A roadside top up.

Stepping out of Starr labs, Superman waved back to Doctor Hamilton and his lab assistants as he flew up into the air to get a good vantage point and start looking for his wife Lois. looking down at the new Geiger counter the man gave him, the small device was about as large as a cellular phone but was keyed into the unique radiation signature of kryptonite. With this he could find the next deposit of the mineral that was most likely where his wife was heading. Looking around and waving the device in different directions high up in the sky, he could hear the slow ‘tick, tick, tick’ from the meter as it tried to pick up the sickly energies. Aiming it one direction the ticking slowed to almost a quiet blip, to another he got nothing. But when he turned his attention to the edge of Metropolis near the industrial side, the Geiger counter began to click again. The meter barely rose above a single bar but so far it was the closest source he could find in the city. Weaving through the air slowly, Superman followed the device like a divining rod searching for water, pausing at times to check the readings, and slowly following it again to a slightly different direction. He went about this for a few minutes until he spotted a building in front of him where the meter clicked up to two bars.

“Hmm, not enough to catch attention, but it’s the closest lead so far.”

Landing on the ground in front of a warehouse, Superman was taken back by the sight of the building in front of him. Blown out windows, knocked over walls, it was almost in ruins, with a forklift upturned and on its side on top of a couple of matching cars next to a demolished limousine. The Geiger counter continued to click and became rapid in its clicking when he pointed it towards a battered limo. Slowly walking towards it and keeping a safe distance, he spotted that the hood was propped open, looking inside, and finding the battery was pulled out of the engine. Looking around he discovered why. There sitting against the door of his ruined limousine with a car battery hooked up into the empty chamber in his chest where his kryptonite heart was, John Corban turned his head and sunk his shoulders in disappointment at the sight of the Man of Steel.

“Figured Lois’s husband would come looking for her if she made enough noise… Not a very dignified look for me hmm?”

“Lois? Lois Lane? She was here?” Crouching to check on the cyborg, John chuckled and clutched the car battery closer to himself like it was a lifeline. The man was battered and damaged like he had gone toe to toe with Superman himself, but his chest was marred with claw marks, something Clark did not recognise.

“Oh yes, she was here, and like some oversexed, craven **** addict looking for a quick fix, she sent my men running for their lives and stole my heart… Literally!”

Looking back at the ruined warehouse and back to Metallo, Superman pocketed the Geiger counter and looked down at the man with his hands at his sides. “Where is she now?”

“Where do YOU think?” Metallo asked sardonically, tapping his finger into the inner chamber in his chest where his kryptonite heart used to be located. “Your wifey has a taste for what’s green and glowing now Superman, she’s probably somewhere eating as much as she can get her claws on. If I were you, I’d probably consider getting a divorce before standing next to her gives you cancer.”

“I’m not going to give up on her Corban, I have to find her.”

Chuckling again and hugging the car battery in his lap, Metallo shook his head. “Good luck with that lover boy, I hope you realise she may be a bit too big to fit in bed anymore. Not unless you can handle thighs like hers crushing you.”

Hearing that confession made Clark worry. She had gotten worse, much worse. Turning to leave, the man of steel heard Metallo get up to his feet and juggled with the car battery in his arms while calling out to Superman.

“Wait, what about me? This thing won’t keep me active all day.”

Looking over his shoulder to the man holding his makeshift power source in his hands, Superman turned around and crossed his arms. “If you tell me what direction Lois went, I’ll offer you help in keeping you alive.”

Shifting his eyes and slowly nodding his head, Corban finally nodded in agreement and pointed north. “Just 25 miles from here in that direction is another research facility by Lexcorp making his new weapons, by the way she was sniffing the air like a blood hound she’s headed there now.”

Looking out to the direction Corben pointed to, Clark pulled out the Geiger counter and watched as the meter clicked in that direction. “Good, thank you, I’ll let the authorities know you’re here.”

“WAIT! You can’t leave me here, there’s probably only an hour left on this thing!”

Looking down at the car battery, Superman had to agree on that. Looking to the other two cars and the forklift, the man moved faster than the human eye could see, zipping from one vehicle to the next and appearing before Metallo with three additional batteries wired to the one he was carrying.

“There we go, that should hold you for another four hours until the police can hook you up to something more long term.” Jumping off the ground and gaining leverage to float overhead, Superman waved back to the surprised cyborg and smiled. “Thanks for the tip Corban, I’ll let the authorities know where to find you.”

Even after he flew away from the warehouse at breakneck speed, Clark could still hear the man swear up a storm behind him. Picking up speed, Clark looked up to where the facility was located, hoping that he could find his wife… Before it was too late.