Superman - Son of Krypton

Chapter Thirteen - Feeling A Little Loopy

Clark's hands were finally free, a feeling that was strangely amazing. Clark let out a deep sigh. As soon as he cut the rope restraining his legs, he was free. But his plan had not yet been fully completed and Clark was far from safe.

Clark slid the knife behind him, deciding not to cut his legs free just yet. That would be obvious, and could ruin the next part of Clark's plan. So Clark waited, and waited, and waited. He often glanced impatiently up at the security camera in his cell, but he didn't want to look suspicious, so he stopped after awhile and just stared at the ground. At the Kryptonite ring that surrounded him. He wondered how the mysterious green crystal-like substance in the ground around him affected him like it did. Why did it make him weak? Would he be back to full strength as soon as he stepped out of the circle, or would he still be weak? There were many questions, and Clark had the feeling that he wasn't going to be getting any answers. So he would have to figure it out himself. Exactly like he had with becoming Superman, and balancing two lives simultaneously. Clark was getting used to figuring things out on his own by then, but it wasn't easy. What would happen if Clark ever needed help, like now? He didn't have anyone to call. He was working alone, which was safer for the people around him. But was it practical?

The door to Clark's cell creaked open, distracting him from his thoughts. A man in an all-black uniform slid in. It wasn't the man that Clark had seen before—this one was Native America and his face wasn't stuck in a permanent scowl. That was something. The man had a strong build and didn't smile, but Clark doubted anyone in this "Squad K" smiled much. How could they?

"Come to help me out?" asked Clark jokingly.

The Native America man glanced up at him. "Not exactly."

Clark nodded. "Yeah, that's alright. I figured you probably had something else in mind. Going to torture me?"

"We don't do that here."

"No?" Clark feigned being surprised. "Well, you kidnap, you hold hostages, I mean, come on. It fits the bill."

"We're doing a service to our country here," said the man.

"Are you?" Clark countered. "I mean, you took me in and I had committed no crime. I was only helping people and you know that. I know you do."

"I'm here for a vital check, that's all," the man said, attempting to chance the subject.

Clark let the man poke a needle into his skin, a feat that shouldn't be possible. "You're scared of aliens. That's okay. I'm not pretending to be perfect. But why I am being punished for nothing other than who I am? I might be the first alien on Earth, or maybe not. But I am part of a minority group, and that's rough. I get that, and I think you do too."

The man said nothing, tapping things in on his tablet.

"You want to help people, that's why you're here. I want to help people too. I can stop bad things happening faster and with less casualties than the police. I can take bullet shots, stop plane crashes, prevent tragedies, make the world a better place! But I can't do it from in here."

"All done," said the man, his eyes flickering down toward the ground and widening momentarily.

"Can I ask your name?" asked Clark.

"Sergeant Cloud," the man said, turning his back and heading for the door. "Oh, and inmate? You may get a little loopy tonight. A side effect of the syringe."

Sergeant Cloud glanced back at Clark, up at the the top left corner of the cell, and then nodded to himself and turned back around, this time leaving for good. Clark allowed himself a concealed smile. The man had seen Clark's unrestrained hands when he looked down after he was done with the vital check, but had not set off an alert, which meant Clark had convinced him that Superman was good. He had also mentioned something about Clark feeling loopy. What did that mean?

Clark went over it in his head, pondering it. He looked up at the top left corner of the cell, the exact place that Cloud had glanced when telling this to Clark. It was a security camera. Then it hit him. Sergeant Cloud was going to hack the security footage and put in on a loop that night, so Clark had a chance to escape unseen. That meant that Clark needed to stay still for the next hour or so, and not do anything notable to give away that the footage was on a loop. Perfect. Clark's plan was complete. He would make his escape that night.