Jerren paced around the lab, the reading from this strange blue glowing device was concerning. The last few days in this lab had been gravely concerning. The readings coming from the strange blue cube-like-device showed signs of life, almost resisting the tests being done to it. It had all the best minds LuthorCorp had on staff down in this dungeon-like laboratory trying to figure it out.
"How long was the previous spike?" Lex asked as he stalked out of the elevator, eying the device and the scientist around it.
"They'd been spaced out over days before sir, but they're firing more rapidly now. We're down to three hours apart," a nervous man with large beady glasses and a combover spoke.
"And what triggered this phenomenon?" Lex began reading over the notes on the screen.
"Exposure to the green meteor rocks sir," the scientist said as Lex's face soured.
"Interesting," Lex turned his focus to the cube in his wired harness. "I wondered what those manuscripts meant when they said power beyond our wildest dreams, and then knowing that Johann Schmidt would give his life in search of this device, the blood filled legacy it holds, yet here it sits and we've no clue just what it can do." Lex almost looked longingly, as if the device would be his crowing glory, a rise to power.
"Do you think we should get outside help to contain whatever is happening?" a nervous red headed woman asked as Lex barely turned his head, looking over his shoulder with disdain.
"Do you really believe so little of yourselves, that the top minds in all of Metropolis can't handle this little miscalculation?" Lex's calm tone screamed his displeasure.
"Sir, we don't even know what this thing is," Jason finally stepped forward in defense of his team.
"This is the Tesseract," Lex said boldly. "This cube is the next step forward for human kind. It had the power to lift us up, and put us on an equal level with our so-called Meta brethren. This is the next advancement for humankind. Not mutations, abominations, aberrations, or genetic malfunctions. Technology is the way of the future, and using this device, even Superman's strength will look ordinary."
Jerren slid back against the wall, he knew this was what SHIELD was concerned about, something on this level being worked on. Now he just needed to figure out how to get in contact with them without drawing attention to himself. Someone was going to have to stop this before something really bad happened.
—-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Clark looked around his apartment, something felt off in Metropolis. There was a heavy sense of dread in the air. He tried listening, nothing out of the ordinary. He reached for his suit, deciding taking a lap around the city before work might ease his mind. A quick leap out the window, and he was in the air. The sky above spoke peace and beauty, the warmth of the sun invited everyone outdoors. He glided around, looking, hoping to see something that could explain this horrid feeling on such a normal day.
Nothing. Once more, everything seemed fine. His eyes shot to the one place that could easily ruin something like this. LuthorCorp. This new headquarters was so elegantly designed on the outside to look like a technological marvel. The interior, much more meticulous. With the advancements Lex had made into Kryponite, he'd lined certain parts of the building with it in attempts to prevent Superman from breaking in. It was in those sections that Clark was sure Lex was working on something, something terrible, but he just couldn't prove it on his own. Not as Superman, not even as Clark Kent. With his old bitter teenage rivalry with Lex, there was no chance of Clark getting close without sparking a conflict.
Flashes of his memories of being uneasy friends with Lex throughout high school, the countless warnings Jonathan Kent gave about not trusting Lionel or Lex, how many times Clark wanted to tell Lex about who he was only for Lex to prove why he couldn't be trusted with that secret. The church bells began ringing, signifying that it was time Clark headed back. He didn't want to be late for work.
—---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bruce walked into the cave pulling off his cowl, looking over the work from the previous night. On the screen he had a zoomed out map showing both Gotham and Bludhaven to show how Barbara and Dick were handling their new location. He didn't like admitting that they were doing great over there, especially not with the potential that Jason could attack them, just like he could attack anyone else. That thought haunted him briefly, looking to make sure he was alone. He then looked over at Eagle Crest, seeing Mick and his team nestled in that tiny apartment.
It was then he caught odd seismic activity registering from near Metropolis. It was very faint, irregular waves. No tectonic plates shifting, which then piqued Bruce's curiosity. He placed his fingers under his chin, watching as he ran through a twenty four hour loop. The waves crashed faster and faster, weakening as they rippled away from Metropolis. His mind bounced around to a few different ideas, some more disturbing than others. Perhaps a visit to Metropolis was in order, at least to put his mind at ease.
"Master Bruce, I've brought scrambled eggs and toast for breakfast," Alfred stated as the elevator door opened revealing the butler holding the food tray.
"We might need that to go," Bruce said as Alfred raised his brow. "I want to take a trip to Kansas today."
"Should I make sure to fetch Master Drake as well, Sir?" Alfred asked.
"Let's just start with me on this one," Bruce said with a nod.
—-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mick opened his eyes, the sun peaking through his window, despite his best efforts to use black out curtains. The last week had been brutal; several break ins, two complex fires with a suspected arson, a bank robbery, and a meta human training seminar that he had to attend with the Outcasts at the SHIELD Academy. At least the apartment was quiet, Steph staying at Jenn's and Alex with Jake. The fact that he slept with his mask on while the rest of his suit was strewn across the floor showed just how tired he was, or how delirious he must've been when he came in last night. He tossed it on his bed, then got up with a pounding headache.
He paused as he pulled on a pair of gym shorts, hearing what sounded like sizzling coming from the kitchen. He slowly crept into the hallway, had someone come in early? He peaked around the hall and his jaw hit the floor.
"Feeling better?" Her calm, playful voice called, as he couldn't believe what he saw. Her silvery blonde hair, she was wearing what looked like a pair of Steph's gym shorts and tee. The shorts looked quite tight, and the shirt revealed quite a bit of her abdomen. He knew her face, but not her name, at least, not her real name, only the name Black Cat. He was absolutely speechless. Why was she in his apartment? He clearly missed something. "Cat got your tongue, Webs?" The woman turned around, smiling with two plates of eggs and bacon in hand.
"Don't panic, nothing happened," she set the plates down on the table, Mick cautiously walking over, now painfully aware he was shirtless.
"Then how?" Mick started to ask as Black Cat slid the plate to him as he sat down.
"I'm not surprised you don't remember anything," she said, taking a seat across from Mick. "That was one hell of a toxin. I wanted to bring you to the hospital, you insisted on coming here."
"Toxin?" Mick rubbed his head, figuring that's where the head ache was coming from.
"That attack last night, the girl with the plants, her name was Pamela Ivy. She's known for her eco-bombings. I guess someone here must've ruffled her leaves," Black cat shrugged, Mick still looking at her blankly. He remembered heading out for a distress call, vaguely, something about Alaster Biggs and a bomb threat.
"That's exactly how it started," Black Cat smiled.
"And you got involved?" Mick raised his brow as Black Cat's grin shifted from playful to mischievous.
"I was hoping to grab a few trinkets from his lovely lady escort," she said with sass, only to be met by disapproval from Mick. "Look, Webs, I need the money, I can't let my family's legacy go to ruins."
"Then why not work an honest job?" Mick leaned back in his chair.
"You wouldn't understand," she said, a hint of remorse in her tone.
"Oh?" Mick looked around at his apartment. "I still get by on my SHIELD salary, and my metahuman status hasn't precluded me."
"Webs, my family's legacy was so tarnished by my father, my mother struggled to keep her foundation alive. Now that she's passed, the least I can do is find ways to keep it funded."
"You keep calling me Webs, you didn't poke around and figure out anything else about me?" Mick said as Black Cat fluttered her eyes innocently.
"I like our little game," she smiled as she walked over, sitting on his lap. "No names, no baggage." One kiss and he was perfectly ok with the game too, not even that nickname bothered him anymore.
"Who is she?" Steph stood in the doorway, Jenn by her side. "And why is she wearing my clothes?"
Both Mick and Cat's eyes shot to the door, Mick wanted to get up, but he couldn't. His face flushed. Cat on the other hand smiled, looking playfully between Mick and the other girls.
"Maybe we should come back in a little while," Jenn suggested, clearly uncomfortable.
"Over my dead body," Steph started to charge in, against Jenn's protest.
"It's not what you think," Mick spoke, his voice cracking, causing Cat to lean her head into Mick's chest.
"Then what is it then?" Cat whispered in his ear, enticing him all the more.
"You have five minutes, then you better be dressed and explain all this," Steph waved her hands around frantically in front of Cat and Mick.
—--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jerren watched as the nervous scientist continued working around the Tesseract. No one seemed comfortable. The way energy seemed to be sparking and flowing around it, it felt methodical. Pulsating. Purposeful. He slid his phone back into his pocket having sent the text, SOS, to his entire team. Now he just needed to figure out how to quell the spikes, hopefully SHIELD would send someone to investigate and put an end to this madness.
The cube let out a massive pulse, shattering several beakers in a three foot radius, launching the scientist near it backwards, flipping over chairs and tables. Computers shorted out, and lights flickered at the massive power readings. Then it all flickered back to life, blue arcs of lightning jumping between all of the electronics.
"This is really bad," Jerren muttered, hoping that SHIELD could make it in time to put an end to this madness.
—------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stephanie and Jenn leaned cross-armed against the wall, Mick walking out of his room now fully clothed, while Cat leaned against the wall opposite, she wore a playful grin. One of which made Mick feel that she's been in awkward situations like this before. To make matters worse, Alex and Jake had now arrived, both of which were ogling Cat, and trying desperately to not get caught by any of the females in the room.
"Is this what you do while we're gone? You call random whores into our home, and then give them my clothes?" Stephanie asked.
"Steph, she's not a whore," Mick rolled his eyes, stopping beside Cat who then placed her arm around him, her hand landing on his chest drawing ire from the other girls.
"Weren't you just complaining about those shorts? And you hate that shirt," Jake said. Both Steph and Jenn's heads jerked towards him, fiery dart-like glares causing him to slump down.
"How dare you defend that - that- creature!" Steph exclaimed.
"I'd defend her any day," Alex said looking at Cat, winking at her.
"What is wrong with you two?" Jenn asked, shaking her head in disbelief.
"She violated my privacy! She went through my stuff and put my clothes on!" Steph barked as Mick placed his hands over his face.
"She can violate me anytime," Alex grinned, Jake nodding, only for both to be slapped in the back of the head by Jenn.
"Listen, Cat rescued me from an eco-terrorist last night. She brought me back here, nothing happened," Mick said plainly.
"Certainly looked like something was happening," Steph grumbled.
"And we showed up to stop it," Jenn glared.
"Did you say an eco-terrorist?" Jake asked, Mick and Cat both nodding.
"Poison Ivy," Cat stated, when Mick's phone went off. He looked down, his face going sheet white.
Jake looked curious, Steph slightly annoyed the focus was taken off her plight. "Everything ok, Boss?"
"No," Mick shook his head. "We need to go to Metropolis."
"We, as in us, or her included?" Steph looked at Cat disgusted.
"Honestly, we could use her expertise," Mick said as Cat raised her brow. "I need to extract a friend from LuthorCorp."
"You know my skills come with a price Webs," she rubbed his chin while smiling seductively.
"Don't worry, his best friend is loaded. Hands off and get out of my clothes," Steph slammed her shoulder into Cat as she and Jenn passed by.
"You could change right here," Alex joked as Mick glared at him. "Worth a shot," he shrugged, he and Jake then headed off to his room to get into their gear.
"It's very sweet how protective they are of you," Cat said as they made their way to his room.
"It's a new thing," Mick replied, then paused realizing he was alone and fixing to change with a girl in the room.
"No peaking," Cat teased, Mick rolling his eyes, it wasn't the worst thing ever.
—--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Operation LC Intergrade," Coulson's voice came over the Quinjet's com system. "It was our shot at gathering intel from LuthorCorp with a man on the inside. It's not the first time we've used a plant in a corporation like that, and it won't be the last."
"However, it's the SOS message that has us deeply troubled. Agent Bennet wouldn't be sending and SOS for escape, I firmly believe that SOS means something changed, and it's very dangerous," Mick gulped as Coulson's strong statement.
"We're going to intercept either way," Mick said, wishing he had nearly the fortitude Coulson did.
"You cannot compromise Agent Bennet's cover," Coulson warned. "There's no telling how bad things could get with Luthor going to war with SHIELD."
"Don't worry, my plan isn't going to compromise SHIELD integrity. I'm going to call in a favor from a friend," Mick said.
"Friend my foot," Steph mumbled. "If that thing is just a friend, then Jake still sleeps with a teddy."
"Hey, Jake is very shy about Ms. Cuddlemuffins," Alex chimed in as Jake's face went pale.
"It's Mrs. Bearetta," Jake grumbled, burying his face in his hands and knees. "And she's the only thing I have left from my mom."
"Oh my gosh, are we being serious right now?" Jenn gasped.
"I trust you have everything under control on your end then Agent Bellouve?" Coulson's voice superseded the arguing from the teenagers.
"I do," Mick replied.
—--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Waves of unease crashed over Clark. Something was certainly wrong, but he couldn't see it with his x-ray vision, he also couldn't single it out with his hyper hearing. This level of trouble had him deeply concerned, and it must've been written all over his face. It was bad enough that Jimmy walked over to his desk, leaning against it.
"Hey Big Man, everything ok?" Jimmy asked.
"No," Clark replied, adjusting his fake glasses. "Have you heard anything from Chloe?"
"Uh, no? Should I? Do I need to text her or something?" Jimmy was now more rattled than Clark, which wasn't his intention.
"I just have this feeling something is wrong," Clark pushed away from his desk.
"Want me to get a distraction going?" Jimmy smiled, his excitement to be an assistant to Superman was all too clear.
Clark pondered for a moment, looking around at the chaos happening in the Daily Planet. Perry White's voice bellowed through the corridor of cubicles. "Kent!"
"Guess we might need that distraction after all," Clark shrugged as Jimmy smirked. Both of them jogged over to Perry.
"Good timing. There's been a major scientific breakthrough reported from LuthorCorp," Perry explained, his face sweating as if he were already stressed. "I'd normally send the Lane duo, but they're in recording, and I want to get this scoop before that rag The Daily Star."
"We'll handle it," Clark said looking at Jimmy, who then nodded with a scrunched up face.
The two made a b-line for the elevator, stopping briefly so Clark could grab his notepad while Jimmy grabbed his camera. Once outside Jimmy tried calling Chloe, only to realize his phone had no service. "That's weird," he noted as he showed the screen to Clark. "I had service upstairs."
"Catch a cab over to LuthorCorp. I'll meet you there," Clark said softly as Jimmy nodded, taking hold of Clark's notepad.
With a burst of air, Jimmy was left standing on the sidewalk wearing a childlike grin. It didn't matter how many times Clark vanished into a blur. The fact that he was friends with Superman would never not be cool.
"Chloe," Clark appeared in the doorway of her sacred upstairs room of her and Jimmy's apartment that she deemed Watchtower. It was slowly becoming Clark's civilized base of operations, where the occasional drop in from the likes of Barry Allen, otherwise known as the Flash, and Kara Kent's room when she was in town. Chloe stood at the wall of screens, her gaze fixed on the screens while her arms leaned on the keyboard.
"Oh, hi Clark," she shook her head, taking note of the plaid clad man standing there now that the wind caught up with him, ruffling her short blonde hair. "What caused this unexpected drop in?"
"Have you picked up any strange readings, maybe seismic, possibly atmospheric?" Clark asked as Choe frowned.
"Cell service keeps popping in and out every couple of hours, it's worse the lower to the ground you are. I mean, it's potential Wall of Weird type of conspiracies, but not really super levels of problems," Chloe remarked.
"You've gotta have something, I know you," Clark said sighed.
"I have a theory, but I can't prove it," Chloe shrugged. "You can't tell me it's a coincidence that all of this started the same day LuthorCorp has a scientific breakthrough."
"Then maybe it's perfect that Jimmy and I were put on assignment there," Clark said as Chloe frowned.
"Please keep Jimmy out of trouble," she said softly.
"Don't worry. I won't let anything happen to him," Clark said confidently.
"I'll get in touch with Kara too," Chloe said, only to have missed Clark in his speedy exit. She shook her head laughing to herself. "For all the good it does telling you that."
—-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"So you know my last name, met all my kids, can I get a hint of anything about you?" Mick looked at Cat as she looked at him with a playful grin as the two stood by the hatch of the quinjet, as it prepared for landing.
"Webs, is that what's really important right now?" Cat asked.
"I guess not," he shrugged, looking away slightly disheartened, to which Cat caught his face, turning it back to her.
"I'm not against it," she said warmly. "I'm just -"
"You don't have to explain it to me," Mick said, forging a smile. "You can just tell me when you're ready. It's not like I've really had much in the way of dating as of late anyway."
"Oh, I've gathered that," Cat said as the jet shook upon landing, Mick grabbing her arm as she couldn't help but smile.
"Ok, break it up you two," Steph barked as she took notice of them. "We've got real problems to worry about."
"What are you going to do if I decide to stick around?" Cat looked at Steph.
"Have you ever watched the Parent Trap?" Steph asked with a mischievous grin, Cat seemed to be amused by the answer as well.
"Steph," Mick growled.
"She asked," Steph rolled her eyes. "Besides, it's not me you have to worry about. It's Tweedle Dumb and Tweedle Dunce over there that'd be ogling her all the time."
"Ugh," Mick turned to see both Jenn slap both Alex and Jake who were fixated on Cat's leather outfit.
"Do I really make you that uncomfortable?" Cat asked.
"You scream bad news," Steph said bluntly, then the hatch opened. "Girls like you are never good for guys like him."
"Alright, it's going to take two cars. How are we splitting this up?" Patten asked as he walked back from the pilot's seat.
"I'm going with him," Jenn and Steph said harmonically, both pointed at Mick, who shook his head expectantly.
"I guess I'll take the girls, you take the boys," Mick shrugged. "Lead the way to the safe house and we'll get to work."
"What if we wanted to ride with her?" Alex pointed at Cat.
"Too bad," Jenn stuck out her tongue as Alex rolled his eyes.
Jenn and Pat took longer than they expected to get feeds set up in the fourteenth floor hotel room. Both fussed about the spotty internet connection. Alex and Steph would be suiting up. Alex would be providing aerial support, keeping eyes out for any suspicious traffic to or from the LuthorCorp building. Steph and Jake would be watching from different angles, Steph would be in her gear watching from a different rooftop, prepared for extracting Jerren while Jake would be on the ground, watching from the street blending in. Pat never liked sending Jake out like this, but protocol meant someone had to stay back to protect Jenn, and Mick wouldn't be too far from Jake. Mick and Cat would be going into LuthorCorp together (much to the frustration of Steph and Jenn), the two would then split up; Cat heading down to the lab using her more stealthy nature to extract Jerren while Mick caused a distraction upstairs.
"Everyone understand the plan?" Patten asked, looking around getting a confirming nod from them. "Good. Signal is really weird right now, so you might have to use shortwave on your communicators."
"We'll be fine," Alex said smugly, flexing his muscles in his suit, hoping to impress Cat.
"Maybe you can rough him up a little bit," Jenn suggested as Steph winked, Patten shaking his head.
"We get in, get him out, no injuries," Pat said calmly.
"Well, none on our end," Mick said with a smirk. "I do have to cause a scene."
"But you don't need to get Lex's attention," Pat reminded him.
"He won't have that kind of time," Cat said confidently.
"Sounds good to me," Pat said with a nod. "Let's do this!"
"Everyone in position?" Mick tapped his ear piece. There was a lot of static interference, before anyone's voice came in clearly.
"You two better play nice in there, I'll be watching," Alex teased as Mick nodded.
"Better not be too nice," Steph added in. "I'm watching too."
Mick waited a few moments, looking out into the large crowd that had gathered around LuthorCorp. He wondered if something was happening inside, solely based on the amount of people coming and going. "Anyone else getting a ton of static on the main line or is that just me?" Jake's voice came in, relieving Mick.
"It's all of us," Mick replied. "Short range is working for now. If that goes out I want you three to get to higher ground and find a way to contact Falcon."
"Rodger," the three teens replied in harmony.
"Mi'lady," Mick held his arm out, Cat reached out, interlacing hers. The two then made their way up the steps. Both dressed quite nicely, only to cover their alter ego attire. Mick held the door, then gasped as they saw a sea of people in the lobby. So many reporters and cameras, the loud commotion made it very hard to hear the person next to you.
"Guess we won't have to make much of a scene then, will we?" Cat said in his ear, Mick shaking his head as the two pressed forward, looking for a way to get to the elevator.
"Ms. Hardy, is that you?" a cold chill ran down Mick's spine as he heard Lex's voice. Cat then froze, her face rigid. "It is Felicia, right?" Lex found them, because of course he did, Mick stared in disbelief. One because Lex seemed to know Cat, who could be named Felicia Hardy or that was just an alias she used in a meeting with him. Two because of the gravity of them needing to not be interrupted by him.
"Mr. Luthor," Cat spoke, her voice calm and composed.
"I was pleasantly surprised by the generous donation last month from the Hardy Foundation," Lex said smoothly, his eyes dancing between Mick and Cat. "Have you come to see just what your donations have produced?"
"If I say yes, does that get me and my suitor past this large crowd?" She asked playfully.
"Forgive me for being so rude," Lex said, holding out his hand with a slant look and crooked smile. "Your name is?"
"Mick Brent," Mick said, as Lex raised his brow.
"You look familiar Mr. Brent, have we met before," Lex asked as Mick braced himself to lie.
"I don't recall," Mick looked at Cat and smiled. "I tend to be a little one track minded when I'm around Ms. Hardy."
"I can understand that," Lex nodded, then looked back at Cat. "A woman of her caliber deserves the utmost attention." Those words made Mick uneasy, the implication that Cat had dealings with Lex made his stomach turn. It's not like he knew much about her, outside of her affixation with pilfering and flirting.
Lex then led them past the crowd into a smaller roped off area labeled VIP with a clear view of several machines lined up on the conference room stage, each one having a unique blue aura to them. " I think you'll find this spot much more appropriate for our little demonstration. Enjoy," with that Lex walked away, Mick feeling sick to his stomach. This wasn't part of the plan at all.
A strange wave of energy washed over him. It truly felt oceanic, reaching out, then pulling back in with incredible force. Mick staggered as the energy drew from him.
"Is this you trying to cause a scene?" Cat looked at him, she held a touch of concern as well as anticipation. Mick shook his head as a deafening buzzing sound filled his ears. He pulled his earpiece from his ear, which made Cat realize something was very wrong.
"This isn't funny, what's going on?" Cat helped Mick move out of Lex's sight, brushing the sweat from his face, only to be shocked by his bioelectricity.
"Thank you all for coming to this presentation," Lex's voice echoed throughout the building. "Our hard working scientists as LuthorCorp have been hard at work, doing everything we can to make everyday life better for the everyday man."
"Our latest breakthrough comes from a prominent figurehead in Bionic Enhancement and Nuclear Physics. From the great mind of Doctor Otto Octavius, I give you the next level of human prosthetics and engineering!" Lex then held out his arms as an older man with ruffled brown hair and a white lab coat walked onto the stage. Dr. Octavious walked out waving at the crowd, before shaking hands with Lex.
Mick brushed his face, as the strange wave of illness left him. "I don't know how to explain it, but something is very wrong here."
"Then we need to find your friend, and fast," Cat said, her voice was less composed, much more concerned. "But we need a keycard to get into the restricted areas."
"Any idea on snagging one?" Mick pulled himself together, as Cat looked around spotting a guard flirting with an elegant woman.
"I have an idea. Wait for me by the elevators, we'll go down together," Cat said as Mick nodded. He didn't watch to see how she got the card, he just made his way out, trying not to touch anyone in case his power went haywire again.
Cat met him with the two ball caps in hand and a playful grin. "You look worse than when you ate the toxic bomb," she nudged him, careful not to touch his bare skin again while sliding a cap on his head to cover his face.
"It keeps coming in waves," Mick said as they entered the elevator. "It's like there's something down there pulling at me, drawing out my energy."
"Then let's start by going down," Cat shrugged, sliding the card then hitting B1. "Just keep close, alright?"
The doors opened as the room radiated an eerie blue light. Mick and Cat stepped off the elevator, then saw Jerren frantically trying to unplug wires from a strange device with a glowing blue square attached. "Mick?" his voice was cut off by a loud buzzing, followed by a blinding light radiating across the room. Mick reached for Cat as a shockwave blasted them back toward the elevator.
—---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Clark watched Dr. Octavious' presentation, taking notes as Jimmy took several pictures. Everything seemed to be going fine until the lights flickered. Clark looked at Jimmy as he heard what sounded like an explosion, and felt the vibration of the building. It was then Clark knew everything he was concerned about was in fact coming from here. He launched forward, grabbing Jimmy, moving him outside, along with as many people as possible he pushed hard to outrun the floor collapsing. Amidst his sprint he switched from his everyday clothes into his Superman outfit, leaving his clothes atop the Daily Planet like he tended to do. Even with all of his speed, the floor was slowly crumbling beneath him. He still had so many people to rescue. With another push, several more people were out, all that remained was Octavius and Lex. Clark grabbed Octavius jumping across the now rippled floor before it fell through. He returned to the room, but he wasn't fat enough. There was now a chasm between him and Lex. He floated up, flying across, reaching up to grab Lex, then darted out, rushing into the building to make sure no one else was left. A massive explosion rippled upward, launching Clark into the ceiling, then falling into the chasm himself.