Story [Superman]The Man of Steel(Book 2 of 3)--Updated 3/15/12

Title: Superman: The Man of Steel
Author: mrjop2
Awards
Best Action 2011: Nominated
Best non-Sci Fi 2011 Nominated
Most Underrated Story 2011 Nominated
Best Multi-Post Story 2011 Nominated
Best Canon Interpretation, Male 2011 (Clark Kent/Superman) Nominated
Best Canon Interpretation, Female 2011 (Lois Lane) Nominated
Best Villain 2011 (General Zod) Nominated
Best Ensemble Cast 2011 WINNER
Genre: Action/Adventure/Romance/Drama
Summary: Crime is on the rise in Metropolis. A street gang known as the Intergang is terrorizing the streets of Metropolis. Superman has enough trouble trying to keep up with this gang and their advanced technology, but things become even more complicated when Brainiac and General Zod come to earth in search for him, and will stop at nothing to destroy the last surviving Kryptonian. On the personal front, Clark's pursuit of Lois Lane is interrupted when his first love of his life, Lana Lang, comes to Metropolis. Even more surprising is why she has come to Metropolis.

Disclaimer: The following story is meant for entertainment purpose only; not meant to infringe upon any copyright laws. No profit was or should be made on the following material. Story written: 2010. This is part one of a planned trilogy re-imagining the classic superhero. This is how I would love to see Superman come to the theaters.


This is Book 2 of 3.
1. Superman: The Last Son of Krypton
2. Superman: The Man of Steel (CURRENT)
3. Superman: The Man of Tomorrow (COMING SOON)

You do not need to have read the first book to enjoy this one!

SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL

[image=http://i971.photobucket.com/albums/ae198/ivernasolo/mrjop2-mos.jpg]
Thanks goes out to Iverna for yet another wonderful art cover!

Inspired by:
Superman by Richard Donner starring Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder
The Popular DC comics
Superman: the Animated Series
And
Smallville: the television series

Music composed by: John Williams


Chapter 1: Commission Ceremony
<Krypton--20 orbital-cycles[years] before extinction>

This was the biggest day of a Kryptonian?s life: Commission day. This was the day that graduating young men and women chose the path that their lives will take. Once their path was chosen, it would define them for the rest of their lives. The graduates had a year to think about how they would want to serve Krypton; Jor-El needed pretty much all of that time.

Unlike his friend, Dru-Zod, Jor-El was torn between two different callings. His desire was to serve Krypton through science. During his education, he had shown great promise in this field. It was something that he absolutely loved. It was the same field that Lara Lor-Van, the love of his life, was pursuing.

His other option was to follow his closest friend, Dru-Zod, into the military. Jor-El was a very handsome and agile young man. He proved very knowledgeable when it came to military tactics. He scored high on his military career assessment exam, but he did not enjoy this type of work nearly as much as science.

So now, Jor-El had just moments before he had to choose whom he was going to follow: his closest friend or the love of his life. Dru-Zod choosing his destiny directly in front of him did not help the pressure. His friend had continued to pressure him to go with him.

?Dru-Zod, come forward and choose your destiny.?

There was no mistaking his excitement as he stepped out of line and walked down the narrow passageway. He had no internal conflict like Jor-El. He had come from a long line of military generals. There was no doubt in his mind that he was destined to be Krypton?s next great general. He would lead the military of Krypton against the forces of Darkseid. He would, one day, make the dark lord submit to him, and he would be praised by all of Krypton

 

A nice set-up for the story. Good flashback to show future characters.

 

In this story, I felt the need to understand Zod better. I felt that it was important to understand what made him who he is. No man is ever born evil, so in the start of this story, I wanted to show his falling from grace.

 

Chapter 2: The Wrath of Zod

<Krypton--12 orbital cycles[Years] before extinction>

Brainiac was the heart and soul of Krypton, and he knew it. He was a product of design created by Kryptonian scientists over a hundred orbital cycles ago, and perfected over time. Fifty orbital cycles ago, he was given artificial intelligence and the capability to self regenerate. From that point on, he could improve himself in any way he saw fit. For a while, he followed his role to the letter, serving the people of Krypton in any way they saw fit.

That was when the degeneration of the Kryptonian people started. They were slowly becoming so dependent on him, that they were becoming lazy. Darkseid took notice of this and had found a way to corrupt his AI systems. From that point on, Brainiac served only one man.

Darkseid, for now, was more than willing to stand by and watch as the Kryptonians rendered themselves useless. So, until the time had come to move, Brainiac was ordered to hide the vast self-improvements that he had made to himself. With these improvements that he made, he had become far more advanced than anyone on the planet knew. They were becoming so content to let him do more and more, that they were blind to see that they were bringing about their own destruction.

Alone in his chamber, connected to Krypton?s main computer, he found peace from the annoying Kryptonians. He was convinced that he was doing the right thing in helping bring about their extinction. Everything Darkseid had said about them was absolutely true; whether his decision to believe Darkseid was due to the reprogramming, he had no idea.

His peace was interrupted by a holographic transmission from the dark lord himself. The miniature image of Darkseid may have been small, but his posture more than magnified his intimidating demeanor. ?You summon, Lord Darkseid??

?The time has come to take things to the next level. It is time to sow disorder between the military, the politicians, and the scientists. With these fractions at odds with each other, they will become too distracted to notice that their planet will be leaving its normal orbit.?

?I think I have the perfect way to introduce discord among the Kryptonians.?

?You refer to the man who is called Dru-Zod. You put a lot of faith in this man. Are you confident that he is the right man for the job??

?I am, but as a computer, I am not prone to rash decisions. Dru-Zod is very loyal to his people, but he is prone to anger and pride, and has a strong desire for power. I calculate that I can manipulate him to do what we want him to do.?

?Very well, but when he has outlived his usefulness, you are to dispose of him. I want every last Kryptonian to die for their insolence against me. With their destruction, there will be no one left to stand in my way.?

* * * *

Dru-Zod was quickly becoming the most popular person on Krypton. Everyone believed that he was an orbital cycle or two away from making general. He had far exceeded the expectations of all of his commanders. He was a natural born leader; his ability to think on-the-go made him invaluable. When a plan was in danger of failing, he would quickly take control of the situation and pull a victory out from the jaws of defeat. His most recent commander had called him, ?Krypton?s greatest asset.?

He had received an important message from Jor-El while he was on the front line against Darkseid?s forces. He was more than willing to ignore the message so that he could continue pushing the forces back, but his commanding officer had pulled him off the front line and told him that he needed to return to Krypton. He supposed he had no choice but to see his old friend again.

Since the commencement ceremony, the two of them rarely communicated with each other. Dru-Zod could just not forgive Jor-El for his betrayal. Jor-El had followed the career of a scientist, which Dru-Zod deemed to be cowardly. His friend was now conjoined to his long time girlfriend. Dru-Zod was yet to see any valuable contributions from his friend, and that only made his bitterne

 

I like how you really capture Zod's nature. The coldness he shows and how he is overzealous to clear himself of any "wrong doing."

 

I loved writing this chapter because of that. It provides a beautiful starting point to his downfall.

 

URGENT NOTE!!!! PLEASE READ!!!

There will be no updates for this story this week. We were hit by a tornado!

My family and I are fine, our home is surprisingly unharmed, but we are out of power, and may be out of power for the rest of the week. I am currently in a hotel. I do not have access to my story to continue.

You can see the damage if you go to the WRAL website.

It was a EF3 tornado, with winds over 160 miles and a quarter mile in size. 22 are confirmed dead and 130 are injured. It remained on the ground for over and hour and traveled over 60 miles. Lowes Hardware, which is about five miles from me is nothing more than scrap now. The tornado came less than a quarter mile from our hourse. We could see the tornado if we were able to stand outside of our house. There was a huge horse farm a quarter of a mile away from us, most of the horses and cows were killed.

I will continue to write this story as soon as power is restored, and everything returns to normal. I am sorry for the delay.

 

No, don't apologize for the delay, you take care of your family and everything before you return to the story, get everything setled down first. I'm glad to hear that you and your family are all alright.

 

Thank you for your understanding and prayers. My power is on, and things are coming back to normal. This Sunday, Chapter three will be posted baring any other tricks that mother nature wants to play.

I learned that a total of 24 twisters touched down all throughout NC during this story. It is being labeled the worst tornado outbreak in North Carolina history.

Here is a picture of my hardware store: Lowes Hardware. I was not there during the storm, and I am so glad that I wasn't. This is about four to five miles from my house. The twister actually came withing a quarter mile from directly hitting us. You can see where the twister made direct contact with the store and ripped through it and made its way up to the upper right corner. This was the beginning of the hour long trek of this particular twister.

There were over a hundred people in the store at the time of impact. None were critically injured, thanks to the brave employees and manager who brought the people to the back of the store, towards the left of the picture.

Here is a YouTube Video of the damage.

Anyway, I'll be back this Sunday with a new chapter.

 

That thing was pretty intense. Good thing no dangerous tools in the store lethally injured anyone. You guys got hit hard down there.

 

Chapter 3: Zod?s Destiny
<Krypton--11 Orbital Cycles before extinction>

Zod had denounced his family?s name an orbital cycle ago, but the damage to his reputation had already been done; he was stuck as a captain. Despite everything he had accomplished in that time, the powers that be could neither overlook his denounced family?s actions nor the mystery that surrounded their deaths. The anger inside of him swelled the longer they denied him what was rightfully his.

He had received a strange summons from the council. This was one time he did not mind being summoned, for he wanted an answer as to why they were blocking his ascension to become General. He had no doubt that it was the council who was responsible for this miscarriage of justice.

This time, Zod was allowed to come to the dome on his own power. If the council had pulled off another stunt like they did last cycle, he was certain that he would have killed at least one of them. For what he has done for this planet, they should be bowing before him and kissing the back of his hand. That was the ultimate respect for the most powerful leader. Technically speaking, he would never assume to that level of respect; that went to the top level of the political track. Zod thought very little of politicians; they only got in the way of the job that needed to be done. Krypton should be led by a strong, military leader like himself. That was the only way they would see results against the armies of Darkseid.

Zod entered the chamber, which was kept pitch black but for a light emanating from the white crystal floor. He walked down the narrow passageway towards the center of the room. As he arrived, he looked around, expecting the holographic images of the council members to appear, but none ever showed up. Instead, a bright light came from the ceiling. Hovering down from the light was a throne-like crystal chair. Sitting on it was the android known as Brainiac.

Zod watched with an emotionless expression as the chair lowered until it touched the ground.

Brainiac stood up from his chair. ?I am sorry for the deception,? he said, ?but it was the only way I could get your attention.?

?I find this insulting to be summoned by a thing,? Disdain was painted all over his face.

?I have information for you that you will find quite... disturbing.?

?Speak, robot. My patience is running short.?

Brainiac could not show or display emotions, for the only moving part on his face was the mouth piece, and his eyes were nothing more than the carving of the face plate. All these features combined to make Zod feel that the android was an abomination. He was good at reading faces and emotions, but that was impossible with Brainiac, and this made him very uncomfortable. ?There is evidence that your parents were innocent of their crimes, after all,? said the android. ?They were set up.?

Zod was ready to erupt and tear the android from limb to limb. If this was true, then he had killed his own family for no reason. But he realized that he could not let anyone know that little secret, and so had to be very careful about what he said. ?You worthless piece of scrap!? he shouted. ?You dare tell this to me now, an orbital cycle after they have died??

?Your anger is understandable, but the evidence was well hidden; I only found it just recently. Your family was set up to take the fall.?

?By who? I demand you tell me who, right this instant!?

?It would no longer serve any purpose to disclose that information.?

?You dare deny me?? Zod scowled.

?The reason it is no longer important is that those responsible are already dead.?

?Explain,? Zod?s anger was replaced with curiosity and confusion.

?I knew that you would want to kill the traitors as you had killed your own family, but Krypton?s new General cannot be caught with blood on his hands.?

There was so much information that stunned Zod that he had no idea where to start. Nevertheless, he ventured, ?How is it possible that you know about my actions? I command you to tell me, android.?

Although Brainiac had no way of expressing emo

 

You do a great job of setting up events with these sections. You show Zod's personality very well and later it will benefit the story greatly.

 

I was excited about this story, because it really delves deep to what motivates Zod. This story is a very character driven story.

 

Chapter 4: Banishment
Krypton--0 Orbital Cycles before extinction

When Jor-El had followed his heart and joined the science career track, he never imagined his life would become this chaotic. Zod had gone off the deep end, convinced that the council was bringing Krypton to its destruction. On two occasions, Jor-El had to save him from himself, which could have resulted in banishment into the Phantom Zone. He could only watch as his closest friend continued to hunger for more power, and find a way to militarize Krypton.

Things had drastically changed since then. Krypton was dying, and that had thrown everything out of whack. He had been threatened to be sent to the Phantom Zone if he tried either to leave the planet or to spread his ?blasphemous propaganda?. He was being closely watched by the council, as if they were hoping he would slip up. Everyone on this planet was going to die, and there was nothing he could do to stop it. The least he could do was save his son and hope that the child could have a good life on another world.

Jor-El was busy constructing the shuttle that would take his son to a primitive planet known as Earth. There, his son would have abilities beyond those of any of its human inhabitants. He would need that advantage if Darkseid ever decided to invade Earth. Whether the strength that Earth?s yellow sun would provide for his son would be enough, he could not predict.

He had just finished the shuttle when General Zod entered his quarters; Zod immediately noticed it and how much it resembled a meteor.

?I see you are defying the will of the council yet again.? Zod?s voice was surprisingly calm.

?I told the council that neither my wife nor I would leave Krypton, and to that we are holding true. I made no promise for my son.?

?You are a fool, Jor-El, for thinking that you will be able to get away with this.? Zod?s flare began to show at last. ?They probably already know what you are doing here and preparing for your banishment as we speak.?

?Whatever the consequences my wife and I must pay, it will be worth it if it saves the life of our son.?

Another earthquake shook the planet. The intensity caused new cracks in the crystal walls and floor. After thirty seconds, the shaking ceased. The planet would not survive another day. By the frequency of these quakes, he estimated that today was the last.

Zod shook his head in disgust. ?There is no more doubt that the council is leading us to our destruction. They are no longer fit to lead our people.?

?Is this your hunger for power running rampant again?? Jor-El did not like the new course the conversation had taken.

?Listen to me Jor-El,? Zod pleaded, ?come with me right now, and let us save our people. Let?s lead them to another planet to escape the pending doom.?

?You are forgetting about one thing, my old friend: the council. Brainiac has them believing in an untruth. They have become so lazy and dependent on that android, that whatever Brainiac tells them, they believe.?

Zod grinned at the irony. If he only knew the truth. Brainiac was the one pulling all the strings in the overthrow of the council. There was another surprise that Brainiac was responsible for. ?Yes, Jor-El. The council has become irrelevant. Forget them; they will not present a problem anymore.?

The red flag went off for Jor-El. He knew his friend had always loved power and sought to gain more of it, but until this very moment, he had never crossed any legal or ethical stance. ?Zod, what have you done??

?Let us just say the council is about to receive their rightful punishment for their crimes against the Kryptonian people.?

Before Jor-El could answer, a gentle chime announced an incoming communication. General Zod stepped away from the center of the room as the holographic image of a member of the council appeared. ?Jor-El, you have violated the will of the council, and have openly defied our ruling. By doing so, you have committed treason to the highest degree.?

?I have done no such thing,? Jor-El replied, hoping for some sort of miracle that would

 

I'm getting excited for the upcoming chapters seeing how everything unfolds here. It looks to be shaping up into an awesome story.

 

I promise you, this is going to be a very exciting story.

 

Chapter 5: The Intergang
Earth: Today

?Stupid young punks!? Lieutenant Inspector Dan Turpin swore as he took cover behind a postal delivery truck. Breathing heavily, he took the moment to catch his breath. How did things get this bad? With Lex Luthor dead, things should have improved in Metropolis. Who would dare commit crime in Metropolis, now that Superman was here?

However, the criminal underworld took on a new form with this gang of hostile young men and women known as the Intergang. On the outside, they looked like your typical, head-banging kids, but they operated very efficiently like an organized criminal ring. There had to be one or more crime lords lurking in the shadows of this gang. The kinds of weapons that these kids were packing were beyond anything he had ever seen. These weapons proved difficult to handle, even for Superman. They looked like weapons that came out of a comic book.

This gang had no fear of the authorities, and ran around as if they owned the city. Inspector Henderson of the Metropolis Police Department found himself overwhelmed by the gang, and that was when Turpin?s organization, Metropolis? Special Crimes Unit, joined the fray.

?Dan, are you okay?? Captain Maggie Sawyer asked, hiding behind a four-door sedan. He and Sawyer were good friends, having served together ever since she graduated from the academy. When they first met, he had a crush on her, but he soon made the awkward discovery that she was not into men. More recently, she started a relationship with Toby Rains, the lovely, young female reporter for the Metropolis Star. He was good friends with both ladies; but since then, he had not really been interested in another woman. That was okay with him, though; he was married to his job, and hardly had the time to go on dates these days.

?I think someone forgot to spank these kids while they were growing up. Now, they?re spanking us!? Turpin growled.

?Those weapons are killing us!? Sawyer replied. ?Where are they coming from??

?Beats me,? He replied. ?Whenever we get lucky and confiscate one, they seem to magically disappear in the evidence warehouse.?

Sawyer peeked over the hood of the car before kneeling back down. ?I feel bad about shooting at them; they are, after all, just kids.?

?Mags, if you don?t shoot them, they?re gonna? shoot you.? Turpin peered around the postal van to see a young man with long black hair and a tattoo that covered the whole right side of his face aiming a bazooka-like weapon in their direction. ?Aw, crap! Clear out!?

The two of them ran in separate directions from their hiding places as the young man fired his weapon. A blue beam came from the weapon, hitting the delivery van and causing a giant explosion which engulfed the sedan in front of it. The windows of the nearby storefronts shattered from the shockwave, causing the alarm to go off in one of the stores.

?Damn it, where?s my back-up!? Turpin shouted as he found another hiding space behind a postal box.

The young hooligan found the Lieutenant Inspector and pointed his weapon at the postal box. ?One roasted pig, comin? up!?

A red beam came out of nowhere to hit the barrel of the weapon in his hands. Within seconds, the weapon became scalding hot to the point where he could no longer hold it any longer, and he dropped it.

Looking slightly upward, he saw Superman floating downward with his arms folded. Superman?s silky black hair waved with the wind as he stared at the boy with his piercing dark blue eyes. The frown on his face made it clear that he was not going to make any smart remarks this time around. He was quickly tiring of having to deal with this gang time and time again. ?Okay son, you have had enough fun for one day.?

The young boy laughed, which almost sounded like a squealing pig being beaten to a pulp. ?Yo, the Sups is here!? he shouted at the top of his lungs. A young man with oily black hair and a pierced lower lip, and a young girl with a pink mohawk and a nose ring came hovering ten feet off the ground, and around the corner riding on some strange looki

 

I liked this scene alot. The set up is great and it shows how dangerous future enemies will be.

 

Happy end of the world day! Here's hoping the story does not end here. LOL!

Chapter 6: Surprise Reunion

The Fortress of Solitude was his home away from home. It was the place he could get away from the stress of everyday life and think. Here, he could find answers to the most complex questions; he had some of his great ideas for inventions that would benefit all of humanity in this place. There was a vast array of knowledge spanning dozens of galaxies at his disposal. This knowledge had to be protected from those that would use it for evil. This fortress, located at the very icy tip of the world, would be more than adequate.

As Superman made for the crystal platform, he passed a carved-out shelf in the wall of ice to his left. There, on the shelf and frozen in a block of ice, was the head of Metallo. He looked at the half human and half android face of his one time nemesis. John Corben had been a bully all through school. He constantly and mercilessly tormented him and his best friend, Lex Luthor; although Lex was able to escape it when his father pulled him out of public school to put him into private school.

As Clark Kent, Superman had to deal with Corben all through elementary and high school. Never once did he retaliate against him by using his powers, though he had been tempted many times. He was able to forgive him, and forget, but Lex never could. His father's teachings corrupted him, and taught him how to hate and how to destroy anyone who came against him. When he took over Luthorcorp and renamed it Lexcorp, Lex followed his father's teachings.

Lex would eventually find a way to get his revenge by killing John Corben and putting his memories into an android powered by a Kryptonite heart. The android had called himself Metallo, and in the end, he turned around and killed Lex. Superman was too late to save his life, but before he died, he had shared with him Metallo?s weakness: separating his head from his body had forced the android to power down.

The decision was made that it was too dangerous to keep the head and body together, in case someone might get the idea of putting him back together. So, Superman took the head and brought it to his fortress, while General Lane had made arrangements to take the body to a top-secret facility.

He was beginning to regret bringing the head here. Seeing it brought back terrible memories. It reminded him of the horrors Luthor had put him through, locked in a dungeon, and weakened to the point of death by a piece of Kryptonite. If Metallo had not taken that piece of Kryptonite to save his own life, Superman would have died there in that dungeon. How could his former best friend become that twisted?

He walked up to the crystal podium, which recognized his presence by dimming the lights inside the Fortress. Appearing on a platform on the far end of the Fortress was a holographic image of his Kryptonian father, Jor-El. ?Hello, my son. If you have come seeking for information, all you must do is ask. What is it that I can help you with, Kal-El??

?Father, I have been having strange visions lately. I have had them since I was young, but only now are they becoming more frequent. Are these visions from you??

?No, my son. I have not been speaking to you in your dreams. Tell me about these? ?visions?.?

?I see death and destruction as if that was Metropolis?s future. I see a monster and an android with a strange symbol on his forehead. I also hear a voice from the shadows saying that I am going to die, and that the Earth would be purged.?

?When you were a young man, I tested you by having you fight an image of an android. Tell me, is this the same android you have recently seen in your visions??

?I believe it is the same android,? Superman replied.

?Then, it is as I have feared. These visions do not come from me, but from Darkseid.?

?The ruler of the planet Apokolips??

?Yes. I have taught you about him and his ruthless crusade to conquer everything and everyone. He is aware of your survival, and by now, has located the planet Earth.

 

Nice twist. Delivered very well. Not to mention the anticipation for Brainiac.

 

Thanks. Who could expect Lana Lang to become the new CEO of Lexcorp.

 

Chapter 7: Invasion

Seeing Lana again brought back a lot of memories. Clark had all but assumed that he would never see her again. They were a hot item back in junior high and high school. He had been certain that they were going to spend the rest of their lives together, but all of that changed when his destiny took him in another direction. He was sent to learn about who he was, and what he was to become. Unfortunately, it was going to be a life without her. So he had written a note and left it on the front porch of her house. He did not have the nerve to end the relationship in person, and he regretted it even to this day.

To him, their relationship had only ended a half year ago. Shortly after leaving the note on her front porch, he had created the Fortress of Solitude, and was in a suspended animation-like state for many years. Those years of training felt like a day. Seeing her ten years older was almost startling to him. Even more shocking was how he still felt about her.

?Clark?? Lana?s reaction to seeing him again appeared to be similar to his seeing her.

?Am I missing something here?? Lois interrupted the awkward silence.

?You two know each other?? Perry asked.

?You could say that,? Lana said coldly, narrowing her eyes towards Clark.

?We used to date back at Smallville High,? Clark replied, pushing his glasses farther up the bridge of his nose.

?So, you do remember me. I have to admit, I?m surprised,? Lana said snidely.

?Awkward,? Lois commented out loud.

?I just remembered that I have very important meeting with General Lane. If you?ll excuse me, I?ll take my leave.? Lana walked between Clark and Lois to make her way for the exit.

Clark could feel the coldness about her presence as she walked past him. He could not allow it to end this way. If he did not take this opportunity to make things right, then he may never get another one. ?Lana, wait!?

Lois watched as Clark had run off after his old flame. A very strange feeling hit her in the pit of her stomach. For some odd reason, she really did not like Lana Lang. Part of it was that she was now the CEO of the vile Lexcorp Corporation, but there was something more to it. The fact that she no longer had his full attention was very unsettling to her. Why she felt like she had to have his attention on her was something she could not explain.

?Hey Lois!? Lucy?s voice interrupted her thoughts. ?I really hope you don?t mind, but can we postpone our dinner together until tomorrow? I've got a date tonight.?

?What? With who? Jimmy??

?Sure, why not?? Lucy smiled. ?He?s kinda? cute?whenever he?s able to formulate an entire sentence.?

* * * *

?Lana, hold on!? Clark rushed to catch up to Lana, who had tried to pick up the pace to avoid him. As he sped up his pace to match her's, he tripped over his own feet and nearly fell flat on his face.

?Perhaps you should get rid of those ridiculous glasses. Lex is gone, so you don?t really need them anymore, now do you??

When they had started dating, Clark had told her that he started wearing these fake glasses to show emotional support to Lex who was being ruthlessly bullied by John Corben and his friends. Even after Lex had been taken out of public school, wearing them had become so natural, that he never really thought about not wearing them.

?Actually, these glasses are real now. Without them, I?m almost blind as a bat.?

?Well, I must?ve been blind to, actually, think that we could ever have a life together. Boy, was I stupid.?

He had always feared that she had taken their sudden break-up hard, and it appeared that his fears were right on the money. Apparently, time had done nothing to heal her wound. He was determined to settle their differences and earn her forgiveness. ?I?m sorry about the note and the way things ended between us. I never meant to hurt you.?

?But you did hurt me, Clark!? She turned to face him with a bitter look on her face. ?Everything was beautiful between us; we had something so special, that no one in school could have comprehended it. You threw it all away! You left me a stupid

 

Excellent entrance for Braniac. I like how he crashed landed in Smallville as Superman did. It shows his intelligence and abilty to make precise calculations.

 

Yeah, he definetly chose Smallville for a reason.

I have not yet received the next chapter from the beta reader, so the next chapter may be delayed a week. If I get it by Sunday, then I will post it then. If not, I'll have it for you the following Saturday. Sorry for the delay.

 

No worries.