Post by Clark Kent on Jun 28, 2013 0:22:49 GMT -4
Clark lifted the Styrofoam cup of water to his lips, taking a sip and a deep breath and glancing out one of the windows near his cubicle. He was finishing up work on a features piece on a new movie theater for the weekend paper. Everything in the city was quiet—for now. He had no idea how long it would last, but he was optimistic. Metropolis’s crime rate had certainly fallen, at least since he had arrived on the scene a few years ago. But of course, every city had its problems—like the fiasco with the Joker a few days ago. Luckily he had been able to stop it before it got too out of hand and more people had been killed, but the fact that he had been able to give him a run for his money was disturbing. Who was helping him? He had a feeling Lex had something to do with it, but how had he gotten superhuman strength? Surely LexCorp wasn’t that advanced, the proprietor would have built an army by now.
What if he had? What if Joker was just a decoy? What if he was amassing an army of supermen of his own right under his nose? What then? What would happen if he and the League weren’t able to stop him? He had had kryptonite—he had only managed to get out of there alive with the help of two twin children with superpowers of their own. Of course Clark understood how crucial teamwork was for him to succeed in his mission—protecting Earth—but he could not help but feel just a little self-conscious over the last confrontation. If people knew just how vulnerable he really was, would they be willing to still trust him as their protector?
He rubbed the bridge of his nose, tempted to take off his glasses but realizing immediately that he was still in public. He hated this disguise…to a certain degree. Of course he needed it, and he was glad he had it—otherwise he would never be able to live a normal life. On the other hand he had to lie to everyone but his mother, his Kryptonian family members, and his fellow heroes in the League. He hated lying to Lois, most of all. They weren’t just coworkers, they were friends. He had figured out over time that he was in love with her but he had kept it to himself—what other choice did he have? Of course he did have a choice, but he didn’t think it was a very wise one to make. He didn’t want to endanger her primarily, and secondarily his life was a difficult one—it wasn’t that he didn’t think Lois was up to the challenge, but he viewed starting any sort of a relationship with her as selfish, which was why he was often distant and sort of holding her at arm’s length, afraid to let her get too close. Regardless of how much he wanted to, it wouldn’t be right.
And yet there was the guilt that came with keeping this side of himself a secret. He had told himself at the beginning that he could handle it, but it kept nagging at him and now tormenting him. It had always bothered him but he wondered why it was now of all times, when he needed desperately to focus on stopping Lex. He needed evidence that Lex had even had anything to do with the near-massacre the Joker had started, because right now the mogul’s hands were clean. The sooner he finished typing his story, the sooner he could investigate Lex’s plans.
What if he had? What if Joker was just a decoy? What if he was amassing an army of supermen of his own right under his nose? What then? What would happen if he and the League weren’t able to stop him? He had had kryptonite—he had only managed to get out of there alive with the help of two twin children with superpowers of their own. Of course Clark understood how crucial teamwork was for him to succeed in his mission—protecting Earth—but he could not help but feel just a little self-conscious over the last confrontation. If people knew just how vulnerable he really was, would they be willing to still trust him as their protector?
He rubbed the bridge of his nose, tempted to take off his glasses but realizing immediately that he was still in public. He hated this disguise…to a certain degree. Of course he needed it, and he was glad he had it—otherwise he would never be able to live a normal life. On the other hand he had to lie to everyone but his mother, his Kryptonian family members, and his fellow heroes in the League. He hated lying to Lois, most of all. They weren’t just coworkers, they were friends. He had figured out over time that he was in love with her but he had kept it to himself—what other choice did he have? Of course he did have a choice, but he didn’t think it was a very wise one to make. He didn’t want to endanger her primarily, and secondarily his life was a difficult one—it wasn’t that he didn’t think Lois was up to the challenge, but he viewed starting any sort of a relationship with her as selfish, which was why he was often distant and sort of holding her at arm’s length, afraid to let her get too close. Regardless of how much he wanted to, it wouldn’t be right.
And yet there was the guilt that came with keeping this side of himself a secret. He had told himself at the beginning that he could handle it, but it kept nagging at him and now tormenting him. It had always bothered him but he wondered why it was now of all times, when he needed desperately to focus on stopping Lex. He needed evidence that Lex had even had anything to do with the near-massacre the Joker had started, because right now the mogul’s hands were clean. The sooner he finished typing his story, the sooner he could investigate Lex’s plans.