Man of Tomorrow

Clash

Clark walks up to John. John is talking to another employee.

"What exactly are you involved in?" Clark asks.

John and the other employee look at Clark, confused.

"Who? Me?" the employee wonders.

"No, John." clarifies Clark.

"What are you talking about Kent? I'm not involved in anything?"

"Then why are you talking to a reporter?" adds Clark.

"What is he talking about John?" the employee questions.

"I have no idea." John insists.

"That friend of yours I kept seeing you talking to who you told me was no one? Well I went and talked to no one and she gave me her card." Clark says, pulling out the business card Lois gave him and hands it to John.

The employee takes the card from John, "You're talking to reporters? I thought we were trying to get them to leave us alone?"

"And how do you think we were going to get that done Carl? By asking them nicely? They aren't the sort of people to do things when you ask them nicely."

Carl, formerly the employee, starts backing away and handing the card back to John, "I, I'm sorry. I'm not sure that I can do this anymore. I've got a family to think about."

"We're all thinking about our families Carl." John pushes back.

"I'm sorry." Carl says, walking away from John Smith and Clark Kent, leaving the two of them alone.

"What's going on John? Who are they and what is it that they're doing that has to do with whatever's going on?" Clark insists.

"Well, since you've decided to muscle your way into the problem and put yourself in danger, I might as well tell you why you're in danger." John pushes back, looking around suspiciously for a moment before continuing, "You remember that time we talked about why we took a job here and I said that it was about obligation?"

"Yes." responds Clark.

"The obligation I had when I took this job is to my father. He used to run this warehouse. He was the Foreman of the place for most of his life. Made really good money doing it too." John explains, "But most of all he did his best to keep this place running to make sure that all the people working here had a job when they needed one, including my brother and me. But the reason all these accidents keep happening aren't exactly because he worked himself to death, it's because he died on the job."

"What happened?" asks Clark.

"The mob." John responds quietly

"The mob?" questions Clark quietly back.

John continues, "They were looking for a new front company and this place was at the top of their list. But they couldn't go through the board or the owners because too many of them were too high up on the food chain with a lot of connections in the government. So they went after the one person they thought was the most vulnerable."

"The Foreman." Clark concludes.

"But my dad wouldn't budge. He wouldn't let some big bad boss intimidate him into turning this place into a shipping company that only ships products filled with special packages for alternate delivery routes. He tried to protect the people and the jobs that they have, and then the support cable of an outdoor crane bringing in the heavy shipments from the boats suddenly snapped. He was crushed under it."

"I'm sorry." Clark consoles.

"Shortly after that, Bruno Mannheim started showing up, having meetings with the new Foreman and they got very chummy with each other. My brother took a job here to try and find a way to prove that what happened to our father wasn't an accident, and his forklift's breaks stopped working one day, sending the forklift into the river and trapping him inside." finishes John.

"And now you're here trying to prove they both were murdered?"

"No, now I'm just trying to prove that Laurel is in the pocket of the mob and have the proof splashed across the front page of the Daily Planet. At least then there's a good chance that the whole truth could come out eventually." clarifies John.

"Or could get you killed."

"It's like I said Kent, just because helping out is hard is no reason not to do it. Lois is helping me put the story out. But she's got deadlines and she keeps pushing me for information that I can't get without becoming a little creative with the computer system handling all the orders." John insists.

Clark hesitates for a moment, "Well then, let me help you."

"I appreciate the offer, but just telling you all this is probably going to get you hurt or killed. Mannheim is the brutal, sadistic killer type of mob boss. The other people who have had accidents happen to them since you started working here? They were all trying to help me get the truth out there so that Lois could write it. And look what happened to them." cautions John.

"I'm not as easy a target as you may think." Clark says, pushing back.

"You sure you want to get involved in this? I thought you weren't into the whole heroics thing."

"It's not about being a hero, it's about helping people. Isn't that what you like to tell me?" Clark says resolutely.

"All right. If you really want to help." John hands Lois' business card back to Clark, "Get a hold of Lois. Get her to meet you somewhere and tell her everything you can remember about the accidents you saw. There might be something there that me or one of the others missed."

"Will do." confirms Clark as he turns around and starts to leave.

"Oh, and Clark? Make sure it's some place you won't be seen together so that people don't ask questions." John explains.

"Right."

Clark leaves John alone in the section of the warehouse they were just in.

*                  *                              *

The elevator's light turns on, indicating that someone is coming up. Eventually, the doors open and two men dressed in generals' uniforms step out with Mercy behind them.

"I'm sorry Mr. Luthor, but they insisted on seeing you immediately." apologizes Mercy.

Lex faces the two men with a smile, "It's all right Mercy. I've been expecting them."

The first general steps forward, "Mr. Luthor I'll get straight to the point. Our satellites have picked up what appears to be an Unidentified Object in space that appears to be of extraterrestrial origin orbiting the planet. And given the power that Luthorcorp has been using up in recent days and the transmissions you've been sending out into space, I would imagine we have you to thank for that."

"Yes, you do." responds Lex.

The second general speaks up, "What have you done Lex?"

"Made the biggest discovery in human history it seems. No thanks to you and your contractors." Lex explains.

The second general objects to that, "Mr. Luthor."

"I petitioned the government for funding to support my search for extraterrestrial life and you laughed in my face. Access to S.E.T.I., Hubble, all of it denied. So I did the only thing I could. I built my own communications technology. And now that it's contacted alien life, you come running." points out Lex, walking around to stand behind his desk and face the generals, "It's really quite pathetic."

The first general gets angry, "Luthor, the United States Government will NOT stand idly by while the very nature of the universe is changed by."

"Actually that's exactly what you're going to do. Because you have nothing. And I have everything. I have the technology and the knowledge of how to contact what's up there, and I've actually spoken with what's up there. What do you have?" Lex says with confidence.

The generals remain silent.

"That's what I thought. Mercy, please have security escort these men out. They have a long trip home ahead of them."

"Sir?" questions Mercy.

Lex looks at Mercy for a moment.

"Yes sir. Gentlemen, if you'll follow me."

After a long moment of silence, the Generals eventually turn around and enter the elevator again, leaving with Mercy.