It's not an S // Superman

Chapter 25

3rd person pov

Jenny was inconsolable after Lauren had taken her last breath, the beautiful blonde reporter now motionless and devoid of life still trapped under concrete debris.

She had died saving her. She had died trying to save them all.

Secure in Steve's shaking arms as Metropolis continued to burn around them, Jenny could only concentrate on one thing, one face. Perry's.

Perry stayed with Lauren the entire time, kept focused on her as the last tremors of life left her lips. Even now, even now it was too late for her, he was hesitant and reluctant to leave her body behind. Not there. Not in that disaster zone.

Thinking on what to do, how to proceed, he decided to grant her her last wish. He had to find him. Find the alien. He had to tell him Lauren's last words.

Doing their best to be respectful of Lauren and what had happened, Perry, Jenny and Steve removed their jackets and placed them over her grey and cold body, the only part of her now visible being her face.

"How are we going to find him?" Jenny sobbed as they left Lauren behind, now in search of the alien she had been so eager to get to.

"She was heading this way, and I'm sure I saw something crash to the ground in the same direction," Steve pointed directly ahead.

Less than 10 minutes later, the shaking and devastated trio came across a clearing, a space in the rubble that had been completely levelled.

Only one thing could be seen in the centre, one figure, one man. They'd found him.

"You need to get out of the city. It's still not safe," Clark instructed with a forceful yell, three
clearly distraught people heading in his direction from the dust filled smog.

"I have to talk to you first," the oldest man of the group trembled with sorrow filled eyes.

"The emergency services will be on the outskirts of the city. You can tell them everything you need to. Make sure you get your injuries looked at as well. That's a lot of blood."

"It's not our blood," Perry finally broke down, the reserved and controlled air he normally put on now completely gone.

Clark frowned at that, not really sure how to respond. He had a thousand things going on in his head, a thousand more things he needed to be concentrating on right now. These people had obviously lost someone in the battle, in the carnage. How was he supposed to console them? How was he supposed to fix it?

"I'm sorry for your loss. Truly. If there was anything I could have done to save more people I would have....."

"I tried to get her to leave," Perry interrupted with a frustrated cry, just needing to get the words out now.

About to respond to the mans sudden outburst, Clark spotted something on 2 of the 3 people. It was badges, staff badges attached to their shirt pockets. They were from the Daily Planet.

Locking eyes with the man in front of him, a shiver began to rush down Clark's back. It couldn't be. It couldn't be her.

"You tried to get who to leave?" Clark almost whispered, his jaw clenched and his hands shaking in fear for what he was about to hear.

"She was determined to find you. Nothing I could say would make her leave."

They didn't need to confirm who it was now. It was clear from all their faces. It was Lauren's blood on their clothes, it was sadness for her that was etched into their features.