Hugo Strange's grip on Superman becomes even stronger as the superhero agrees to submit to him.
[ratings]
Strange Dealings: The Fall of Superman - Parts 4 & 5
by Todd Fleming
Series: Strange Dealings: The Fall of Superman
Chapter 4
The next day was much better for Clark as he frequently performed the relaxation exercises that Hugo had taught him. He was not only able to finish his article about Superman’s fight against Metallo, but he managed to work with Lois on her Lex Luthor story.
Sitting across from each other in the Daily Planet conference room, Clark watched Lois going over the research and notes from her investigation.
“There is something fishy going on here. I have a list of all the donations that Scot Stevens received and none of them can be linked to Luthor. With as much support that he gave to Stevens during the campaign, you would think that he would have donated some kind of funds.”
Clark adjusted his glasses as he looked thoughtfully out of the wall length windows that showed the skyline of Metropolis. “Luthor is too smart to make this kind of obvious mistake. I think he wants us to think there is something suspicious about his involvement with Mr. Steven’s campaign. It might be a red herring to keep our attention on the campaign while he attends to something else.”
Lois nodded slowly as she looked down at the hours of work that she had to do to make it this far. “I’ll broaden my search and look for any other activities that Luthor is doing that might be a story.” She said sighing at the sudden size of her project.
Clark was just about to offer to help when his super hearing picked up screaming from the direction of downtown. “I really have to use the bathroom,” He said pretending to do the potty dance. “I’ll be right back!”
Rushing out of the conference room, Clark went to the stairs that led to the roof. Using his super speed, he changed out of his civilian clothes into the familiar red and blue uniform that fit snugly over his muscled body. Storing his clothes in the secret compartment in his cape, he made it to the roof in seconds and was flying in the air to where the screams were coming from.
In the downtown area, people were running and screaming as a giant robot picked up random cars and threw them at random places. Superman hovered in the air looking closely at the robot. It looked like an exact replica of the best selling toy robot from last Christmas. It looked like Toy Man was up to his old tricks.
With a blur of red and blue, Superman intercepted several cars that were being thrown at the fleeing civilians. Gently setting the cars down one by one with in seconds, the hero flew at full
speed and with a single punch knocked off the robotic head.
The robot swung blindly around the hero looking for a way to squash him for interfering. Superman gasped as the stress that he had been dealing with suddenly hit him like a ton of bricks. Holding his head, he tried to quickly perform his breathing exercises while making sure that the robot did not destroy anything else.
During one deep breath, Superman suddenly found himself flying back. He desperately tried to regain his balance as the stress once again hit him hard. Bricks and concrete struck him from behind as his powerful body smashed into the First Bank of Metropolis. He could hear screams as he smashed through the wall and landed in the middle of the bank lobby.
Superman got groggily up to his feet and tried to suppress the stress that was crippling him. He looked through the hole in the wall that he created and narrowed his eyes at the headless robot still trying to destroy the city. His heat vision activated and hit the robot directly in the chest where its main circuitry was located. Sparks flew out of the robot’s chest as it jerked twice before tumbling down on the street.
It took all of Superman’s willpower to fly in the air and make sure there was no immediate threat. Seeing that no one was trapped under the rubble, he uncharastically flew from the scene without helping to clean up. The stress that pounded in his head was almost too much for him to fly as he made his way to Hugo Strange’s apartment. He needed to get to the bottom of these stress episodes as soon as possible before there was threat to the city that he could not handle.
--------------------------
Professor Hugo Strange smiled as he watched the footage of Superman’s fight with Toyman’s robot on the news. The news was being filmed live with Cat Grant covering the footage of the fight. These attacks on the city in the past two weeks has been a part of his plan to break his prey for his client.
As Ms. Grant was commenting on Superman’s sudden flight from the scene, Strange rushed to his office to make sure that all his preparations were complete. He expected Superman to come straight here after suffering a stress attack during the fight. His luck that it would happen at the exact moment that it happened would only help him in his goal.
After making sure everything was perfect, Strange walked out of the office just in time to see Superman land on his balcony. He had to admit that there was not a more perfect specimen in all of the planet. His uniform clung to every muscle, radiating power. To be the one who actually broke and tamed the alien would be the perfect test to see if he was ready to pursue his own personal goal.
The Professor walked from the living room to the balcony door as he smiled at the man who thought he was his friend. “This is quite the unexpected surprise, Superman. What can I do for you?”
Superman frowned as he felt his head throbbing from the stress attack he was dealing with. “I had another stress attack while fighting Toyman, Hugo. I need your help to find source of this stress.”
Strange wanted to laugh at the distress his ‘patient’ was feeling. For all his power, he certainly had no clue. Then again the effort that he had employed to get the alien to this point was beyond anything that the hero had faced before.
“Come in and I will do what I can,” Strange said soothingly as he placed a red kryptonite coated hand on the bulging bicep of his prey.
The Professor escorted The Man of Steel into his study as he admired the muscle magnificence of his prey. He could understand why his client wanted this alien tamed. Even as a straight man, he could not help but to admire the beauty of this muscled behemoth.
Setting Superman on his couch, Strange went to the bar and started preparing the hero’s special drink as his prey started doing his breathing exercises. This time he didn’t even bother to ask. The Man of Steel had been conditioned enough that he accepted the drugged drink with a grateful smile as relaxation settled over his powerful body.
As Strange settled himself on the chair looking directly at the hero laying on the couch, he took out a pad and pen and started to take down notes. “I have been thinking about the kind of stress that you have been experiencing, and I need to ask a few questions that might make you feel uncomfortable. I would not ask them if I did not think that it might be linked to your stress attacks.”
Superman sipped his spiked drink as he lazily watched the flames in the fireplace letting the feeling of ultimate relaxation run through his body. “You can ask me anything that you want, Hugo.” He said warmly.
“How is your sex life?”
The hero blinked as he looked startled at the question. “What does my sex life have to do with these stress attacks?” he asked as his face started to blush.
Strange put on his most soothing and understanding smile as he secretly reveled in watching the hero squirm uncomfortably. “I only ask because this kind of stress attack can be linked to problems in a sexual nature. Men and women have needs that they need to fulfill to lead stress free lives and the lack of sex can cause frustration to turn into stress that can build up over time.”
Superman turned even redder as he looked down at his drink. “I am a virgin,” He mumbled not believing that he was admitting this to anyone.
“It is believed that you and Ms. Lane were having a relationship,” Strange said softly.
“It’s not that simple,” Superman stammered. “I love Lois, but I don’t know if she loves me for being Superman or if she could love me for being Clark Kent. I can’t be with someone in that way until I know that it is with the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with.”
Strange could hardly believe the information that he was hearing. The most powerful man in the universe was a sexual virgin? He wanted to laugh at loud at the ammunition that the alien just gave him. His upbringing in Kansas probably had something to do with this bashfulness about talking about sex, and it was exactly what he needed to break the alien. “Do you trust, Ms. Lane?” Hugo asked softly as he watch the uncomfortable hero turn even redder.
“I want to trust her,” He said sheepishly.
“What is holding you back from trusting a woman who you think you love?”
Superman sighed as he looked into the dancing flames. “I don’t know if she loves me for the real me or the hero that she sees fighting crime. I also don’t know if she would keep my secrets or would do her job as a reporter and reveal them to the world.”
Hugo set his pad and pen down as he crossed his legs looking intently at the alien. “If you can’t trust Ms. Lane then there is no way to have a healthy relationship with her. I trust your judgement that you are unsure how she would react since you know her much better that I do. This might be one of the reasons for your stress attacks. Between the stress in trying to trust Ms. Lane combined with your duties as Superman and Clark Kent, you might be trying to handle more than even you could handle. I can see that this has only added to your stress, so let’s do your breathing exercises to help you let go and unwind.”
Hugo stood up and watched as Superman slowly reduced his mind to where his suggestion could be successfully implanted. He placed his kryptonite coated hand on his prey’s shoulders and whispered in his ear, “You will break up with Lois and tell her that you will not be seeing her anymore. Although you will feel bad about the breakup, you will be at this level of relaxation for 24 hours. You will agree to come and see me everyday to talk about your problems.”
The Professor watched as he let the alien stay in this vulnerable state for several more minutes. After slowly pulling his prey’s mind back to reality, he walked over to his desk. “I’m afraid is all the time that I can give you right now. I have another appointment coming at anytime. Would it be okay, if I put you on my schedule so that we both have time to talk and address your problems?”
He watched as Superman nodded with a smile. The level of trust he now had with the alien was probably on the same level as his adoptive parents at this time. The Professor could not wait until the alien realized that he had fallen in his trap. “That would be great, Hugo. I really appreciate you taking the time to talk to me about this.”
“Anything for a friend,” Strange said as he pretended to jot the appointment in his book. “Come back at 4 PM tomorrow and we will pick up where we left off. If for some reason there is an emergency, stop by here day or night.”
The Professor escorted Superman to his balcony where he watched the unsuspecting hero take off in the air. His smile turned into a snarl as his plan slowly unfolded.
Chapter 5
“What do you mean, ‘You can’t see me anymore’?” Lois screeched at Superman as they stood on the balcony of her apartment.
Superman flinched at the acid in her voice. “I’m sorry, but I need to sort some things out. It’s me and not you.”
Lois screamed as she grabbed a pot of flowers and hurled it at the Man of Steel. It hit him right in the middle of his chest and shattered against his invulnerable body. “You are pathetic!” She raved as she grabbed another pot and threw it at his head.
Superman could not believe his eyes as the love of his life raged like a lunatic. Had he been wrong about her the whole time? “Lois, please!” He pleaded as he held up his hands in protest.
“Get the fuck out of here!” She screeched as she ran back into her apartment in tears.
He wanted to go after her and take it all back, but Hugo had been right. He didn’t trust her and it was better for their relationship to be this way. As Superman took off in the air and into the night sky, he still felt terrible at the hurt he caused Lois. The odd thing was that he felt good and relaxed about being single again. The conflict of emotions was strange to him as he flew back to his own apartment.
It had been a strange week for the Man of Steel. He had found a fast close friend who he could trust and talk about topics that he never talked about with other friends before. With the necessity of keeping his powers a secret, he could never get close to anyone besides his parents. Now that there were no secrets between him and Hugo, he finally had someone to confide with without the fear of his loved ones suffering the consequences.
As he landed on his apartment balcony, the muscled hero went inside and started to strip off his famous blue and red costume. The feeling of relaxation that started when he left Lois’ apartment has spread to the rest of his body muting the hurt and pain he still felt about the break up. Deciding to forgo wearing his usually pajamas, Superman settled in his bed completely naked and drifted off into a deep sleep with a slight smile on his face.
------------------
Hugo Strange checked his watch as the door to his apartment was opened to reveal a crying Lois Lane.
“I’m sorry for intruding at this late hour,” Lois cried as she flung herself into the arms of Strange. “Superman just broke up with me!”
Hugo held his comfortingly despite the evil smile he had on his face. When Lois finally cried herself out, his face changed to the soothing expression that all of his patients saw. “It will be okay,” He said gently. “You are a strong woman and you don’t need a ‘superman’ to make you feel validated.
Between one sentence and the other, he snapped his fingers causing Lois to fall into an instant trance. His slow and difficult methods to invade Superman’s mind had almost made him forget how easy it was to control ordinary humans. “Your sadness of your breakup will turn to anger and you will only think about revenge on Superman for hurting you. Over time, you will hate your ex-boyfriend and think of ways to make him pay for hurting you.”
Bringing her back to reality, Hugo patted her shoulder. “Are you going to be okay? Do you feel like you need to take your life or hurt yourself?”
Lois’ brown eyes hardened as she looked thoughtfully in the distance. She wiped the tears from her eyes as she shook her head. “I’ll be alright. I am starting to feel a little better now. Thank you for being here for me.”
Hugo smiled as he opened his front door again. “We’ll see you at your next appointment then, Lois.”
Lois flashed a dazzling smile at her close friend. “I wouldn’t miss it for all the world, Hugo.”
As the door shut behind her, Hugo chuckled softly to himself. That was almost too easy.
-------------------------------
Superman landed on Hugo Strange’s balcony at exactly 4 o’clock. The hero had such a wonderful day despite breaking up with the woman he loved for 5 years. He had not seen Lois all day since she called in sick. Thankfully she did not know that Clark Kent was really Superman so he could still have a friendship with her.
The relaxation he felt since the break up melded with the soothing penthouse of Professor Hugo Strange. He softly sighed as he felt his body surrendering to the sights, smells, and sounds of this warm and soothing apartment.
Hugo greeted him warmly and shook his hand as he was invited inside. The pulsing warmness of his friend’s hand slowly spread up his arm and to the rest of his body. He followed the professor into the office where he laid down on the couch without even thinking as the mesmerising flames captures his eyes.
Settling himself in the chair next to the couch, Hugo took out his pad and pen as he smiled at the relaxed hero. “When we left off yesterday, we were talking about your relationship with Lois Lane.”
Superman forced himself to stop looking at the flames as he took a deep breath in unaware that Poison Ivy’s pheromones were invading and assaulting his body and mind. He looked at his new best friend and noticed a towel covering up something on the end table. “I broke up with Lois last night,” He said softly.
Hugo blinked in surprise as he adjusted his glasses. “What made you decide to take this action,” He asked the soon to be helpless hero.
The hero shrugged as he turned his attention back to the flames in the fireplace. “It seemed like the right thing to do. You were right that if I could not trust her with my secrets that there could never really be a real relationship.”
“What happened when you told her?”
“She was really angry and started throwing things at me, Hugo,” Superman said sadly. “I thought I knew her, but I didn’t expect her to react this way. It really hurt me, but I also realized that she only loved me for my powers and celebrity. I don’t think she ever loved me for me.”
“That can be a hard thing to deal with, Clark,” Hugo said soothingly. “How did you feel afterwards?”
Superman smiled slightly as he watched the dancing flames. “It felt good after the breakup. I never felt so relaxed in a very long time. I think part of the my stress attacks was because of being with her.”
“That can be part of the reason, but I do not feel that it is the entire reason for your stress attacks,” Hugo said softly. “I believe that your lack of release both sexually and being in control all the time is the main reason why you are stressed all the time.”
Hugo stood to his feet and looked down at the helpless hero as he explained. “I have thought long and hard about your problem and may have come up with a treatment to help you release the huge amount of stress that you have bottled up.
“Now it may seem to be a bit unorthodox, however, I think that it will help you deal better with your responsibilities as both Clark Kent and Superman. I would never suggest such a treatment, if I did not think that it would help you, my friend.”
Superman looked at his closest friend and smiled. “I trust you with my life, Hugo. I am sure that whatever you suggest would be a great help.”
Hugo lifted the towel off the end table to reveal a dog collar with a ‘S’ shield plaque hanging from the middle.
The Man of Steel eye’s popped open in shock. He stared at the collar like it was a viper. “You want me to wear that?” He asked incredulously.
The Professor smiled as he sat back down. “This will help you give up control that you have to have as Superman and learn to relax as a submissive. Being in control all the time will lead to an early grave and how can you help anyone if that happens? This is a safe environment and I only suggest this because I think it will help you.”
Superman could not believe what his ears where hearing. He wanted to trust the professor, but at the same time, he could never become a submissive to anyone. The conflicting emotions pounded inside him as he tried to clear his mind from the blanket of relaxation that cloaked him since he came inside the room.
“Why don’t you perform your relaxation techniques so that you can think about this with a clear mind?” Hugo suggested gently.
The hero nodded mutely as his eyes were drawn back to the flames. Taking deep breaths in and out, he felt himself drift down to that place of relaxation that he could only achieve in this safe place. His body seemed to melt away as his mind opened up in that safe and special place where he could let his guard and defenses down.
He was completely unaware of the hand on his shoulder as the room faded away and every care in the world was slowly stripped from him. When he eventually reached the place where he could finally let everything go, his mind was able to think clearly.
Superman trusted Hugo Strange and knew that if his friend would suggest such an unorthodox treatment, it was because he honestly thought it would help. The suggestion suddenly made perfect sense to him as he drifted in the world of carefree relaxation. This treatment would help him let go of his stress and anxiety and that would ultimately help the people of earth as he fought to protect them.
After what seemed like an eternity, he felt himself slowly drift back to reality. Becoming aware of his own body and the room that he was in, Superman slowly opened his eyes and looked at the dancing flames that seemed to tell him that everything would be alright.
Hugo sat in his chair watching him as the hero turned his head to look at those gentle grey eyes. Superman looked at the collar no longer fearing what is represented, but at the possibilities of letting go his stress.
“How do you feel Superman?” His friend asked gently.
The Man of Steel sighed as he surrendered that last of his defenses. “If you think this will help me, then I agree to take part of this treatment.”
“You’ve made the right decision, Clark.” Hugo said soothingly.
The Professor stood to his feet and took the collar in his hands. Walking over the the hero, Superman felt the collar being placed around his thick neck. With an audible sigh, Superman never in his life felt as helpless as he did now. The iron hold of control that he usually wielded melted away as he turned from a dominant and powerful hero to a submissive muscle man.
“Let it go, Clark,” Strange said softly as he watched him behind those soft grey eyes.
Superman did let everything go as the collar seemed to magically erase his apprehension and think of only serving the man who placed the collar on his neck. His body also reacted as his confidence that he normally wielded faded away and his body seemed to slouch even more than when he pretended to be Clark Kent.
The Man of Steel looked down in helpless surprise as he felt a thrill of pleasure of letting his control go. His impressive bulge in his red briefs, grew larger until it showed the outline of his hard and pulsing cock. For the first time in his life, his genitles was no longer under the control of his supermind and seemed to reveal in his helplessness.
“Do not be embarrassed,” Hugo said soothingly. “It is a common reaction to this kind of treatment. The repression that you have felt all these years is being undone and this is a natural reaction.”
Superman had to admit to himself that this reaction felt good to him and the thought of being submissive to another man gave him pleasure that he never felt before. Without even thinking, he climbed off the couch and stood facing the man who was trying to help him. His muscled body seemed huge in comparison to the professor, but there was no mistaken who was in charge. The mighty Superman has been collared by a normal human.
He slowly performed the one act that many villains had dreamed about for years. Superman slowly sank to his knees in submission to Professor Hugo Strange. He expected to see triumph in Hugo’s eyes or even some kind of excitement at his submission, but all he saw was the gentle kindness that he always showed toward the once powerful hero.
Hugo placed his hand on his shoulder, “How do you feel, Clark?”
“It feels strange but strangely natural,” Superman said as he bowed his head to his better. “How may I serve you, Master?” He asked in a weak voice.
The Man of Steel knew that he should not have done this, but the feelings of becoming a complete submissive was overwhelming and the pleasure of his throbbing hard on seemed to mute any objections that he normally would have in this kind of situation. This felt as natural to him as flying through the air and deep inside he knew he as long as he wore the collar, Superman would always submit.
Hugo looked at him for a few minutes and then took the collar off of the hero. Sighing with regret, as he felt his superhuman control coming back to him, Superman blinked as if he was suddenly aware of his actions.
Standing to his feet and covering his crotch, he stared in horror at the collar that conquered him. With a rush of air, the hero was off as he ran out of the room towards the balcony. He barely was aware of the professor watching him as he took off in the air and flew as fast as he could away from what had just happened.