[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/kfm8zo5.png[/img][/center] [hr] [center][i]THE FOLLOWING PROGRAM IS BROUGHT TO YOU IN LIVING COLOR, ON NBC.[/i][/center] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/Fv745pz.gif[/img][/center] [color=SandyBrown]"This is Laurence Spivak, inviting you to [i]Meet the Press.[/i] My fellow panelists this evening are the esteemed anchor from WGBS, Mr. G. Gordon Godfrey...."[/color] [color=Turquoise]"Good evening, Laurence, and good evening, America."[/color] [color=SandyBrown]"....and Pulitzer Prize winning reporter for the [i]Daily Planet,[/i] Lois Lane-Kent."[/color] [color=Violet]"A pleasure, Laurence."[/color] [color=SandyBrown]"Our guest this evening is one of the most controversial figures in American history. A former criminal and self-avowed "super-villain," and an outspoken critic of both Superman in particular and the growing superhuman community at large, best-selling author and Chief Executive Officer of LexCo Industries, Mr. Lex Luthor."[/color] [color=Lime]"Thank you, it's good to see you again, Laurence, Gordon. And it's [i]always[/i] a pleasure to see [i]you[/i], Miss Lane."[/color] [color=Violet]"[i]Missus.[/i] Lane. [i]Kent.[/i]"[/color] [color=Lime]"If you insist."[/color] [color=SandyBrown]"Now now, I know you two have some personal history, but let's maintain some decorum."[/color] [color=Turquoise]"Indeed. Now, Mister Luthor, you've written several books that have been the cause of a great deal of controversy over the years. [i]Fire to the People,[/i] [i]The World in a Bottle,[/i] and [i]Truth to Power[/i] have all been met with both praise and scorn. Some would call your works powerful condemnations of the status quo--"[/color] [color=Violet]"And [i]some[/i] would call them the narcissistic sermonizing of a bloodthirsty megalomaniac."[/color] [color=SandyBrown]"Missus Kent, please--"[/color] [color=Lime]"Oh, it's quite all right, Laurence. Miss Lane and I have gone back and forth plenty of times, and--"[/color] [color=Violet]"I told you, it's--"[/color] [color=Lime]"[i]annnnd[/i] I've learned to take her jabs and snipes as all part of due course. Frankly, if she [i]wasn't[/i] insulting me, I'd have to wonder what was wrong. Now then, Mr. Godfrey, I believe you had a question?"[/color] [color=Turquoise]"Indeed I do. In your latest book, [i]The Problem of Evil[/i], you point out several 'inspirational figures,' which include Atilla the Hun, Genghis Khan, Francisco Pizarro, even Adolf Hitler and Josef Stalin. How can you justify telling the average American that [i]these[/i] people are who they should emulate?"[/color] [color=Lime]"Well, Gordon, you have to understand that the very nature of these men is what set them apart from the average John and Mary Q. Public. Most would consider their deeds....disasteful, to say the least--"[/color] [color=Violet]"Hmph. Only Lex Luthor could describe mass-murdering butchers as 'distasteful.'"[/color] [color=SandyBrown]"Missus Kent, please--"[/color] [color=Lime]"Actually, Miss Lane's reaction is precisely what I mean. The average person responds to the actions of conquerors and dictators with revulsion and outrage. Because what they do is 'evil,' according to the tenets of modern society. We are told from birth that there is a certain way we must behave, in order to function as part of the world in which we live. We cannot indulge in certain vices, we cannot strive for our heart's desires, we must not say what we truly feel. After all, what the neighbors think?"[/color] [color=SandyBrown]"And you admire conquerors and dictators for disregarding moral standards?"[/color] [color=Lime]"Not exactly. If I were to look up to those who simply followed whatever whim or urge tugged at them, then my greatest hero would be a drunk lying in a gutter, or the long-haired degenerates along the West Coast. No, it is not merely a matter of not caring what the neighbors think. It is about having a vision, and having the power and more importantly, the [i]will[/i] to make that vision reality. These conquerors, these dictators, these 'monsters,' turned the world upside-down, because they believed whole-heartedly that they could do it, and then they made it happen. Honestly, can you think of a better role model for your own life?"[/color] [color=Violet]"One certainly comes to mind...."[/color] [hr] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/qZdQCG5.png[/img][/center] The Circum-Pacific Belt, better known as the "Ring of Fire," is a path along the Pacific Ocean containing most of the world's active volcanoes. Plate tectonics create an unusually high concentration of earthquakes and volcanic activity in this area, jeopardizing millions of lives in coastal cities and island nations. Naturally, I spend a lot of time here. This one is a fairly powerful eruption, on one of the smaller islands that make up Indonesia. Only a few thousand people live here, in a small fishing village by the looks of it, but it doesn't matter if it's a small village or a big city-- lives are in danger, which means I'm on the job. It looks like there are already rescue boats not too far from the shore, and most of the villagers are crowded onto the beach, waiting to be ferried to safety. Still, not everyone is so lucky. [color=Goldenrod]""[/color] [color=Tan]""[/color] I focus my vision close in to the island, and see two kids, stranded on the roof of a burning house. Lava is already flowing down the dirt road in front of them, swallowing up the buildings around them. I don't see anyone else in the surrounding area-- either their parents ran to the beach without them, or they didn't make it. There's a crunch, the sound of splintering wood as the house begins to collapse. The roof caves in. Embers fly, and the flames roar. The house is swallowed by the torrent of molten rock.... [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/vSNDzYn.png[/img][/center] ....and I deliver the kids safely on the beach. [color=Goldenrod]"<...th--thank you,>"[/color] one of them stammers. [color=RoyalBlue]""[/color] I say with a reassuring smile. [color=Tan]""[/color] [color=RoyalBlue]"<....I'm sorry....>"[/color] is all I can say. Twenty years ago-- hell, even ten years ago-- I would have been able to cross the distance between Metropolis and Indonesia before you could blink, and still have enough left in me to tidy everything up before anyone even realized I was there. Now, though, I'm struggling. It took me almost ten minutes, and I had to catch my breath before I could start working. There's another rumble from the volcano, and people begin to scream. No time to feel sorry for myself. There's still a job to do. [hr] [color=Lime]"Obviously, he means well, or at the very least he's convinced himself that he does. But he's spent thirty years putting out fires, pulling cats out of trees--"[/color] [color=Violet]"--stopping world-threatening disasters, saving millions of lives--"[/color] [color=Lime]"--and what has it gotten him? Is he any better off than he was in '38? Everyone likes to believe that Superman lives in some grand castle, some mythical fortress when he's not punching out robots or bench-pressing skyscrapers, but for all we know, he could live alone in some flea-bitten apartment in Suicide Slum. He hasn't earned a penny for years of impossibly hard work, and everyone considers him a 'hero' for it. But the novelty has worn off, hasn't it? His influence, his social profile, hasn't grown in years. If anything, it's on a downward trend. He'll spend the rest of his life spinning his proverbial wheels, chasing one emergency after another, carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders--sometimes literally-- and at the end of it all he'll have nothing to show for it."[/color] [hr] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/dxdLoEj.png[/img][/center] [color=RoyalBlue]"Everyone stay back!"[/color] I shout to the crowd of panicked islanders as I plunge the enormous boulder into the channel of molten lava. [color=RoyalBlue]"I'm going to dig a channel, see if I can redirect the lava flow into the ocean! Get to the--"[/color] [b][i]KA-BOOOOOOMMM!!!!!![/i][/b] The volcano's top blows again, spewing up gouts of molten rock, raining fiery debris down across the island, and belching toxic smoke into the air. If I don't do something quick, the whole island and everyone on it will go up in flames. [color=RoyalBlue]"Okay,"[/color] I say to myself as I grit my teeth. [color=RoyalBlue]"Playing defense isn't working here. Let's try going on the offensive."[/color] I speed towards the volcano with my fists clenched hard, and spear into the hard rock. [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/h2iGied.png[/img][/center] Drill holes through the crust and into the main shaft, that's the plan. Create vents for the gas and magma to seep out, prevent more pressure from building up. As solid rock shatters and gives way for me, I feel something else beyond the stone scraping against my skin. A thin film of moisture, beading up across my forehead and stinging my eyes. [i]Sweat.[/i] I'm actually sweating. I've handled volcanoes before. And hurricanes, and earthquakes, tornadoes, plane crashes, runaway trains, nuclear meltdowns, you name it. And it's always just been a matter of course, all in a day's work. The only time I've found myself sweating or struggling for breath is either when I've been poisoned by Kryptonite, or when I'm being pushed to my very limits. But there isn't a hint of that awful green rock anywhere around. And General Zod, Bizarro, Brainiac, [i]those[/i] are the threats that push my to my limits. Not something as routine as a volcano, right? Focus, Clark, these people need your help. You've still got it in you. All you have to do is-- [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/rGmBWl5l.png[/img][/center] I strike a pocket of magma, and a wave of liquid-hot earth washes over me. Some people think Kryptonite is the only thing that can hurt me. That's not entirely true-- Kryptonite may be the only thing that can [i]kill[/i] me. But there are plenty of things that hurt. And being submerged in two-thousand-degree heat hurts an awful lot. I tumble head-over-heels inside the inferno. I can't tell which way is up. I can't breathe. I can't see anything but burning orange light. Come on, Clark. You've still got this. You've still got this. You've still-- [hr] [color=Lime]"I'm not saying he's foolish for doing what he does. I'm saying he can do anything he wishes, have anything he desires, and yet he doesn't. Because he isn't honest with himself about what he wants. Men like Khan, like Alexander and Atilla, like Hitler and Stalin and Mao, [i]they[/i] are honest about what they want. And so am I."[/color] [color=Turquoise]"And what, exactly, is it that you want?"[/color] [color=Lime]"The same thing everyone wants, if we're all being truthful. I want to rule the world."[/color] [color=Violet]"Hah! Good luck with that, Lex. Nobody's going to fall for someone as transparently evil as you."[/color] [color=Lime]"Oh? Let me ask you, Miss Lane--"[/color] [color=Violet]"For the last time, it's Missus--"[/color] [color=Lime]"Yes, yes, so you keep claiming. But let me ask you: do you think the Nazis put some sort of magic spell over the German people? They [i]knew[/i] Hitler and his ilk would start a war that would kill countless people, and they welcomed them into power with open arms. The communists in Russia, China, Korea, and all over the world rule over their people with iron fists, their primary levers of state power are the gulag and the firing squad, and yet there are people in the so-called 'Free World' who want that very same system implemented here. Even now, we uphold a status quo that victimizes whole swaths of people based on their skin color or their sex, and we celebrate sending thousands of young men overseas to slaughter a weaker nation that poses no threat to our global hegemony, because we benefit from it. My own company makes millions, not just from lucrative military contracts, but from home appliances and electronics that you can buy at your corner store, and the general public [i]knows[/i] that I'm, as your caped old-flame has so eloquently put it, a 'diseased maniac.' I think you'll find that the average person has far more of a stomach for evil than you would care to admit."[/color] [color=SandyBrown]"And this is why you think people will allow you to 'rule the world,' as you say? Because you think people will benefit from it?"[/color] [color=Lime]"To be frank, whether people [i]allow[/i] me to rule them isn't really a factor. And I make no claim that anyone but myself will benefit. And that's the point, the true problem of evil in the world. It isn't honest with itself. The Nazis, the Marxists, the Klan, the flag-waving imperialists, all hold onto the illusion that their evil deeds are for the greater good. I hold no such illusions anymore. I don't claim I want to rule the world because you'll be better with me in charge. I want to rule the world because I want to rule the world. Simple as that. I have a goal, and I have the will to make it happen."[/color] [color=Violet]"You just effectively declared you intend to overthrow the United States government, on live television. What's to stop them from putting you behind bars right now?"[/color] [color=Lime]"While I'm sure the image of me rotting away in a prison cell brings you no end of joy, I've never said I would overthrow anything. There are plenty of ways to rule the world without ousting anyone from their positions of imagined power. Politics are only one route among many to achieve power, you see. And the more people realize that, the more they can benefit from it. With enough ambition and enough willpower, anyone can rule the world."[/color] [color=Violet]"And what makes you think anyone will buy into this gospel of egotism you've concocted? You might dismiss what Superman stands for, but he's not the only one out there fighting the good fight."[/color] [color=Lime]"Oh, I don't dismiss Superman, even if I oppose him. But just look into the halls of power-- the Capitol, the Kremlin, Downing Street, Wall Street, Beijing, anywhere you like. How many Boy Scouts and selfless do-gooders do you see there? After three decades of 'fighting the good fight,' as you say, it seems to me that when it comes to making an actual difference in the world, there are still far more people like [i]me[/i] than there are people like [i]him.[/i]"[/color] [hr] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/wWzlv7Cl.png[/img][/center] I tumble endlessly through fire and pain. There's no surface to push off of, no ceiling to break through. Even with my eyes closed, I can see searing orange light. How long has it been? A few seconds? Minutes? Hours? I can't tell. It feels like it just happened, but at the same time feels like I've been in this pit forever. All those people. They were counting on me. They're burning now. Because I failed them. Because I couldn't-- Suddenly, I feel something grab me by the scruff of my neck and pull me hard. A second later, a rush of cool night air-- well, 'cool' by comparison-- washes over me. I fall to my knees, and I begin coughing up the liquid agony that had filled my lungs. [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/ONND7dtl.png[/img][/center] [color=RoyalBlue]"[i]BLEEEEAAAAAAGGGHHHH![/i]"[/color] I retch, emptying first my lungs, then my stomach, spewing hot lava onto the sands of the beach. [color=RoyalBlue]"....oh God....."[/color] I take a few moments to catch my breath. I don't dare open my eyes-- I don't want to see what the volcano has done to the poor villagers. [color=RoyalBlue]"Oh God,"[/color] I say again between ragged gasps. [color=RoyalBlue]"All those people. I tried.....I tried to save them.....they're--"[/color] [color=SkyBlue]"They're fine, Kal."[/color] At hearing a familiar voice, I open my eyes. [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/kcZiiZtl.jpg[/img][/center] [color=SkyBlue]"I was able to get them all onto the rescue boats. They're safe now."[/color] [color=RoyalBlue]"...Kara?"[/color] I say as I struggle to my feet, and rub bits of cooling gravel out of my eyes. [color=RoyalBlue]"And the volcano, did you--"[/color] [color=SkyBlue]"I dug trenches around the village to save what was left of it,"[/color] she says confidently. [color=SkyBlue]"And I drilled some vents into the mountain itself. Or rather, I picked up where you left off on doing those-- I don't know if I would have thought of that myself."[/color] My cousin Kara's been on the job for three years now, and while she's done some exemplary work as 'Supergirl,' she's still learning. I have to admit, though, she's got spirit, and potential. I couldn't do half of what she can do when I was her age. [color=RoyalBlue]"Good.....good work,"[/color] I manage, before falling back onto my backside. Kara sits down beside me, and her smile softens. [color=SkyBlue]"Rough day?"[/color] [color=RoyalBlue]".....you could say that,"[/color] I say with a weak chuckle. [color=SkyBlue]"Well, I'm glad I was able to follow your lead,"[/color] she says with a pat on the shoulder. [color=SkyBlue]"I know Lois's interview with Luthor is almost over, so I'll bet she's had a rough time too. I can handle the clean-up from here if you want to take the rest of the night off."[/color] I sit up, a bit of indignation on my face. [color=RoyalBlue]"Superman doesn't take nights off,"[/color] I tell her, trying to straighten up as best as I can. [color=SkyBlue]"Call it a training exercise, then,"[/color] she says, [color=SkyBlue]"I haven't had a chance to patrol solo yet; let me take care of things for a while so you and Lois can unwind. And if things get hairy, you can always show up and bail [i]me[/i] out."[/color] I mull it over for a moment. I can't let people down, sit around while lives are in danger. It's not what Ma and Pa would have wanted. It's not what Jor-El would have wanted. And it's not what I want. Then I feel my muscles aching, my back and neck going stiff, and my skin still smarting from exposure to the lava. [color=RoyalBlue]".....a training exercise,"[/color] I say with a sigh. [color=RoyalBlue]"Sure. Let's....let's see how you handle things. You know where the key to the Fortress is. If you need anything, I'll....I'll be there."[/color] She smiles, and with that, we both take to the skies and go our separate ways. Kara starts flying west towards Japan and Eastern Asia. I start heading East, back towards the States, towards Metropolis and home. It's been a rough day. And I hate to say it, but I've been having these rough days more often. Maybe a night off is just what I need.