Superman: Soldier [DC Antiverse]

Sacrifice

I don't know what to do. I am about to die at the hands of Lex Luthor. I close my eyes as he is about to swing. Suddenly I hear a blast. I look up and see Lex knocked against the wall. I turn and look to see John standing at the doorway. He walks up to me and holds out his hand. I grab it and he pulls me up.

"Looks like I got here just in time."

"Let's finish this!"

We turn towards Lex who recovers to his feet.

"You think I am alone? Think again!"

A man bursts through a wall. He is middle-aged and bearded.

"Meet Vandal Savage! Or as you like to call him "the Savage One!""

"You take Lex! I will handle Savage!" John yells.

I fly at Lex again and grab him by the collar of his suit. I fly out of the facility and punch him to ground in front of the facility. I fly down on him trying to collide my fist with his head but he dodges. He blasts me with kryptonite energy again. This time it actually hurts. I collapse to the ground pinned down by the blast. I feel my life and strength being stripped away. I watch as John is getting pummeled by Savage and thrown out of the facility.

"JOHHHNNN!!!" I yell out.

I stare at Lex with anger in my eyes but I cannot move. He finally stops blasting when his suit alerts him of power shortage. He grabs me by my neck and aims his dagger and prepares to throw it.

"Say goodbye, Superman!"

He throws it at me and I am too weak to move. John jumps in front of me and is impaled in the heart. I fall to my knees in sadness and rage. I crawl towards him.

"John! John! It will be alright! Please?! Just stay with me!"

John looks at me with a weak smile.

"It's alright, Clark. I am at peace now. I can see them calling to me. It's time for me to join them."

He turns his head as his life leaves him. I look in the sky and my eyes turn red.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!" I scream at the top of my lungs.

"Look what you have done, Superman! You killed your best friend!"

I clench my fists and stare at Lex dead in the eyes.

"I am going to f***ing end you, you selfish, diseased piece of s***!" I yell.

I charge at him and punch him in the face as hard as possible. He falls to the ground and then I grab his head and knee him in the face. I stare at his eyes and my eyes turn red.

"Goodbye, Lex."

I wrap my two hands around his head and begin crushing his skull. I hear a loud crack and I release his head from my grip. I toss his lifeless body to the side. I look around for Savage but I don't see him in sight. I walk to John's body and carry it in my arms. I fly back to the military base and hand the body to the medics. I walk up to Hamilton and Lane who put their hands on my shoulders. We hold a funeral for John in front of our base. I get up on the stage and face the small audience paying their respects.

"Words cannot describe the type of man who John was but I will try. He possessed courage, bravery, and humility that far surpassed mine. He inspired me to keep fighting and be the hero that he knew I could become. I may have been seen as a hero by him but in my eyes he was the real hero. He was the true superman. May he be at peace with his wife and daughter."

I get off the stage to find Lois waiting for me. She hugs me and tells me that it will be alright. I hug her back and start sobbing in her arms.

"I should have saved him," I cry out.

I sit in the audience with Lois as the funeral proceeds.