[Third Person Pov]
As Kreel finished unlocking the final restraints on Momo's cell and the energy barrier dissolved, Clark turned toward the young alien with a serious expression.
"You know, speaking of that blast… just what exactly was that weapon?" Clark asked, his voice low but firm.
Momo stepped out of the cell, stretching her arms with a groan of relief. She caught sight of Kreel and quickly pieced everything together — the clear family resemblance to Cranis, the fact that he was helping them, and Clark's apparent trust in him.
Her face twisted in disgust. "Yeah, what the heck was that thing?!" she demanded. "That shit was so gross! The way those soldiers died was seriously disturbing. If I wasn't already used to seeing disgusting crap like that, I would've thrown up right there on the spot."
Kreel nodded solemnly, his expression turning grim as he led them down the corridor. "It's called Weapon X. The core of the weapon contains condensed gas harvested from a collapsing nebula in the final stages of stellar death. During that phase, the nebular matter becomes violently unstable — heavy ionization, electromagnetic turbulence, and intense radiation decay all occurring simultaneously inside a single compressed molecular cloud."
He continued, voice clinical yet uneasy. "The gas itself is lethally toxic to nearly all known forms of biological life. The particles carry extreme electrochemical volatility. The moment the compound makes contact with an oxygen-rich atmosphere, the ions inside the gas begin stripping electrons from surrounding matter at an accelerated rate. It forces the body into a catastrophic electrical imbalance. The nervous system is usually the first to fail. Synapses overload faster than the brain can process signals. Muscles contract uncontrollably, blood vessels rupture from sudden thermal expansion, and cellular membranes begin breaking apart due to induced electrical polarization."
Kreel then looked at Clark with visible disbelief. "How you aren't dead is honestly astonishing. That weapon was designed to be a literal death ray. No biological life-form should have been able to survive even a glancing hit… yet all it did was put you to sleep."
Momo snorted loudly and started slapping Clark's back repeatedly with the palm of her hand. "That's Superman for you! Where a death ray is nothing more than a fancy tranquilizer!"
Clark brushed her hand away with mild annoyance and pressed on. "Where's Sol?"
"Sol?" Kreel asked, clearly confused. "Did you come with someone else I don't know about?"
"I'm talking about the suit I was wearing," Clark said, frowning. "The AI inside it is called Sol. Where is it? Where have they taken him?"
The absence of the familiar presence against his skin felt deeply wrong — like he was missing a limb. He felt strangely naked and vulnerable without the Sunstone suit's comforting presence always accessible.
"Ah… It's in my father's private laboratory," Kreel answered carefully. "They've been studying it. Trying to replicate the technology."
"What?" Clark's eyes flared with a dangerous red-gold glow.
Kreel immediately stiffened, sweat beading on his forehead as he raised both hands in surrender. "It's just… an incredibly advanced piece of technology. Whoever designed it was a genius even by our standards. The blend of thermodynamic regulation, energy absorption, and adaptive—"
"Listen here, Megamind," Clark growled, grabbing the scruff of Kreel's neck with one powerful hand. "If something happens to Sol because you people couldn't keep your hands to yourself—"
"Kal-El, while I appreciate your concern, I assure you there is nothing to fear," a familiar voice suddenly said. "Though I must admit, I am touched that you care for my well-being so deeply."
Clark immediately froze.
He slowly turned toward Krypto, where Sol's voice was now coming through the Kryptonian dog's armored suit.
Momo immediately covered her mouth, shoulders shaking as she fought back laughter, her cheeks flushing with amusement.
"Who the hell said I was worried about you?" Clark shot back toward Krypto, though the faint red tint creeping onto his ears completely ruined the effect. "I was worried about the suit. I need it to help regulate my solar energy intake, so don't get a big head."
"Of course," Sol replied, the sarcasm in his voice was impossible to miss. "Do forgive me for getting ahead of myself and misinterpreting your heartfelt concern."
Clark chose to ignore him entirely. He also chose to ignore Momo quietly whispering, "Tsundere," under her breath…For now.
"Just lead the way to the lab," Clark ordered.
Kreel nodded nervously and began guiding them through the facility's lower levels. He moved with clear caution now — constantly peeking around corners, checking security panels, and motioning for the group to stay quiet or hug the walls.
"Getting in and freeing you was relatively easy," Kreel whispered. "Sneaking all of you out of here without raising every alarm in the facility… that's going to be significantly harder."
"Just where is the lab?" Clark asked, his patience clearly wearing thin.
"It's in the complete opposite side of where we are currently—" Kreel began, gesturing vaguely down the long corridor.
Clark immediately tuned him out. His eyes narrowed as he activated both X-ray and telescopic vision, slowly turning his head while scanning through layer after layer of reinforced walls, security checkpoints, and underground infrastructure. After a few seconds, his gaze locked onto the target.
Far in the distance, behind multiple sealed sections, he spotted it: a grand laboratory protected by a round containment barrier. Inside, swirling tendrils of familiar red Sunstone sand moved with restless energy.
Without another word, Clark grabbed Kreel by the collar, cutting off his explanation mid-sentence. The young alien let out a startled yelp as Clark effortlessly tossed him over one shoulder like a sack of potatoes. In the same fluid motion, he scooped up Yami under one arm and Momo under the other, holding them securely against his waist.
"This is humiliating…" Yami muttered with a completely deadpan, stoic expression.
"Agreed…" Momo grumbled, crossing her arms in clear annoyance while dangling awkwardly.
Clark glanced at Krypto. "Follow after me."
Both Kryptonians became blurs of motion.
They tore through the underground facility at super speed, moving so fast they were practically invisible. Soldiers standing guard throughout the corridors only felt a sudden rush of wind against the backs of their necks, accompanied by the faint whoosh of displaced air. Alarms didn't trigger. Cameras barely registered movement. The group was already gone before any response could be made.
…
Clark and Krypto phased smoothly through the sealed laboratory door, slipping inside the supposedly high-security room without breaking a single lock.
"There it is…" Momo pointed toward the containment unit in the center of the lab where the red Sunstone particles were swirling.
They were about to rush forward when Clark suddenly stuck his foot out to the side.
"Waaaaah!" Momo tripped hard and face-planted onto the cold floor with a loud smack.
"Motherfucker! What the heck was that for?!" She shot back up instantly, glaring daggers at her brother while rubbing her nose.
Clark turned his head away slightly and muttered under his breath, "You're a tsundere…"
"I'm going to literally fucking kill you," Momo growled, dusting off her hands with murderous intent.
"Focus," Clark said, his expression turning serious. "Now isn't the time to be playing around. You can mess around later."
Momo stared at him with a twitching eye.
Veins began protruding from her forehead as her expression grew almost manic, feeling the special kind of rage only a younger sister could feel toward her older brother.
Before the situation could escalate further, Yami's right arm transformed into a razor-sharp blade. With one clean, elegant slash, she sliced through the reinforced containment glass like it was paper.
"Why are all of you's first instinct to destroy everything?" Kreel sighed in exasperation while climbing down from Clark's shoulder. "There was clearly an off button right there…"
No one paid him any attention.
Clark stepped forward and extended his hand toward the swirling mass of red sand. A tendril immediately reached out to meet him halfway, wrapping affectionately around his arm. The Sunstone particles flowed over his body with eager familiarity, rapidly reconstructing the pristine white-and-gold Superman suit across his powerful frame. He began levitating off the ground as the suit fully formed.
The red sand shifted and settled perfectly over his legs, torso, and neck. The seams pulsed with fiery solar energy. A dramatic wave of particles exploded outward behind him, forming his flowing cape. When his eyes finally snapped open, they emitted a blinding flash of light. As he landed, the floor beneath his boots hissed from the intense heat.
Clark smirked, rolling his shoulders. "Perfect."
"Drama Queen," Momo scoffed, crossing her arms.
Clark shot her a side-eye but didn't get the chance to respond before Sol's voice spoke directly into his mind.
"Kal-El, I'm detecting a foreign technological device located within your solar plexus."
"What?" Clark's expression darkened. He looked down and activated his X-ray vision, peering into his own body. Sure enough, a small, ominous device was embedded near his stomach area.
"Its frequency is nearly identical to the one previously found inside Lady Golden Darkness," Sol added.
"What's wrong?" Momo asked, noticing the sudden shift in his expression.
Clark raised a finger to silence her. He took a deep breath, stuck his hand into his mouth, and began gagging deliberately. The rest of the group took several disgusted steps back, their faces twisting in revulsion.
With a powerful wind-up, Clark punched himself hard in the stomach.
**BOOM!**
The impact echoed through the lab. He hunched forward and forcefully regurgitated the small device straight into his palm.
Momo blinked at the object, then walked over with a wide smirk and patted his shoulder. "You're going to make a guy very happy one day."
"Momo," Clark growled dangerously, "I'm not kidding. I'm going to fucking hurl this at your big ass head if you don't take a step back."
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