Chapter 12 – A Good Man's Funeral

(Smallville – Kansas, USA – 25th September 2019)

Annie shifted as she woke up. She was warm and content, something she hadn't felt in a long time. As she turned over, moving from her side to her back, she saw the source of her recent joy: Hughie Campbell. She spent a few moments just looking at the sleeping man before finally deciding to get up and get dressed, since even though she wanted nothing more than to have another round with him, they needed to move. That thought brought a twinge of regret in her heart. She loved Hughie and would never regret spending time with him, but she did feel guilty that she was so happy in spite of the sad occasion.

When Clark had called a few days ago she had been devastated to hear that his father had died. Although she was more aware than others of Johnathan Kent's poor health, she had never actually imagined the man dying. Pa Kent had, in Annie's mind, been much like his son: a man larger than life who was so incorruptible and moral that he seemed straight from a folk tale or a comic book. However, the father wasn't the son, and so she found herself in the undesired position of attending his funeral.

As she changed into a simple black dress, she looked out of the guest window of the Kent family's spare room and saw a sight that really moved her. Hughie and her had gotten in late last night but even then people had been arriving and giving Martha their condolences. It looked as if the entire town and surrounding counties had shown up. She caught Hughie's eye and gave her boyfriend a small smile and opened her mouth to speak only to be cut off by a knock at the door.

"I hope everyone is decent," Martha's voice sounded out as she gently nudged the door open with her back as she carried in a tray with two cups of strong coffee and biscuits. "I made coffee, and breakfast is on the table. I didn't know how either of you took it, so I've got milk and sugar too."

"Oh, Martha, you didn't need to do that." Annie was quick to dash over to the now widowed Ma Kent who seemed to be struggling with tray and looked to have aged nearly a decade over the last few days.

"My Johnathan would be turning in his grave if I didn't keep up the Kent family reputation," Martha gave Annie a smile that touched the young woman deeply that she couldn't help but tear up a little. "Oh, now look what you've done, gotten yourself all worked up over a cup of coffee."

"It's wonderful, thank you," Hughie moved in, taking the tray from the sweet old woman and setting it down on the room's small dresser. "Do you need any help?"

"Such a kind boy," Martha gave Hughie a pat on the shoulder as she started to hobble back to the door, the loss of her husband had defiantly affected the woman more than she would admit. "The last thing I need at the moment is more help, I've had nothing but help these last few days. You two just relax and let me feel useful, you hear?"

"Will do, Miss Kent," Annie gave the woman a smile and nod, knowing not to argue with the woman, which earned her an appreciative nod as she left the room.

"I see where Clark gets it from now," Hughie joked in a slightly serious tone, as he quickly made Annie's coffee the way she liked it, glancing at the door Martha had just left by.

"You don't know the half of it," Annie smiled as memories of Clark's father flooded into her mind. "Johnathan, Clark's father, was a force of nature. He was stubborn, unmoving and….the most honest down-to-earth man I ever knew."

"Sounds like he was a great man," Hughie smiled, thinking that he shouldn't be surprised that Clark's father would be described any other way.

"He was better…" Annie smiled as she took a sip of her coffee and moved to the door wishing to join Martha downstairs. "He was a good one"

As Hughie descended the stairs of the Kent family home, he looked at the walls littered with pictures. When he and Annie had arrived yesterday it had been so late that they had done little more than greet Martha, help her move some things around and then go to bed. However, now that he had a chance to really look around his eyes widened as he saw photos going back to what he assumed was the founding of the farm to when Clark was little. Looking at the pictures Hughie couldn't help but smile at the small adorable skinny kid who, apart from the black hair, looked worlds away from the giant he knew.

As he reached the bottom of the stairs and the sounds of Martha and Annie conversing could be heard, one picture really caught his eye. Clark couldn't have been more than 6 in the photo, and he looked like the happiest child in the world as he sat on the lap of a man that had to be his father as the two rode a tractor. The picture made his heart twinge a little as his mind suddenly went back to his conversation with Lois. Her voice echoed in his head, and he looked at it again.

'Hold onto the good, otherwise…. you'll end up like Butcher.'

The thought stayed in his mind for a few moments as the happy picture of father and son made him think about his own father and how he had just left him, all alone. Then there was Annie, how he had a great thing with her that he put at risk every day that he carried on with Butcher and the Boys. That thought however was the one that caused him to freeze midway through the door to the dining room, which earned him a second glance from Martha and a raised eyebrow. It was Annie that occupied his thoughts now, not Robin, and although the anger remained and would likely never leave him, it was duller now, more manageable.

"You alright dear?" Martha's motherly voice snapped him out of his thoughts causing him to quickly put a smile on his face, as he looked at the woman who was working away in the adjoining kitchen.

"Fine, thank you, Mrs Kent," Hughie responded, moving fully into the dining room which caused him to pause.

The room was filled with food, although he could see a good section of the table had been cleared by Martha for the breakfast she had made, no other horizontal surface was clear of containers. Everywhere he looked he saw trays, Tupperware boxes and bowls filled with meals, snacks, and treats of every variety. He slowly and mindfully inched his way to the table to sit down next to Annie and across from Lois who had been hidden by a stack of cookie boxes.

"Sorry, Hughie dear," Martha appeared next to him, placing even more bacon on the growing pile in the middle of the table. "The town's been sending a few things to help out, it's kind of a Smallville tradition."

"No worries," Hughie responded as he sat down smiling at the woman and trying to act normal as she poured him more coffee before heading back to the kitchen to cook even more.

"She's been cooking non-stop for the last few days," Lois leaned in after Martha, a look of concern on her face, as she gestured around them. "Half of this is hers, when Clark and I showed up she was roasting enough chickens to feed a platoon. I don't think she's left the kitchen to do more than sleep."

"What does Clark say?" Annie turned her head looking at Martha in the kitchen before turning to face Lois again.

"I don't know, I haven't seen him since we arrived," Lois responded, biting her lip as she tried to fight the unfamiliar sensation that was aching in her heart.

"That was three days ago!" Hughie was worried too, they hadn't seen Clark yesterday, but they had arrived so late and there was so much going on he hadn't questioned it.

"I know," Lois replied, the nervous look growing on her face as she glanced back at Martha. "We showed up once he got the news, spent some time consoling his mother, then the two of them talked in private, and when I came back, he was just gone."

"That's not like Clark…. not like Clark at all," Annie whispered.

"My boy is fine," Martha's voice caused them all to jump and look at the smiling woman who was bringing in a mountain of pancakes.

"Mrs. Kent, we weren't, I mean we-" Hughie spoke up first, stumbling over his words as he panicked thinking the woman might possess super hearing like her son and heard everything.

"Hughie dear, please call Martha, and as for how I know about what you all were buzzing about…" she raked her eyes over the group looking like she was taking pleasure in making them squirm before a grin appeared on her face. "I've been a mother and wife long enough to know what people are whispering behind my back, especially at my table"

"Sorry Mrs Kent," Annie looked sheepish and looked away from the Kent matriarch, which caused Martha to smile as the fierce heroine in front of her suddenly became the small blonde girl her son had befriended all those years ago.

"Martha, where is Clark?" Lois asked softly looking at her boyfriend's mother with more than a little concern.

"All the Kent men react the same when it comes to loss," Martha sighed with a sad smile as she moved into the room setting the pancakes she had made down in front of everyone, before slowly moving around the table to the free seat next to Lois. "They work,"

"Work?" Hughie asked looking confused at the strange notion, his only experience of loss was his mother and his dad had reacted by just….well just doing nothing.

Martha smiled at the young man as reminders of her youth came flooding back to her. Whilst they were not on the happiest of topics, the walk down memory lane was a welcome reprieve from her current sorrow.

"Oh yes, all the Kent men do it. Why, when I was little, I remember Hiram Kent, Clark's grandfather, lost his Pa Sam. Old Hiram got so annoyed at a creaking door that he knocked down the old barn, then rebuilt it, then knocked it down again, and started over again. He did that three times, damn near drove my own Pa sick with worry."

Martha chuckled slightly as the memory washed over her, Hiram looking red-faced all day when he was in town buying all the lumber around, and her Pa shouting at the man that rebuilding a barn in the middle of harvest season was crazy. No one at the table interrupted or made a move to prod Martha to continue, as they saw the smile on her face and knew she needed a break from her grief.

"Now Jonathan, he was far worse. When Hiram died, my husband didn't speak to anyone, not even me, for 2 whole weeks. He just worked on that tractor of his and when he got it working started ploughing our fields from sunup 'till well past dusk…... The only thing was,Hiram died in the middle of winter, and there was about 3 or 4 feet of snow out there when Jonathan decided to plough those fields."

The small story caused the group to chuckle including Hughie who had never met the man but had a feeling from the way everyone was reacting to his loss he would have liked him. Although he would have to ask Annie more about Mr. Kent later, the image he had was of someone who was basically Clark but older. Not physically as imposing, as evidenced by the pictures, but the same in spirit and Hughie suspected that Annie, Lois and Martha would likely make the same observation.

"So, I'm guessing he didn't get far?" Annie asked after the laughter died down her question earned a subtle smile and nod from Lois who knew that Annie was trying to keep Martha distracted.

"Oh no, dear, that was the problem. Jonathan cleared the snow away and ploughed those frozen fields, and Hiram built that barn out there all by himself. The Kent men never do anything by half measures" Martha's smile grew a little more as she recalled when her husband had finally finished his job half frozen to death, stinking to high heaven but with a grin on his face. "But to answer your question, Clark will be back shortly, he's just processing is all."

Martha smiled at the group before standing up again and moving to the kitchen once more likely to either add more to their breakfast or, they prayed, to start on launch. With her departure, the group really didn't discuss anything further and mostly made idle conversation as they waited for the youngest Kent to show up.

As the day started to tick by everyone in the room subtly started looking at their phones, looking for news of where he was, which turned out to be an easy task. The man was everywhere over the past 48 hours, seemingly omnipresent, battling crime, saving lives and generally doing everything from bank robberies to actual kittens stuck in trees. However, although everyone's worries were alleviated a little by the news that Clark hadn't done anything as wild as leaving the planet or disappearing into the depths of the ocean, they were starting to get worried about the time.

Jonathan's funeral was starting at one o'clock sharp and as the hour edged closer to noon Annie and Lois struggled to keep the worry from showing. Even Pete Ross, Clark's oldest friend, appeared, asking for news as people outside were starting to get worried. Annie was about to call Stillwell of all people in finding out where Clark was when the man suddenly appeared, coming through the backdoor. His arrival caused everyone apart from Martha to breathe a sigh of relief, but then they all saw the look in his eyes.

Annie didn't know if there were words to describe it, she certainly didn't know them and wasn't sure she wanted to. Her oldest friend seemed muted as if colour itself had abandoned him, but it was his eyes that caused her heart to sink. Where a few days ago Clark's eyes were pools of warmth that could make even the darkest situation better, they now simply stared blankly at everything as if the world held no depth worth looking at.

"Your suit is upstairs, I laid it out on my bed first thing." Martha's voice broke through Annie's sombre reflections as she moved over to give her son a small hug which he gladly returned. "And Ethan Miller came by. He and the other pallbearers have got everything ready for when you arrive."

"Thanks, Ma, I'll be dressed and ready to go in a minute" Clark's voice sounded strange to Hughie's ear, it wasn't just its sadness but the fact that it was his first time hearing Clark at home, and his rural midwestern roots were there in full.

As Clark moved past the small group that had gathered to keep his mother company he shared a quick nod with Hughie, and then gave both Annie and Lois a quick hug. Although his hug with Lois was far longer and ended with a small kiss before the man of steel disappeared upstairs to get change. True to his word, Clark was gone for less than a minute before he reappeared in a deep charcoal-black suit.

Whilst Hughie had attended a few funerals in the past, including one not too long ago that he cared not to dwell on, none of them had been anything like this. They had all been urban funerals taking place in cramped hot buildings placed on the edges of cemeteries that only gave the illusion of being natural, with a few dozen people turning up at most. Jonathan Kent's funeral dwarfed anything that Hughie could have pictured.

It started with what seemed like the entire county gathering outside the Kent family home, where they were met by a simple plain cart and horse transporting Jonathan's coffin. Then as a group, they walked to the cemetery, everyone including Martha who clung onto Clark's arm as they went trailing behind the horse and cart like a great serpent. Then as they arrived at the cemetery's gate Clark let go of his mother and handed her arm to Lois as he and seven other men lifted the casket from the cart and moved through the graveyard.

As the huge crowd followed them weaving through the gravestones, Hughie got a sense that this wasn't because Jonathan had been Clark's father, but because he was Jonathan Kent. As he looked around he could see no one in fashionable designer clothes or colourful costumes, here were ordinary people coming to pay their respects to a man they all admired.

The service itself was remarkably short, there were no great speeches, no flowery eulogies, and overly dramatic scenes of mourning for the sake of it. The priest merely gave a small blessing, recited a short prayer and then moved out of the way for Clark to take his spot. The crowd that was already respectfully silent became even more so as Clark took his spot and everyone waited for him to speak. There was an eery almost painful silence as Clark just stared at the open grave his father had been laid in and for a moment even Martha worried that he had frozen before he did something unexpected.

He laughed, it was a deep powerful laugh that had Clark leaning forward slightly and whipping his eyes.

"Sorry, sorry, I know I'm supposed to act all upset, but…." Clark apologised as he shook his head and wiped his eyes with his hands. "It's just we all know; my Pa would have hated this. Everyone looking sad, glum, and crying for him. No, if Jonathan Kent was here, we all know what he would say…... What's all this blubbering about? Can't you let a man rest in peace without making a fuss about it? My god, it's enough to wake the dead! And why am I in an oak casket? Waste of good oak and money! I'm going to be worm food, by Christ, should have just chucked me in!"

Clark's rendition of his father's supposed dislike of his own funeral earned him a wave of chuckles and smiles as the gathered mourners agreed. Not one of them could deny that the plain-spoken, salt of the earth Jonathan Kent would have hated the fuss the town had gone to for him. Oh no, he would have preferred everyone take about 10 minutes to go see him be stuck in a hole and then go on with their lives.

"My father was many things, to many people, most of them good. And I think it says a lot that everyone came here without needing to be invited. I think that's the only thing my father would have liked about this whole damn expensive affair" Clark continued a grin appearing on his face as his eye twinkled with unspent tears as memories and happiness kept them at bay. "He lived for this town, for this community, and never in all the years that I knew him, I never saw him put himself first. My father, my Pa, lived for others."

Clark fell silent for a moment as he swallowed a lump in his throat as the tears that he had been keeping at bay started to break through. The pain that had been a dull distance ache that he had kept at bay with work and non-stop motion now pierced his heart as reality finally crashed on top of him.

"I could spend a thousand years talking about my Pa, and what he did for me and not even reach a fraction of a fraction, of the truth." Clark paused again, his eyes connecting with Lois' and then with his mother's eyes both of whom smiled at him, "So let me just say this…. My Father didn't tell me how to live; he lived and let me have the privilege of watching him do it. And I'll miss him everyday for as long as I live"

As Clark finished, he gave a nod to the priest that had kindly stepped aside for him and then moved back over to his mother, who embraced him and whispered into his ear how proud she was. Then both turned to watch as the priest gave another short blessing and prayer before signalling for the grave to start being filled in.

(Kent Family Farm – Jonathan Kent's Wake)

Although Hughie thought it impossible more people seemed to have shown up at the wake than at the funeral. The massive Kent Farm that seemed at times straight out of a Mark Twain novel was heaving. Groups of people were dotted everywhere, and everyone was swapping stories about the man who had owned the place.

As he moved through the crowd trying to get back to Annie with the beers he had picked, he now thought that all the cooking Martha had done may not have been merely grief but preparation for the horde of mourners. He also started to spot people he knew or more precisely recognised. Lana Lang, the current Miss Universe, was talking with Pete Ross, who'd just been elected the youngest senator in Kansas history. There was a woman with red hair who looked very similar to Auntie Sis stood with a group of seven that Hughie suspected was her team in civilian clothing, and off to one side stood Clark's Aunt Mary.

The woman was dressed in black, and Hughie had spotted her next to her sister several times during the day, but she was now off to one side with a phone plastered to her ear. He saw several of the groups near her look over to the woman in disgust and more than a few unpleasant words were being said. Hughie decided a detour was in order, although he might not be as tough as Lois or Butcher, he was done with taking shit and letting people be disrespectful to others. However, as he broke free from the group and started to get near Mary whose back was turned from him, he found himself stopping as he heard what she was actually saying.

"Yes, is this Frank Newgate at VNN…... Well, this is Mary Clark, I'm calling about the news crew you sent to Smallville to cover Superman's father's funeral…..." Mary's voice was cold and although her tone was friendly for the moment, it held a hint of danger that was peeking through. "Yes, that's the one. I just wanted to say, you are FUCKING FIRED! Your little crew too, it's been sent packing. When I say a private event, I mean a private event. I left clear messages with every news outlet and media mogul on the planet, INCLUDING my own, and it was a funeral you little guttersnipe! In your next job try and grow a fucking conscience!"

Mary ended her tirade against the over-eager producer by slamming her finger on the call end button before letting out a series of deep hot breaths trying to get calm again. She then suddenly threw the phone away into the pasture beyond the fence, with such force and ferocity that must have shattered when it landed. The woman then let out a contented sigh before turning around and meeting a wide-eyed Hughie who suddenly didn't feel confident at all.

"What? If you knew my brother-in-law, he would have said far worse, believe me" Mary smirked as she moved past Hughie taking one of the beers from his hand as she walked away looking for her sister.

Hughie just stood there blankly for a few moments before he nodded his head a few times in approval. He smirked and then turned back to look at the very large and loud crowd that was occupying the Kent farm, his eyes scanning for Annie. However, he suddenly found himself frozen as his eyes connected with A-Train who was leaving the large barn he was next to, he saw the man only for a second before he disappeared.

Hughie's mind went on autopilot as he raced towards the open barn door, panicking and going to Annie, fearing that A-Train had shown up to do something horrible. As he reached the barn, he almost collided with Lois who was rushing as well, who had evidently seen A-Train as well and wanted to know what he had been up to. The two quickly moved into the barn and instead of being greeted by some kind of grizzly message, Clark was standing over a workbench, still in his mourning clothes, minus the jacket on the table next to him.

"Clark is everything all right?" Lois asked, her eyes glancing around the room looking for some signs of why A-Train had been there.

Clark didn't respond; he merely stayed where he was, his face hidden as he glared downward. His stonelike features caused both Hughie and Lois to pause as they both looked at each other in concern, Lois was the braver of the two, but as she reached a point from which she could see the work bench's surface she froze. The action caused Hughie to move forward as well, andpanic spiked in him as he dreaded what could give such a fearless woman pause.

It was a spread out stack of files.

A pile of paper? That's what spooked her? It took a moment for Hughie to determine why. Then, as he stared at them he felt his own blood go cold as he saw the photos. One was him, another was Lois, and the third he could see was Butcher, with the rest no doubt being the remaining members of the Boys. The two of them looked at each other and then back to Clark, feeling that someone needed to break the silence.

However, as Lois made to speak Clark turned around his eyes passing from Lois to Hughie, his face impossibly stoic as it stared blankly at the smaller man. Clark suddenly strode forward, without saying a word or batting an eye, his right hand swiftly shot up and grabbed Hughie by the throat. Clark didn't stop moving until he slammed the boy into the far wall by the open barn door, which he carefully closed with his free hand sealing the three of them in.

"Hughie, I swear to Rao, if you have used Annie if your whole relationship with her has been for vengeance, I will neuter you." Clark's voice was scarily calm and even as he looked at the man in his hand with still impassive eyes. "Tell me the truth, or I will do it right here."

"Clark, please. Hughie's your friend," Lois quickly moved over to her boyfriend, placing her hands on the arm that was pinning Hughie to the wall, "Please put him down."

Clark's blank stare at her caused the intrepid reporter to step back from him, the sheer calmness and control radiating off him were somehow more off-putting than if he had been screaming. With Lois momentarily silenced, he turned his attention back to Hughie, who was starting to gasp from the pressure around his neck, his eyes pleading for release. Clark's own eyes narrowed slightly before he suddenly let go causing Hughie to collapse onto the floor into a heap, with Lois rushing over to the wheezing young man.

"I want to know the truth, and I want it now." Clark released a deep sigh as he shook his head and turned his back on Hughie walking back over to the workbench. "As currently, I'm the only thing standing between you and The Seven."

"The Seven know about us? How?" Lois asked stepping away from Hughie who had managed to get back to his feet, panic and fear in her voice.

"Patterns, connections, anomalies. I wrote an algorithm. They already had the Frenchman, Serge, from there it was simply tracking where he had been, where they knew disturbances had been, and connecting dots with anything and everything else they had," Clark responded his voice still level and unemotional as returned to the bench and started looking over the files, lifting each on in turn when speaking about them. "It took a couple of days, but eventually one particular pattern emerged, said pattern took the form of seven individuals. One retired Colonel with links to the CIA, four individuals with extensive and hidden black spots in their records, one reported terrorist, and one former Employee at Bryman Audio-Visual. All of whom have only one thing in common, Vought."

The barn fell silent as Clark finished his explanation; the only sound was the paper files hitting the workbench, each one felt and sounded to Hughie like a nail in a coffin. Clark then turned back around to them, his eyes first lingering on Lois and then switching to Hughie.

"I was going to get the results before Vought, but I have been distracted the last few days…So, I have the facts. I want the story, now." Clark crossed his arms over his chest as he stared at the two people in front of him. "And remember I can tell if you lie or are trying to deceive me. So, I want the whole truth, right now."

Hughie looked from Clark then to Lois butterflies dancing in his stomach as his mind first raced trying to think out of the nightmare he was in. However, instead of coming up with a story or an explanation, Lois just gave a humourless chuckle, shaking her head. The woman then turned to Clark fully, causing a slight frown to appear on his face. He had been expecting deception, but all of her vitals screamed honesty.

"You want a story, Clark. A story to explain the fact that your best friend's boyfriend and your girlfriend are part of a vigilante ex-CIA hit squad. To explain that Hughie and I have each killed a Supe, that we've threatened, lied and manipulated people." Lois shook her head at each of the words, her honesty forming a red-hot core in her chest as she pushed on, determined to tell the truth even if it damned her. "I can tell it, all of it…"

Hughie stood frozen as he listened to Lois recount her tale, from her college days to the disaster with her friends, to being recruited by the CIA, to the formation of the Boys and how it had all gone wrong. His mouth gaped as he caught snippets into the past he had not known about, the stories of depravity and the horror the original team had tried and failed to tackle. All of it, including how they had pushed a member of the Seven too far, and how children had died for it. Lois even admitted to killing Mesmer, a fact that Hughie thought had just doomed them as Clark just stared at them unmoving.

"However, that's not the storyClark. No, the story, that explains all of this is a simple one. The world… is a shitty place, and the little people are fucked. It's a world in which no one cares, no one acts, it's all window dressing, and pats on the head…..followed by nothing. All the voices telling you to just ignore the disaster, join the ignorant masses and don't think for yourself, because a fucking monster in a colourful costume and a great smile wants to sell you a goddamn HAMBURGER! … That, Clark, is the story."

"And you think justifies murders, extortion, breaking the law?" Clark asked. His face remained impassive as he looked at the woman before him, who just gave him a wry smile in response.

"Honestly Clark, no. Not even the slightest….in an ideal world." Lois responded with a small shrug as she sighed, knowing that Clark just couldn't understand. "But we don't live in that world…... I've tried everything else, everything, it didn't even make a dent, nothing worked. So, judge me if you want, judge Butcher, Hughie, all of us. But just know one thing…we all started out as ordinary people, with ordinary lives, and we all turned into this, by just trying…. just trying to do the right thing."

"And trying to do the right thing led you here. To this?" Clark asked his eyes leaving Lois as she stared down at the files he had, the files his algorithm created detailing truly horrible acts.

"I can't explain it to you, any better than I have Clark." Lois sighed, knowing that they were reaching the end and that this was going to end with Clark arresting them. "You're a Supe, compound V in your veins and immune to the real world. God help me, I do love you, but I can't explain this to someone who is invulnerable. How can I explain feeling like an ant to well…a god. What can I say for you to get it, that complete and utter loss with no hope of reprieve?"

Clark opened his mouth to respond but then to Lois and Hughie's surprise, he closed it again, evidently whatever he was going to say stilled on his tongue. Instead, he released a sigh and his sight turned to them to a jacket that was hung on the wall, it was on a brown fleece jacket that had seen better days. He looked down at the floor.

"Lois… my father was everything to me. He taught me all that I know. He was my hero every day of my life, and I'm still barely able to imagine a world without him. All this power, all this invulnerability, and I couldn't save him."

Clark's eyes closed, and for a moment it was as if his father was standing before him more real than Hughie or Lois, before suddenly like smoke the phantom figure disappeared leaving Clark alone with the living again.

"I don't even want to look at the home where I grew up, because with him gone, it means admitting I failed. My super-eyes and super-ears couldn't see or hear it coming." He spat the word like it was a curse, as he tasted the still cold air that mocked him as it was warmer than what was in his chest.

"I spent the last three days saving everyone I could, stopping every disaster I could, not because I was strong, but because I couldn't bear the weight of my failure. Even now, after everything I've done, all the injustice and cruelty of the whole planet is pressing down on me."

He opened his eyes and looked at Lois.

"You said the world is a shitty place. I hear how shitty it is every day. I hear all of it, and on the other side is a tiny voice inside me saying that it's not enough, that maybe if I had made it so the world didn't need me, I could've been there to…." He paused.

"Now someone I love got taken away, and that voice gets louder. "

Clark then looked over to Hughie, whose breath had quickened at what he had said.

"Hughie, you've been awful quiet. What would you do if you were me? How would you feel?" Left unspoken was just how closely their lives mirrored each other.

"Upset, angry!" Hughie spoke up moving forward before his mind caught up to what his heart was telling his mouth and body to do. "You can still do something, you do have the power!"

"Ah…." Clark responded, giving a smirk and shaking his head as he moved to lean against the workbench behind him, folding his arms over his chest. "I should listen to the voice that says I haven't done enough, then?"

"YES!" Hughie all but screamed at the man moving forward, ignorant of the fact that Lois' face had fallen as she had finally realised why Clark was acting the way he was.

"So much so that I go out and kill someone? Tear the roof off a few corporate offices? Maybe do the same to the White House?" Clark's response caused Hughie to freeze as if he had struck the man in the face. "Use all my powers just to swoop down, rip the evildoers in half, and make the rest fall in line?"

Hughie stood there, part of him was screaming at him to say yes, the dark dirty part of him that had enjoyed pulling the trigger on Translucent and came to him at night whispering in his ear when Annie wasn't near him. However, there was another part of him, one that sounded like Annie and, although it spoke softly, was louder than the dark screams. It was that voice that caused him to freeze. As two near-equal parts of him pulled at him to choose a side.

"When I was a boy, about 7, my parents got me a cat, called it Goldie. It was in part to teach me responsibility, but mostly it was to help deal with the rats in the barn." Clark started his tale and the glint in his eye told Hughie that for him Clark could actually see what was happening. "One day, Goldie got taken by a hawk. I tried to stop it, I was so angry and so mad at that bird for attacking my friend, hurting Goldie, that it caused my heat vision to come on for the first ….killed both of them. It also set half of the fields on fire, destroyed old man Johnson's barn, and almost started an uncontrollable blaze."

Clark's eyes connected with Hughie as the man suddenly felt less confident in his arguing for Clark to feel rage, and that darker side of him seemed to silence itself. Hughie suddenly realised that although yes, he wanted Clark to put Homelander in his place, and clear out the filth like A-Train and the Deep, he was no longer certain he wanted to push the matter. What would happen if Clark let go of his moral virtues, if he just decided to put an end tol Homelander and Vought? Would Clark still be Superman or would he be shifting to something else?

"Both of you are mistaking control for apathy. I understand you Hughie, I really do. I get being angry and wanting to tear the world apart. However, I'm not allowed to be like you…...you, Lois, the group you're with, I understand it, and if I was where you are, if was like you, I might be doing the exact same thing. I'm not ignorant of the world Hughie, but I'm not allowed to be consumed by it. When you get angry, that's mostly it. You get angry, and if you act on it, the worst you can do is kill a handful of people. But that is preventable, someone can stop you or punish you afterwards. In my grief, I decided to push back at the world, just this once., But if I were to go beyond that, if I get angry or I kill someone… well, we're all familiar with what that looks like."

The room fell silent as Clark trailed off his eyes moving from Hughie's then to Lois' before finally moving to the old jacket hanging by the door. No one spoke for a few moments, the silence was deafening. Even the world outside of the barn couldn't creep in, with the sounds of drinking and story-swapping being defeated by the sheer silence of that barn.

"So, what now?" Lois asked swallowing wanting to get this over with, however, instead of a swift arrest, Clark just released a heavy breath.

"You are just going to let Vought win? Homelander to get away with everything he does?" Hughie spoke up, taking another step towards Clark which abruptly stopped as the man's eyes snapped to him.

"No, I can find a way to stop this, but if I fight Homelander now with no support from the government, people or the Superhero community, while he is still believed in, all that will happen is people will die and nothing will change" Clark managed to say, as if the words tasting foul in his mouth.

"We can help with that," Lois stepped forward now hoping to seize the opportunity she was seeing before her. "We have evidence, contacts, we can get suppo-"

"I don't want your help. I want you to leave my home" Clark cut her off, as he turned away from them for a moment as closed his eyes to push through the pain his words were causing him. "Vought knows about you, so I think you should go warn your friends. A-Train came here to tell me I need to detain you two, but I'm not going to do that, because if I do then Vought is going to kill you. So you're leaving, now"

"What about Annie?" Hughie asked, looking from Clark to the barn door outside of which the wake could still be heard.

"Hughie….." Lois' voice and hand on his shoulder caused him to turn to face her "We need to go now."

Hughie looked at her and then to the barn door before nodding and releasing a deep sigh and headed to the barn door, not to re-join the wake and find Annie but to start running for his life. As Hughie moved off Lois lingered for a moment with her eyes on Clark. Her head was telling her to get moving, she needed to survive but her stupid heart was telling her to talk to him, even though it was pointless.

"Clark…" Lois started but trailed off her head crushing all the stupid emotional words her heart was trying to pour out leading her to just sigh. "…. Just stay safe, and I am sorry…I never used you."

"I know," Clark whispered back as he released a deep sigh, as Lois gave a sad grin before heading over to Hughie the two of them took one last look before disappearing outside.

As Lois all but started to drag Hughie towards her car and the contingency plans she had stashed in its trunk. Her mind was already racing with what to do next. The only thing that kept coming up was Butcher, 'He better have squared us with Raynor and the CIA or we're going to be royally fucked'

(The Seven Tower -Floor 99 Meeting Room - 25th September 2019)

The few people in the corridors parted out of his way as Clark strode through the building, readorned in his blue and red uniform. His face was fixed in a grimace as he pushed his way to the conference room where Homelander had called a meeting, one that he had insisted everyone had to attend. He could see the shocked looks and quiet whispers people were giving him. Evidently, they were shocked to see him in the tower the day after his father was buried.

"Clark! So glad you came!" Homelander's voice cut through Clark's inner thoughts and for a moment the Man of Steel froze as his eyes searched Homelander's face for any sign of empathy. "Everything alright?"

"...It was my father's funeral yesterday," Clark responded flatly, his eyes not moving.

"Ah….yes…so sorry to hear about that," Homelander managed to sound like he actually meant it for a whole two seconds. "Anyhow, this can't wait. Come inside,"

Clark moved into the meeting room as Homelander followed closely behind him, as he entered he saw that the rest of the Seven were there and no one bar Noir looked comfortable. Clark saw Annie who was sitting next to A-Train and fidgeting in her seat, and she was clearly anxious to leave. He knew why Hughie had disappeared from the wake yesterday, she must have been trying to call him nonstop. Looking at her his heart sank slightly, he hadn't yet told her what he had learned about Hughie and in truth wasn't sure who he was going to.

"You're all probably wondering why I've called you here," Homelander spoke, moving past Clark to stand next to Noir whilst Clark moved to the opposite side of the table to stand next to Annie. "The truth is that we're overdue for a little heart-to-heart."

Homelander's voice and smile sent a chill down everyone's spine as he grinned viciously before his face fell into the camera-ready smirk they had seen a hundred times before. He started walking, moving almost like a shark as his eyes lingered on the Supes sitting around the table; the only two free from his gaze were Clark and Noir.

"Lately some of you have been a little out of sorts. Erratic. Unreliable. Downright sloppy. Not you, Noir, or you Superman, both top-notch work. You've been great. But the rest of you…" Homelander's smile somehow lost all warmth whilst still remaining fixed on his face. "It is fair to say that I am disappointed. Gotta keep your eye on the ball, guys. The enemies are storming the gates. I mean, we're not even The Seven anymore, we were at five, still down to six. We're dropping like fucking flies, but at least now I know why."

Homelander gestured to the screen behind him that suddenly showed a picture of Hughie's face. The image caused a deep frown to form on Annie's face whilst Clark released a bitter sigh, he moved away from Annie trying to reach Homelander.

"John we need to talk about this," Clark moved desperately over to Homelander wanting to stop this before it started but froze as Annie's voice sounded out.

"Uh...Why is... Is this a joke? What's Hughie doing up there?" Annie's voice spoke up causing Clark to close his eyes as he tried to think of a way to control what was happening.

"I don't understand. Who is this guy?" Maeve asked, looking from the screen to Annie to Homelander and then to Clark her nerves increasing each time as she felt the tension in the air.

"This guy is Hugh Campbell. He and Starlight are going steady." Homelander announced happily as his eyes gleefully took in the shock and confusion on the faces in the room before shattering Annie. "He's also one of the guys who killed Translucent."

"Wait, what?" Annie's eyes went wide and looked from Homelander over to Clark.

"John, that's enough." Clark spoke up as he looked at Annie with regret before moving over to Homalnder who just glanced at him before continuing on.

"As well as blackmailing Mesmer, Ezekiel, Popclaw and God knows who else." Homelander pressed on looking at Clark giving a small shake of his head as he moved away from the younger hero.

"Popclaw?" A-Train glared at Annie he knew that the skinny guy he had seen had been involved but that the new girl was involved was boiling his blood.

"No. No, no, no. You... That-that is insane." Annie stuttered out as she felt the world shift under her feet and her mind raced as reality started crashing around her.

"Starlight, sticks and stones won't break my bones, but words…" Homelander mocked placing a hand on his chest as he moved towards the panicking heroine.

"No, sir. I'm sorry. I wasn't... It's just, he's not… I mean, why would he do that?" Annie asked, trying to reinject logic and sense into the world, her eyes turning to her old friend for support. "Ask Clark, Hughie's just a sweet, ordinary guy"

"Actually, Superman is the one that uncovered all these little snakes in the grass. Excellent work by the way as always" Homelander replied his smirk growing wider, Annie looked at Clark who just grimaced and looked away from her, causing her world to break even more. "However, to answer your very good question, A-Train! Over to you."

"What?" A-Train asked, confused His only interaction with this "Hughie" guy was outside of Popclaw's apartment.

"Oh, boy. That little egg of yours is still scrambled, huh?" Homelander gestured back to the screen again where the picture of Hughie zoomed out showing him shaking hands with A-Train at a contract signing. "How about now?"

"Oh, motherfucker…." A-Train cursed as his mind recalled the bullshit meeting he had to attend after some accident. "I know this guy.

"You did smash through his girlfriend, so I should hope so." Homelander replied flippantly, smirking at A-train and tutting at the man. "Robin s-something or other."

"You're fucking this guy?" A-Train turned on Annie looking ready to snap her neck but stopped when he heard Clark's fist slamming the table from the other side of the room,

"Enough, Annie is not the one at fault here and we need to slow down." Clark glared at the speedster forcing the second fastest man alive to sit down.

"Okay, thank you." Annie managed to breathe out as her chest rose and fell at an alarming rate as she felt her fists tighten "I don't know what's going on, but Hughie is not capable of anything close to this!"

"Well, that is true, actually. That's very true." Homelander's voice had lost none of its gleeful edge as he smirked at Clark, liking that the boy was standing up for his fellow Supe even if she was an idiot. "He's just a man, and, by the looks of it, not much of one. But... but hear me out. What if he was helped? Hmm? Say someone, I don't know, got him in to see Ezekiel and got rid of the Deep."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold on." Annie forced herself to her feet raising her hands to try and gesture for everyone to calm down only to be greeted by glowing red eyes

"Keep those hands down by your sides, missy. Sit down." Homelander's smirk was gone as he glared at the woman, who was either a fool or a traitor.

"JOHN!" Clark's voice shook the room, causing Annie to stumble back into her seat as Clark's own eyes glowed causing the temperature of the room to become like an oven. "She didn't know, and you are not going to hurt my friend."

The room fell silent as the world's two greatest heroes stared at each other, both of their eyes dark red pools promising destruction. Maeve felt her muscles tense and breath caught in her throat as she realised that this could be the moment, the moment that everyone that knew both men had feared. However, to her shock Homelander just started to grin and his eyes stopped glowing returning to the cold icy blueness, with Clark's own warm blue eyes reappearing.

"Of course not, it's not her fault one of the mud people got up her little skirt and fried her tiny little brain. You should really teach her about standards" Homelanader's sickening smirk returned as glanced at Annie up and down and raised his eyebrows. "Tell you what, Starlight you must be something special in the sack for my boy here to overlook how little is between your ears."

Annie felt her skin crawl and bile rise in her throat as Hoemalnder chuckled at her expense. Clark took a deep breath, his knuckles going white as he tried to control his temper. He was starting to reach his limit but needed to control his anger. If he was going to get through this, he needed to regain control.

"You see Hughie is not the only one, taking a swing at us." Homelander gestured to the screen again that showed the rest of the Boys including Lois which caused Annie's eyes to go wide as she looked over to Clark. "Thanks to Clark here, we now know who's been trying to screw with us. It's not an impressive bunch I admit, but still they've proved quite resourceful."

Noir suddenly tapped the table causing everyone to look over to the clad silent superhero who open up a notepad in front of him and started scribbling. He then held up a piece of paper with a messy childlike scrawl that read:

"WhAt NExT?"

"What's next, my old friend, is that we find these insects and crush them." Homelander grinned moving over to Noir and patting his oldest friend's shoulder with a smile on his face as he turned back to the group. "We are going to show them and everyone else that we can do anything, and no one is going to stop us!"

The room fell silent for a moment at Homelander's declaration his eyes raking over A-Train, Maeve and Starlight, the latter of whom had gone pale. Her mind was falling apart now as she felt it near impossible to breathe as she sat with the greatest Superheroes in the world and listened to Homelander declare he was going to go kill people. However, before her world truly collapsed the room's silence broke as Clark's voice sounded out.

"We can't do that." Clark spoke up moving around the table so that he stood opposite Homalnder squaring his shoulders as he look at his childhood ideal.

"Of course, we can," Homelander scoffed, shaking his head at Clark who was obviously still trapped in the limited thinking his farmer father had shoved down his throat, something John knew he could cure.

"That is why we can't do this," Clark declared his voice firm and resolute showing that he was serious and wasn't going to back down

Homelander just looked at Clark like he had three heads causing, forcing a frustrated and desperate sigh from his lips. Clark shook his head as he cast a glance around the quiet room before returning to look at John, taking a deep breath as he centred himself.

"It's not about whether we can do something, but whether we should do it. Because there's nothing stopping anyone in this room, apart from that. A-Train could speed into the Pentagon and unleash World War Three. Maeve could carve her way through an entire army. Noir could assassinate anyone on the planet he wants. Starlight could black out New York. You and I could fly to Washington and collapse the government. No one could stop us, and that's why we need to stop ourselves."

"They killed Translucent; they attacked us first." Homelander narrowed his eyes at Clark, his hands cracking as they clenched at his sides.

"No, they didn't. All of this, Vought are the ones who created it, they packaged us, fed us lies and sold us like products. They don't care about what gets left in the wake, they don't care about us!" Clark was pleading now, taking deep breaths as he spoke, wrestling to control his fury, control which would all have been for nothing if it broke.. "The things people in this building have done are what created this…. team we are facing. I am amazed there aren't a thousand more like them out there. We need to deal with the cause first, not the symptom, otherwise, this is never going to end."

Homelander sighed. He was really getting tired of trying to explain how the world really worked to the naive young man in front of him. "Clark, son, you don't underst-"

"I AM NOT YOUR SON!" Clark's voice finally exploded in fury, his fist slamming on the table next to him so hard it went through it. The room fell silent as he tried to regain his composure. "…...My father was Jonathan Kent, and in his name, I need you to listen to what I am saying, not hear what you want. We must do better than this, we've got to show them a better way. John, I need you to show me you can be better than this, it's your one chance, otherwise…."

"Otherwise, what?" The blond asked as if all the friendliness had disappeared from his voice as his mind finally understood in some small way Clark was giving him an ultimatum.

"I'll stop you, I'll stop Vought" Clark stated back squaring his shoulders and looking directly into Homelander's eyes, not trusting himself to say anything more.

"So, this is it? You'll, what, start a war for them?" Homelander scoffed and a disgusted nod towards the screens showing Butcher and his team. "You're gonna fight against your own kind, against me?"

Clark's steely gaze was all the response needed. 'Well,' the older supe thought, 'time for some tough love', and picked the perfect sore spot to hit..

"Come on then, what's stopping you, youngin'? Pappy Johnny never taught you to throw a punch?" Homelander laughed with a faux-country twang in his voice.

Clark's eyes lit up red and everyone in the room including Noir leapt from their seats and away from the two powerhouses.

"Get his name out of your filthy mouth!"

Homelander's triumphant smile widened. "There it is! Doesn't that feel better? Letting loose, taking all your problems and just-"

"No." Clark's whisper of refusal caused Homelander to freeze.

"What do you mean 'no'?" Homelander's eyes snapped to the other superhuman powerhouse, his face straining to keep its smile.

"No, not today. This won't help." Clark took a deep, shuddering breath before gesturing around the room. "All of this is going to end sooner or later, and when that happens you'll have nothing." His eyes went to Annie and gestured with her to follow which she quickly did, joining him on the stairs, his eyes went to Maeve she gave him a subtle nod and a knowing look. He looked back to Homelander, who was still baffled. "I'll decide when we settle this, and when I do, fair warning: I'm going to beat you and tear this all down."

Clark and Annie left the room, causing the already silent room to become as quiet as the grave, with the only thing breaking it was Homelander's heavy breathing. Suddenly, the man's expression did a complete turn, his hands went to his hips, and Vought's golden boy stood in front of them again.

"Gee whiz, these kids today, am I right? Okay then, team, dismissed!" There was silence, Meave and A-Train exchanged a not so subtle glance and even Noir shifted slightly speaking volumes for the silent man.

"EVERYONE OUT!" Homelander leaned forward and screamed, however, everyone was still too scared to move and stayed where they were. A burst of heat vision streaked across the room and turned the seat where Annie had been sitting to ash. "I SAID, OUT!"

The supers in the room became a blur as everyone moved almost as quickly as A-Train, rushing to the door as Homelander marched towards the table in the middle of the room. His hands became iron-hard weapons as he looked at the table, the symbol of the family he was going to build, the family Clark had impudently spat on. He let out a roar as his arm slammed into the table shattering it into rubble.

'Who the hell did that runt think he was?!' John moved around the wreckage, his breathing becoming heavier as he felt the indignation build inside of him. 'Who did any of them think they were?! He was the HOMELANDER! The greatest hero in the world, all of them lived in his shadow! They should be grateful to taste the same air as him! They'd all learn, he would teach them. And these mud people coming after him, well he was going to stamp that out too, starting with that bearded, leather jacket wearing…..Butcher?'

Homelander froze as he looked at the face on one of the screens, it was the one that Clark's algorithm had said was most likely the leader. However, what gave him pause was that he swore he knew the man, a vague memory popped into his head of a woman, a woman that caused a smile to appear on her face. Rachael? Rose? Ruby?...No! Rebbeca, that was it, she had worked with him, teased and flirted with him so subtly he almost didn't notice, and the pleasant memory of her playing hard to get in her office came into his head, now that had been fun.

His brain however failed to recall her after that. Usually, it took a few nights before the women got scared off by a jealous Stillwell or he got bored. This woman, however, had just vanished one day, gone without so much as a goodbye party, like she had never been there. Normally he wouldn't have cared, but now her husband was back and with a vengeance… why? He felt an itch in the back of his head. Something was fitting together, and he hated being kept in the dark, especially if it concerned him.

(Seven Tower - Main Seven Private Elevator - Same Time)

Clark and Annie were silent as the elevator slowly descended the tower. However, whilst Annie was ignorant of what Clark was thinking as he just glanced at her as she leaned with her back against the wall staring down at the floor, he could feel everything that was happening with her. Annie was trapped between disbelief, shock, and rage, the three emotions swirling around her head as each one of them tried to overpower the other.

"You knew?" Annie's voice croaked out as she looked up at Clark, her eyes glaring at her as rage won out. "You knew about Hughie? Didn't you?"

"Annie, I-I-I only just found out. I was going to te-" Clark started to try to explain, to apologise that he hadn't been strong enough to tell her when Hughie had run off.

"YOU LET ME THINK I WAS IN LOVE!" Annie suddenly exploded at Clark, her eyes watering with tears as her chest started to tighten again, her anger causing the light above them to flicker.

"Annie, no! I would never…" Clark turned to her his voice desperate as he saw rage and anger over Hughie's betrayal flood her mind and overrun her brain.

"You let me go in there blind! To be humiliated! They think I'm a gullible airheaded slut!" Annie's rage was running away from her, and in truth, she wasn't even really aware of Clark being in front of her; she was just venting. "OH, GOD! I'm such an idiot!"

"Annie you're not an idiot" Clark moved to place a hand on her shoulder only to have it shrugged off as she glared at him.

"DON'T! Just don't Clark, not again. I bet you and your girlfriend have been laughing at me all this time." Annie spat back causing Clark to freeze not knowing what to say as Annie became more vicious, as rage took full control of her. " 'oh look at that idiot Annie, can't she see this is just a game?' Well I'm DONE! Done being lied to and used! You, Vought, my mother! I AM DONE!"

The lights above them cracked as Annie's fist slammed into the control panel as the elevator opened up on the ground floor. Before Clark could say anything else his friend was already running to the door as the anger was replaced by a deep sadness that caused tears to break free. Clark stood where he was, his hand only moving when the broken elevator door tried to close, he just let out a deep sigh as he watched Annie run away.

He didn't blame her for what she had said, and in truth, he had expected her either to vent as she had just done and go off to cool down from the shock or else to break down in a pile of tears as her heart shattered. He knew she needed to be alone and that she would come back when she had worked through what she needed to. He however couldn't focus solely on Annie, however much he wished to, as his mind was racing with what he needed to do next, now that he had taken a stand placing him in between Homelander and the world.

His mind immediately went to one place only, the place that held the most important thing he had left in the world, the farm and his mother. Although it pained him to do it he was going either to move her somewhere safer like his house in LA or else he was going to need to subtly turn the farm into a fortress. He released a deep sigh as he moved through the lobby ignoring the stares and whispers of the Vought employees who had just watched Starlight run out of the building with tears in her eyes. He ignored them however as his mind also went to the other occupant on his mind…..Lois …..his head and his heart were both fighting each other and themselves over her and at the moment he had no idea what he felt. However one thing was growing clear as he walked outside and took to the skies.

He needed to find them first, before Vought and Homelander did.