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100promptsChapter 11: Double Down
Storyline: Man of Steel: A New Hope
Characters: Clark Kent (Kal-El) & Lois Lane, Lex Luthor, Bruce Wayne, Lucius Fox
Prompt: #025 Jury for100prompts Eight of Stones for allbingo
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1724
Fandom: Superman/DC/DCEU
Summary: “I’m going to level with you, Mr. Luthor. We gathered here today to hear you out at your request because we do have genuine concerns regarding the safety of this planet. Superman’s presence is proof that we are not as lonely as we thought we were. However,” the senator paused and looked straight at Lex. “That doesn’t mean he is here to cause us harm.
A/N:I apologize for the delay on this chapter. Between finishing up my degree program, work, and the challenges I entered, time got away from me. Additionally, I hit a snag plot wise that's why this one is a bit short. I was going to introduce another major character to the story and realized that it would complicate things in a very Zack Snyder kind of way. If I do introduce the character it will come in a second part of the story. In the meantime I will be working on wrapping this one up.
Disclaimer: Characters are not mine. Story is mine.
Clark spent the rest of the day on the scout ship looking for more information about his native planet. Clark was certain that Lex Luthor was never going to stop. The man was deranged. He pictured Lex standing on the ledge of his apartment, robe flapping behind him as he laughed like a mad man. Kryptonite was Lex’s strongest weapon against him, and Clark couldn’t be sure how much of it he had in his possession. He couldn't be sure when he would use it again. It worried Clark that he was at the mercy of Lex Luthor. Lex knew who he was and the people he cared about. He was more worried about his mother and Lois than himself.
Fueled by his growing curiosity about Krypton, and the need to protect Lois and his mother, Clark deepened his search. Overriding the ships security protocol, Clark accessed restricted files. There’s got to be something to countermeasure the effects of Kryptonite, he thought with mounting frustration. Clark squinted his eyes as he tried to decipher the ancient Kryptonian text. A few moments later a high-pitched signal pierced the ship’s quiet atmosphere.
“What’s that?”
“You have triggered the emergency beacon, Kal son of El.” Kelor hovered nearby.
“Well, is there a way to make it stop?”
“Yes. I will guide you.”
Clark followed the AI’s instructions and a few minutes later the ship was quiet again. With a heavy sigh, he stood to his feet again. Lois is probably worried about me. Clark looked around the sterile computer chamber. He would continue his search another time. Until he found a way to make himself immune to the effects of Kryptonite, he needed to be careful. He let his guard down and allowed himself to be lulled into a sense of comfort. He wouldn’t allow that to happen again.
“The distress beacon has been terminated, Kal-El.”
“Good. Bookmark this search, Kelor. I’ll need it when I return.”
++++
Lois sat in her apartment surrounded by loose leaves of paper. Her notes scribbled across them in her barely legible handwriting. She half listened to the news reports as she pieced through her expose on Lex Luthor. Somehow, he managed to weasel his way out of any trouble she may have caused him. Lois was sick of seeing on her television screen. She hated the greasy smirk on his face whenever he spoke about Superman on the Senate floor. The more Clark did good, the more he called for sanctions on him. Lois barely got to spend time with Clark over the last few weeks. It was as if he threw himself into wearing his cape full time so he could prove to everyone that he wasn’t the threat Lex made him out to be. Sometimes Lois felt like she was losing Clark to "Superman." I’m being silly, she scolded herself.
The more Lex doubled down; the harder Clark fought against him. She knew it was frustrating going against something he couldn’t punch his way out of. She also knew that he was worried about her. At night while they laid in bed together, he held her tighter, his body wrapped around hers as if to shield her from the world. She wished there was something more she could do to help. Lex had managed to get under both their skins.
“You need a form of defense against hostiles coming to our planet. We know they are out there. These creatures from other worlds. How do we know who a threat and who isn’t?” Lex posed his question to the Senate and to the cameras stationed around the chamber floor.
Lois paused to watch him speak. Across from him, Clark stood with his back straight and his arms crossed behind his back. She wanted to be there with him to support him against Lex’s public attacks, but he had insisted she stay behind. He mentioned something about it not being safe for her to get too close to Lex. After that expose she wrote, she had made herself an enemy of his.
“With all due respect ladies and gentlemen of the Senate,” Clark began. “If we are at risk of extraterrestrial threats, I have pledged myself to the people of this planet. I wouldn’t idly sit by and allow that to help happen.” Lois was proud of the firm confidence in his voice.
“That’s a lovely sentiment,” Lex began. “But what if the extraterrestrial threat is him?” Lex pointed at Clark. “How do we know that his presences here hasn’t made us vulnerable, opened us up to worlds beyond our reach? Our government was founded on checks and balances. Well, who was going to check him? That’s why we need sanctions, a way to control—”
“And how do you suppose they check me?” Clark asked his question to Lex. “In the past year, I’ve done everything I could to build trust between myself and the people of Earth. If my intent was anything but good, don’t you think I would have tried by now?”
Lois winced and moved toward the edge of the sofa. She knew Clark wasn’t trying to be threatening. She knew him. The others didn’t. He was letting Lex get the better of him. She wished for a second time that she was with him.
“There are ways to ensure that your intent stays…pure, Superman.” Lex turned back to the members of the special counsel. “We can’t have the planet living in fear, always on watch, always in—”
“I don’t think—” Clark interrupted.
“Let him finish, Superman. He was gracious enough not to interrupt you.”
“Thank you, Senator. As I was saying, it would behoove us all to have a fail safe. A… plan of action in case our friendly alien decides to turn on us or worse we face another alien invasion from his home planet. He says that Krypton is destroyed. But how do we know he’s telling the truth. We have no insurance. I for one would like some insurance and I’m sure there are millions of red-blooded Americans just like me.”
“What do you propose, Mr. Luthor?”
“Allow Lexcorp to develop a special defense against our enemies in space, a task force.”
“A you are proposing a space force?” Clark asked. The room erupted with laughter. Some of the senators hid their snickers behind fake coughs and drinks of water.
“I think that’s a bit extreme, Mr. Luthor,” a junior senator said. He was one of the more sympathetic congressmen. “There’s nothing that compels me to believe that Superman would turn on us. And I can assure that many of my constituents feel the same.”
“I believe what my colleague is trying to say is that we’ll need more time to look over your plan. In the meantime, Superman is still within his rights as a global citizen to…help people.”
“You’re being naïve!” Luthor erupted.
“I’m going to level with you, Mr. Luthor. We gathered here today to hear you out at your request because we do have genuine concerns regarding the safety of this planet. Superman’s presence is proof that we are not as lonely as we thought we were. However,” the senator paused and looked straight at Lex. “That doesn’t mean he is here to cause us harm. In fact, there are hundreds of reports to the opposite. While I wish, and I believe my colleagues would all agree, that he was a little more conscientious of our infrastructure, I do not believe that Superman is here to do us any harm.” The senator turned toward Clark. “Are you Superman?”
“No, sir. I am not,” Clark affirmed.
“Good. Then it is settled. I move that we take a recess and readjourn at a later time once we all have had an opportunity to review Mr. Luthor’s plan.”
“I second that motion.”
Lois switched off the television, relieved that things went better with the hearings than she initially thought they would go. She hated that Clark subjected himself to them, but she understood why he did it. Lois’s phone rang from somewhere deep in the apartment. She searched around the living room, lifting up seat cushions and pushing papers aside until she found it.
“Clark! I just saw you on television. You did great!”
“Thanks, Lois. I wish I felt better about everything. The people still don’t trust me. They—”
“Hey, don’t let Lex Luthor get in your head. We know who he really is.”
Clark was silent for a moment. “I’ll be home late tonight. Don’t wait up.”
“Oh, Okay. Is everything alright?”
“Yes. Everything is fine. I just need to—I want to help. And I can’t do that sitting at home. You understand?”
“I do, Clark. I do.”
“I love you, Lo.”
“Love you, too,” she said into the phone, but he had already disconnected the line.
++++
Lex slammed his fist down on his desk. He ignored the pain vibrating up his arm toward his shoulder. He laid out the plan for those idiots. They had everything including the plans for the kryptonite and they refused to use it. People were so simple and stupid. They put all their faith in this Superman because he represented everything humans were not. Lex unbuttoned his coat and headed down to his work lab. The government refused to prepare itself for another invasion. They refused to see Superman for what he really was—a threat.
Lex leaned forward and stood for the retinal scanner. A few seconds later, he entered his private lab within Lexcorp. It was his sanctuary, a place to work on projects under the government’s radar. His attempt to operate above board was rejected. Now, it was time to take the matter into his own very capable hands.
Lex stood in front of his latest project. It was called the war suit until he came up with a catchier name. For now, the armor was still in the test phase. It came equipped with a defense system that rivaled some of the military's most advanced technology. It was big, durable, and able to withstand explosives. But most of all, it came equipped with a Kryptonite core that would allow him to go up against Earth’s biggest threat.
If they wouldn't heed to his warning, then he would have to show them how dangerous Kal-El son of Krypton truly was.
Storyline: Man of Steel: A New Hope
Characters: Clark Kent (Kal-El) & Lois Lane, Lex Luthor, Bruce Wayne, Lucius Fox
Prompt: #025 Jury for
100prompts Eight of Stones for allbingoRating: PG
Word Count: 1724
Fandom: Superman/DC/DCEU
Summary: “I’m going to level with you, Mr. Luthor. We gathered here today to hear you out at your request because we do have genuine concerns regarding the safety of this planet. Superman’s presence is proof that we are not as lonely as we thought we were. However,” the senator paused and looked straight at Lex. “That doesn’t mean he is here to cause us harm.
A/N:I apologize for the delay on this chapter. Between finishing up my degree program, work, and the challenges I entered, time got away from me. Additionally, I hit a snag plot wise that's why this one is a bit short. I was going to introduce another major character to the story and realized that it would complicate things in a very Zack Snyder kind of way. If I do introduce the character it will come in a second part of the story. In the meantime I will be working on wrapping this one up.
Disclaimer: Characters are not mine. Story is mine.
Clark spent the rest of the day on the scout ship looking for more information about his native planet. Clark was certain that Lex Luthor was never going to stop. The man was deranged. He pictured Lex standing on the ledge of his apartment, robe flapping behind him as he laughed like a mad man. Kryptonite was Lex’s strongest weapon against him, and Clark couldn’t be sure how much of it he had in his possession. He couldn't be sure when he would use it again. It worried Clark that he was at the mercy of Lex Luthor. Lex knew who he was and the people he cared about. He was more worried about his mother and Lois than himself.
Fueled by his growing curiosity about Krypton, and the need to protect Lois and his mother, Clark deepened his search. Overriding the ships security protocol, Clark accessed restricted files. There’s got to be something to countermeasure the effects of Kryptonite, he thought with mounting frustration. Clark squinted his eyes as he tried to decipher the ancient Kryptonian text. A few moments later a high-pitched signal pierced the ship’s quiet atmosphere.
“What’s that?”
“You have triggered the emergency beacon, Kal son of El.” Kelor hovered nearby.
“Well, is there a way to make it stop?”
“Yes. I will guide you.”
Clark followed the AI’s instructions and a few minutes later the ship was quiet again. With a heavy sigh, he stood to his feet again. Lois is probably worried about me. Clark looked around the sterile computer chamber. He would continue his search another time. Until he found a way to make himself immune to the effects of Kryptonite, he needed to be careful. He let his guard down and allowed himself to be lulled into a sense of comfort. He wouldn’t allow that to happen again.
“The distress beacon has been terminated, Kal-El.”
“Good. Bookmark this search, Kelor. I’ll need it when I return.”
++++
Lois sat in her apartment surrounded by loose leaves of paper. Her notes scribbled across them in her barely legible handwriting. She half listened to the news reports as she pieced through her expose on Lex Luthor. Somehow, he managed to weasel his way out of any trouble she may have caused him. Lois was sick of seeing on her television screen. She hated the greasy smirk on his face whenever he spoke about Superman on the Senate floor. The more Clark did good, the more he called for sanctions on him. Lois barely got to spend time with Clark over the last few weeks. It was as if he threw himself into wearing his cape full time so he could prove to everyone that he wasn’t the threat Lex made him out to be. Sometimes Lois felt like she was losing Clark to "Superman." I’m being silly, she scolded herself.
The more Lex doubled down; the harder Clark fought against him. She knew it was frustrating going against something he couldn’t punch his way out of. She also knew that he was worried about her. At night while they laid in bed together, he held her tighter, his body wrapped around hers as if to shield her from the world. She wished there was something more she could do to help. Lex had managed to get under both their skins.
“You need a form of defense against hostiles coming to our planet. We know they are out there. These creatures from other worlds. How do we know who a threat and who isn’t?” Lex posed his question to the Senate and to the cameras stationed around the chamber floor.
Lois paused to watch him speak. Across from him, Clark stood with his back straight and his arms crossed behind his back. She wanted to be there with him to support him against Lex’s public attacks, but he had insisted she stay behind. He mentioned something about it not being safe for her to get too close to Lex. After that expose she wrote, she had made herself an enemy of his.
“With all due respect ladies and gentlemen of the Senate,” Clark began. “If we are at risk of extraterrestrial threats, I have pledged myself to the people of this planet. I wouldn’t idly sit by and allow that to help happen.” Lois was proud of the firm confidence in his voice.
“That’s a lovely sentiment,” Lex began. “But what if the extraterrestrial threat is him?” Lex pointed at Clark. “How do we know that his presences here hasn’t made us vulnerable, opened us up to worlds beyond our reach? Our government was founded on checks and balances. Well, who was going to check him? That’s why we need sanctions, a way to control—”
“And how do you suppose they check me?” Clark asked his question to Lex. “In the past year, I’ve done everything I could to build trust between myself and the people of Earth. If my intent was anything but good, don’t you think I would have tried by now?”
Lois winced and moved toward the edge of the sofa. She knew Clark wasn’t trying to be threatening. She knew him. The others didn’t. He was letting Lex get the better of him. She wished for a second time that she was with him.
“There are ways to ensure that your intent stays…pure, Superman.” Lex turned back to the members of the special counsel. “We can’t have the planet living in fear, always on watch, always in—”
“I don’t think—” Clark interrupted.
“Let him finish, Superman. He was gracious enough not to interrupt you.”
“Thank you, Senator. As I was saying, it would behoove us all to have a fail safe. A… plan of action in case our friendly alien decides to turn on us or worse we face another alien invasion from his home planet. He says that Krypton is destroyed. But how do we know he’s telling the truth. We have no insurance. I for one would like some insurance and I’m sure there are millions of red-blooded Americans just like me.”
“What do you propose, Mr. Luthor?”
“Allow Lexcorp to develop a special defense against our enemies in space, a task force.”
“A you are proposing a space force?” Clark asked. The room erupted with laughter. Some of the senators hid their snickers behind fake coughs and drinks of water.
“I think that’s a bit extreme, Mr. Luthor,” a junior senator said. He was one of the more sympathetic congressmen. “There’s nothing that compels me to believe that Superman would turn on us. And I can assure that many of my constituents feel the same.”
“I believe what my colleague is trying to say is that we’ll need more time to look over your plan. In the meantime, Superman is still within his rights as a global citizen to…help people.”
“You’re being naïve!” Luthor erupted.
“I’m going to level with you, Mr. Luthor. We gathered here today to hear you out at your request because we do have genuine concerns regarding the safety of this planet. Superman’s presence is proof that we are not as lonely as we thought we were. However,” the senator paused and looked straight at Lex. “That doesn’t mean he is here to cause us harm. In fact, there are hundreds of reports to the opposite. While I wish, and I believe my colleagues would all agree, that he was a little more conscientious of our infrastructure, I do not believe that Superman is here to do us any harm.” The senator turned toward Clark. “Are you Superman?”
“No, sir. I am not,” Clark affirmed.
“Good. Then it is settled. I move that we take a recess and readjourn at a later time once we all have had an opportunity to review Mr. Luthor’s plan.”
“I second that motion.”
Lois switched off the television, relieved that things went better with the hearings than she initially thought they would go. She hated that Clark subjected himself to them, but she understood why he did it. Lois’s phone rang from somewhere deep in the apartment. She searched around the living room, lifting up seat cushions and pushing papers aside until she found it.
“Clark! I just saw you on television. You did great!”
“Thanks, Lois. I wish I felt better about everything. The people still don’t trust me. They—”
“Hey, don’t let Lex Luthor get in your head. We know who he really is.”
Clark was silent for a moment. “I’ll be home late tonight. Don’t wait up.”
“Oh, Okay. Is everything alright?”
“Yes. Everything is fine. I just need to—I want to help. And I can’t do that sitting at home. You understand?”
“I do, Clark. I do.”
“I love you, Lo.”
“Love you, too,” she said into the phone, but he had already disconnected the line.
++++
Lex slammed his fist down on his desk. He ignored the pain vibrating up his arm toward his shoulder. He laid out the plan for those idiots. They had everything including the plans for the kryptonite and they refused to use it. People were so simple and stupid. They put all their faith in this Superman because he represented everything humans were not. Lex unbuttoned his coat and headed down to his work lab. The government refused to prepare itself for another invasion. They refused to see Superman for what he really was—a threat.
Lex leaned forward and stood for the retinal scanner. A few seconds later, he entered his private lab within Lexcorp. It was his sanctuary, a place to work on projects under the government’s radar. His attempt to operate above board was rejected. Now, it was time to take the matter into his own very capable hands.
Lex stood in front of his latest project. It was called the war suit until he came up with a catchier name. For now, the armor was still in the test phase. It came equipped with a defense system that rivaled some of the military's most advanced technology. It was big, durable, and able to withstand explosives. But most of all, it came equipped with a Kryptonite core that would allow him to go up against Earth’s biggest threat.
If they wouldn't heed to his warning, then he would have to show them how dangerous Kal-El son of Krypton truly was.
