Clark was brought out from his train of thought when he saw a cup of water placed in front of him by Peggy. "Thirsty?"
"Thanks." Clark took the cup and took a sip with her sitting down next to him. "How annoyed is everyone?"
"Frustrated and curious are the words I would use but I think the information they've learned about this so-called invisible energy field you have is tiding them over." Peggy answered. "Are you sure this heat vision thing of yours isn't just a one-time thing? A sort of dire death reflex kind of situation?"
"No. It's circumstance that led it to activating when it did but if it happened once, it'll happen again which means I need to get a handle on it like my other abilities. Before something bad happens." He said and the fluctuation in his voice indicated some serious worry he had buried down.
"What's wrong, Clark." She asked him. "I've known you long enough to know when something is bothering you. Is it about your powers?"
Clark gave her a nod in response. "I've never let myself lose control like I did. Never."
"Clark, it was an accident, and you were going to die. You couldn't control it, and no one was hurt." Peggy told him.
"I know, I know. And I'm glad. It's just…all my life I've felt like I've been living in a world made of cardboard. Since I was old enough to understand that I was different from everyone else I've always done whatever I can to make sure that nothing bad happened. I've always took constant care not to break something, never allowing myself to lose control even for a moment or someone could get hurt."
"That sounds hard." Peggy said to him.
"It was and sometimes it still is a challenge. I have to be careful when I shake someone's hand or even when I accidentally bump into someone. My parents taught me how to control my abilities every second of every day for almost 22 years and it is tiring, I'm not gonna lie. Even when I began to use my powers in Sicily, I always sort of held myself back. Guess my parents' words and lessons stuck themselves in my head in a way I didn't realize. It wasn't until I encountered the first Blockbuster soldier when we went to get Mussolini that I really let myself go…but that didn't compare to what happened in Tehran." Clark told her and from the fluctuations in his voice Peggy could tell he was worried. "In that moment with that thing in Tehran, as it stood over me and my heat vision activated, I felt what it was like to let go. To really let go. It was terrifying."
"I can only imagine. You've told me that you had trouble getting control of your powers growing up but like you did with your others you'll gain control over this one as well." Peggy told him.
"That's not it, Peggy. I was scared but it wasn't the first time I've felt fear. With that Blockbuster monster and with Savage in the Hydra factory but in Tehran when I used my heat vision…it felt good. In that moment I let it all go. No hesitation, no restraint, no holding back…and it felt euphoric and that is what scares me." Clark admitted.
"Clark, that was just the heat of the moment. Adrenaline from nearly getting killed. Believe me I know." Peggy assured him but he shook his head.
"Maybe but… I felt it. It was me…and I'm not saying I want this to be true, I wish it wasn't…but it felt good. It felt really good and that feeling worries me. If there ever comes a time when I let that feeling take control…when I cast aside all my dad's lessons aside…I'm...scared of the kind of monster that I could become." Clark said to her. She could tell that this really frightened him. The thought of turning into a monster, letting his powers control him and just wreaking havoc absolutely terrified him. It was strange in a way to see someone who was likely the most powerful person on the planet show genuine fear about themselves. It just goes to show that while Clark may not be human, he does have humanity.
"I think this right here, what you're feeling right now is proof that what you're fearing will never happen." Peggy told him before taking his hand into hers. "Your heart is stronger than anyone I have ever met, Clark, and it is that reason I know you could never become the monster that you think you could."
"Peggy, I'm not as infallible as you think I am."
"You're not the monster you think you are." Peggy countered. "If you truly were than we wouldn't be having this conversation. You wouldn't be even humoring Howard with all these tests. You will get control over your new power like you have all the others. They are what make you special."
Clark smiled and wrapped his hand around hers. The two didn't have a lot of time to spend together with everything that was going on but for these little moments, it were worth it. "Thanks, Peggy."
"You're very welcome." She replied. "Clark, can I maybe make a suggestion?
"Sure."
"I've noticed that you've been holding back, restraining yourself during these tests, especially with your heat vision. Perhaps that's your problem." She said and he looked at her confused. "You told me a lot about how you had to train your powers when you were growing up. I think that because your powers grew as you did it was easier for you to learn how to control them. From what you said about your heat vision it seems to be coming out at full power. If it had emerged when you were younger maybe you could take the same approach, but I don't think that will work. You need to let yourself go and feel what you did back when it first happened to get it to work."
"And once I do that, I can learn how to control it." He deduced. "If this power is like my others, it's still gonna take some time. My strength, speed, hearing, and vision took years to fully control, and I don't think we have that kind of time."
"In the long run, yes but for now you should just focus on how to turn it off and on. You control your powers, Clark." Peggy assured him.
"Thank you, Peggy." He kissed her hand before standing up and heading back to the scanners.
Howard saw him returning so he walked over and strapped Clark back to the scanners. "If you want to take a longer break, Kal, that's fine. I can't imagine how annoying this must be for you."
"I'm fine, Howard. The sooner I figure out this new ability the better. I can tough through this." Clark told him.
"All right." Howard finished up and took his place by the machines as Clark took a few steps forward and looked at the M4 Sherman Tank that was his target. The scientists, engineers, and aids were off to the side with one of them manning a camera to record their testing.
Clark took a deep breath and remembered what Peggy had said to him. Perhaps he was holding himself back and that was the problem. This was a brand-new power so if he really wanted to learn how to control it than he needed to let go. Let him feel what he did when it first happened. He needed to feel that to get his new ability to work and once he got the hang of it, he could begin to learn to control it. Time was of the essence, so it was better to rip the Band-Aid off and get to it. He forced himself to remember everything in Tehran. The pain, the fear, the anger, and the power that flowed through him in that moment when his powers activated.
It seemed to be working because the veins underneath his skin near his eyes began to glow red and his eyes began hurting just like before. Howard, Peggy, and the scientists of the SSR were given their first glimpse at this new ability Clark told them about and their looks of intrigue and amazement quickly turned into surprise and shock as two powerful beams of red energy were emitted from Clark's eyes like the beams of a flashlight. They must have been powerful because Clark seemed to struggle to find his footing and if that wasn't enough proof than the beams of red energy tore through the ground and sliced through several trees in the distance. Clark's vision then focused on the tank and the beams of heat followed his line of sight. They instantly cut through the tank, bifurcating it like a hot knife through a pad of butter. Everyone dropped to the ground as Clark's heat vision was erratic with him having difficulty in controlling where it went and seemingly unable to control the intensity of the heat. Clark inadvertently sliced through the tank a few more times and melted part of it along with cutting down several more trees, digging up more of the ground and accidently destroying one of their transport trucks before he shut his eyes and covered them with his hands.
Howard, Peggy, and several others picked their heads up to see the onslaught of Clark's eye beams and the destruction they caused. "Put out those fires! Quickly!" Peggy ordered and scientists and aides quickly got to work putting them out, dumping sand on them so a fire didn't start.
Howard rushed over and checked the machines to see they were still recording data but quickly shut them off in case something happened before he ran over to Clark who had his head down and hands covering his eyes. "Kal, you ok?!"
"Stay back, Howard." Clark warned him and Howard could see that the veins around Clark's eyes were still glowing red which meant his heat vision was still on. The only reason they weren't being burned alive was because Clark was forcing his eyes shut. "I don't know how long I can keep this held back! Point me in a safe direction!"
"MOVE!" Howard shouted and everyone moved out of the way as he quickly yanked off all the clamps and medical equipment Clark was attached to before turning him to the left where there was a large pile of sandbags. "You're good!"
Clark opened his eyes and his heat vision burned through the pile of sandbags, dug up the ground and sliced through some trees but after about ten seconds it died down and Clark's eyes returned to normal. He fell forward, exhausted by what happened and winced in pain as not only did his eyes burn but he lifted his hands to see burn marks on his palms and fingers. Despite him shutting his eyes, some of his heat vision had seeped through and it was hot and powerful enough to hurt him. He winced a bit as the burn marks glowed before they healed over like they were never there.
"Kal, are you ok?" Howard rushed over and helped him back to his feet.
Clark didn't answer yet as he looked around at the damage he had done. Just like in Tehran his heat vision cut through anything and everything. Trees were sliced in half, the ground was dug up with the heat turning them into burning pyres, sandbags had been melted into molten glass slag, and the tank used for the testing had been cut into four pieces but half of them were now molten metal. Some scientists and aids were still putting out the fires his heat vision had created, and he could see the looks they had on their faces. Surprise and astonishment mixed with fear. "I honestly can't answer that, Howard. But that hurt and was not pleasant."
"Yeah. I think we can call it a day for the testing. Let's head back to base." Howard told him before looking at one of the scientists. "Please tell me that you recorded that?"
The scientists nodded, having safely secured and protected the camera so that the footage wasn't destroyed or lost. Small miracles.
Later that afternoon…
London, United Kingdom
The soft fluttering of celluloid film and quiet clattering of a spinning film reel were the telltale indications that whatever film you were just watching over. The projector was turned off and the lights were turned on. Inside a small room in the SSR were Colonel Phillips, Howard Stark, Peggy Carter, and Captain Kalvin Elbert. They had just finished watching the test footage that they had recorded all day out of the city. Colonel Phillips was now able to see with his own eyes the destruction caused by Kal's latest ability.
Clark, Howard, Peggy, and their little science team returned to the SSR headquarters in London. There they immediately requested a meeting with Colonel Phillips who was eager to know what happened and what was going on with Kal. He had a hard time believing everything that happened, more so on what Howard claimed his machines were able to do but Stark was the genius. He had no idea about the energy fields or whatever Kal was producing but clearly it must have been what was responsible for how he can do what he can do.
"In all my life I thought I had seen everything until I joined the SSR. Until I saw what you could do, Captain but it seems there's more going on with you than we anticipated." Colonel Phillips stated. "While I'm glad Project Rebirth was a success for your, Captain, I'm still upset that Erskine was so paranoid and never kept detailed notes."
It really was a shame in Phillips opinion. Steve and Kalvin had been proven to be exceptional soldiers who he was proud to say both possessed an equal level of inspiring courage, leadership and integrity. However, there was no question in his mind that Superman was in a whole other league compared to Captain America in terms of combat capabilities. Elbert had managed to accomplish so much in the war so far, he could only imagine what it would've been like if there was even one or two more super soldiers like him. Maybe the war would've already been over or damn near close to finished. He understood Erskine's fears of his work being stolen which proved well founded when that Hydra spy destroyed the project and nearly escaped with the serum which was sadly destroyed in the attempt. Still one can't help but wonder of what might've been sometimes, this was one of those times.
"Understandable, sir." Clark replied.
"He'd be a big help to us now, that's for sure." Howard looked over the rolls of data sheets his machines had recorded, focusing on the last couple of feet of paper. That's where the scanners recorded what was happening during Clark's heat vision. Howard still had no idea what the energy and how exactly it worked but the scanners recorded an uptick and downtick in energy when the event happened so clearly whatever energy field Clark had involved his new heat vision too. "But while my machines have allowed me to begin understanding the great mystery that is Superman, I don't have anything to say on how he handles being able to control that heat ray in his head. Like something out of an H.G. Wells book."
"Thanks, Howard." Clark remarked.
"And you weren't able to stop it?" Colonel Phillips asked.
"No. I had to force my eyes shut and even then, it didn't work completely. Some seeped through and burned my hands until the pain got to be too much, and I had to open them again. Howard pointed me in a safe direction, and it eventually stopped." Clark recounted and Colonel Phillips seethed in frustration. This new ability of Clark's could be huge for them in the war. His heat vision cut through an M4 Sherman tank twice and turned half of it into a pile of molten scrap metal. He could obliterate an armored tank column or more. He already killed one of those Maschinensoldaten so they wouldn't be much of a problem. He was a nearly invulnerable soldier and now was armed with a seemingly unstoppable self-generated projectile weapon at his disposal. But a weapon was no good if there was a 50% chance of it backfiring and taking out your own men and the other 50% chance of it not working properly. "Colonel, permission to speak freely?"
"Go ahead." Colonel Phillips answered.
"This new ability of mine is as much a help as it is a hindrance until learn to control it. Unlike my strength or speed this one will take some time to master at least to the point where I can control when it comes and goes. It'll likely take longer to fully master, but being able to control how to turn it on and off has to be the priority. Until I can do that with confidence than I fear I'm more of a liability in the field than an aid. Fearing if my ability will activate when I'm with my team or leading a battalion and them getting caught in the crossfire would be a hindrance to the war effort. With all that said, I respectfully would like to request to be pulled from active duty until I control this, and I'm cleared to return to the field." Clark stated.
Howard, Peggy, and Colonel Phillips knew Clark well enough to guess that he would have made that kind of suggestion. It showed he had a great deal of respect for his power and its possible impact on the battlefield. While it was admirable that he didn't want to put others at risk it also meant that the Allies would be without their key component for pushing the offensive. That meant there was a good chance the war advance would slow down which it already would given they were entering winter.
"I had a feeling you'd say that, Elbert." Colonel Phillips remarked.
"Clark, are you sure about this?" Howard asked him and got a nod in response.
"I am. You saw what happened today. If that was in the field than there's a good chance I could have seriously hurt or killed anyone with me. Things in Tehran could have gone very badly, but we got lucky. What if I lose control in Paris or another populated city? Of if it activates when I'm on a plane enroute to somewhere or god forbid when we're called into strategy meetings or meeting with the President or visiting Senators?"
"Ok, I get it." Howard got him to stop there.
"You think you can learn to control this, Elbert?" Colonel Phillips asked him.
"I managed to get control over my strength and speed while in combat, sir. I believe I can get control over this. I just need some time." Clark told him, which was technically a lie. He's had years to control his speed and strength, but he had to say something. Colonel Phillips took a deep breath and thought this over. This wasn't a simple decision, but they'd see what would happen.
"We'll see if time is something we have on our side. I want updates every 48 hours. We'll see where we stand in a week and go from there." Colonel Phillips said, and Clark nodded. "While you're working on getting a handle on this new ability, mind if put Taskforce Vanguard to work, Elbert?"
"Not at all, sir. They're good just be careful with them." Clark replied.
"Don't worry, Elbert. You trained them well. Dismissed." Colonel Phillips said as Clark and Peggy gave him a salute before he walked out of the room.
"Huh. That actually went better than I thought it would. He gave you an undetermined amount of leave. Congratulations." Howard said to Clark.
"I've forced myself out of helping in the war with an ability that hurts and turns me into a walking bomb, and I need to learn to control it or else I'm stuck not helping. Yeah, throw me a party." Clark remarked.
"Oh, please. Don't be so dour. A week from now you'll get a handle on this, and you'll be back in the field with your team. Cheer up, Superman. You're hope and optimism, not brooding and sadness. It's not a good look for you." Howard patted him on the shoulder before walking out to get back to work.
"He's right you know." Peggy pointed out. "You'll get a handle of this. I know it."
Clark chuckled to himself, drawing a look of confusion from her. "I think hell just froze over. Peggy Carter just agreed with Howard Stark on something outside of his area of expertise.
"Very funny." Peggy scoffed but chuckled as she and Clark left the room.
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