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Volume 2: Issue 1

My name is Clark Kent. It's not the name I was born with. It's the name I was given by my parents, by the wonderful people who raised me. The name I was given at birth was Kal-El, one of the few bits of knowledge I possess from the dead world where I was born. Days like today… These are the days that make me glad for the world I live in. The world I call home. The world that gave me a third name.

The Man of Tomorrow #1
“A New Day”
By Tony Thornley

Clark smiled at the pretentious moniker that the woman he loved had given him all those years ago. Superman. It was almost silly, but it embodied everything he embodied. It was what made him, Clark Kent, all the more human. To the world he loved and defended, he was Superman. To the people that he loved and cared for, he was Clark Kent, and that was possible because of the first.

“Earth to Smallville,” a soft voice said below him. “You just walked past the elevator.” Clark looked down at Lois Lane-Kent and the small blanketed bundle in her arms. He chuckled.

“Sorry,” he said. He turned the wheelchair, trying not to hit any of the busy staff of Metropolis General, and stepped back towards the elevator. Lois started to stand and press the call button, but Clark set a soft hand on her shoulder, then pressed the button himself.

“Clark,” Lois said.

“Only until we're out of the hospital,” he said. “Then you can stand back up.” Lois sighed and rolled her eyes.

“Whatever Smallville,” she said. She smiled, then pulled the blanket back. The angelic face of their newborn girl smiled back at her. She cooed as she saw her mother and reached out to her. Lois smiled and placed her finger in the infant's tiny grip.

“She has your smile,” Clark said.

“And your grip,” Lois teased. The elevator chimed, and then the door slid open. Clark pushed the chair inside and pressed the button for the lobby. He turned Lois around as the doors slid shut and gave the other occupants of the elevator a nod. A red headed nurse leaned past Clark to look at his daughter. He smiled proudly.

“So, are you… on call?” Lois asked. Clark smiled.

“No,” he said. “Everyone has things covered. We have the day to ourselves.”

“So is Conner back in town?”

“Today only,” Clark said. A cell phone rang in the back of the elevator, and the owner pulled it out of his pocket. He greeted the caller, and then after a moment began angrily spewing expletives. The infant began to cry softly. Clark gritted his teeth and chewed his lip for a moment. He gripped the handles of the wheelchair, crushing the hollow steel.

“Clark,” Lois whispered.

“I'm fine,” he whispered back. Lois looked up at her husband, then at the balding man on the phone.

“Hey buddy,” she growled. “Can it wait?” She waved a hand at the crying baby.

“No,” he said. “Why don't you just shut up?” Lois's eyebrows shot up, and the other three occupants of the elevator gasped slightly. Clark turned, a scowl on his face. The man looked at him and rolled his eyes. Clark snatched the phone and snapped it in half.

“Yes,” he said. “It can.” The rest of the elevator began chuckling, while the phone user stood there in shock. The elevator stopped and Clark turned back to his wife. He pushed her out and into the lobby. There was a camera flash, and Lois jumped slightly.

“Sorry!” exclaimed a familiar voice. Jimmy Olsen lowered his camera from where he stood a few yards out of the elevator.

“How's it look Jim?” Clark laughed.

“She's glowing,” Jimmy said as they walked up to him. He turned the camera so they could see it.

“Great,” Lois said. “Not even out the door at the hospital and the baby clichés are starting.” Both Jimmy and Clark began laughing. Clark looked up and smiled as he saw two other familiar faces. He patted Jimmy on the shoulder and crossed the lobby to the couple standing, watching them.

“Ollie, Dinah,” he said with a warm smile. Green Arrow and Black Canary echoed the smile. “Good to see you. I'm glad you came.”

“She dragged me here,” Ollie said. Dinah and Clark both laughed.

“Right,” Dinah said. “You're just a giant softy and you wanted to see the baby.” Ollie looked at Clark with a scowl.

“Okay, yeah, I want to see the kid,” he said. “I'm not the only one.” Ollie pointed his thumb over his shoulder. From the shadows emerged a figure that Clark hadn't seen in a very long time. Normally he would greet this man very warmly, but today he folded his arms and lowered his head slightly.

“Bruce,” he said.

“Clark,” Bruce Wayne said with a smile. “Congratulations!” He held his arms wide, displaying a bottle of wine in his hand. Clark didn't move.

“Thank you Bruce,” he said. The billionaire stopped and met Clark's gaze. Feeling the sudden chill in the small space, Ollie and Dinah both slipped away and hurried over to Lois.

“You been well?” Bruce asked.

“I have,” Clark replied. “Despite repeated trips to Gotham.”

“Dick has things handled Clark,” he declared. Clark raised an eyebrow.

“Dick has the big things handled,” he said. “The fear though… the fear is gone Bruce. The city needs you.” Bruce shook his head.

“Soon,” he said. “But Checkmate comes first.”

“For the first time in your life,” he said, “it's the world before Gotham. I've never heard those words cross your lips Bruce. I hope I never will again. The city needs you.”

“And I don't need a lecture,” Bruce said, his voice slipping into the familiar rasp he used while under the cowl. Clark simply raised an eyebrow. The building shook suddenly. Clark spun, his senses suddenly sharply focused. He hurried to his wife's side, followed closely by Bruce. Bruce and Ollie both raised hands to their ears. Clark could hear the Checkmate communicators buried deep in their ears, informing them of the threat outside. Bruce turned to him.

“And now the city needs you,” he said. “Go. We'll take care of them.”

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“Me am sad that me have grandpa!”

The bellow was heard across much of Metropolis. The trio hovering close to the misshapen creature known as Bizarro watched him closely, but Superboy, Power Girl and Steel didn't dare act. Bizarro held a body in his arms, and none of the three could make it out clearly.

“What's happening?” The three turned to see Superman hovering behind them. Superboy smiled.

“Hey, it's your day off,” Conner said.

“I know,” Clark replied. “Just a small detour on the way home.”

“Hope so,” Power Girl replied. Clark glanced at Karen and smiled. Their experience on Daxam had cemented their bond. Karen was just as much family as Conner and Kara were.

“What's he doing?” he growled, indicating Bizarro.

“He's going on about a grandpa,” Steel said. “He has a hostage.”

“A senior citizen,” Clark said. “I can't make out a heartbeat.”

“He killed him?” Conner asked.

“Maybe,” Clark replied. “Let me talk to him.”

“He's all yours,” Power Girl said. Clark nodded and flew ahead of his allies.

“Shhhhh,” Bizarro hushed as Superman drew close to him. “Nothing will be good very long.” Clark frowned.

“Bizarro,” he said. “That is a very lovely… grandpa.” He looked up at Clark and smiled.

“No, he am not,” he said. “He am very ugly. Me hate him.” Superman held his arm out. He scanned the old man very quickly with his X-ray vision. He was alive, but Bizarro had crushed his ribs, causing numerous internal injuries. He needed to act quickly to rescue him and get him to the hospital.

“Can I hold him?” With his free hand he motioned the trio behind him forward. Bizarro looked up and smiled.

“No,” he said. He held the old man out and Clark took him carefully. He turned him in his arms. He looked up at Superman with a groan, then smiled.

“Thank you,” he gasped.

“Of course,” Clark whispered. “What's your name?”

“Harold Guy,” he whispered.

“It's going to be okay very soon Harold,” he replied. He glanced over his shoulder. Superboy, Power Girl and Steel were only feet away. They would give him the seconds he needed. He turned as if to show the old man in his arms to his allies, and then rocketed away. In less than a second, he was standing in Metro General's emergency room.

“I need a gurney!” he cried. A doctor and a pair of nurses rushed towards him. He set Harold on the gurney carefully and glanced at the doctor, reading his name tag- Dorian Perry.

“Dorian, his collar bone, third and fourth ribs and tenth ribs are all broken,” he said. “It looks like the third rib has already punctured his left lung, and the tenth rib is dangerously close to his kidneys.”

“Thanks Superman,” the doctor replied. “We'll take it from here.”

“I'll be back to check on him soon,” he said. He spun and was out the door. He rocketed back through Metropolis. He heard Bizarro's bellow a millisecond after he was out of the hospital. He could feel the concussions of his blows as he pummeled Power Girl, then Superboy, three-quarters of a second later. He heard a sharp intake of breath and the slight groan of Superboy's collarbone as Bizarro struck him directly, a quarter second later. Another quarter second later, Bizarro inhaled deeply. Superman slammed into Bizarro a millisecond later, before the twisted creature could exhale his flame breath at the trio.

Windows shattered in Superman's wake as he ripped Bizarro away from his friends and over the harbor. He backhanded Bizarro, then blasted him with his heat vision. Bizarro spun away, then steadied himself.

“You stole my grandpa!” Bizarro bellowed a moment. “Now me am very happy!” Superman scowled and clenched his fist.

“You hurt him,” he said. “We're just getting him help. He's okay. Please calm down.”

“Me am very calm now!” Bizarro bellowed. “Very calm!” Clark flew forward quickly, arms extended. There was no reasoning with Bizarro. Both of his fists met his chin with a massive thunderclap. Bizarro blinked for several seconds, and then his eyes rolled back into his head. He fell towards the water unconscious. Clark caught him quickly and flew back towards where his allies waited. He lowered the unconscious creature to the street as they joined him.

“Nice job Big Blue,” Superboy said.

“We'll take care of him from here,” Steel said. “I've already spoken with STARLabs. They have a sample of blue-hued Kryptonite and facilities to hold him.” John Henry stepped to Clark's side and placed a hand on his shoulder. “You have other things to take care of today.” Clark smiled and nodded.

“Thanks.” And he was gone.

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Dusk had fallen over Metropolis as Lois and Clark said goodbye to the last of their friends. Ollie and Dinah had bought them dinner, and invited a few faces they hadn't seen in some time- Hal, Zatanna, and Arthur. Martha Kent had arrived a few hours before and shared dinner with the assembled heroes, but went to bed shortly after dinner. Hal was the second-to-last to leave, and Clark closed the door behind him, then turned to their final guest- Zatanna.

The magician stood over the baby's crib, whispering softly, while Lois stood by, watching her daughter inside. Ollie had made the crib by hand and Hal and Arthur had both bought bedding. Clark noticed the bars of the crib glow for a moment, a set of arcane symbols that appeared and disappeared quickly. He stepped to his friend's side and set a hand on her shoulder.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“A ward of protection,” she replied. “A simple gift. Anyone wishing to do harm to you or your wife will be unable to harm the child. It will last for several years, until the point I assume she'll be able to care for herself.”

“Thank you Zee,” he said. “I appreciate that.” He meant it sincerely. Magic usually left a pit in his stomach, but with Zatanna, he felt more secure.

“You're welcome,” she said. “No one ever asked- what's her name?”

“Chloe,” Lois said. “Chloe Martha Kent.” Zatanna smiled.

“It's a beautiful name,” she said. She leaned over and kissed Chloe softly on the head. “Blessings upon you Chloe.” She stood straight and smiled.

“I need to be off,” she said. “Thank you for allowing me into your home.”

“You're always welcome Zee,” Clark said. “We'll be seeing you soon.”

“Most definitely.” Zatanna stepped back from the crib. She gave them each a nod and leaned her head back.

“Emoh,” she whispered and vanished in a flash of light. Lois sighed with a smile and stepped over to her husband. She wrapped her arm around his waist, and hugged him.

“Long day,” she whispered. “Thank goodness we're alone.”

“Not quite,” Clark said. He nodded towards the bedroom as Batman stepped through the door. He sat a small folder on an end table near where he stood.

“What's that?” Lois asked.

“There's a money market account in her name in Greater Metropolis Federal Credit Union,” he said. “This is the documentation. The current balance is fifteen thousand dollars. I'll add a thousand annually until she's eighteen.” Lois and Clark both opened their mouths to thank Bruce, but he continued on. “I've gone over the events that went on with Bizarro. Clark, he has some kind of psychic link with you. Somehow he knew that you had a child, so in his own twisted way-“

“He took one of his own,” Clark growled. “Damn.”

“It's a dangerous ability, and I'm going to look into how he developed it,” Batman continued. “For now, be careful.”

“I will. Thank you Bruce.” Batman strode to the balcony. A slight smile formed on his face.

“You're welcome. She's beautiful.” Then he was gone.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Clark woke up in the middle of the night. A familiar trio of tones rang through the apartment. He rubbed his eyes and sat up.

“Dammit,” he whispered. It was a Justice League alert, and from the tempo of the tone, it was urgent.

“Wuuzat?” Lois muttered.

“My League communicator,” Clark said. “Whatever it is, it's urgent.” He leaned over and kissed Lois softly. “I should be back soon.” He stood and dressed quickly. He walked out of their room, to the balcony and flew into the sky. He rocketed through the night sky and descended into Gotham. He entered the hidden elevator leading to the hidden former base of the Outsiders. He found the location of the meeting odd, but he assumed that was partly Bruce's doing.

The elevator opened to reveal the Outsiders' base. Power Girl turned and smiled at Clark as he entered the base. She stepped back from the crowd to join him.

“Glad I'm not the only one this thing woke up,” she said. “You have any idea what they've gathered us for?” Clark looked around the room, counting heads. Everyone he'd known who had ever been a Leaguer, and even a few he didn't, was gathered in the small space.

“I have no idea,” he said. “Whatever it is, it's big.” The duo walked forward. Clark noticed Aquaman, Zatanna, Jason Blood and Ralph Dibny gathered around a man he didn't recognize. Arthur stepped up onto a make-shift dais.

“Everyone, please, can you quiet down?” The assembled Leaguers quieted and directed their attention to Aquaman. Clark stepped to the front of the assembled group, alongside Bruce and Dick Grayson.

“Thank you,” Arthur said. He held his watery hand out to the newcomer. “This is Walker Gabriel. He's a time traveler, and he's here with dire news.” Walker stepped onto the dais as Arthur stepped down.

“My name is Walker Gabriel. I've come from the future to stop potentially the biggest threat this world has ever faced. Solaris the Tyrant Sun is coming to Earth.” Clark inhaled softly. Walker went on to describe the danger that he saw in his time travels.* Arthur stood after Walker concluded his speech.

“I know you all have your reasons,” said Aquaman. “But right now, those reasons mean nothing. The Justice League is needed…you are needed.”

Superman stepped forward first. “No more needs be said.”

The League was needed again.

*See Justice League #12 for Walker's story.- Tony

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In Superman: The Man of Tomorrow #2: Solaris Strikes! Clark Kent faces the deadly super-computer fated to become his deadliest enemy, as well as one of Solaris' most powerful minions- the Cyborg Superman!