THE CAPTURE OF SUPERMAN!
Originally “The Capture of Superboy,” story by L.Cross.
Modestly text-enhanced by Rick Henry, 05-2021, strawbridge88@att.net.
Part Three – Superman Defeated
Bart’s sullen expression vanishes in a flash as he sees the Kryptonite finally beginning to take effect on the astonished Superman.
“YES!” screams Bart as he deftly scoops up the Kryptonite from the concrete floor and quickly pursues the retreating Superman, “YES! What’s the matter Superman? You’re awful quiet all of a sudden. Are you through with your sermon? Did you misjudge me and the fantasy of my delusional uncle? Where are you off to? Feeling a need for some air, Super Hero?”
Bart runs after Superman who unsteadily staggers into the anteroom with a very talkative Bart right behind him.
“FYI Superman, Kryptonite is poison to you. It strips you of your mighty superpowers … completely; although it evidently takes time to have an affect on you. My uncle could have warned me about a potential lag time. To tell you the truth, I was scared shit-less when you seemed OK… Whew!!!…. sure glad that part’s done…. but it’s cool to think that while you were showing off and bragging, your super powers were abandoning you!
“Anyhow, Kryptonite will eventually leave you completely helpless. Oh yes, I’m told you will suffer indescribable agonies during exposure to Kryptonite, and you will beg even a ‘kid’ like me for mercy Superman! I promise you! My uncle says in time the exposure will reduce you, Superman, AKA the Man of Steel, to a drooling vegetable quivering and shaking on the filthy floor of this dreary vault my uncle has made ready just for you. Shall we see Superman?” says Bart cruelly as he smiles widely and follows after the disorientated and disturbed super hero.
As Bart closes the distance to the retreating Man of Steel, the Kryptonite glows brighter. The closer Bart gets to Superman the brighter the rock glows until the entire anteroom is illuminated by the Kryptonite fragment.
“Nooooo… I must get away… must escape that stone … get away from this evil boy…” mutters the baffled Man of Steel who cringes, instinctively raises a forearm to his brow and continues his retreat, staggering weakly down the long narrow anteroom, using his free hand and the walls of the anteroom to steady himself as he makes his way painfully towards the surface shaft needing to elude the Kryptonite.
Bart coolly follows Superman holding the single piece of Kryptonite and stands a few feet beyond the entryway of the anteroom taunting him with the rock while waiting for the effects of the radiation to take full effect.
“What’s the matter Superman? You don’t look so good!”
“Keep away from me, please… don’t… must… get away…” stammers Superman as pain and panic, like a flash flood, sweep through him and as he staggers dizzily and desperately towards the passageway … towards the stairs and escape to the hangar above; escape from the radiation causing the weakness and pain; escape from the cruel, evil young teenager.
Superman focuses on his destination but just before he reaches it two hidden steel panels slide together with a metallic ‘THUD’ blocking the passageway to the shaft. He gasps his body freezing in surprise. His chest constricts, his stomach twists and his panic is complete: his only avenue of escape is blocked, and the ruthless, villainous and sadistic teenager is closing in behind him, armed with his destruction. The loud sound of compressing air fills the confined space as Superman turns around and sees Bart wearing a wicked grin as he fingers his Blackberry.
“What … are you doing? Let me out! I,I need to get out … please—don’t!! Don’t do this … open the door! Please, Bart, keep away from me … stay back …. ”
“It’s just a door, Superman. Surely that can’t stop you. In fact that door’s nothing compared to the door to your new home … your tomb. That door is really big, really heavy and really immovable. Kryptonite really is amazing, though. It does what guns and bombs can’t do,” lectures Bart. “It levels the playing field so to speak. Things are not always as they appear to be Superman. A lesson I’m sure you’ve already started to learn, but a little too late to be of value. Now you’ll have to pay the price for being a slow learner Superman,” continues the younger and smaller man.
Superman desperately turns and faces the steel doors blocking his escape and unsteadily places his fingers on the narrow seam and tries to push them apart. The tall, massively muscled, spectacularly beautiful demigod sweats profusely as he strains to force open the steel doors; all of the muscles of his body focus into his fingers, from his firmly planted feet to his grimacing face, the defined masses of muscle harden and swell magnificently accenting the shape, separation and definition of each one as it expands in the tight royal blue elastic fabric of his costume; blood vessels in his neck, arms and back expand and pulse from the effort; and he groans and growls as he applies all his strength to divide the steel panels; BUT NOTHING HAPPENS!
Superman nearing complete exhaustion from the exposure to Kryptonite and his mammoth effort, places both palms squarely on the steel panels and pushes as hard as he can and his muscular back and arms strain as they carry the full power and energy of his massive and powerful legs. His knees finally collapse from the enormous effort, but still nothing is happening.
Superman is now soaked from head to toe in sweat and his eyes are wide with fear and confusion as he stares at the steel doors that do not buckle or for that matter even budge before his super strength. He presses harder and harder straining to bend and crush the steel panel with all his might but the panels will not yield!
“THIS CAN’T BE HAPPENING,” gulps the exhausted super hero. Superman, overwhelmed by desperation, summons all of his remaining strength and throws his brawny shoulder with all his weight behind it against the door. Superman strikes the steel door hard but bounces off with a cry of pain – “YEOOOWW!!” – he stumbles back nearly falling before regaining his balance and leaning weakly against the wall of the anteroom. His back against the wall, one arm hanging loosely from the injured shoulder, Superman uses the forearm of the other to wipe the sweat from his eyes and stares dumbfounded and defeated before the steel doors that will not budge.
He searches within himself but finds no sign of his powers and knows for sure that this Kryptonite wielding punk has completely stripped him of his superpowers. Superman’s magnificent red and blue costume is now soaked in sweat, his wet hair is matted as he stares blankly in disbelief at the undamaged steel panels blocking his escape to the stairway that leads to surface. He rubs his shoulder trying to ease the pain, turns his head and his expression changes from confusion to panic as the confined, metallic space echoes with Bart’s exuberant roar of laughter and he is almost blinded by the growing green glow of the deadly stone. Superman swallows hard and gulps audibly as he sees an expression of villainous glee on Bart’s young face; the man is clearly entertained by the struggling antics of the powerless, confused, exhausted and desperate super hero.
“All those impressive muscles and you can’t break down a mere steel door; and that door’s nothing compared to the door to your prison, Superman. Face it, Man of Steel; you blundered into a well planned and executed trap designed for the sole purpose of rendering you powerless … contained and powerless … and it worked! The bottom line is that your ass is mine now, Superman. My uncle has plans for you. But first I get to teach you a lesson, Superman,” says Bart cruelly. “A lesson in pain, humility, submission and absolute defeat. You’re a loser Superman… nothing but a big loser … an’ I’m going to teach you what that means … I may be just a kid, I may be a lot smaller than you … but I’m good at what I do, Superman… I’m very good at what I do … and I like a lot what I do …. that’s why uncle gave me this assignment.”
Another wave of fear sweeps over Superman as young Bart comes closer, boldly and menacingly wielding the glowing green rock; Superman instinctively moves unsteadily away from the wall that supports his weight and cringes tightly against the closed steel doors that block his escape and prevent any further retreat. He gasps in pain as the stone gets closer.
Bart gives Superman a wide grin and a quick wink as he nears the sweat soaked, helpless and exhausted Man of Steel. The boy smiles widely as he continues to taunt and menace Superman with the strange green rock that has rendered the Titan, Super-Hero powerless, now cowering pitiably, realizing he’s irrevocably trapped.
“Take it away! Please Bart, I can’t stand it … please don’t do this to me! You’re … you’re hurting me! Please Bart …”, begs the shaken, desperate muscle hunk.
Bart smiles wickedly and shakes his head no as he draws closer and Superman raises both hands to his temples and stares at the rock in total confusion and terror as an eerie green glow grows in intensity and again washes over him bathing him in a green hue from which there is no escape. He groans in pain and hopelessness.
Bart gives Superman another wink, as the hero shrinks tightly against the steel doors.
“That sounds like begging to me, Superman. You’ll do more than beg before I’m done. Take it away? No way, Superman; I’m having way too much fun watching you sweat and struggle. I want to see what happens if I keep this rock real close to you,” says Bart in a cruel voice.
The glow continues to brighten and Superman covers his eyes with his hands and presses back harder against the steel panels cowering from the rock and gritting his teeth as his face contorts in intense pain. Bart stops directly in front of a helpless Superman trapping him against the closed steel doors and laughs with glee as the super hero’s knees buckle slightly and he squints, blinks and shakes his head apparently swept by a wave of severe dizziness and nausea.
“Now, you’re beginning to learn your lesson Superman,” laughs Bart. “A real lesson in pain …. agony comes next …”. He watches intently as Superman leans forward and continues to clench his jaw while moving both hands to the sides of his head. His knees buckle again causing him to stagger slightly forward grimacing in pain. Bart laughs hysterically as he watches the Kryptonite radiation pummel Superman.
No longer able to resist a cruel urge to physically abuse Superman, Bart drops the Kryptonite to the floor and roughly slaps Superman’s hands away from the sides of his head.
“Keep those hands down at your sides, Superman,” commands Bart. Superman, already intimidated, Bart in full control, drops his arms and Bart grabs a fistful of the “S” of Superman’s elastic bodysuit. Bart easily pulls the larger but weakened and helpless Superman away from the closed doors and close to him and whispers, “I’m going to beat the shit out of you Superman.”
That said, Bart angrily slams the muscle hunk’s back hard against the steel doors with all his strength producing a loud cry of “OOOOFFF!!!!” from the defeated hero and a thud that echoes through the narrow anteroom.
Maintaining his tight grasp of the costume with his left hand and pushing against Superman’s thick pecs with his forearm, Bart uses his free hand to slap Superman’s face with all his strength a half dozen times, until his own hand is too sore to continue.
Superman is helpless to resist the on-slaught and his mighty arms hang weakly and helplessly at his sides. Bart strikes Superman so hard that the sweat from Superman’s soaking hair and face flies everywhere as his head is pushed and viciously smashed left and right, over and over with each continuing backhand; Superman gasps, groans and grunts in pain and humiliation from each blow.
“You’re pathetic … I can’t believe how easy it’s been to take you down …,” says Bart to the stunned and helpless muscle hunk.
Superman hangs his head and moans as his cheeks turn bright red from Bart’s volley of backhands. Bart clenches his right fist and blasts it against Superman’s square chin. Superman cries out “UUNNGGGHHH!!” from the blow and Brad’s curses with his own cry of pain and shakes out his bruised fist as he releases his hold on Superman’s costume.
The beaten hero closes his eyes and rests weakly against the doors for support. Bart moves away and kicks the Kryptonite so that it slides and comes to rest next to Superman’s red leather boots. Without warning Bart makes another fist, steps forward and with of the weight and power of his body, his legs and his arms, hammers Superman in his exposed gut. Superman once again slams against the doors, and grunts and gasps in pain as he doubles over and clutches his stomach groaning and gasping as his knees buckle.
Bart immediately grabs a fistful of Superman’s sweat soaked hair and pulls back hard raising Superman semi-upright. He releases his firm gasp of Superman’s wet hair and steps in close face to face. Without warning Bart puts his arm around Superman’s neck and draws him close and whispers into his ear, “Try this on for size Superman!” Bart next knees Superman squarely in the balls with all his might and again for good measure; then steps away. The hero screams, aloud and buckles.
“Get down on your knees Superman, and stay there,” Bart commands loud and meanly as Superman gasps and groans in agony; tears run down his face as he instinctively clutches his tool box with both hands. Now completely dominated and intimidated by the punk kid, Superman obeys and collapses to his knees before Bart, and slowly compresses his chest onto his thighs as he moans in pain, humiliation and defeat.
“Some Superman you are. Even I can kick your ass,” sneers Bart coldly. “You’re pathetic, useless and a failure. Your career is now officially over … you’ll never see or feel your super powers again!”
Bart again kicks the fragment of Kryptonite close to Superman and rubs his hands together, using his fingers tips, tilts Superman’s face for eye contact and says, “I told you I was going to teach you a lesson, Superman! You’re not going anywhere tonight. This place is a prison; your prison… and your tomb. Yes, you’ll die here, loser! Your flying days are over Superman; Kryptonite has clipped your wings. After I finish with your lesson, I’m going to put you in those chains I brought with the Kryptonite, chains that you won’t be able to break!” says Bart.
The touch of Bart’s fingers on his chin now emphasizes and confirms Bart’s new ability to control, dominate and overpower the broken MOS, underlining Superman’s helplessness and vulnerability.
“NOOOOOO!! … NOOOOO!!! … not chains … please, Bart, don’t do this to me! I’m … I’m Superman … let me go … please … I’ll do anything … anything you say …” Superman in chains? This can’t be… this can’t be happening, he screams helplessly in his mind.
“Stop whining, Superman! Chains it will be for our one-time Super Hero!” replies Bart as he lets go of Superman’s chin. “Suffer, loser! Suffer! You’re paying the price for being a man- scout and meddling in affairs that do not concern you. Mind over muscle; brains over brawn, hey Superman. Are you beginning to learn your lesson Man of Steel? A bit late, though, isn’t it? What do you think of Kryptonite now? Have you had enough? Are you going to be a good Superman and do as you’re told?” asks Bart coolly.
Superman does not respond to Bart’s inane and rhetorical question but slowly stops rocking and remains motionless doubled over on his knees draped in his sweat soaked cape at Bart’s feet gasping for air, his face racked in pain. Bart stands over Superman with complete satisfaction and superb pleasure as Superman continues to clutch his stomach compressed tightly on his knees, in pain as tears stream down his face and drool runs from his open mouth.
“I bet you’ve never felt pain before today Superman. Getting kicked in the balls must have been a new experience for you,” cackles Bart with glee! Superman still does not answer Bart, and remains moaning in pain doubled up on the floor. Bart interprets Superman’s silence as impudent resistance.
“You still have some fight left in you hey, Superman? Well, as you wish. You can suffer the effects of Kryptonite all morning long for all I care; time is on my side. I’ll break you sooner or later, Superman,” promises Bart.
Continue…
