Clark followed Lex’s limo to the shuttle-launching site. He watched from a nearby hangar as Lex sent a man carrying Lois into the space shuttle. Clark knew he could move fast enough to get Lois out of there without anyone noticing him. He was about to do just that when he heard the loudspeaker announce there was a problem with the shuttle; they had stopped the launch at twenty-nine seconds due to a mechanical failure.
It would buy him extra time to get Lois to safety.
But he also knew that in all likelihood the mission would probably be scrubbed.
All those people, with hopes of getting diseases cured, would lose their opportunity.
If they didn’t go on this mission, children might even die.
Clark felt a chill go up his spine as he realized he wouldn’t let that happen. This was the moment he had been waiting for – to announce to the world what he could do, and that he was here to help.
He felt excitement pour through his veins as a sense of purpose filled him, new and exhilarating. His mother had seen, all those years ago, what he would be capable of – and he wasn’t about to disappoint her.
Without a second thought, Clark spun into his blue and red suit, and flew towards the rocket – to embrace his destiny.
*~*~*~*
Clark could hear the hum of excitement and curiosity as people nearby and in the watchtower spotted him. He had no inclination to explain himself yet – he had to introduce himself by showing them that he was here to help.
Before he could address how to help the shuttle crew, his first priority was finding Lois. He scanned the rocket and found her in a matter of seconds, tied to a chair still unconscious, though she looked otherwise unharmed.
Clark flew in from the boarding bridge, heading to the cargo hold where Lois was, his heart pounding, but for a new reason. He suddenly wondered if she would immediately wake up and see him. Would she make the connection to the blur? Would she make the connection to *Clark*? Did he want her to?
These questions and more swirled in his mind, but he had little time to dwell on them. He had to get Lois out of there and see what he could do to help the mission continue. Plus he knew that people would be wondering who he was, and what he was doing. He needed to present himself as a friend to help as soon as possible, so they wouldn’t be afraid of him.
Clark undid the ropes binding Lois, and gently lifted her out of the chair. He was about to take her out of the hold when he spotted a small bomb slapped carelessly on a wall nearby.
Clark realized that Lex hadn’t just planned on sending Lois into outer space to get rid of her for a while – but he had planned on killing her and possibly other people on the shuttle. Even if the bomb exploded only in this room, it would stop the mission. And then Lex Luthor could step forward and offer to build *his* space craft and Space Station Luthor, if only they let *him* be in charge of the Space Program. Then Luthor would have even more power at his disposal.
Clark wasn’t about to let him do any such thing.
He set Lois back down and inspected the bomb. He easily pulled off its face panel and discovered the small explosive inside. He knew he was invulnerable, but the limits of that invulnerability had only been tested as far as a bullet. Could he – swallow a bomb?
He had no time to think about it, as the timer was down to less than ten seconds. Clark simply put it in his mouth, knowing it would cause less damage inside him than it would out in the shuttle. He felt it explode in his mouth, feeling the vibrations of it all through him and throughout the room, but felt no pain.
Clark turned back to Lois, grinning over his little accomplishment. She wasn’t awake yet to see, but she was beginning to stir a little due to the sound of the explosion. A small knot of fear suddenly welled up in Clark. He was afraid to face her like this, realized. Completely exposed – the alien. He hadn’t wanted to tell her his secret until the Boss was taken care of – but he also wanted her to trust him before he did tell her.
He had to get her out of there before she woke up and saw him, before she could begin to ask questions.
Clark carried her to the bridge where he was met with the passengers on Prometheus. Many of them had seen him fly up to the rocket and were staring at him in awe.
“Is there a medic nearby?” he asked the crowd. A man stepped forward, his eyes wide with shocked admiration.
“Ye—yes, I’m the crew’s medic.”
Clark passed Lois into the other man’s arms. He hoped Luthor was gone and wouldn’t know at least for a while yet that his plan had failed. He had to believe she would be safe, until he could come back for her. “She’s a reporter with the Daily Planet. Call Perry White immediately. He’s the Editor-in-chief. Make sure she gets back there.”
The man nodded, and turned to take Lois back to the main tower.
People from the crew were milling around, uncertain what to do.
A man came running in from another room. “Was there a bomb? Someone said they heard an explosion!”
Before people could panic, Clark tried to calm them by explaining what he saw. “There was a bomb, but I took care of it.”
The colonists looked at him with uncertainty, wondering how he had stopped it.
“Who are you?” asked a crew member.
Clark smiled, “A friend.”
“Attention, colonists. The mission has been aborted,” came a voice over the intercom.
“That’s it then. It’s over,” said a man nearby. “The thrusters have been fired, and they’ll need to be replaced. We can just forget about it.”
Clark watched as the expected wave of
disappointment became palpable in the room. He took a breath, knowing his moment to become a hero had come.
“There's nothing wrong with this transport vehicle *or* the station. You only need to get there,” he said with a little more confidence then he felt. His abilities had never been tested in space. Because he was invulnerable, he had always believed he could fly into space with no problem – theoretically, anyway.
“How?” asked a woman.
Clark smiled, his confidence strengthening with the hopeful glances from the colonists. It had to work.
“I’ll give you a boost.”
*~*~*~*
Still slightly dizzy from the chloroform, Lois stood on the observation deck staring at the sight before her with disbelief. A single man lifted a space shuttle into the air.
She was frozen to the spot, utterly fascinated by the miracle in the sky, and the energy in the room as a nation watched a hero being born. Lois even let herself forget for the moment the fact that Lex Luthor had known who she was and had tried to get rid of her. For now, she lost herself in the buzz of excitement over the flying man.
“Did you see him fly into the shuttle? You could barely see him! Just a blue and red streak in the sky!”
<<You could barely see him?>> she wondered to herself. <<Like the blur… could this man be the blur?>> The blur had been nearly invisible, helping, but doing so surreptitiously. The blur was a myth that she couldn’t get Perry to let her write a story on. But this! This was a man out in the open, a true hero who wanted to help.
<<Were there several heroes out there? Or were they one in the same? And if so, what had made him come out of hiding?>>
Lois sipped a coffee they had given her, already beginning to write notes for the story. One of the men had recounted to her how the flying man had rescued her and the crew from a nearby bomb. The flying man had even carried her to the watchtower in his arms… She wished she had been awake to remember that!
But she also knew it would make one heck of a story that Perry would want to print right away!
As the rocket left the area and business began to return somewhat to normal, Lois decided to call Clark. She had to tell him what had happened with Lex and to see if he thought this new superhero and the blur might be the same man – and, if she were honest, she missed him. He may have secrets, but she knew he was no Lex Luthor. Clark would never harm her and that gave her some comfort.
She glanced at the clock, seeing it was half past nine. She assumed he was probably worried with how her interview with Lex went. And though she really didn’t want to hear an ‘I told you so,’ she desperately wanted to hear Clark’s voice.
She tried his apartment, but got only his answering machine.
Then she tried his pager, but didn’t have a number to leave for him to call her back.
Lois sighed. It was just as well. He was probably out there trying to get the story on this flying man anyway.
She tried one more number, at the Planet, and got Perry. “Lois! I mean, Linda-- I hope you are on this story about this – flying man! Judas Priest! I can’t believe it! Any idea what that ‘S’ on his uniform stands for?” He finally paused a moment, “By the way, where are you?”
“I’m at EPRAD,” she began.
“That’s my girl! Is Clark with you?”
She felt disappointed realizing Clark wasn’t at the Planet either, as she answered, “No. I was hoping he was there with you. I can’t reach him, Chief.” Where was he? Would he give her another lie when she saw him again?
“That’s strange… Keep trying him. Meanwhile, see if you can’t get an interview with this – I don’t know! At least find out what to call him.”
She laughed nervously, still feeling shaken up over her dinner with Lex. She wanted to tell Perry what had happened, but he was wrapped up in the excitement of this superhero and she didn’t want Perry to worry. She hoped that the buzz this superhero created would keep people occupied for a while, including Lex. Lois also hoped Lex thought she was still aboard the shuttle… it would buy her time, at least.
“I will do my best, Perry,” she said, forcing optimism.
“I know you will. We’ll see you back at the Planet as soon as you have something I can print, you hear? I’ll be here as long as it takes – this story is going in the early morning edition!”
“Got it, Chief.”
Lois sighed as she hung up the phone. She had no idea where Clark was, but at least she had something to do – get the story!
She went around and interviewed as many of the eyewitnesses as she could. Lois still couldn’t believe that she had been in the midst of the biggest story of the century and had slept through it – all thanks to Lex Luthor!
Now if only she could get an exclusive with the flying man… <<Hmmm…. Perry wanted a name for him?>> Lois looked over the shoulder of one of the technicians at one of the computer screens that had a few semi-close-up shots of the amazing man lifting the rocket from the launch pad. Perry had mentioned an ‘S’… and the crew members that hadn’t been part of the launch, but had rushed aboard when the mission aborted, said the man had said he was a ‘friend,’ but gave no name.
He was super strong, could defy gravity – and if he was the blur, was invulnerable. He was like a man with super powers… a super man…
It was simple, yet it made so much sense. The man appeared modest of his abilities, but he was definitely no ordinary man.
Above her notes, she scribbled a simple yet decisive headline: “Superman saves the day!”
*~*~*~*
It was so easy.
That’s what Clark would remember about lifting the shuttle into space. It had been-- easy. Gravity had never been a problem for him, and even though the shuttle wasn’t like lifting his parents’ sofa, he could do it with very little effort.
There was only a moment, as they entered the weightlessness of space, that he had felt the shuttle almost slip from his fingers, as it became too light to navigate. He himself felt tingly in space’s atmosphere, but he had no trouble flying, and he knew he could easily hold his breath long enough to do what he had to.
Once he adjusted to the change in gravity, it had been a simple task of navigating the shuttle to land properly at the docking area.
Clark had saved the day, possibly hundreds of lives, and it had been no more difficult than chores he used to do around the farm.
It was an exhilarating feeling.
After the shuttle clicked into place and he waved good-bye to the crew, he turned back towards Earth. He took a moment, knowing he was one of the privileged few who got to see the Earth this way. Its blues and greens blended together in a harmonious globe, a lush spinning jewel in the infinite space around him. His vision telescoped to see Mars and Venus in the distance, just as beautiful, but not full of the life of Earth.
The Earth below him called to him in a way that he had never experienced. He knew he was alien, but he also knew that he belonged there, for better or worse. He didn’t know why he had been sent to Earth, but he now had a purpose that hadn’t become clear until he had found the Suit his Kansan mother had so lovingly made for him.
And Lois. She was a wounded soul who had suffered because of her choices. But he loved her deeply. He hoped someday he could share all that he was with her, and that she would in turn, do the same with him. He had no idea what to expect when he returned to Earth. He didn’t know if cameras had captured his face or if Lois had already figured out his secret.
But he wasn’t afraid anymore. Somehow, even if she didn’t already know, he’d tell her. He had to share this – this feeling of freedom and rightness of having helped in a way that made a difference. He wanted to share that with her – and wanted Lois to know that she needn’t be afraid ever again.
Lost in his thoughts, Clark floated above the Earth, listening to the quiet of space. But the more he listened, the more his superhearing began picking up on things. He heard the low hum of the Earth spinning slowly on its axis. He heard the boiling crackle of the distant sun and asteroids moving through space. Life was out here – large and mysterious, moving in an infinite dark.
And life was below him, on Earth, where he could make a difference.
Suddenly, he wanted more than anything to feel the solid ground below his feet, to hear the hum of Metropolis, to see Lois Lane. He knew she would be on the story of his debut and he was anxious to see what she had made of it all. But most of all, he wanted to see her, to hold her again, to kiss her.
She didn’t know it yet, but she grounded him. Since his parents had died, he had been a wandering soul, uncertain. But her faith in the blur had seeded a much needed faith in himself. And when he had found the Suit in his Fortress of Solitude, his way forward suddenly had become clear.
Clark wanted to tell Lois. Tell her everything.
He dived towards Earth, his heart and his eyes aiming for Lois and the truth that was there waiting for him.
*~*~*~*
Lois had taken a cab after she had gathered enough notes for the front-page story. On the ride back, she had tried not to think of Lex and what she would do. She needed to talk to Clark, and he was nowhere to be found. When she got back to the Daily Planet, it was past midnight, and only Perry was left, waiting for her story. While he read through it, she tried Clark’s apartment again and left him a page. Where was he?
“Is that really his name?” asked Perry, coming over to her desk with her copy in hand.
“No,” she hedged. “But you got to run with something… I mean, we don’t even know if we’ll see him again. And, well, I don’t know about you, but I think a man who can fly is pretty super, don’t you?”
“Hmmm. Well, all right. It does have a sort of ring to it. And it’s certainly better than that blur story you were peddling the other day. I don’t know what you were thinking, Lois.”
She crossed her arms defensively. “What *I* think is that Superman, *is* the blur. He just decided to don tights and show himself. But I’ll find out why, Chief. You know I will.”
Perry smiled. “I do indeed! It sure is great to have you back in the newsroom, Lois. This place just hasn’t been the same without you.”
Suddenly the elevator dinged open. Lois felt her heart lurch, realizing she was still on alert after what had happened with Lex. She was relieved to see it was Clark.
“Clark!” she cried, rushing over to him.
He gathered her into his arms, and it was as if they had been separated for far more than a day.
“Are you all right? I mean, how was your date with Luthor?” he asked.
“I’m fine. I’ll fill you in on Lex in a minute,” she said with a shiver. “But where have you been? There has been some excitement around here that you just won’t believe!”
She walked him over to where Perry had the mock-up of the headline.
“Superman?” he asked, seeming uncertain.
Lois felt herself blush. “Yeah, well he was pretty impressive, Clark. I mean, haven’t you heard? I know the television media has been all over it. And this is going in the early edition. I wish I had seen him up close…” she said wistfully.
“Lois, we need to talk,” Clark suddenly said.
“Yes, we do…” she answered, glancing at Perry.
Perry easily took his cue. “I’ll uh, just put the finishing touches on this and get the paper to bed. I’ll be in my office.”
As Perry shut the door, Lois turned to Clark, “You first.”
“You first,” he said almost on her heels and they both smiled.
“I missed you,” she said quietly, thinking of the hours since she had last seen him. The interminable and disastrous dinner with Lex… and then, Superman.
“Does this mean you forgive me for the other night?” he asked.
She looked up at him, “Only if you’re ready to tell me the truth.”
*~*~*~*
“Only if you’re ready to tell me the truth.”
The fear was suddenly back. The niggling doubt in his mind that she wouldn’t understand. He suddenly wanted to read that article she had written about him. What did she think of him? Had she made him into some unattainable figure that she didn’t understand? What would she think once she realized her pretend husband was the alien flying around in tights? The confidence he had felt in space seeped out of him.
Why couldn’t he get the words to form?
<<Superman?>> What kind of arrogant name was that? Was that what she saw?
He remembered when she had said that she couldn’t say she loved him just yet – that she had her own problems to sort through. Would telling her the truth put more undue pressure on her? The last thing he wanted was to push her away from him.
“Clark, say something,” Lois said, snapping him out of his thoughts for a second.
“Sorry. I – I want to know what happened at dinner with Luthor. I was comparing our notes—“
“You went through my notes?” she asked with some anger.
“Lois, we were going to compare them together, remember? And well, we – haven’t had time,” <<because you were angry at me for lying.>>
She sighed, “No, you’re right. And you were right about Lex. Clark, he knew who I was. I think he is the Boss.”
“I know. And I think he is too.”
“You know?” she asked in surprise.
“Yeah, I pretty much figured it out while you were at dinner with him.”
She nodded. “And he kidnapped me and put me on that space shuttle, and I think wanted to kill me. There was a bomb,” she explained dryly.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
“Yeah, I think so,” she said, suddenly reaching for him. He willingly took her in his arms. “I know you have your secrets, Clark. But I also know that you would never deliberately hurt me, right?”
He pulled out of the hug to look in her eyes. “No, of course not. I – just need you to trust me.”
She sighed, “I want to, Clark. I just don’t know why you won’t be straight with me.”
Suddenly, Clark heard two sirens. He would often hear them in the city, but had only chosen before to help in cases where he wouldn’t be noticed. But now that he was visibly a hero, he could help a lot more often.
And maybe soon, he’d get up the courage to tell her the truth. As she had said, when this business with the Boss was over – and they were both sure of where they stood with each other.
“Why don’t you head home… I’ll meet you there. I –have to pick up something on the way,” he said, trying not to notice the hurt look on Lois’ face. “Have Perry take you home,” he said as an afterthought.
“Clark?” he heard her cry, sounding disappointed, but chose not to answer. Right now, someone needed Superman, and that seemed a lot safer than baring his soul to Lois.
