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"Infected: Chapter 1, "True Believers"": Before waking in a crater in the middle of Smallville, Superman dreams that he transforms into a beast like Doomsday and is driven by a need to kill. He wakes suddenly, reminding

Quote1 I still feel the anger boiling in my veins. And I know she senses it. But her gaze is as steady and calm as ever. She believes in me. Quote2
Superman

Action Comics (Volume 2) #31 is an issue of the series Action Comics (Volume 2) with a cover date of July, 2014. It was published on May 14, 2014.

Synopsis for Infected: Chapter 1, "True Believers"

Before waking in a crater in the middle of Smallville, Superman dreams that he transforms into a beast like Doomsday and is driven by a need to kill. He wakes suddenly, reminding himself that he didn't kill anyone. He saved lives by preventing Doomsday from doing that.

At the edge of the crater, his friend Lana Lang calls out to him weakly, unable to hear her own voice clearly over the ringing in her ears from the fallout of Superman and Doomsday's clash. She wishes to get closer and see if Clark is alright, but she and Lois Lane are beaten to that punch by Wonder Woman and the rest of the Justice League. Sighing, Lana watches her carry Superman away, realizing that that he's not the same boy she dated in high-school anymore.

Seeing Lex Luthor among those come to collect him, Clark's hackles rise and Wonder Woman has to warn him to remain calm. Senator Lane had sanctioned Luthor's role in coordinating emergency efforts quite publicly. Lex is well aware of Superman's distrust, and he plays upon it, warning that he will have to place Superman under quarantine for study, recalling the time five years ago that he and Sam Lane had captured and experimented on the Kryptonian.

In that moment, Clark fantasizes about brutally murdering Lex, and is surprised at himself. Diana can sense the anger in him, and it worries her, but she insists that he will be fine and that Luthor can't be trusted, allowing him to fly off alone. As he does, he hears Batman's voice in his earpiece, begging an explanation. Superman responds simply that something is off. This is enough for Batman, who has already begun his own investigation, following his own suspicions. Batman is soon warned to leave the crater by military personnel, lest he contaminate evidence, but he signals his completed search for evidence by detonating explosives to destroy anything that's left.

Superman tries to regroup in Alaska, where his dog Krypto finds him and greets him happily. Thinking he'll be alright so long as he gets some rest and some sun, Superman is disturbed when a helicopter approaches, and the poachers inside shoot down a nearby wolf with an assault rifle. Angrily, he flies up instinctively, and chastises them, only to take a round of bullets in the face. Trying to remain calm, Superman reminds himself never to punch down. Unfortunately he is unsuccessful, and in his anger, he rips the chopper in half. He looks down at the wreckage, then, and hopes that his outburst was just another dream, but it wasn't. He did, at least, grab the passengers before they went down with their chopper, but he knows something is changing within him, and it feels good.

In Virginia, Senator Lane contacts John Henry Irons, commenting that he is covered with bruises thanks to his own fight with Doomsday. Fortunately, John owns one of the most advanced rehabilitation centres in the world, and before Lane's eyes, he slips into his pool of organic steel, and emerges clad in a metal skin. He explains that the technology allows him o prevent cellular degeneration until he finds a cure for his ailment. Despite their differences, Sam comments that he and John both want to protect people. John corrects that he is more for helping than protecting people in the way that Sam seems to be. Sam responds that all he wants is Superman - which is enough for John to know he doesn't care to hear anymore. Sam insists that he knows better than to think John would help him capture Superman again. This time, Superman needs John to find him. Doomsday had exploded into some kind of black mist when they fought in Smallville - but no particulates were found. Sam believes that Superman inhaled all of that mist. John could help him.

Back in Smallville, Lois tries to get a lead on where the military is processing the data they've collected, and manages to get it out of the press liaison. She warns Lana that she should leave - because the story has already left. Besides that, the scene is dangerous. Reports suggest that people in the area may have been infected by whatever powered Doomsday. In response, Lana removes her containment suit, and states that if there were any danger to the people in the area, Superman wouldn't have left them there. Lois admires her trust, but keeps her suit on. To herself, Lana hopes that Superman knows that she believes in him.

Superman tries to get inside the Fortress of Solitude, and despite a positive voice recognition, his DNA isn't a match for the lock. Horrified, he realizes that the fist he's been using to pound on the door has mutated to the point that the bony protrusions that were present on Doomsday's hands are now on his own. Rather than be alarmed, Superman eschews his feelings that he should turn to friends for help, and determines that he will save humanity when the greatest threats come - even with Doomsday inside him.

Appearing in Infected: Chapter 1, "True Believers"

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Notes

Story continues from Superman: Doomed #1 and continues in Superman/Wonder Woman #8.



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