2014-07-20 - Apokolips Now!: Tea & Corn

Smallville, Kansas...

It is a beautiful little town with wooden, stone, and brick store fronts. It is a real mixture of the time. People nod and greet each other in the street, and Church is the biggest social center. It is primarily a farming community, a tight-knit community that has been through a lot with the ups and downs of agriculture in the U.S. together. Some families have left when the banks foreclosed on them to try and make a new life, and it left broken hearts behind.

This is the childhood home of Superman.

Out away from the small town is one of many farm houses. This one is made of wood as many of them are, with a red barn nearby, and lots of corn fields. The equipment is old and always needing repairs, but there is hominess about the place. That is mostly due to Mrs. Kent's special touch.

What is really out of place right now is that Mr. Kent is in town and Mrs. Kent has some very unusual company. It wasn't smooth sailing at first either, as Mrs. Kent knows who helped trash the farm not that long ago, and Mrs. Kent is not one to be cowered even by big, ugly, and beyond powerful.

And if you dare ask, Darkseid will outright lie and say he never did apologize to Mrs. Kent, though to be honest his exact words were: "My apologizes, your son just would not die. Property damage was not the goal. However, I am here to only talk today, and therefore there will be not fighting, no attempt to kill, and no property damage." And he crossed his non-existent heart.

That is how Darkseid ended up on the porch drinking iced tea very carefully from a plastic cup (as the glass earlier didn't survive his grip) with Mrs. Kent. Only about a minute prior she had called her son's cell phone and told him that Darkseid was calling at her house and he should come home, and no, she is just fine.

Descending from the sky, Superman lands in a crouch near the barn and rapidly changes back into his glasses and suit. As Clark Kent, he approaches the house at a leisurely walk. He had been trying to rack his brains to figure out just what Darkseid wanted here. This was the last place of their battle, along with Kara, so he suspects that it can't be a good thing that he's here. However, with his mother is such close proximity, he had to be careful not to anger him. He was hard to kill..his mother wasn't. Straightening his tie, he steps onto the porch of his childhood home. The first thing he does is move towards his mom and gives her a kiss on the cheek. "Ma. It's good to see you, though I wish the circumstances were different." His expression goes stoic as he looks towards Darkseid. "What do you want here?"

As Clark approaches, he can hear Darkseid and Mrs. Kent talking about the corn. "I never thought about cross-breeding corn to make it more durable and yield more corn," Darkseid says toward the little woman that is dramatically drawfed by the New God.

Mrs. Kent looks thankful for when son arrives, accepting the kiss with grace and love. "It is always good to see you Clark, no matter what."

Darkseid actually rolls his eyes a bit at the 'good to see you' and 'no matter what'. Icky mushy stuff. "I am here to obtain a conversation with you Kal, that is all." He takes another drink of the sweet tea. Not a single complaint comes from him about the tea.

Clark smiles at his mother before turning his attention to Darkseid. He casually places his hands in the pockets of his hands as he leans against one of the beams of the porch. "Very well. I'm here now, so talk, Darkseid." On the outside, he appeared to be calm and collected, but in reality the close proximity of his mom in relation to the New God made him really nervous. "I thought you agreed to leave my family alone after our last encounter?"

"I have not harmed them. Mrs. Kent and I have been drinking this refreshment called iced tea and talking about corn." Darkseid hrms vaguely, "I had Fatherbox analysis it so I can see if my food prepares can re-create it back on Apokolips." Surely Darkseid isn't here to take about TEA of all things!

Mrs. Kent moves to stand, "I'm going to step inside the house and get some work done. Clark, I'll bring you a glass to." She then looks pointedly at Darkseid, "No funny business," before she goes to walk inside.

Only when Mrs. Kent is inside does Darkseid grin a toothy grin, "She almost fainted when I showed up, but caught herself."

Clark crosses his arms over his chest with an annoyed look on his face. "I'm glad you find it hilarious that you almost gave my mother a heart attack." He moves to take the seat that Martha had just vacated. He inhales and then exhales slowly as if calming his own nerves. "I'm sure you didn't come all this way to talk about iced tea and corn. Now, what do you want with me..other than the obvious? Are you here to distract me while one of your minions goes after Kara? I'll tell you, she won't be taken again."

"Who said it would be against her will?" Now Darkseid is just mocking, right? In either case, he falls quiet when Mrs. Kent comes back out.

Mrs. Kent gives Clark a glass and pours him some ice tea and offers Darkseid a refill which he accepts. She then nods and heads on back inside. Her hands were shaking very slightly, but she was keeping it together.

"Your mother is very brave when it comes to you," Darkseid observes curiously. "However, you are correct, that is not why I came here to converse with you. I came here as a courtesy," the New God states.

"To give you a choice between remaining my adversary or joining me. After the universes merged, the potential for human-kind has increased. I plan to make use of that potential and have it grow greater than it does before humanity sniffs its own potential out with its self-destructive behavior."

There is a slight pause from Darkseid as he takes another drink of his iced tea before he continues, "You have an opportunity to protect everything important to you Kal, and to save humanity from itself. I do hope you take it and join me."

Clark can't deny that there is a ring of truth to Darkseid's words. With the current state of things, humanity was poised to snuff itself out. With mutant hate at an all time high and people like Osborne and Luthor jockeying for position in an attempt to remake the world in their own images, now is a prime time for Darkseid to make his move. These thoughts move within Clark's brain in a fraction of a second. He doesn't bother responding to Darkseid's first comment. Kara would never go with him willingly. He takes a sip of his tea and then cants his head to the side slightly as he looks at the being across from him. "This isn't your style. I'm willing to bet that the only reason you've come here today is a sorry attempt to keep me out of your way as you seek to take over this planet. Still...I would be lying if I didn't say that there is some truth in what you say. However.." He takes another sip of tea. "...I have seen the same things you have. The main difference between you and me, is that I am willing to allow the humans to make their own mistakes and find their own way out of the problems that they caused themselves."

Clark leans forwards. "You still haven't figured it out, have you? They would learn nothing, if someone like me or you swoops in to save them from themselves. In fact, they would resent us for it. Earth is my homeworld now. I care about it more than you could possibly imagine...besides. We both know what saving them from themselves really means with you. You'll enslave them, Darkseid. And my friends and I aren't going to stand for that."

A smirk at that from Darkseid, "It would assure their survival and evolution. Do you even realize what is going on right now, on this planet? There is an influx of energies that threaten the very fabric of time itself. The humans have potential, but they will kill themselves or the fabric of reality itself before it comes to pass. I am trying to stop something very terrible from happening to Earth and even the entire universe. What is freedom compared to having a future?"

Clark frowns at Darkseid. "Freedom is everything. Free will is the most highly valued asset in the universe. Yes, they have potential, but I also have faith in them. They will make the right decisions eventually. They're still a young species...and they have a lot of growing to do. It's my job to guide them, not enslave them. My answer is no."

"That is very disappointed Kal," and Darkseid goes to finish drinking his sweet iced tea before he sets the plastic cup aside. "You do like dashing my high hopes however." He shakes his head slightly, as if truly disappointed in Kal's answer. "The heroes will fall Kal, if not by my hands, than the hands of their own people. It is merely a matter of time. I merely aim to make it sooner rather than later."

It is merely a matter of time. = It is only a matter of time.

When Darkseid rises, so does Clark. Not backing down an inch, the Man of Steel shakes his head. "You've tried many times and failed, Darkseid. This time will be no different. When you come for us, as you have in the past, you will find even more heroes willing to stand in your way." The hand at his side curls into a fist. "Even if I have to lead them against you myself."

"Of course. If there must be battle, at least it's with someone that could almost be my equal." Note the almost part. Darkseid smirks however before he moves to offer a hand to Clark. "I believe this is where we shake hands and part, not as friends, but in peace for today."

Clark stares at Darkseid's hand for a moment before he reaches out and grabs it. He makes it as firm as he can and pumps the hand once. "Until we next meet on the field of battle, Darkseid." He releases him and then takes a step back, apparently waiting for him to leave.

Darkseid's grip was equally firm, but the New God then grins toothily, "I look forward to it Kal." He then moves to walk away. As he steps away from the house and then the bar, a Hush Tube opens up so that Darkseid can slip through it back to his own homeworld without leaving ringing ears behind.

Mrs. Kent soon steps out after Darkseid leaves, "Clark...is...everything alright dear?" She has a worried expression on her face.

Clark looks over at his mother and shakes his head. "No, it's not. He's planning something big this time. Heaven help us all." He turns to face her. "I don't like the fact that he came here with you and Dad as unprotected as you are. You should both pack some things and come stay with me in Metropolis for a little while. Just in case."

Mrs. Kent shakes her head, "Clark, you can't worry about us and the world at the same time. We will be fine. He...didn't try anything Clark. It gave me a scare, but I'm fine. He even apologized for all the damage he did last time," and she reaches out to touch Clark's arm. "He is not a nice man, and I suspect he is a very evil man, but he also seems to be a man of his word."

Clark replies. "If he was a man of his word, he'd have stayed away from Earth like he promised the last time, Mom." He exhales softly. He knew that his parents would be stubborn about it and there's not much he can do to change their minds. "Alright, fine. But I'm going to have Kara and Connor look in on you frequently. And that is non-negotiable." He smiles and gives her another kiss on the cheek.

Mrs. Kent smiles at that, "I'd love for them to check in on us, you included," she says warmly. "I love all of you." She moves to give her son a hug. "Now come inside, your Father will be home soon, and I'm hoping I can convince you to stay for dinner."