny strips of Kryptonian sausage. The big doofus was luckier than he had any right to be.
Now it was up to the closing statements and the jury deliberations.
