Superman (Volume 3) #43 is an issue of the series Superman (Volume 3) with a cover date of October, 2015. It was published on August 26, 2015.
Synopsis for "Before Truth, Part 3"
After what happened at the HORDOR_PLEX, Clark wakes up at Lois' apartment with Lois, having fallen asleep from concern, at his side; while Jimmy and Condesa come into the room to check up on him. Clark's friends had taken him to Lois' apartment after his solar flare destroyed the HORDR_PLEX. A concerned Jimmy wonders if he accidentally revealed Clark's secret and HORDR took advantage of his indiscretion, to the point he is visibly sick, so Condessa takes him to the bathroom.
Clark and Lois are left alone to talk. Lois has been reporting on Superman for years, so she makes questions she always wanted to make, such as his choice to live in Metropolis and the origin of his solar flare power. But, Lois also tells Clark she remembered the time where he was interrogated by the military while strapped to an electric chair. On the verge of tears, she admits she would never brutalize Clark to get answers, so she promises to keep her secret. Clark thanks Lois for her loyalty, and asks her to stab him with a fork.
In the bathroom, Jimmy vomits on the toilet and a small robot falls out of his mouth and crawls into Lois' bedroom.
The fork mildly injures Clark, who muses his powers should have returned by now. He recalls being ambushed by a stranger during his flare, siphoning away his energy. Before anyone can notice, the robot connects to a cell phone and projects HORDR_ROOT's image before Clark and Lois. The robot was hidden in the latte Jimmy had drunk earlier. Although the destruction of the HORDR_PLEX had cost him a lot of data, HORDR_ROOT had kept backups of the really important information within arm's reach. Their arrangement is still the same: Clark does what he tells him to or his identity will be revealed. HORDR_ROOT wants Superman to meet him at a location specified in the phone within one hour.
Despite Lois' protests, Clark agrees to play along, at least until he can plan his next move, and reluctantly, Lois agrees to help Clark subvert HORDR's plans. The coordinates are in a secluded canyon, and no road leads there, so Clark takes Lois by leaping. Once there, Lois hides behind a rock while a group of robots take Clark to their base, the entrance of which is hidden as a hologram on a mountain.
Lois infiltrates the complex with one of the HORDR masks. She sneaks past the guards and finds a room with a chair, and dead, charred body sitting on it, causing Lois to have a flashback of Clark being electrocuted.
Meanwhile, Superman is placed in a room observed by HORDR_ROOT, who wants a demonstration of Superman's solar flare. HORDR_ROOT has calculated it will take Superman half a second to fully unleash his solar flare, and if Superman attempts to use the solar flare against him, HORDR_ROOT will use that time to reveal Superman's identity to the world. HORDR_ROOT even shows Superman pictures of his friends, who will be in danger if his identity is ousted.
Superman has no choice but to comply. HORDR_ROOT uses his Quarmers, a special kind of robots, to absorb the energy released by the flare. One of them had absorbed some of Superman's energy at the HORDR_PLEX. Then, Lois comes into the room and declares she has revealed Superman's identity to the world. Not only that, she has also disclosed everything she knows about HORDR. Lois tells Superman HORDR no longer has any leverage on him.
As Superman tears the HORDR robots apart, HORDR_ROOT disappears. Clark is angry for what Lois did, but she states she did it to save him no matter whose life it risked and tells him to say if he wouldn't do the same for her. As they leave the HORDR base, they're intercepted by U.S. army helicopters sent by General Lane, who demands Superman to step away from Lois and surrender immediately. Clark bitterly remarks he was better off leaving Lois out of his life and escapes.
Appearing in "Before Truth, Part 3"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Villains:
- HORDR Root
Other Characters:
- Condesa
- Justice League
- Aquaman (Cameo)
- Batman (Cameo)
- Cyborg (Cameo)
- The Flash (Cameo)
- Wonder Woman (Cameo)
- Gen. Sam Lane
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
See Also