JustIce League: The Malignant Uprising

In Memory

Hatred and anger surged through Superman as he fell to his knees in horror. He felt the others trying to pull him back, to make him run. 

But he didn't want to run. He just wanted Kara back.

******

When Superman arrived on Earth, there was nothing for him. Sure he grew up on a farm, but he never felt like he had anything real to connect him to who he was. He remembered growing up alone in a whirlwind of emotions that he could never truly understand. He was constantly moved from school to school to compensate for his differences with the other students and his isolation only grew worse when the one father figure he had, died. 

Autumn was the season of change, and for Clark, change never came easy. He couldn't let go of what he had and he could never start anything he didn't understand. The fall was when Jonathan Kent passed, and for the coming years, the bright leaves would forever be dimmer. 

But Clark was an adult now, and memories of his childhood were locked away. He tried to forget the illusions of his past, but autumn was near again, and the chilly fall air had a death grip wrapped around his impenetrable skin. A winter like frost scratched at him with a blizzardy swiftness as the farm air he knew began to smell more and more like Ma's special apple pie.

Clark had come to visit Smallville on his free weekend. He knew he was a hero. He knew that heroes didn't get breaks. He knew that the press would scold him for being gone for one day and he knew that the people might not forgive him this time.

But Clark didn't care.

He sat on the icy porch steps gazing at the dirt road that led to the highway to town. He began to feel emotions he didn't even remember he had. A giant hole was beginning to bloom inside Clark's chest and he didn't know how to make it stop growing. The hole was eating him from the inside and weighed down his consciousness. The only thing Clark knew was that he was the last of his kind and no one could help him. He was alone, abandoned, and forgotten. Not to mention Jonathan was nowhere to be found. The Watch Tower wasn't built yet, so he felt that not even the newly formed Justice League was enough to fill his void.

Clark buried his face into his hands and let the world become nothing to him. The world didn't matter anymore. The legacy of Superman didn't matter anymore. The Man of Steel he once was only disappeared from his life when the growing sadness left a pool of guilt. The press might as well call him, "The Man of Murder."

Then Kara came.

Clark lifted his eyes out of his hands to hear a whooshing noise burst from the sky. Clark focused on the sound and saw a white shape falling to the ground that left a white trail of smoke behind it. The peaceful scenery then exploded with the sight of dirt and rocks far in the distance.

Clark didn't want to fight an alien.

Clark didn't want to move, but Superman wanted to win one last battle.

Clark slowly drew back his shoulders and stood. He focused onto the wreckage and debris. A long trench showed the shape's path from the sky to its new location. Clark saw an egg shaped pod at the end of the trench with steam and smoke rising from what looked like a door. Clark was about to investigate when he felt a warm touch on his shoulder. Clark turned to face his mother.

"I'm afraid I know what that is," her voice was smooth and kind with each word. 

Clark stared at her in surprise, "What do you mean?"

Mrs. Kent chuckled. "Well, I suppose you wouldn't remember." She glanced toward the scene of chaos. "I believe that it is someone like you my dear."