"Dad."
Lois looked at her father, General Sam Lane, with a trace of unease.
"Sorry, I messed up the mission you gave me."
She spoke sincerely, her tone steady but apologetic. "Chloe and I found the documents you left at Meli's house, but someone took them. The person moved incredibly fast. We didn't even see how he appeared, and he took the files without any effort."
"This is a problem."
General Lane had recently been cleared by the Department of Defense, the investigation against him officially closed.
But he understood better than anyone that things were far from over.
On the surface, he was free, no longer under suspicion. In reality, the United States government had only tightened its surveillance on him.
"If those documents fall into the wrong hands, we could be facing a catastrophe."
"We?"
Lois frowned slightly. "Dad, are you saying the government would come after us? No, that doesn't make sense."
"It's not the government," Lane replied, pausing briefly as he removed his hat. "It's Homelander."
Lois blinked, caught off guard.
"I don't understand."
"It means we are walking a fine line, an unspoken balance between humanity and the two superhumans."
Lane walked toward the study window, his gaze drifting outside. The sunlight was bright, but his expression remained cold.
"The world is changing. You may not notice it yet, but the shift has already begun. General Zod's invasion did more than cause destruction. It changed how people think. It forced us to realize we are not alone in this universe."
He continued, his voice steady but heavy.
"Superman and Homelander inspire hope, but they also create fear."
Lois crossed her arms. "They're on our side. They've proven that."
"You cannot guarantee that," Lane said quietly. "And neither can I. Imagine if an ordinary person controlled a nuclear weapon and could launch it based on emotion alone. No one would sleep at night. That is what we are dealing with."
Lois shook her head. "That's not who they are."
"Maybe not today," Lane replied. "But emotions are unpredictable. Even the Battle of Metropolis caused thousands of deaths. People remember that. Fear is natural."
He turned back toward her.
"The only thing keeping everything from falling apart is balance. A fragile one. We pretend not to know their identities, and they allow us that illusion. It is an unspoken agreement."
He exhaled slowly.
"But if those documents reach the wrong people, Washington might make the wrong call. If they provoke Adrian…"
His voice trailed off.
"…then the consequences won't be limited to us. It could affect everyone."
Lois felt a knot tighten in her chest.
"No… Adrian wouldn't go that far."
Her voice was quieter now, more uncertain.
Lane simply sighed.
"Who knows."
His eyes dropped to the medals on his uniform, his thoughts weighed down by the future.
Lois studied him, her guilt growing stronger.
"Oh, right. Dad… I heard something from Meli."
Lane looked up.
"She said you once ordered the army and state guards to attack Adrian. Is that true?"
"Yes," Lane answered calmly. "But we were infected at the time. A biological agent, something like a vampire virus. It affected our minds. That wasn't my decision."
Lois narrowed her eyes.
"Is that so?"
Her tone sharpened. "Because I also heard that infected individuals had enhanced strength and reflexes. You didn't show any of that. So were you really infected… or were you just pretending?"
Lane gave a faint smile.
"Is that what being a reporter does? Turning everything into a conspiracy?"
"It's not a conspiracy," Lois replied evenly. "It's experience. I've seen enough to know how far politicians will go."
She held his gaze.
"And you are both a soldier and a politician."
Lane said nothing.
Before the silence could stretch further, Lois's phone rang.
"Jimmy? Yeah, it's me."
She tilted her head, holding the phone in place as she grabbed her notepad.
"What? Coast Guard intel? Okay, slow down."
She began writing quickly.
"Location… Tanton Harbor, about twelve miles northeast along the coast. Got it. I'll meet you there."
She ended the call, already reaching for her coat and gear.
"I've got to go, Dad."
Lane watched her head for the door.
"Lois."
She paused slightly.
"Quit smoking."
A faint voice echoed back as she disappeared down the hall.
"I already did."
And it was true.
Since the day she had nearly been crushed by something falling from the sky near Smallville, Lois had changed. No more cigarettes. Only the occasional drink.
As her footsteps faded, Lane sat down, his expression darkening.
He knew the government had already begun investigating Superman and Adrian. Pieces of alien technology were being recovered. Studied.
Weaponized.
He opened his email.
A contact from the Army had sent a report. The government had uncovered a cache of spacecraft debris hidden by a criminal group known as the Blood Axe Gang.
More troubling was what followed.
Funding for superhuman research had increased.
Plans were forming.
Lane leaned back, shaking his head.
"I just hope someone slows this down before it's too late."
---
At Tanton Harbor, Lois found Jimmy waiting near the scene.
Police lights flashed across the docks. Helicopters circled overhead.
"This is big," Lois said, scanning the area.
Jimmy nodded. "Coast Guard, Navy, local police. Everyone's here."
"What happened?"
"Half the town is missing," Jimmy said quietly. "And they spent the whole morning collecting remains from the pier."
Lois froze.
"Remains?"
Jimmy gestured for her to follow.
As they moved closer, the air grew thick with the smell of salt, decay, and blood. It was enough to make her stomach turn.
"Officer Wilson!"
Jimmy waved at a middle aged Black officer near the barricade.
The officer approached and lifted the tape.
"Jimmy, good to see you."
"Wilson, this is Lois."
They shook hands.
"Glad to meet you," Wilson said. "Jimmy's helped me out before."
He led them further in.
"It's complicated. Some think it's organized killings. Others think it's an animal attack."
Before he could continue, a sharp voice cut in.
"Wilson! Where have you been?"
A uniformed sheriff approached, clearly irritated.
"This is a restricted area."
"Sheriff Wilson is just helping us take a look," Lois said, flashing a military ID.
The sheriff frowned.
"I'm the sheriff. He's my deputy."
Wilson tried to speak but was cut off.
"I don't want outsiders interfering."
Lois ignored him and walked past.
"Stop them!"
The sheriff barked, but Wilson quickly intervened.
"They have Defense Department connections. It's not worth the trouble."
The sheriff muttered something under his breath and stormed off.
Jimmy exhaled.
"That was close."
He discreetly adjusted his camera, snapping photos.
A splash echoed from the pier.
Two divers surfaced.
One of them pulled off his mask, breathing hard.
"If I didn't have this gear, whatever's down there would've killed me."
He glanced toward another dock.
A blond young man stood there, fingers pressed around his eyes as if focusing.
Arthur Curry.
Lois approached him.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm looking," Arthur said seriously, not breaking his stance.
A faint ripple spread outward, invisible but deliberate.
Lois blinked.
"And?"
"Nothing," Arthur replied.
Lois stared at him.
"…Nothing?"
He nodded. "No response at all."
Before she could respond, a shout rang out.
"I found something!"
One of the divers dragged up a large, cocoon like object from the water. It glowed faintly, covered in sticky, fibrous strands.
Everyone gathered around.
"It looks like a cocoon," an officer said, cutting into it carefully.
The smell that escaped was foul.
Arthur stiffened.
A low, distorted whisper echoed in his mind.
"Eat… eat them… food…"
His expression changed instantly.
"Everyone get out of here!" he shouted. "Move to the shore, now!"