[Third person pov]
The people on the sidewalk were suspended in midair, frozen for a fraction of a second as the shockwave rolled toward them. The force tried to fling them backward, but a red-and-white blur streaked through the chaos, snatching two men by their jackets before they could be hurled away, and vanished into the distance.
"Sol, I need an estimate on the blast radius! Where can I drop people off without getting them caught in the fallout?" Clark shouted, voice sharp as he carried his passengers. His eyes narrowed as a shimmering HUD flickered to life in front of him.
"Based on the energy readings and the initial output, the immediate cut-off point will be a twenty-mile radius," Sol answered without hesitation. "However, I strongly recommend tripling that distance. Send everyone to the next town over—far enough to avoid both the explosion and the potential collateral damage from your upcoming battle with the Kaiju. We cannot predict how destructive the confrontation will be."
Clark didn't hesitate. "Agreed." He set the men down gently in the next town over, giving them a reassuring nod before taking off again.
Then he was gone—moving at speeds the human eye could never follow. The ground continued to rupture beneath the creeping detonation of energy, chunks of earth rising like slow-motion waves. Clark became a streak of color and wind, scooping entire groups of people and vanishing with them before the danger could touch them.
One man, holding a boy on his shoulders, found himself suddenly airborne as the concrete he stood on buckled and lifted. Clark plucked them both from danger in a heartbeat, reappearing several streets away before the man even realized what had happened.
Cars were yanked open, confused passengers stuffed inside and whisked to safety in seconds. The windows of houses and vehicles began to splinter, faint spiderweb cracks spreading as the approaching shockwave pressed in. Clark didn't slow—his blur darted up the sides of buildings, in and out of windows, carrying families down before they knew they were in danger.
His speed made him more rumor than man, impossible to track, impossible to comprehend.
In one home, a boy sat in front of his gaming console, headset on, oblivious to the chaos outside. Clark scooped him up mid-game, the boy still holding his controller as they vanished. In another home, a man stood in the shower, steam swirling around him.
Clark grimaced. "…Oh, great." Still, he zoomed in, using the speed to quickly place clothes around the man before whisking him away.
'I wonder if DC Superman ever had to deal with this crap,' Clark thought, teeth gritted as he accelerated.
Then he burst into another room and stopped dead in his tracks. An adult man sat at his desk, clearly… preoccupied with himself.
Clark stared for a long moment. "…"
Finally, he turned on his heel. "Maybe not everyone needs to be saved. There will be some unfortunate casualties."
"Kal-El!!" Sol's reprimanding voice echoed in his ear.
Clark groaned dramatically, throwing his head back. "Ugh! Fine!" He spun back around, muttering under his breath, "Stupid hero code. I don't get paid enough for this… Actually, I don't get paid at all."
He grabbed the chair—man and all—and zipped them to safety, his cape strategically ensuring decency.
In the next house, Clark froze in the doorway. Birds perched from the ceiling, cats lounged on scratching posts, and dogs hung in mid-bark. A full-blown pet haven.
Clark pressed a hand to his face and sighed. "Every life counts, they say…"
He zipped through the space, finding kennels for the cats and dogs, stacking them carefully while making sure each birdcage was secure. When he was done, the tower of cages nearly reached the ceiling. Their owner sat slung over his shoulder like a sack of flour.
'CW Flash, don't fail me now,' Clark thought, eyes narrowing. He closed them for a moment, drawing in a deep breath before his body began to hum. The vibration increased, every molecule in him buzzing with energy.
"Kal-El, what are you—" Sol cut herself off as Clark phased through the wall like it was smoke, carrying the massive stack of animals and their owner out into open air.
"I see," Sol said once they were clear. "You vibrated your molecules fast enough that your density matched air, allowing you to pass through solid matter without resistance. That was remarkably clever."
Clark only hummed in response, gaze fixed on the center of town. The pulsing orb of energy had swollen in size, glowing brighter with every second. Buildings closest to it had already begun to crumble, their walls peeling away as if gravity had forgotten them. The ring of the shockwave expanded further, windows across the block locked in mid-shatter, glass fragments suspended like frozen rain.
Clark pressed forward, sweat clinging stubbornly to his brow despite the frigid rush of air at his speed. Every second at this pace pulled at his muscles, drained his reserves—it was like running a marathon at the speed of sound with no finish line in sight. His lungs burned, and yet he didn't dare slow down.
He gulped in a deep breath and zigzagged through the streets, the only trace of his path were shimmering afterimages—white and red streaks bending between buildings, bouncing off reflections in glass windows, disappearing before the mind could register their passing.
He barreled into a small home where a family stood frozen, eyes wide in mid-shout. In the corner, a large fish tank sat, the water inside trembling from the creeping shockwave. Without hesitation, Clark snatched up a flask from the counter, scooped the fish into it with surprising care, and pressed it into the hands of a little girl. She stared at him like he was some impossibly vivid dream before he swept her, her family, and their pets into the safety of his arms.
Moments later, the next town over unfolded before him. Sidewalks overflowed with people, shoulder to shoulder, spilling into streets already choked with cars. A sea of faces stretched out as far as he could see—parents clinging to their children, the elderly gripping walkers, strangers holding hands without even realizing it.
Clark exhaled sharply, letting the world snap back into real-time. The deafening stillness of frozen chaos shattered instantly.
The explosion's roar reached them even at this distance, a deep, rolling boom that seemed to rattle inside their bones. The ground beneath their feet trembled, cracks whispering along the pavement. A wave of hot wind blasted through, followed by a distant cascade of plasma light staining the horizon, where entire buildings buckled in on themselves and collapsed into clouds of dust.
Screams broke out.
"Ahhh!"
"What's happening?!"
"Where am I?!"
"How did I—how is this possible?!"
The air became a storm of voices, dozens, then hundreds, all talking over each other. Overhead, the heavy thump of helicopter blades grew louder as news crews and emergency services began closing in. Fingers pointed at Superman—some with awe, others with unease—while more hands gestured toward the far-off city, now a silhouette of ruin against the firelit sky.
Clark stuck two fingers into his mouth and blew a sharp, piercing whistle that cut through the chaos like a blade. The shrill sound made people flinch, covering their ears, but it silenced the crowd all the same.
"Everyone!" His voice carried, clear and commanding. "I know you're scared. I know you don't understand what just happened. So listen carefully—allow me to explain."
The crowd quieted, though the tension in the air still hummed like static.
"A Kaiju has attacked the city," Clark said, his tone leaving no room for doubt. "Your safety was in danger, so I evacuated the entire town here—to the next settlement over—where you'll be out of the blast zone. Every one of you is safe. Your families, your neighbors—I made sure you stayed together."
The murmurs quieted into a stunned stillness. Eyes locked on him, some wet with tears from the fear, others wide with disbelief. His cape shifted behind him in the wind, a red banner against the pale sky.
"All I ask," Clark continued, "is that you remain calm and civil. Stay here. Stay safe. I will handle the Kaiju. I will reclaim your homes. And when it's over, you'll return." His voice softened just slightly. "But for now—please, leave this all to me."
He gave them one last nod before turning, shoulders coiling like a spring. In the next instant, he launched himself into the air, streaking back toward the battlefield.
From behind him, a child perched in their mother's arms cupped their hands around their mouth and yelled, "Go Superman! Wooooh!!"
Other children echoed the cheer, little voices rising in joy and hope. The adults… were quieter. Some exchanged uncertain glances, their smiles faint and thin. Fear still lingered in their eyes.
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