Superman: Dawnbreaker (DC Icons #4)(60)

On the outside, his everyday, ordinary self. Clark Kent.

But beneath this earthly, constructed persona lived something more primal, something closer to the truth. And the suit seemed to free that side of his nature.

Maybe the trick was learning how and when to pass from one to the other.

Maybe this was his way forward.



* * *



—

The sun was just beginning to set by the time Clark made it to downtown Smallville. In front of the new Mankins facility, workers were constructing a large temporary stage with two big screens, one on either side. He assumed the screens would broadcast the feed so everyone would be able to see. He couldn’t remember the last time a Smallville event had required such a grand setup.

The streets were littered with flyers advertising the next day’s festival. Clark picked one up and read about the elaborately planned celebration. There would be dozens of food trucks in the morning and live entertainment in the evening, all of it entirely free to the public. The mayor was going to kick the whole thing off with a big public address.

Clark folded up the flyer, shoved it into his pocket, and continued toward the library. He didn’t even have to climb the steps, though. Lex’s car was idling near the far sidewalk. Lana hopped out and folded the passenger’s seat up for him. “Hey, look, it’s my long-lost friend. Where have you been, Clark?”

He averted his eyes. “I had to deal with something sort of…personal. Long story.”

“Well, get in,” she said. “I have a little surprise for you.”

As Clark went to climb in, he saw Gloria sitting in one of the two back seats and froze. “Gloria?”

She waved. “Hey, Clark.”

Lana and Lex laughed.

“Hey.” Clark climbed in, checking to make sure his suit wasn’t visible underneath his clothes. “Not a bad surprise,” he said, touching her hand.

“Told you,” Lana said, getting in after Clark. “So, you guys ready to break this thing wide open?”

Before anyone could respond, Lex peeled out onto the road.

As they merged onto the highway, Clark leaned over to Gloria. “How’d you—?”

“Lana called me this morning,” Gloria said. “She filled me in on the plan and asked if I was free. I dropped everything. This is all that matters to me now.”

“I assumed you’d be good with it, Clark,” Lana said.

“Of course. Yeah.” Clark shot Gloria a look, thinking of their night ice-skating. She smiled a bit and shook her head discreetly, and Clark could tell they were on the same page. She hadn’t mentioned anything to Lana. The magical experience would stay between them.

Clark looked toward the front of the car, ready to switch mind-sets. He’d taken up enough time worrying about himself. Now it was time to focus on Smallville. “No Bryan?” he asked.

“I tried calling him, like, ten times,” Lana said, “but he never answered. And he never called me back.”

The only thing that surprised Clark about this was that Lex didn’t say anything. “Lex?” Clark pressed. “Any word on Bryan?”

“He’s a big boy,” Lex said. “If he doesn’t want to help, that’s his problem.”

Clark decided to worry about Bryan later. “Okay, somebody catch me up.”

“This is a recon mission,” Lex said from the driver’s seat. “Lana told me about the last time you guys went out to the Joneses’ farm. And I happen to know things have progressed.”

Clark nodded.

“Lex brought hidden cameras,” Lana said. “And all sorts of other high-end surveillance equipment.” She held up an overstuffed backpack to prove it.

“Really?” Clark tried to figure out why Lex was being so helpful all of a sudden. Was it because of their experience at the Wesco research lab? It definitely wasn’t out of the goodness of his heart. Clark had known Lex only a short time, but he was certain the guy would never be motivated by pure altruism. “So, what’s in it for you, Lex?”

Lex didn’t answer right away.

Clark and Gloria shared a look. He realized he’d have to fill her in about Lex later on.

“I have my reasons,” Lex finally said as his fancy sports car blasted down a narrow road, headed in the general direction of the Jones farm.

Clark noted that they weren’t taking the usual route to get there, instead angling toward the back of the farm this time.

“Check these out.” Lana held up a pair of black-framed glasses. “Apparently, there’s a small camera inside the lens.”

Clark took the glasses and looked them over. At first glance they seemed pretty ordinary, aside from the thick frame. But when he looked more closely, he saw a little camera lens in the upper right corner. “So, we’re going to record what we see.”

Lex made eye contact with him in the rearview mirror. “There’s a switch on the side. Once it’s turned on, the signal goes directly to my cloud database.”

“The trick is to get close enough so that the footage is clear,” Lana said. “I’ve been messing with them, and you can’t really zoom in or out.”

“What are you guys planning to do with the footage?” Gloria asked.

“If they’re doing what I think they’re doing,” Lex said, “I’ll have proof on my computer.”