Post by Admin on Apr 8, 2009 18:08:09 GMT -5
Action Comics
Issue #40: “Kon-El” Pt. 4
Story by: Roy Flinchum & Brian Burchette
Written by: Brian Burchette
Cover by: Brandon Herren
Edited by: Mark Bowers
Issue #40: “Kon-El” Pt. 4
Story by: Roy Flinchum & Brian Burchette
Written by: Brian Burchette
Cover by: Brandon Herren
Edited by: Mark Bowers
It was the oddest of sensations for the young man. Technically he had been alive for about a week, yet everything that had been fed into his brain told him that he had lived sixteen years. He had been taught up to a tenth grade education, and knew the complete history of the world. He knew who his ancestors were. He was a Kryptonian, and proud to call himself one. And he also knew that he owed it all to one man: Dr. Xadu. Whoever this dweeb in the coat was, he sure wasn’t the man who his brain was telling him he should be grateful too. In fact, this Ivo guy in front of him was pretty much a grade A putz, and the ugly pointy ear guy behind him was as “Guido” as they came.
“So, Conner,” Ivo was saying in a sickeningly soothing voice. “If it’s alright with you, I’d like to make sure you are completely healthy before I show you your new world.”
“New world? What’s wrong with the one I’ve been living in?” he asked cautiously.
“Well, um, you see, you haven’t actually been living in it. Although my hypothesis is that you have come to believe that you did. You seem very educated for someone who just... just...”
“Just what?” Conner asked.
“Became the first teenager to be hatched from a test tube,” the Guido-looking guy cracked with a snarl on his lip.
“He doesn’t like me very much,” Conner stated.
“That’s because he hasn’t punched anything in a few days. Ignore him; just come sit in this chair and get comfortable, please. I just want to give you a quick physical.”
Why do I not like the sound of that? the newly-born Kryptonian wondered to himself.
The Secret Headquarters of Lex Luthor (#3 of 13, actually)
Lex sat at his computer console studying the list of names and addresses on the monitor. He had known Ivo for quite a while, knew that he had several aliases that he had used in the past. The question was, which one was he using now?
Supergirl, now infused with both red and black kryptonite, came up behind him and draped her arm around his shoulder. She was so into her own thoughts that she did not even feel his muscles tighten at her touch.
“Lexie, I want to go out. I’m bored here. Let’s go dancing or something.”
Luthor’s left eye began to twitch in annoyance. “Now, Linda darling, you know we can’t play until I’m finished with my work. It won’t be too much longer and I promise you more fun than you could imagine.”
She pursed her lips in a playful pout. “You promise?”
Without looking at her, he smiled as he found the name he had been searching for. Ah yes, Ivo was working under the name Herman Adams; combining two of his favorite childhood shows. Not far from him either, in the Palisades of Gotham City.
“Oh, I promise,” he smirked.
The Fortress of Solitude (#1 of 1)
Soft blue light shimmered over the unconscious form of Mary Marvel as Superman shifted two more crystals into new slots. His eyes never left the three-dimensional hologram in front of him. Both Lois Lane and Captain Marvel stood back a ways, neither understanding what was going on, as all the writing seemed to be in Kryptonian.
For Lois the entire twenty-four hours seemed a bit surreal. When she had pressured Perry into letting her find Superman, she had no idea what was in store for her. If it hadn’t been for Slam Bradley she wouldn’t have been in the middle of the biggest story to come along in ages. Thanks to some bad kryptonite, Supergirl had turned evil, or slutty, or something, and was now being manipulated by Superman’s greatest enemy – Lex Luthor! There was an evil Kryptonian that had created a child using the DNA of Superman and Supergirl – which meant they had a son together! And to top it off, the boy was now in the hands of Dr. Ivo, one of the world’s most dangerous scientists. If Slam wasn’t at the Metropolis General with his jaw wired shut, she would have considered the entire day a slam dunk.
“Is she going to be alright?”
“I’m sure she will be, Captain. I’m keeping her sedated at the moment so she doesn’t come to until we find out just how hurt she is. We wouldn’t want her to wake up and say something she might regret.” He gave his friend a knowing wink that he followed up with the reassuring smile that seemed to put everyone at ease.
“Rao! This place is... is...” Dr. Xadu was speechless as he marveled at the Kryptonian architecture that had been created from the Earth’s southernmost landmass.
“Don’t touch anything, Doctor,” Superman warned. “And do not get comfortable here. This is your first and your last visit to my home. You have my word on that. Now, you better be good to your word. If you don’t know where to find the boy, I’ll personally see to it that you...”
“Yes, yes, yes,” Dr. Xadu cut him off, dismissing him with a wave of the hand. “You sound just like your father... droll.”
Superman clenched his teeth, biting his tongue to keep from saying what he wanted to. He had no idea where to find... find the boy. He had to play along, be civil, at least for the immediate future. He said nothing more about it, just continued to examine his patient until he received all the data that he needed. He turned to his friend, whose face had his emotions written all over it.
“Well?” Captain Marvel asked anxiously.
He placed his hand on Marvel’s shoulder reassuringly. “Like I said, she’s going to be fine. She’s got a concussion and some broken ribs, but no internal damage. I’m going to keep her sedated for a while longer, let her rest while she heals.”
Kal could feel the tension leave the young man’s body as he took in the news. The more he was around this younger Captain Marvel, the more he liked him. C.C. would be proud to know that he was carrying on the legacy so well.
“Can I have a couple of minutes?” he asked, his awkwardness at asking was also apparent in his facial expression.
“Of course,” Superman said. “And when this is all over, I want to introduce you to a few friends of mine who get together every chance they can to play poker.”
Marvel was taken aback. “Uh, geez, I’m really not very good at it.”
“I figured. That’s why you need to meet them,” Superman said with a chuckle and a slap to his friend’s back. He excused himself as he took Lois by the arm and they made their way down the ice steps onto a lower level.
“Superman,” Lois murmured. “Is it safe to talk?” she asked, glancing over at Xadu.
He shook his head slightly, and she nodded in understanding, but then he patted her arm reassuringly. “But don’t worry, Lois, everything is going to be fine.”
She couldn’t help but believe that it would be, when he said it. “When this is all over, when Supergirl is back to normal and you’ve got the boy, what are you going to do?”
Kal’s eyebrow arched as he shot her an inquisitive glance. “Is this a personal question or professional?”
Her sudden interest in the floor gave him the answer; he found himself to be slightly disappointed in her. “The, um, the people are going to want to know,” Lois stated, trying to hide the defensiveness that she felt.
“Lois, I’m not even sure what’s going on yet. I wish you would just hold off until I can get a better understanding of all of this. Kara and I need to talk; we’ll need to talk to him. We’re going to need some privacy.”
Lois stopped short. “What are you asking?” Her face began to grow red. “Are you really asking me what I think you are?”
“This isn’t like other stories.” He raised his hands defensively. “All I’m asking is that you...”
“You’re asking me to sit on a story! The story of the century.”
“Well, until the next story of the century comes along,” he said good-naturedly. The fact that her eyes nearly popped out of their sockets caused the smile to drop from his face immediately. “Or not,” he added.
She turned without saying another word and stalked off, snapping her head back once to give him a dirty look.
How does Hal do it, he wondered to himself.
Dr. Ivo’s Hidden Lab: Gotham City
“How can someone with such a high intelligence be so stupid? What exactly do you plan on doing with this kid, anyway? You’re just inviting Superman and his buddies here,” Amazo hissed in Ivo’s ear.
“Calm yourself. Superman can never find us here; I’ve made sure it’s lead-lined. And speaking of which,” Ivo continued, turning to his creation, “do you have any idea how much that actually costs?! How the hell Luthor does it for all thirteen of his secret hideouts is beyond me.”
Amazo threw his arms up in the air with disgust and walked away. “Total moron.”
Doctor Ivo turned his attention to the young lad lying on the examination table; wires from several machines were connected to his naked torso. “Now then, Conner, just relax and take deep breaths.”
The young man closed his eyes and breathed deeply. His mind was racing with several conflicting thoughts. He was born of Krypton, a Kryptonian by blood – his father was Kal-El, son of Jor-El. So why was he allowing this to happen to him? It was an affront to him and his lineage to be poked and prodded this way. And yet, while that ran through his mind, another part of him was trying to figure out a way to get back to Dr. Xadu. The man who had actually been a father to him; when he had been abandoned by his real parents. Still... was that right? It’s what his mind was telling him...
“Are we almost done?” Conner asked.
“Just a few more tests, my friend, then we can get you some ice cream. Would you like that?”
Conner’s left eye opened up slightly. “Ice cream? Are you serious?”
Ivo hesitated, “Isn’t that right? It’s been a while since I was a teenager.”
“Well, technically I’ve only been one for a few days, but I’m pretty sure that’s kind of old school, pops.”
“Fine, we’ll get you an Xbox 360 and a Galaxia game.”
“Getting there...”
Amazo turned his head suddenly, tilting his head slightly to the left. “Somebody is coming.”
“Deal with it,” Ivo snapped.
Conner caught the viciousness in the professor’s voice. It made him even more uncomfortable.
Amazo shot out of the room like a flash, the abilities of Barry Allen coursing through his body. He appeared on the streets of Gotham to find himself face to face with the young woman known as Supergirl. His eyes flashed and his mouth curled into a sneer. “I hope you’ve got something new to bring to the table.”
“If she doesn’t, I do,” Lex Luthor said as he stepped out from behind a dumpster. He was garbed in his famous green and purple battle gear. He raised his arm, and a small circular device was propelled from a hidden compartment near Lex’s wrist. It hit Amazo squarely in the back.
“Luthor,” Amazo said as he spun around, “I’m going to rip your head off your body and...” The device suddenly lit up in a cascade of blues, causing Ivo’s greatest achievement to howl in agony. His arms flailed as he tried to reach behind him to pull the device off.
For the first time since Supergirl’s transformation she was momentarily stunned at the sight. She watched as the thing collapsed, convulsing, but not losing consciousness. Its scream was inhuman, yet all too human at the same time.
“Lex... what have you done?”
“Just a little something I whipped up. I knew we were going to have to face that thing, so I made sure it wouldn’t harm you in any way. You see, Amazo is not human, but a machine really. A machine with the capability of analyzing, then duplicating the powers of a meta. The device I created is scrambling his neural pathways, causing that calculator brain of his to believe that he is now absorbing every known power from every living meta on Earth. He’s overloading with information.”
“Won’t he eventually overcome it?”
“Quite possibly, but if he does, the secondary chip will activate, causing Amazo to release all those newfound powers at once. His body won’t be able to handle that sort of strain.”
Supergirl’s sweet little smile returned. “Why, Lexie, you’ve thought of everything.”
“Of course I have.” His irritability showed briefly at the comment before he quickly reined himself in. “Now let’s go meet the latest Kryptonian to grace my planet.”
The Fortress of Solitude
“I’ve found him,” Xadu said matter-of-factly after moving one more crystal.
“How?” Superman asked.
“He’s my creation, Kal-El. Do you not think that I wouldn’t have a way to know where he is at all times.”
“He’s a human being, Xadu. Don’t think for one moment that the boy is your property, because you would be wrong.”
“Do you really want to have this discussion now, last son of Krypton?”
“There is no discussion. He’s his own person, and when we find him, he’ll be coming home with me,” Superman stated.
Xadu couldn’t help but smile. “A father for barely a day and you’ve already become territorial... interesting. However, as much as you may be the biological patriarch of him, I created him; which I suppose would make me his god.”
The flash of anger in Superman’s eyes was exactly what he was hoping for. What he didn’t expect was the sudden fist that struck him square in the jaw, propelling him backward through the Fortress. This was even better than he had hoped for, he thought, as he crashed into one of the walls.
“Superman, no!” Captain Marvel exclaimed, flying to his friend’s side and grabbing his arm. “Not now.”
For a second, Marvel feared that the man he had idolized for so long was going to turn on him; making him wonder for the first time what it felt like to be struck by The Man of Steel. He also realized it was one question he wouldn’t mind not having answered. He was relieved when he felt the tension leave Superman’s body.
“I shouldn’t have done that, I guess.”
Marvel cleared his throat. “Well, nobody can really blame you,” he assured him. “Actually if you want to do it again, that’s okay too; I just think we should wait until he takes us to the boy.”
Xadu stood up, rubbing his jaw. “You have your father’s passion, Kal-El, but if it makes you feel any better, you are a much stronger person than he was. He would never have had the spine to strike me so. I applaud you for your willingness to use brute force.”
For a second, Captain Marvel feared his friend was going to lose it again, but Superman would not be goaded a second time. Instead he turned from his enemy, walking away from him.
“Are you going to take us to him, or not?”
“Of course. Let us be off.”
“Lois, somebody needs to stay here with Mary,” Superman said.
“Well, I’ll let you know how everything turns out then,” Lois said, turning to Xadu. “Any chance I could get a lift with you?”
“Why, of course, my dear. On our way you can tell me all about this interesting relationship you seem to have with the son of Jor-El.”
“You stick to creating Kryptonians, Doctor, and I’ll stick to the investigative reporting,” she replied icily.
“Whatever you say.”
“Lois, don’t be absurd. You can’t go with him; he’s the enemy.”
She swung around so fast, with such anger, that both Superman and Captain Marvel took a quick step back. “I’ve hung out with plenty of enemies to get a story; one more isn’t going to kill me.” She turned her back on them at that point. “I hope...” she muttered to herself.
“Alright! Alright, you win!” Superman cried out in exasperation. He had never met a woman so insufferable, so bullheaded, so... beautiful. “I’ll take you. I’ll make sure that Mary is sedated until we return.”
“Are you sure she’ll be alright?” Marvel asked a bit uncomfortably. He didn’t want to leave her, but he had made a promise to Superman that he would help him find the boy and rescue Supergirl from Lex Luthor. And Captain Marvel never went back on a promise!
It was as if Superman had read his mind when he replied, “Captain, stay with Mary. I can take care of this.”
Captain Marvel wanted to say thank you and watch them fly off, but he bit his tongue. “No, I’m going with you. I made a promise to you, sir; dad gum I’m going to keep it.” His voice was firm.
Lois’s eyebrow arched. “Dad gum? Seriously?”
The Big Cheese looked at her with some confusion on his face. “What? My grandfather always used to say it.”
“Yeah, well it probably should have stayed with him.”
“Enough,” Xadu snapped. “If we are going, we should do it now.”
“Where exactly is he, Doctor?” Captain Marvel asked.
“Gotham City.”
It was Superman’s turn to look surprised. “Ivo’s in Gotham? Makes sense, I suppose. Things have been a bit unstable there since...” He still couldn’t complete the sentence.
He felt Lois’s hand slip into his, felt the reassuring squeeze. He looked down at her and she smiled warmly at him. His melancholy seemed to evaporate with that one look and he was once again reminded just how deeply he was falling in love with her.
“Let’s go,” he said firmly as he scooped Lois up in his arms and flew out of the Fortress with Dr. Xadu and Captain Marvel close behind.
Gotham City
“So, do I get a clean bill of health, Doc?” Conner asked as he put his shirt back on.
Ivo was looking at the results on his screen. “You are extremely healthy, from what I gather. How do you feel?”
Conner shrugged. “I feel okay. Actually I feel great, like I could leap a tall building in a single bound.”
“We may just have to put that to a test,” the voice of Lex Luthor said as he sauntered down the steps of the dwelling.
Both men turned to watch him, followed closely by Supergirl, approaching them.
“I know you,” Conner said cautiously; memories that seemed to be his were flooding his mind. The hair on the back of his neck stood up. Lex Luthor was not a good man, he knew that. He had read about him growing up... but he hadn’t really grown up, had he?
“Of course you do,” Lex said. “And you are?”
“Conner,” the boy said flatly.
“Pleased to meet you, Conner,” Lex replied as he stepped forward, his hand extended in greeting. As he reached out to take Conner’s somewhat reluctant hand, something happened. He felt his hand, then his arm and finally his entire body get shoved back. If Supergirl hadn’t been there to catch him, he would have fallen.
“What did you do?” Ivo demanded in shock.
Conner seemed to be just as stunned as the rest of them. “I have no idea.”
“I have a feeling there’s much more to this young man than meets the eye,” Luthor stated with a gleam in his eye. “I believe we’ll have to take him away from here.”
“Over Amazo’s dead body,” Ivo declared. As the statement left his mouth he became very much aware of how alone he was at that moment. “Amazo?!” he called out.
Lex smiled. “I don’t think you have to worry about him anymore.”
“Oh. Well in that case, just let me do this!” Ivo shouted as he pulled a metal weapon from under his jacket. He barely had time to point it at his nemesis when a sudden flash of red whizzed by him. Ivo looked to see that his gun was now removed from his hand and being crushed by Supergirl, a wicked little smile on her face.
“How droll, Ivo, even for you,” Luthor admonished. “Now just sit down while I take the young lad with me.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you,” Conner declared. “I know who you are. I grew up hearing all about you.”
Lex’s eyebrow shot up. “You grew... up? Well, that’s interesting. Rest assured, you are coming with me, boy. The question is, will you be doing it of your own free will, or are we going to have to force you? Just so we understand each other, I’m hoping for the latter.”
Conner’s fists clenched. “Then you’re going to be real happy.”
Without even thinking about it, he suddenly lifted up off the ground and shot towards Lex, only to be tackled from the left by Supergirl; their momentum carried them through the basement of the building they were in and into the adjacent basement next door. Dust, dirt and powder from the crushed brick billowed out, covering everyone still in the room. They began to cough as the smoke choked the air from their lungs.
“You are going to ruin everything!” Ivo shouted.
Coughing and hacking, Lex stumbled towards Ivo, whose face was flushed with anger. “Shut up,” he said simply as he threw a right cross that sent Ivo spinning on his heels before falling to the ground unconscious. “You give the rest of us a bad name.”
“Looks like we’ve come late to the party,” the voice of Superman said from behind his archenemy.
“Actually, you have. I was expecting you four point two minutes ago.”
“I’m not sorry to disappoint you, Luthor. I think it’s time to put you back where you belong.”
Superman took one step forward and was then bowled over by the flying body of Supergirl as she was hurled back into the room. They both went down into a pile of tangled limbs as Conner stepped through the ever-widening hole.
“I thought you were a good guy, well, girl,” Conner said to Supergirl.
“Whoa, hold up there young man,” Captain Marvel said, and stepped forward only to find himself flying through the air as Conner grabbed his arm and flipped him over, slamming him into the ground.
“You too?” the boy asked in amazement. “What is wrong with all you hero types? Something happen that I wasn’t aware of?”
“Ease up!” Superman spoke in a calm voice. “We’re not the enemy here. I think you’re just a little confused right now.”
Conner saw him for the first time. “I’m... I didn’t know,” he stated, then took a deep bow towards Kal-El. “I have shamed the house of El; for that I beg your forgiveness.”
Superman was startled. This was not the reaction he was expecting. He turned to the shadows, finding Dr. Xadu there, his face showing no emotion. “What did you do to him?”
Stepping out of the shadow, Xadu brought his hands out, palms open. “I did what any good Kryptonian would do, Kal-El. I made sure that the grandson of Jor-El was well aware of his rich family heritage. Yet, for that, I am persecuted. A shame really.”
Conner saw Xadu step out from the corner and his face changed from shame to something akin to worship. He dropped to his knees, practically prostrate on the floor.
“And what do you call this?” Superman demanded.
“Knowing one’s place,” Xadu replied contently.
“Superman, look out!” Captain Marvel yelled as he looked up in time to see Kara leap towards her cousin.
Marvel used the speed of Hermes to grab Supergirl’s ankle before she was able to strike, pulling her back and into the far wall.
“Everybody stop!” Superman barked, but Supergirl was already getting back up, a ferocious growl coming from her throat as she struck Captain Marvel full in the chest, both of them going back through the hole that had now become a size larger.
“I’ve got her, Kal,” Conner shouted as he shot through the hole himself, disappearing with the other two.
“Fix this, Lex, and do it now,” Superman demanded as he approached his nemesis.
“Actually, Superman, I couldn’t if I wanted to... and I don’t, actually. The infusion of the two types of kryptonite is causing this, and as of yet, I’ve been unable to figure out a reversal for it. Granted, I haven’t really tried that hard.”
“Or at all?” Lois asked from the far corner of the room.
“Ah, Ms. Lane, so good of you to join us. Why am I not surprised?”
“I believe I can help Supergirl,” Xadu said. “As can Lex Luthor. I’m sure he came prepared.”
Lex shrugged noncommittally.
“If you use it, I’m sure it will still cripple her, at least long enough for us to take her down and deliver a much-needed transfusion. If we can clear out the poisoned blood with new, the effects should be reversed.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Lex stated, folding his arms in defiance as the noise of the battle carried through to their side of the wall.
Superman’s face hardened as he threw his body into Lex’s, gripping the purple and green suit and tearing it open like it was papier-mâché. Although the bald genius screamed in protest, Superman ignored it as he found the hidden compartment that housed the green kryptonite. It fell into his hands and he slumped to the ground as the effects suddenly took hold.
Taking the moment, Lex kicked Superman under the chin, causing the Man of Steel to fall onto his back, the alien rock slipping out of his hands.
“For being such a boy scout, you know nothing about manners,” Luthor stated.
He bent down to retrieve his item when he felt the sharp pain in the back of his head, then the world turned black and he slumped to the ground unconscious.
“And you’re still an ass,” Lois stated, standing directly behind him.
“Lois... get out... get out of... here,” Superman gasped as he rolled over, trying to grab for the kryptonite.
“You can’t do it, Superman,” Lois said, retrieving the item before he could. “Neither can Xadu. Captain Marvel is a bit preoccupied, so I’m pretty sure it’s up to me.”
“No...”
“Her logic is indisputable,” Xadu replied as he continued to back as far away from the deadly mineral as possible.
“Don’t... don’t trust... you,” Superman gasped. “Up to... up to something.”
“You wound me, Kal-El. You are so like your father.”
“We’ll worry about that later,” Lois stated as she ran towards the hole in the wall.
“Lois... you’ll be killed,” Superman cried out.
The ace reporter turned to him for a second before disappearing. “Are you crazy? I’m not actually getting in the middle of the battle!”
She stepped through to see Supergirl being knocked around by the young man who claimed to be the son of her lover. Captain Marvel was closer to her, on one knee, struggling to stand up. He raised his head and saw Lois; his eyes widened with the realization that a mortal was now in the thick of the battle.
Before he could speak, however, she was throwing him the green rock. “It’s the only way,” she called out to him.
Captain Marvel saw it spin in the air as it came towards him and the wisdom of Solomon gave him the answer that he needed. He brought his arm up, catching the kryptonite in one hand as he nodded to her in understanding. “Now leave,” he ordered.
It was the first order that she took that didn’t belong to Perry White.
Supergirl had struck Conner with the back of her hand, sending him across the room. She turned to see Captain Marvel, bloodied and bruised, once again leaping towards her.
“Haven’t you had enough?” she giggled, drawing her fist back behind her as he hurtled towards her. Only at the last second did he bring his other arm out in front of him. Her eyes widened with realization, but it was too late. The punch with the hand holding the mineral that was her greatest weakness sent her flying backward. It was the first punch she had truly felt.
The Captain did not let up, but struck her again, moving quickly so that she could not get her bearings. After the second punch, the guilt of striking a woman was too much and he chose only to hold the kryptonite out in front of him. It was enough, as she lay on the ground moaning.
Superman appeared from the other side of the wall. “Good job, Captain. Get her back to the Fortress. We’ll be right behind you.”
As Captain Marvel slung her over his shoulder and took off, Superman offered his hand to the young man. “You’re going to be fine,” he assured him.
Conner seemed a bit taken aback by that comment. “Of course I am,” he stated. “In fact, I’ve never felt better... sir.”
“We probably don’t have a lot of time,” Lois reminded them.
Superman nodded, checking to make sure Xadu was still with them. He was. His face was once again emotionless.
“Follow me,” Superman ordered Conner as he scooped Lois up and the four of them took off.
As they flew into the night sky of Gotham they were all so lost in their own problems that they did not see the young man in the green and red outfit on the roof of the adjoining building.
Robin, the newest Boy Wonder, watched as these strangers to his city took off. He recognized Superman and the woman, but the other two were not familiar to him at all. The younger one, however, did bear a striking resemblance to Superman himself.
“Wow,” Tim Drake muttered as he watched them soar away. “That was Superman... and... Superboy?” He scratched his head in bewilderment.
The Fortress of Solitude – Some Time Later
Kara sat up, confusion written all over her face. She looked over to see Kal lying on a stone table next to her, a long tube connected between the two of them. Dr. Xadu, Lois Lane, Captain Marvel, Mary Marvel, and a young man who seemed vaguely familiar, were all standing around the two of them.
“What happened?” she asked.
“You don’t remember?” Superman asked cautiously.
She shook her head. “I feel like I’ve been asleep for an entire year.”
“Interesting,” Xadu remarked.
“I’ll explain everything later,” Superman said as he sat up, watching every move Dr. Xadu made as he disconnected the two of them.
“I love happy endings,” Mary blurted out, her arm still in a sling.
“I think it’s time for us to leave you all,” Captain Marvel said with a grin. He shook Superman’s hand. “I’m guessing you can take it from here?”
“Yes, but I wouldn’t have been able to if it hadn’t been for the two of you. Thank you.”
Both members of the Marvel family blushed and Mary let out a little giggle. Superman couldn’t help but smile at that and leaned over, giving her a small kiss on the cheek.
Mary opened her mouth, but no words would come out. She just kept staring at him until she was led out of the Fortress by Captain Marvel who seemed a bit embarrassed for his friend.
“Kal, who is this?” Supergirl asked as she stared openly at Conner.
“He’s... he’s a member of my family, Kara.” Superman did not want to get into it, not at that moment. What had actually happened was now catching up with him, and the sudden realization of who was standing before them seemed daunting.
“Professor Ivo called me Conner,” the young man said in way of a lame explanation.
“Is he another cousin?” she persisted.
“No.” He had to say it. If he said it, perhaps it would feel more real, he decided. Still, he wasn’t ready to tell her everything. “Kara, this is... my son.”
“Your...!?”
Lois looked away, feeling more than a little awkward at the situation. Conner was also feeling a bit out of place, realizing that the man, who now had openly confirmed him as his flesh and blood, was not willing to reveal the whole truth.
“Conner,” the young man said again, feeling that he had to say something.
Superman gave him an odd look. “I think that name is great, if you like it. At least for your Earth name, but you are the heir to the House of El, and therefore should have a name that gives you that entitlement. What about... Kon-El?”
Kon-El grinned. “I like that!”
“I feel like I came in at the end of a movie,” Supergirl said in exasperation.
Kal saw a movement out of the corner of his eye and shot up into the air, blocking Dr. Xadu’s plan to leave. “Where do you think you’re going?” he demanded.
“This experiment is over, Kal-El. I have other things that I must tend to.”
“Please don’t leave!” Kon-El cried out as he took to the air, joining his father. “I need you. I want you to stay.”
Superman suddenly realized the position he was now in. Xadu was brilliant in more ways than one. All of this was nothing more than an opening act. One small experiment in some kind of major plan that he was creating. Still, he had no real proof of it, only his gut instinct. And if he were to try and capture Xadu now, he would turn his own son against him in the process. There was too much that Kon-El had to learn about his new home. Even with the memories that had been implanted, the young Kryptonian could still tilt towards being the protector of the man who had actually created him.
Dr. Xadu saw this all play out in Superman’s head just by watching his eyes. He smiled at his opponent before turning to Conner. “You need your father right now. Don’t worry, though, I will never be far away, and you haven’t seen the last of me. I’ll always be there for you, if you need me.” He turned back to Superman. “Was there anything else?”
It was a challenge. The two of them floated there for a long moment as Superman weighed all of his options, then, his teeth clenching so tight that even Lois could hear them scraping against each other, he floated away from Xadu. “Not at the moment, Doctor. I’m positive I’ll be seeing you again as well.”
“That’s a logical assumption.” And with that he flew to safety.
“Now what?” Kon-El asked with sadness in his voice as he watched the man who had been his creator fly away. There was such a strong impulse in the back of his mind to chase after him, but his future – for the moment – lay with his biological father.
Superman turned to the young teenager. “I think it’s time you actually met your grandmother.”
“Lara?”
“No, the other one...”
Metropolis Later That Evening
Both Superman and Lois Lane had said nothing to each other on their way back from Gotham. In fact, they had hardly said anything to each other during the whole aftermath. As he brought them both down gently on the roof of the Daily Planet, the moonlight casting a blue hue on them, he looked down at her and smiled sadly.
“Will you give me a couple of days before you print the article? I’ve got to explain this to Kara, and I’m not sure how I’m going to do it, yet. The whole thing is so... weird.”
Lois reached up, touching the cheek of the man she loved. “You have as much time as you want; I’m not going to print this story. Conner’s secret is safe with me.”
“No, Lois, I was wrong. You have to tell the story. It’s who you are, it’s what you do. You’ll hate yourself if you don’t. I’m fine with it, and I’m sorry that I even asked you to bury it.”
“You know, Mr. Superman, a couple of years ago I would have printed it without a second thought, but I’m not that person anymore. Where I’m at now, in my life, I think I’d hate myself if I did print it. There will be a story, don’t get me wrong, but all the details will not be in it.”
“Are you sure?”
“I don’t say it if I’m not sure. Besides, this is Metropolis; the next big story is right around the corner.”
“You are a very special woman, Lois Lane.”
She stood up on her toes so to kiss him lightly on the lips. “Of course I am. I have to be, I’m the girlfriend of Superman.”
Epilogue
Smallville A Few Weeks Later
Clark Kent sat waiting on the porch of his family homestead. Martha sat in the rocker next to him, looking like the cat that had swallowed the canary.
“What exactly am I waiting for?” Clark asked suspiciously. “When I talked to Conner last night he was more than a little excited about this life you apparently gave him.”
She patted him on the arm. “I want you to know that this was all his idea, but I have to say that I did not dissuade him in the least. You know how boys are at that age; they are going to do what they want to, no matter what. So instead of fighting with him, I figured I’d give him a hand. Besides, it’s not every day that I get to spoil my grandson.”
Clark put his hands over his face. “Oh, Ma, what did you do?”
“The right thing, Clark. I did exactly what your father would have wanted me to do.”
“Hey, Clark! What do you think?” he heard Conner shout from over the house. He gave his mother one more look before stepping off the porch and looking over at the farm house to find Kon-El hovering there. He was dressed in a similar costume to Clark’s, but with a style that proclaimed him to obviously be his own person. “Guess what?” he called down.
“What?” Clark shouted back at him with several emotions running through him at the same time.
“You’re looking at the all-new Superboy!” Then he gave a shout and soared into the Tuesday afternoon sky.
“Ma...”
“Don’t start,” Martha Kent cut him off.
“He’s got so far to go. What am I going to do?” Clark said both to her and to himself.
“You’re going to be there for him. You’re going to teach him the same way your father taught you. Clark, we raised you right. Jonathan brought you up to be the wonderful person that you are today. Now you have a chance to honor his memory by doing the same for your own son. Sure, it’s not going to be easy, but when it comes to this family, what is.”
Clark sighed, “I love you, Ma.”
“I love you too, son. Now, get up there and start showing my grandson the ropes.”
Dust suddenly kicked up as Clark disappeared into a self-made whirlwind. When he stopped, he stood in his uniform, his cape flapping gently in the breeze. He watched Superboy fly by the house, leaving a whooping noise behind him as he shot by.
He knew that there would be hard times ahead for the young man, but they would face them together. For now, he was content to do just as his mother said he should.
“Wait for me, son,” he cried out as he shot into the sky after him.
As they soared across the cornfield together, Clark listening to the excitement in the young man’s voice, he couldn’t help but give a contented smile. “Are you happy, Conner?” he asked his son after they had landed back on the farm.
“Almost one hundred percent.”
Clark raised an eyebrow. “Oh really? And what would we have to do to make it a solid hundred?”
They headed towards the house, Martha on the porch waving to them as he thought about the question for a moment. “Well... a dog would be nice.”
Superman laughed. “A dog? We’ll see what we can do.”
The End[/b]
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