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*****
"Clark!"
As Clark stepped out of the restroom, Lois, who had been waiting nearby, waved excitedly. Her fair face flushed with enthusiasm.
"You really missed an amazing scene!"
Lois shook her camera cheerfully. "Luckily, I caught it all on film."
"Caught what?" Clark asked curiously, a barely noticeable smile flashing in his eyes.
Lois grabbed her camera and showed Clark the photos she had just taken.
"After you went to the restroom, an unexpected fight broke out. A mysterious figure appeared. Look…"
There were many photos—photos of Iron Man, of Iron Man in battle, and of him.
Lois and Clark walked along, looking through the pictures together.
"There are two photos I really like," Lois said with a smile.
The first one showed Clark, suited up, quietly hovering in the air, bathed in sunlight.
Clark glanced at it, visibly pleased.
It looked impressive.
Even in a still photo, his cape seemed to flutter as if caught in a breeze.
The second was a picture of him holding Iron Man in his arms.
Clark's mouth twitched.
Could they maybe not keep that one?
He had a strong urge to snatch the camera and delete the image.
But Lois looked at the photo with a satisfied nod, her eyes sparkling. "Actually, I like this one even more."
Clark: "…"
Lois laughed and handed the camera to Clark. "You better save these properly. This is huge news."
"Uh, okay."
"Who was that person, anyway?"
Lois replayed the scene in her head and sighed. "I hope he's a good guy. The world really needs someone like him."
Does the world need someone like that?
Clark's eyes flickered slightly. With a smile, he said, "Then he must be a good guy."
Lois rolled her eyes. "You're such an optimist."
"Heh heh!"
Clark scratched his head with a grin. "So, when are we heading back?"
"Let's book the tickets now!" Lois's eyes lit up. "We need to hurry! Also, we'd better finish the article on the plane!"
…
Meanwhile, in New York—
Inside a secret Hammer Industries lab…
Ivan Vanko was tuning his battle suit.
Rough. Savage.
If Tony Stark's suit could be likened to a cheetah, his was a grizzly bear.
He attached a long whip to the armor, a toothpick clenched between his teeth, his scarred face twisted into a mocking grin.
Mocking Tony Stark, who was about to lose everything. Mocking Justin Hammer, the fool.
In his plan, Tony Stark would kneel before him under the watchful eye of the world, begging for forgiveness and awaiting judgment. As for Justin Hammer—he'd be the perfect scapegoat.
The true victor would be him, and him alone.
Heh.
He let out a cold chuckle, anticipation rising.
…
The Next Day, at the Kent Household
During breakfast, Mike and Clark were enjoying youtiao and fresh soy milk in relaxed comfort.
Suddenly, the door flew open. Gwen burst in holding a newspaper.
"Dad! Look! Quick!"
Gwen waved the newspaper excitedly and looked over at Clark. "Brother, is this you?"
She knew about Clark's disguise, and recognized him immediately.
Clark glanced at Mike, his eyes filled with unspoken questions.
Mike lowered his voice. "You handle it. Aside from Charles, Gwen doesn't know about your powers."
As he spoke, Mike took the newspaper and raised an eyebrow at the front-page photo.
Clark turned to Gwen, who was staring at him wide-eyed with excitement. He let out a thoughtful hum and said seriously, "Gwen, can your brother trust you?"
Without hesitation, Gwen nodded quickly.
"All right then!"
Clark nodded solemnly. "This is a family secret. You mustn't tell anyone, okay?"
Gwen nodded enthusiastically. "I, Gwen Kent, am known for keeping my mouth shut! No one can get it out of me!"
Mike gave her a sideways glance. "Yeah, unless someone offers you two pieces of candy."
"Dad!" Gwen huffed in mock annoyance.
Mike chuckled, then turned serious. "If you tell anyone, it could cause a lot of trouble for us."
"I absolutely won't tell anyone!" Gwen declared, patting her chest. "I'm the best at keeping secrets!"
"Then go ahead and tell her, Clark," Mike said casually, giving his newspaper a light shake as he took a bite of youtiao.
Clark cleared his throat. "First, to answer your earlier question—the person in the newspaper is me."
"Yoohoo!" Gwen squealed with delight, clinging to Clark's arm and hopping in place like an excited little frog. "That was so cool! That was just too cool!"
Clark reached out and placed a hand on Gwen's head, holding her still. "You've got to keep my identity a secret, okay?"
"Mm-hmm!" Gwen nodded eagerly.
"Good. There's one more thing I need to tell you."
Gwen held her breath in anticipation.
"You've met Charles before, right?"
"Mm-hmm. He's the principal of Xavier's School, and he has powers too!" Gwen said, then her face suddenly fell. "You have powers, he has powers—you all have powers!"
She turned and looked at Mike. "At least Dad doesn't have any!"
"Uh, that's actually the other thing I wanted to tell you," Clark said with a grin, lowering his voice and pointing at Mike. "Actually… Dad has powers too. He's the strongest of us all."
Gwen: "..."
Her eyes darted between Mike and Clark, then settled on Mike.
"Dad, is that true?"
"It's true."
"Ahhh!" Gwen cried, clutching her head. "Why am I the only one without powers?!"
Clark stroked his chin, mimicking the way Mike used to talk to them. "Maybe… because you were adopted?"
Gwen: (Д)ノ
Smack!
Mike whacked the back of Clark's head with one hand and casually wiped his oily fingers. "Kid, are you looking for a beating?"
Gwen, touched: "Dad!"
Clark gave a sheepish cough and said to Gwen, "I was adopted too."
Gwen: (ω)
She threw her arms around Mike. "Dad, you're the best."
Mike smiled gently. "Alright, remember—this all has to stay a secret, got it?"
"I know." Gwen nodded seriously, glanced between Mike and Clark, and then giggled into her hand before settling next to Mike to finish her breakfast.
A few moments later, having finished eating, Gwen grabbed her backpack and dashed out the door.
After she left, Clark set down his chopsticks and said seriously, "Dad, I feel like something was off about what happened at the arena the other day."
There was something strange about both the Iron Man suit and Obadiah's death.
And then there was Justin Hammer and his suit of armor…
Everything had happened way too conveniently.
(End of Chapter)