An SM/WW story (well, sorta) from a decidedly Christian POV. I felt compelled to write it, so I did. If you are averse to religion or Christianity, you'll probably want to skip this one. If you are Christian, well, let's just say I stretched things a bit. :)
*An Angel and A Superman* by Ronnie K
Routine patrol around the outskirts of Metropolis on a late afternoon. There were many things on Superman's mind while he flew slow circles around the city. Why had Diana done what she did? Maxwell Lord needed to be stopped, but to kill him! He couldn't wrap his mind around the concept. It was against everything he stood for. It almost felt as if
Diana had betrayed him. How could their relationship ever be the same? That simple act, committed by someone he trusted so implicitly, rocked his world. Nothing was right anymore. She had murdered someone. In cold blood.
He spotted it quickly, the man in the park just southeast of town. It was hard to miss a man on the ground staring up at you, especially when the man's eyes glowed such a deep red. A quick flight adjustment and he was heading back toward that park. From past experience, people with glowing eyes usually made for a bad day.
He landed slowly a few yards from the man, taking a moment to quickly glance around him. The park was empty. Good. Just in case things got messy, no innocents would get hurt. Good lord, when had he become so paranoid? Everything that had happened lately has knocked his internal compass askew. He wasn't sure what he knew anymore.
The Man of Steel took a cursory glance at the strange man in front of him. Well, he was strange from his viewpoint in the sky, but now...The man was rather plain. Jeans, plain white t-shirt. Very non-descript, with deep brown eyes and brown hair. No particular characteristic that would stick out. In a crowd, this guy would just blend in. Nothing to
catch your attention. Nothing but those red, glowing eyes, which were no longer in evidence. That couldn't have been an illusion, but there was no trace of anything strange in those plain brown eyes. Great, another mystery. Just what he needed now.
The man smiled. It was an infectious smile, but Superman resisted the urge to smile back. He wasn't in the mood.
“Hello, Clark.”
Those two words sent a chill down Clark's spine.
“How do you know who I am?” He demanded. “Who are you?”
“I am a messenger from The Most High God, Clark. I was sent to talk to you.” He said this matter-of-factly. Not forcefully, like he was trying to make Clark believe him. His voice wasn't strained either, as if he was about to crack. Obviously, the man believed exactly what he said.
Clark didn't know what to make of this. Was this guy insane? He didn't seem to be insane. He wasn't tense, he had no odd mannerisms, he just looked...relaxed, at ease, peaceful. Well, I guess you can't always tell which ones were the nutcases just by looking at them. Probably just someone who took his religion a bit too seriously. Remembering a time not long ago when he felt relaxed and peaceful himself, he allowed himself a moment of jealousy at this stranger. And then there were those eyes that were glowing before.
“Ah, you doubt me. I was told that would be the case. A natural reaction, I'm believe.”
“You were /told/? By whom?”
The messenger looked at him quizzically for a moment. He spoke slowly, as if to a child. “I just told you. Were you not listening?”
Clark was slowly losing his patience. “So you claim that you are an angel sent by God? To talk to me.”
This was getting to be just too much. “No more games, mister, I need you to tell me who you are and what you're doing here.” He had meant to emphasize his point using the tip of his finger against the man's chest, but found he couldn't touch him. His finger stopped an inch away, then stopped. He stared at his finger and then at the man in amazement,
momentarily forgetting his anger.
“Let me guess. Forcefield.” But then, a forcefield could be felt. Superman had felt nothing.
The man sighed and shook his head. This was taking longer than he had anticipated. But didn't He tell him when he gave this assignment that it would take some time?
This man had seen much, so it wouldn't be easy to convince him. It wasn't looking very easy at all. The Father didn't always give details for a task. He sometimes left a bit of initiative to his servants. Getting Clark to believe him was evidently something he had to work out for himself.
“Well, Clark, we have a problem. I have a message to give you, but you won't accept it until you are convinced of who I am. Any ideas on what might sway you?” He cocked his head as if listening to a voice that only he could hear. Superman strained his super-hearing, but could pick up no sounds other than a breeze in the trees. Definitely a nut. A nut with some sort of forcefield. Well, at least he wasn't overtly hostile—yet.
“We only have about a half h our before we won't be alone anymore.”
“What's that supposed to mean? You have friends coming?” This was just getting better and better.
There was that smile again. “No, Clark. Soon a mother and daughter will be coming along to enjoy the park.”
“How do you know that?”
“I was told. The Lord tells me what is important to know in order to complete my task. Most of the important things anyway.” He laughed a warm, infectious laugh. “Except how to convince you who I am, I guess. Any ideas yet?”
Clark thought a moment about what might convince him. “Okay, let's start with this: How do you know my real name?”
“He told me, of course. Didn't I just say that He told me most of what I needed to know?” He stopped again to think. His face brightened as an idea came to him.
“I'll tell you what. Try to strike me.”
“I may be frustrated with you, but I'm not going to hit you without provocation.”
Now the smile seemed to be infurating. “Go ahead. After all, I did ask you to do it, didn't I?”
Superman attempted a light tap on the chest. His fist got no farther than his finger had gotten. He tried with a bit more force. Same result. He tried again and again, harder each time, until he cocked his fist back and gave i t everything he had. Even if it was a forcefield, the blow should move the man and the field at least a little. Nothing. The man hadn't moved so much as a millimeter.
“You've been given many powers. You might as well use them too.”
It was a puzzle now. Clark was no longer angry, just intrigued. He wasn't convinced though. Heat vision had no effect, nor did freezing breath. Helluva forcefield. Couldn't see it, couldn't feel it. Green Lantern had nothing on this guy.
“Still not convinced?”
Superman shook his head. “I've seen what passes for gods.”
“Yes, you have seen many very gifted beings, some of whom actually believe they are God. I, however” he said sternly “am not God. Merely a messenger.”
The stranger sighed. “Well, I have no ideas. I'll just have to ask for guidance.” He got down on his knees, clasped his hands together, and bowed his head. “Feel free to join me, if you wish.” Superman didn't wish. He just waited.
“Heavenly Father, please give us a means to convince Clark that I am who I say I am and that You sent me. Thank You.”
“That's it?”
“Well, yes. What did you expect? God knows what we need. Sometimes He just wants us to ask for it before He gives it.”
Both men turned as a woman and a little girl walked into the park, walking in their general direction. They saw Superman and waved at him. He waved back. Superman turned back to stare hard at the man. How did he know?
“They can see you, but they can't see me. You probably don't want to speak to me right now because it will appear to them that you are talking to yourself.” The man thought this was funny and began to chuckle.
“They can't see you? Fine. Call to them.”
The man shouted in the direction of the two walkers. “Hey! Lady! Little girl! Come and talk to us!” Neither the lady or the little girl showed any sign that they had heard anything. They were taking a path not a hundred yards from Superman, walking out of sight. They had to have heard. Yet they didn't. Could it be true? No, it had to be a trick.
The man was cocking his head again, listening to that voice he seems to think he hears. This time, however, Superman could hear the voice too. Before he realized it, he found himself on his knees and staring at the ground. It was a quiet voice filled with authority. It's power shook the trees. /“Stubborn child! This is my messenger Malikai. Listen to My
message.”/
The voice was gone. A slightly shaken Superman found he could now rise and face the angel again. The angel was getting up from his knees too. His face was unperturbed, just as it had b een when they had first met. Well, there was no reason not to listen to what he had to say, was there?
“Created the world? His Son Jesus died for our sins? That God?”
The angel's face brightened measurably as he smiled and nodded to each question.
“Okay, Malikai, I'm listening. What's the message?” The words were no sooner out of his mouth than a peace fell over The Man of Steel. As if being ready to listen was the right thing to do. It was a feeling he hadn't experienced much lately and was very welcome.
Malikai pointed to a bench. “Shall we sit?” They sat, and he began to relay his message.
“Well, the message is short and will take less time than was spent convincing you. But, He lets events happen as they were meant to be whether we understand why or not.” He gave Clark a shrug and a grin that said 'What can you expect from God?'.
“Back to business. You were wondering if you could trust Diana again after what she did to Maxwell Lord.” Clark wasn't shocked at this point. He had learned to accept what was going on, even if he was still confused by it. After everything else, why should he be surprised that the angel knew what he had been thinking? Realizing that all his doubts
were gone he gave Malakai his full attention.
“What she did was not murder, despite what you think. Yes, she killed, but she had no choice as she saw it. If she did not do as she did, many innocent people would have died. She would have died. You would have eventually killed her.” He let Clark think about that for a moment.
“But that isn't the only reason she did it.”
It wasn't? That's the reason that Diana gave him, though he hadn't wanted to hear it. He tried to convince himself it was justified because he desperately wanted to believe in Diana. But he stubbornly clung to the belief that there must have been another way, though he could not think of one. The confusion was plain on his face as Malakai continued.
“Look at how angry and confused you have been, Clark. Can you imagine if Max had survived and continued to use your body? Using it to kill countless innocents in his madness?” Painfully clear pictures of that very thing entered his mind until he thought he could stand it no more. As quickly as they came, the pictures left. All he could see now was the angel looking at him, waiting for him to recover.
“Above all other reasons, Diana killed him out of love for you. Because she couldn't bear the thought of the pain you would subject yourself to if you had killed those you swore to protect. Her love for you was deep enough that she would sacrifice herself in your eyes in order to save you that pain. She understood the cost. She willingly paid it anyway. For you.”
Tears flowed freely down Clark's cheeks as he finally realized the truth. The truth didn't hit him hard, but instead brushed against him with gentle hands; soothing hands. Easing his mind and casting off what he now knew to be a tremendous burden on his soul. The tears washed away his confusion and pain. He could see clearly now, though an ache
remained. He somehow knew that the ache could only be relieved by speaking with Diana. To apologize for not trying harder to understand.
Malakai, his message delivered, rose to leave. Clark lifted a hand. “Wait, Malakai, please. Can you tell me why was I given this message?”
The angel shrugged. “I was not told. However, I can make a guess. You have done much for God's children. You are not a believer yet, and you will probably think on this later as some sort of trick on your mind. You humans tend to do that. Few are ready to accept the Word of God, even when the proof is undeniably presented to you. Smarter beings than
I have marveled at man's ability to deny the obvious. But, back to your point. As I said, you have done much for God's children and this is probably His way of showing you His thanks. But then, that's just a guess.” He turned again to leave.
“Wait! One more question. Please. I have to know. Why all the suffering in the world? Why must even those He calls His children sometimes suffer and die horrible deaths? Why?”
Malakai shook his head sadly. “The short answer is this. How long is the lifespan of man compared to eternity? Will a man, in ten thousand years, remember how he lived or died during his brief time on this planet? How about in ten ten thousand years? You cannot comprehend this in terms of time, but to God it is just a moment. Man cannot grasp the true meaning of the word “eternity” or “heaven”. He only sees this life and his time
on this planet. You see suffering in this world, but in the eyes of God, it is the merest blink. The cryptic answer is: God can see eternity, and man cannot.” At this, the angel winked and then was just gone. Somehow, this wasn't a big surprise.
“Thank you.” Clark said to a now empty park. “You're welcome” came the reply from nowhere.
Superman lifted himself into the sky away from Metropolis. There was someone he needed to talk to before going home. Someone he loved. Someone who loved him enough to put him before herself. Someone he needed now more than ever. His heart felt lighter than the air he sped through.
End
