Clark's eyes snapped open. He was still suspended in the swirling gale of radiant energy, thousands of luminous crystals chaining him to this impossible space. Jor‑El's ancient voice trembled through the void, a torrent of knowledge and power still being poured into him.
But Clark's thoughts weren't on power or destiny. In his mind's eye he had just seen Martha in danger…the silhouette of his brother…someone else he cared about. His heart pounded and refused to calm.
"No! You have to stop!" Clark yelled, his voice cracking over the roar of the winds. "I saw my family in danger. I have to go back and help them!"
There was a pause, then Jor‑El's voice echoed, firm but not unkind. "What did you see, Kal‑El?"
Clark strained against the force holding him. "I saw intruders threatening my pregnant mother. And Adrian…he was caught in a fight with them. I need to go, I have to stop this."
"You may not understand what is at stake," said Jor‑El.
Clark's jaw clenched and he shouted into the echoing expanse toward the unseen source of the voice, "I have to leave!"
With a thunderous crack, his body fell. The swirling wind and dazzling light vanished as though swept away by an invisible hand.
But Jor‑El's voice still lingered. "Kal‑El, you must continue your training. Once this process begins, it may not be paused."
"My brother and my mother are in danger. I cannot remain here."
Clark's tone was calm but resolute.
"You risk the fate of the entire world when you let human emotions rule you. That is your weakness."
The immense icy doorway leading out of the fortress sealed itself. Clark's heart sank as he realized he still couldn't leave.
He looked up at the towering monolith of ice before him. "Please. I must get out."
A long silence filled the space.
"Even if it costs you your powers?" Jor‑El finally asked.
Clark blinked, then looked at his hands as though seeing them for the first time. "You can make me lose my powers?"
"Everything has a price, Kal‑El. If you choose to step away now, you will lose what you have gained. You must return here within two hours, or your powers will be lost forever. That is the consequence."
Clark's gaze dropped to the frozen ground beneath him. He exhaled slowly.
"I accept," he said.
There was a tense moment, then Jor‑El spoke again, softer this time, "Do not fail. I will not be disappointed a second time."
Clark nodded, hooking determination to every breath. He approached the great entrance once more. Slowly, the massive door glowed and parted.
Clark stepped through…and vanished.
—
Blue Valley, Town Hospital — Night
A huge explosion lit the parking lot in violent orange flame.
Adrian Kent had just sent a Kryptonian woman flying with intense, blazing heat vision. Her armored form was embedded in the marble ground, trembling and gasping. Her suit protected her, but not from the searing pain.
Courtney and the others watched wide‑eyed as he landed, boots crunching against asphalt.
A bald stranger stepped forward, leaving Bart and Hourman behind. His eyes locked on Adrian with unnerving intensity.
The injured Kryptonian rose, dirt and debris tangling her hair. She staggered toward them, clearly furious.
"You're Kal‑El's brother," the bald man said. "At last we meet."
"Who are you?" Adrian asked, voice steady.
"We are the last survivors of Krypton," the man declared. His gaze flicked dismissively to the wounded woman. "The blood flowing through you… it is strange. Like Kryptonian but not. I sense the Codex — something lost."
Adrian didn't flinch. "What's your leader's name? General Zod?"
The two strangers exchanged a glance at that, but didn't answer.
"You won't get anything from us unless you join our cause," the bald man said. "Help us build our ideal world from this savage land."
Adrian's eyes narrowed. "If your ideal is to destroy Earth, I'm not interested. Unless Zod himself shows up, I have nothing to discuss with two random soldiers."
The woman snarled and vanished in a blur — super speed — before anyone could track her.
She struck first like a cannonball, but Adrian pivoted and let her momentum carry her forward. He appeared behind her just as she tried to recover.
"You're weak," Adrian said without expression. "For someone from Krypton."
Though she had incredible speed and armor, without the sun's full power and unable to fly, she was slow compared to him now. At night, beneath the stars, she was no match.
She recovered and lashed out again — punches crashing like thunder around them — but Adrian calmly dodged.
Boom!
His fist struck her cheek, sending her hurtling through a car with a blast that cracked the night air.
Flames erupted.
Before she could rise, the bald man dashed in, grabbing at Adrian's throat. But Adrian turned and unleashed another searing blast of heat vision.
The stranger slammed into a truck, fire trailing behind him.
People nearby shielded their eyes from the intense heat.
Jonathan Kent had arrived just in time to see Adrian in battle. Concern flashed across his face as the explosion roared.
"Everyone, you need to get back!" Jonathan called, urgency in his voice.
Nearby, Midnight Doctor, a tech‑minded young woman with dark skin and glasses, watched eagerly.
"You should leave," Jonathan repeated as flame began to spread.
Midnight Doctor barely paused her analysis. "Based on Chuck's data, Adrian's odds against these two are around nine percent."
"Chuck?"
"My glasses AI — he calculates speed, impact, everything."
Jonathan simply stared at her.
But back in the fray, Adrian confronted the Kryptonian woman again, smashing her into the ground with force that cracked concrete into dust.
His voice was cold, unshakeable.
"I know your belief in survival of the fittest," Adrian said. "But right now, you are the weak ones."
Just then, the bald man, dust‑covered and angry, charged through the smoke.
"You cannot betray your planet," he growled.
"My home is here," Adrian replied without hesitation. "Not Krypton."
Before the stranger could react, a blur of motion—Adrian closed the distance and struck him in the chest with a powerful blow.
---