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"Why did I agree to be your pack mule again?" I asked as I pretended to struggle with the many bags on both my arms and gripped in my hands, all lifted just off the floor.
"So the honorable Clark Kent would leave us young girls alone, defenseless, and unprotected," Lisa teased, adjusting her sunglasses as they moved through the crowd.
Clark chuckled, adjusting the grip on a dozen bags that should have been straining his muscles. "I think you three could handle yourselves just fine. Especially since one of you is basically the princess of the NYPD." I say, and Gwen glances back at me and winks.
"And besides, as a 'mule', you're doing a great job," Liz Allen added with a grin.
As we continued walking, many kids with their parents just behind them rushed by, pointing toward the center of the mall. "Look, the Wonder-Toys opening is starting."
"I heard they have the new super moose toys!"
"I wonder if they have any Superman toys!"
My ears perked up at that. 'I know people were making shirts and other clothes with my 'S' on it, but isn't it too soon for toys?' I thought as we approached the commotion drawnto it by the sheer magnitude of kids with their parents.
"That's right i forgot Wonder-Toys was opening a few new stores in New York," Lisa said as if the brand was supposed to mean somthing but as I glanced at Gwen and Liz i saw i wasnt the only one not in the loop.
"Wonder-Toys whats that like, a fancy ToysRus or something?" Liz asked Lisa, and she looked at Liz as if shed grown a second head.
"You're kidding, right?"
"I haven't heard of them either. Are they popular?" I asked, and this time it was me who apparently grew a second head.
Gwen cupped her chin in thought, "I think I've heard of them, they're like a mega toy store that's supposed to be on the cutting edge of entertainment for kids. I saw a few of their stores and ads while in Metropolis."
"How is it none of you about Wonder-Toys? They have some of the best toys and sponsor the best animations in the industry?" Lisa asked, clearly flabergasted by our lack of knowledge.
"I wonder why such a big company took so long to get set up in New York?" I asked as we continued to walk.
And as we got closer i could understand why the kids were going nuts. The toy store was huge, with rows upon rows of toys that made the idea of a plain doll or train completely obsolete, not to mention the tons of fanfare with the grand opening.
Just as we stood watching the fanfare and chaos, a sharp, mechanical whirring started to drown out the clamor of children. From the third-floor balcony, a swarm of red-and-yellow biplanes drifted into the air, flying in formation. Some would break off and do tricks, and the crowd cheered.
"Wow, now that's impressive," Liz said, and everyone nodded in agreement, but I suddenly got a bad feeling like I've seen this scene before, when suddenly the entire formation of biplanes dived.
And from under each biplane's wings, metal pipes extended, and missiles and bombs appeared under their bellies.
"Get down!" I shouted. I didn't move like a clumsy student anymore. In one fluid motion, I dropped the bags and lunged, putting my large frame over Gwen, Liz, and Lisa just as the first missiles fired and explosions hit the store.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Clark looked up just in time to see the first bombs being dropped. I quickly fired my heat vision, causing the bomb to set off early.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The explosion set off a chain reaction, catching some of the other biplanes.
"MOVE NOW!" I roared over the explosions, my voice cutting through the panic like a foghorn. I didn't wait for them to argue. I grabbed Gwen and Liz by the elbows, guiding them with a strength I hoped they'd attribute to adrenaline, while nudging Lisa ahead of us.
Another biplane spiraled down, its tiny engine screaming. I "stumbled" purposely, putting myself between the girls and a spray of shattered storefront glass.
"Into the maintenance corridor! Go!" I pointed toward a heavy steel door marked Authorized Personnel Only. It was tucked into a recessed alcove—blind to the rest of the mall and, more importantly, blind to the skylights above.
"Clark, wait! What about you?" Gwen shouted, her face pale but her eyes sharp, scanning the chaos. She was her father's daughter, already looking for a way to help.
In the chaos of moving bodies and dust from the exsplosions I glanced up subtly and with a few quick flashes of my heat vison the corridor began to collapse.
"It's coming down!" I called out as the first fragments of the roof began to fall," I'll go around dont worry ill find you!" I lied as the roof fully collapsed.
I checked my immediate surroundings in a millisecond. The civilians were fleeing toward the main exits, their backs turned. The cameras in this area, I just had to hope where messed up as I rushed into the bathroom, and in the blink of an eye, I dropped my backpack and changed from civilian clothes to my red and blue suit.
I launched out, and the air rumbled as I came soaring straight through the smoke-filled mall.
My senses immediately picked up any civilians still in the arae and I became a blur of red and blue, and I barely paid attention to the murmurs that began as hurt people began to appear outside the mall with short bursts of wind.
As people realized Superman had arrived.
The mall had become a hurricane of smoke and screaming sirens. High above, the remaining biplanes broke their festive formation, their tiny engines buzzing like angry hornets. They dived again, but this time, they didn't hit the destroyed Wonder-Toys; now they aimed for the clusters of fleeing families.
I didn't give them the chance.
I moved, and the bullets that were aimed at the families bounced and shattered off me. "Go ill cover you!" I called down, and the families quickly moved.
One biplane that tried to fly past me and get its aim back on the families flew too close, and I snatched it out of the air and sent it flying into another.
CRASH!
Another biplane locked onto a woman who dashed from behind a broken display case for the exit, dragging her toddler along with her, a miniature missile hissed to life. under one of its wings, but I was there before the missile could begin its journey. I wrapped my hand around the entire nose of the missile, letting the explosion muffle against my palm. A dull thud was all the crowd heard. I, but the force of the explosion shattered the plane into scrap.
"Is everyone alright?" I asked, as I floated down to check on the pair, as my senses expanded to make sure that was the last biplane, but I heard nothing but the sirens from the approaching police and emergency services.
The woman stared at me, wide-eyed, clutching her child. "You're... him. You're the one from the news."
"Superman..." the toddler said as if he was seeing Santa Claus, and I smiled warmly at them and gave them a small, reassuring nod.
"Get outside, the police will be here shortly, and you'll be safe there." With a powerful leap, I surged toward the third-floor balcony where the drones had originated. I swept the floor with my X-ray vision searching for anything out of the ordanary but there was nothing.
Suddenly, the mall's PA System turned on. First, there was static, only for it to become a strange, childish melancholy "so fast, so strong, so perfect," a voice whispered—distorted, high-pitched, and filled with mockery. "The world is full of broken things, Superman, even if something looks new and shiny, there is rot and cracks under the shiny gold paint."
And with that Th PA system shut off.
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I landed just as the police stormed in. One officer stepped forward, hand near his holster.
"Detective Alvarez, NYPD," he said, flashing his badge briefly. "You're the one they're calling Superman, right?"
I nodded, "That's what people are calling me, yeah."
Behind him, officers moved through the mall, checking for civilians, but I already knew the mall was clear, so I decided i best to let them do their jobs. Alvarez glanced around at the damage—the shattered storefronts, scorch marks, and the twisted remains of the drones.
"You get a good look at those things?" he asked.
"They were drones shaped like toy biplanes. They were already active when I arrived," I said. "Small, fast. Armed with explosives. Likely remote-operated… or pre-programmed."
"Remote, huh?" He muttered it more to himself than me, filing it away.
His gaze snapped back to me."You take any down intact?" he asked, his voice neutral, but his eyes shone with hope.
I shook my head, face neutral, but inside I was slightly embaresed i didnt even think to grab one intact. "Most didn't survive."
A couple of officers behind him, who were looking over the scattered remains of one of the biplanes, looked. One muttered, "Yeah, no kidding."
Alvarez ignored them.
"Figures," he said. "Would've been nice to have something for the techs."
I didn't respond to that; it was just another lesson I needed to take to heart on my journey.
"You sticking around to give a statement?" he asked.
I hesitated, I need to catch up with the others
"Not for long," I admitted. "But I'll answer what I can."
Alvarez nodded once, pulling out a small notepad.