tushanshu | four : write me a beacon so i know the way [text]

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four : write me a beacon so i know the way [text]

is anyone else not having all fun and games?

[60% encrypted to Lex Luthor, Clark Kent (the elder), Bruce Banner]
[Hayley turns the video on, looking less than thrilled with life. Mostly, she seems exhausted and done with this place. Still, with her usual dry curiosity, she holds up a piece of green rock (looking roughly like this) to display to the businessman, the journalist, and the scientist.]

Do you know what this is? It's totally different from everything else here.

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The mineral you're holding, the Kryptonite... it's the only thing on Earth that can hurt him. And Luthor was- he was obsessed with hurting him, back at home. Killing him even. It kind of became his goal.

Superman is here, on the turtle as well. And I didn't want to give this Lex the means to hurt him.

[She frowns, genuinely frustrated with the information.]

I know he's here, Clark. Why didn't you tell me that first? And how do you even-- [Hayley shakes her head and continues, angrier than before.]

You realize I gave it to Lex, right? Like, I can't get it back. It's too late. And now Superman might be in danger and-- oh my god, what if it hurts Jor-El too? And it's totally my fault, because I gave it to him.

[A beat.] It's your fault too, you know. If either of them get hurt. I didn't know, but you did.

[A small twitch of his lips and the corner of his eyes, the only real sign that if it wasn't Hayley saying what she just said, he'd outright be angry. But he still speaks as calmly as if nothing life-changing were really happening. It's hard to keep the Superman voice out of this situation, but he can't risk that with Hayley.

She's too smart.]

First, if Lex does end up using the Kryptonite it won't be your fault. It will be Lex's fault. You just gave him back something that was his to begin with.

Second, it's not up to me to reveal Superman's weaknesses. It never was. They are commonly known back at home, but that doesn't mean he wants to share them in this place. Even Lois didn't publish it at first, and you can't imagine the lengths she goes to get a scoop. Can't you understand the amount of trust I'm putting in you by sharing the one thing that can harm Superman?

Third, this might be a good encryption, but I wouldn't be surprised if Lex eventually managed to crack it. And fourth... [He looks away for a second, opening his mouth as he looks for the right words. Finally he looks back at the screen, back to Hayley.] I feel I'm already influencing you too much when it comes to Lex.

If he's to start afresh, me going around telling people like you what Luthor in my world did... it isn't exactly going to make things easier for him.

Edited 2013-09-09 09:11 (UTC)

[Hayley's frown deepens as she listens to him. At the end, after a beat, she shrugs it off and returns to a dismissive, sarcastic, and flippant tone.]

You're right. Telling me about Superman is totally a gesture of trust, because I can just like, walk out to the market and buy more kryptonite to go attack him with for all my plans of world domination.

[A beat.]

Don't worry about it, Clark. You're really not influencing me as much as you think you are.

[Clark just... looks at her for a moment, as if processing what she's just said. He's actually trying to hold back what he wants to say and biting the inside of his cheek.]

Are you done taking everything I say the worst possible way or will this keep going for a little longer? I know you're able to understand I didn't mean any of what I said that way.

I don't think you're even really listening to yourself.

I am. I am telling you what you asked: what the Kryptonite does, and why I was so adamant to try to keep Lex out of it. And you're acting like I personally offended you because I wanted to keep Superman's weakness a secret.

[She seems skeptical, though it's more likely an act than sincere.] I'm not offended. You want to protect an untouchable superhero after the fact, then that's cool.

Is there anything else you want to tell me now that it doesn't matter?

Hayley, it's the only thing that can harm him. The only thing. Can't you imagine how many people would want to get their hands on Kryptonite just to be able to claim they were the ones to hurt Superman?

To kill Superman?

[Hayley rolls her eyes, but her tone is more genuine when she speaks again.] It's important, I know. I'm not going to tell anyone.

But, I mean, you realize that you not wanting to tell anyone is why Lex has it now? The one guy who might actually want to hurt him?

[He makes a face] I know, and I will apologize to Superman for that one. It's just hard to draw the line on when it's worth it to share that kind of information.

Back at home it was public knowledge, along with a lot of other things about Superman. But Lex doesn't seem to know all the things Luthor did and I don't want to be the one to give him the piece of information that makes him snap into who he was back at home, if that makes sense.

Oh, it totally makes sense. You don't trust anyone here, including me. Except Lois, obviously. Which is great. You two are good together. [All her observations seem sincere, good and bad.]

So why don't you go back and update her on the situation so that maybe she can figure out what to do about it and I'll go back to doing business with Lex and pretending you're the good old American, country boy sweetheart that everyone thinks you are.

If you think telling me I trust my wife's intelligence and common sense and making fun of my heritage will be an insult to me you really don't know me as well as I thought you did, Hayley.

And I'm not going to apologize for not sharing information that could hurt a good friend of the family with a teenager I've met months ago and is already working for Lex Luthor.

It wasn't meant to be an insult. [Also said sincerely, with a hint of anger.]

If you think I'm working for Lex.. [She shakes her head, clearly upset about that, but jumps to a different thought.] Obviously I don't know you and you don't know me.. so we should just stop playing friends and go our separate ways, okay?

[Later he will see how she could have been sincere about it. Right now he's a bit too miffed and frustrated at himself, his whole focus is going into avoiding lashing out.]

I'm not going anywhere, you know where to find me whenever you're ready to put this behind us. I do trust you, Hayley. I wouldn't have told you what I just did if I didn't.

I just can't share sensitive information like that one so easily.

Bye, Clark.

[And she disconnects.]

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four : write me a beacon so i know the way [text]

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