From part 25...
He slid the compartment door shut and returned to his bedroom closet, pulling on a pair of black jeans and a black sweatshirt he sometimes lounged around in on the weekends. He slipped into the clothes quickly and started to leave his room when he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. He paused. Then he smiled.
What would Lois say if she were here now? Dressed all in black, with the intention to do a little law breaking. He couldn't help smiling a little at the irony.
"I can't believe I'm doing this," he murmured, knowing what he was about to do was wrong, yet unable to stop himself.
Going over to the window overlooking the alley, he slid it open quietly, then scanned his surroundings to make sure nobody was watching. Nobody was.
Taking a deep breath, he launched himself into the night air. There was something to be gained by intentionally breaking his first law. There just had to be.
**********
Now on to part 26...
**********
It was only matter of minutes before he was flying over the warehouse, undetected and cloaked by darkness. He hovered over the metal building for a long moment, feeling a little unnerved by what he was about to do. A quick glance around told him he was alone, with no threat of being detected. Using his special vision, he scanned the interior of the building. At one end, there were file cabinets, a copy machine, and a cluttered desk, all arranged into a makeshift office of sorts. The room next to the office space was obviously a storage area, with a dozen or so objects covered with thick cloths, stacked crates in the corners, and various items tagged and scattered about on long work benches and tables.
His careful eye searched for signs of a security system or cameras, but there appeared to be nothing that would make the casual passerby think the warehouse was anything other than deserted.
Deciding it was safe to enter, he landed behind the darkened building and reached for the padlock on the large back door, a door wide enough to accommodate the extra large widths of the crates he had spotted in the storage room.
For a long moment he stared at the lock in his hand. This was it. He was about to cross the line, that line he told Lois on more than one occasion shouldn't be crossed--especially by him. Yet here he was, about to do just that.
But for the first time in his life, he felt justified crossing this line. The prospect of what he might be able to learn about himself inside this warehouse--the enemy's warehouse, he reminded himself to make the argument easier to win--made it too tempting.
He glanced around him one more time to make sure his arrival was still undetected, then slipped inside, shutting the door quietly behind him. He made a beeline for the three file cabinets along the wall next to the desk and started opening drawers. Each drawer was jammed full of manilla file folders, some thicker than others, but all containing sheaves of paper. Most of the files were labeled in some kind of alphanumeric filing system, so he had no idea what each one contained.
He pulled out one of the first folders and thumbed through it at super speed. There seemed to be nothing of value to him in it, so he replaced it and pulled out the next one. He felt a spark of hope when he saw a list of names and organizations that had apparently helped fund whatever research they'd been doing, but he didn't see any mention of Luthor or LexCorp, or any company they knew him to be affiliated with.
Clark made a face. He knew that didn't mean anything, because of the information he and Lois had gathered on him, telling him he had his hands in so many companies and lines of work that it would be impossible to connect them all.
Looking around, he spotted a copy machine near the desk. He carried the folder to it, turned it on, then copied the papers before replacing the folder back in the file cabinet. He didn't know if any of the company names on there would pan out in their attempt to link Bureau 39 and Mesopotamia, Inc. to Lex Luthor, but it was worth looking into.
In the next drawer down, he recognized the contents to be that of varying scientific data and reports the Bureau had gathered over the years. Most of the experiments and results contained in the reports meant nothing to him, so he continued to look. In the very bottom drawer, near the back, he found something that made his heart stop.
The first page in the folder read "Smallville, Kansas, 1966." Anxiously, Clark turned the page, devouring the information typed there. From what he could gather, the Bureau's scientists had concentrated a lot of time to studying several smaller pieces of glowing meteorites.
Near the end of the first report, he read the final thoughts:
"Conclusion: Meteorites found to contain unknown properties, including some degree of radioactivity which is apparently harmless to humans. Will continue to monitor soil samples taken from the site for increasing or decreasing radioactivity, nearest where the space capsule was found."
A chill ran down Clark's spine. They knew about his capsule! Lois had been dead on. Bureau 39 did indeed seem to be the same people asking around in Smallville about the meteorites and "Russian satellite" that has crash landed near there.
His excitement building, he flipped to the next report, this one seeming much newer, since the pages weren't yellowed from age as the last one was.
With apprehension, he flipped through the pages which detailed new scientific evidence that the previously studied meteorite contained an unknown toxin that, while not harmful to humans, suggested that the combination of the toxin and the radioactivity could have been responsible for a planet's explosion.
Clark's fingers trembled as he held the report. Could that have been what happened? Could his home world have exploded? Before he let himself get too caught up with his thoughts, he forced himself to read on. As he did, though, their theories listed within the report made him tremble. One of the men, the report shared, had a theory that this newly arrived superhero dubbed as "Superman" could have come to earth back in 1966 as an infant in the small space capsule, crash landing in that field, surrounded by pieces of his home planet which had followed him into orbit. The report ended with a conclusion, stating there was reason to believe the meteorites found amongst the wreckage might have an effect on the occupant, to be determined at a later date.
That's where the report ended, leaving a cold chill running up Clark's spine. What was it they suspected about him? Had they somehow managed to make the connection between Superman and Clark Kent?
Either way, they knew too much. And it scared him. They knew he--well, someone--had arrived in a space capsule back in 1966, and just recently surmised that Superman might have been this individual. They were already close.
Too close.
And what about this meteorite they thought might hurt him? Was there any validity to their theories?
Trying to shake himself out of his stupor, Clark looked back toward the copy machine. His first thought was to make copies of the reports in his hand, but then thought better of it. He didn't know if the folder contained the only scientific data and theories to his arrival, or if they were simply copies, but he knew it would be better if he just took what he had. With any luck, there weren't copies, and this information would never see the light of day. The men were too close to the truth.
Tucking the papers he'd copied into this folder, then slipped the folder under his arm, he turned and went to survey the rest of the warehouse as quickly as he could. His best chance at remaining undetected was to make this short and get out of there with what he had as quickly as possible.
When he entered the storage room, he spotted the dozen or so objects draped in thick cloths that he had seen from above. He took a step toward them, then paused.
A strange new feeling he could only qualify as paranoia surfaced within him. After the information he had just discovered, he felt almost afraid to discover what might be hiding under those cloths. Taking a deep breath to calm his jagged nerves, he walked toward the objects silently, keeping his super hearing tuned into the sounds that would hopefully alert him to the arrival of others.
The first several objects he peered at seemed to be ragged pieces of crumpled metal, meaning nothing to him. He moved on. He didn't know what he was looking for, but so far these objects didn't appear to be of any worth to him.
One of the last ones he looked at had a thick tag hanging from it, reading "of foreign origin." He lifted the cover, and his breath caught in his throat.
A capsule! HIS capsule!
With shaking hands, he threw the cover back the rest of the way, his heart pounding in his chest. There was lettering etched into the metal along the front and sides of the pod, and he let his fingers trace what had to be some foreign language. As he moved to the other side of the capsule in a kind of awe, he froze once again. In the side near a latch was his now-famous "S" shield.
Tears gathered in his eyes. If there had been any doubt before that this may not be his capsule, the familiar symbol clinched it. This was his ship, constructed for and undoubtedly linked to him and his heritage.
He put his hand on the shield, feeling a slight tingling sensation. He couldn't help wondering if the tingling he felt was from the excitement building up inside of him, or if he could literally feel the connection to this piece of his past.
He caught sight of something small wrapped in a thick cloth and tucked into a little niche near the front of the capsule, and he picked it up gently. With trembling fingers, he unwrapped it, revealing a large ball-shaped item, slightly larger than a softball. He cupped it in one hand and held it in front of his face, peering at the seemingly delicate object.
Just then the ball started to glow from within. Clark's heart began to pound in his chest as he watched the ball turn into three-dimensional globe that showed off Earth's mountain peaks and valleys. His eyes widened as suddenly the familiar topography of Earth stared to change. The greens and blues of the globe began to glow in a reddish tint, and the continents he had viewed from above many times turned into unfamiliar peaks and valleys and huge ice caps.
This new planet was unfamiliar to him, but an unexpected word seemed to flow into his mind. "Krypton," he murmured, mesmerized by the glowing and unfamiliar planet on the globe he held in his hand.
His heart leapt with realization. Krypton! That was the name of the planet he was from. He didn't know how his mind seemed linked to the sphere, or how the sphere relayed the information to him, but it seemed to have the ability to speak to him.
Suddenly the sound of a door slamming caught his attention and he whipped around. The warehouse door was still secure. He strained to hear what had captured his attention. He heard another slam, and realized it was a car door. But it didn't sound like it was right outside--rather further down the street. Still, he wasn't taking any chances. He'd already found more than he could have ever hoped to find, and he didn't want to risk being caught, or losing these incredibly precious items.
Gently but quickly, he wrapped the sphere back in the cloth in which he'd found it and tucked it carefully under the same arm holding the sheaf of papers and reports. Then he covered the capsule back up and used the other hand to hoist the ship. While not heavy, his load was a little awkward, and he made special care to coddle his precious haul as he floated them across the warehouse to the door through which he had entered.
Through the door, he scanned the area and saw he was still alone and unwatched. Taking advantage of his good fortune, he opened the wide door, floated his haul on through. Then he closed the door behind him and disappeared silently and covertly into the night sky.
**********
Lois walked through her apartment in her boxer shorts and T-shirt, turning off the lights as she went. It was just after eleven o'clock, and she was tired.
And frustrated.
What was it about Clark's defense of all things good and legal that made her want to punch him?
All evening she kept thinking about their phone conversation, and how he refused to listen to reason about the information they stood to gain by breaking into that warehouse for a look around. This was a solid lead. That warehouse could very well be Bureau 39's headquarters, and that warranted a look. Clark sure didn't see it that way, though. If airplane transportation to Metropolis wasn't so lengthy and difficult, she would have paid a visit to that warehouse herself.
As it was, she had to let this lead slip away all because her boyfriend had a goody-two-shoe streak a mile wide.
She flipped off the light in the kitchen, but the hallway light shone through the doorway, illuminating enough of the kitchen for her to see her way through the room safely. As she passed her kitchen island, the large vase of flowers that had been delivered to her at the Planet that morning caught her eye.
She stopped next to the beautiful arrangement and sighed. Her grumpiness at a certain man of steel started to slip. She lifted a hand to the flowers, her fingertips delicately brushing the tiger lillies and lavender of the arrangement. Without meaning for it to, a slow smile worked its way across her face.
The man of steel may be *too* innately good for her liking, but he was undeniably romantic.
Just then the sound of her phone ringing in the stillness of her apartment made her jump. She dropped her hand from the delicate flower petals and glanced up at the clock on the kitchen wall. It was a quarter after eleven. Who would be calling this late?
She walked over to the phone and picked up the handset. "Hello?"
"Lois, I'm sorry to be calling so late..."
"Clark!" She smiled, happy to hear his voice in spite of their phone disagreement earlier. "It's not that late here. It's only after eleven and I wasn't even in bed yet. What's up?"
"I've got so much to tell you I don't even know where to begin."
"Uh-oh. This sounds serious." She turned and leaned back against the counter in the kitchen's semi-darkness, awaiting his next words.
"Well, it started when I broke into that warehouse tonight--"
Lois pushed away from the counter so fast her muscles stung in protest. "You broke into that warehouse?" she squealed excitedly, her delight sending her into babble mode. "You, Clark Kent, actually broke into and entered a building unlawfully? I can't believe you did that! You actually listened to me. That is *so* cool! So, how did you get in? Did you break down the door, rip off some doorknobs or what? Ooh, I wish I had been there!" She paused for breath, then shook her head. "I never thought I'd live to see the day when you would come around to the dark side. There's hope for you yet, Clark Kent!"
"Will you stop and let me finish?" His tone was impatient, but she could detect a slight smile in his voice at her reaction.
She settled herself somewhat, but made no effort the wipe the broad grin from her face. "Okay, okay. But I will forever look back at this moment as a turning point in my life. I, Lois Lane, made the Man of Steel break a law."
Clark chuckled briefly, then went on. "Okay, yes, you corrupted me. But that's not what I called to tell you. When I was there, I found something. Well, three things, to be exact. Three really *big* things."
"Clark, you've got my attention already! What did you find? A connection to Lex?"
"No, that I didn't find. But I did find a folder in a file cabinet that contained a list of companies who had made research donations over the year. I copied those, thinking we could go through the names later and see if anything matches up. But I also found a file containing some reports on a glowing meteorite that was found in a field back in Smallville in 1966."
"The year you landed." Lois nodded in understanding. "Do they know anything about it?"
"They know a lot. It's not harmful to humans, and they believe the properties are such it could have resulted in the destruction of a planet."
Lois felt goosebumps rise on her arms. "But not just any planet...*your* planet."
"It's possible. One of the reports even explained how they found the pieces of meteorites near the crash site of a space capsule."
Lois pumped one of her fists, feeling rather victorious. "They know about your capsule! I knew it!"
"Yes, but are you ready for the really big news?" Clark's voice, while solemn, held an obvious amount of excitement. He paused for dramatic effect. "Not only did they know about it...they had it. It was there at the warehouse."
Lois gasped. Her fingers tightened around the phone. "Are you serious? Clark, that's incredible! What did you do? What did it look like?"
"You'll have to see for yourself."
"You took it?" Lois felt her heart hammering in her chest. Then she realized what she'd just said and shook her head, rolling her eyes at herself sheepishly. "Wait a minute, of course you took it. It's *yours.* But what did you do with it?"
"I took it and the folder of reports--plus one other item--to my parents' barn. It seemed like the safest place to hide everything. I had to wake my parents up, but I knew they wouldn't mind when I showed them what I found. And they didn't. In fact, my mom even cried."
Lois smiled. Of course Martha would. She knew how important it was to her son to know where he'd come from and who he was. She could only imagine how moved both his parents must have been at the discovery. Then a new thought occurred to her.
"And did you tell them how you managed to procure these items?" she teased. "I can just imagine what your parents would say when their do-gooder superhero son has to tell them he broke into a warehouse and stole them."
Clark's smile was evident in his voice when he answered. "I told them the basics--that we had been researching a story and stumbled across a group that did UFO research, and that we'd suspected they had information about Superman. I was hesitant to tell them much else, though. I didn't want my parents to worry about Bureau 39's agenda, or the studies they've been doing on the meteorites found in the field where I landed. Some of their findings kind of shook me up."
Lois frowned. "What findings?"
Clark's troubled sigh came across the line. "I'm not sure what may or may not be a serious issue, so I'd rather let you read for yourself what I found. And I don't want my parents to know about this yet, either. I don't want to alarm them needlessly."
"Clark, you're scaring me." Lois's hand tightened on the phone, pushing it harder against her ear. "What about these meteorites? What did the reports say?"
"I'll show you them when we're alone. You can read through everything and tell me what you think."
Lois considered pressing for information, then decided to honor his request. Changing the subject, she asked, "You mentioned you'd found one other item. What was it?"
"That," Clark exclaimed, "is the main reason I'm calling. I found something special, and I wanted to come and get you and fly you out to Smallville so you can see it along with my parents. Please, Lois? I really want you there with me when I watch it."
"Of course I'll come," Lois assured him. "I'm honored you'd want me to be there. To watch what, though? What is it?"
"You'll just have to wait and see."
Lois grinned. "Boy, you're full of surprises, aren't you? Sure, come and get me. I need to put some clothes on, though. I'm in my pajamas."
"Darn." Clark's voice was flirtatious. "I knew I should have just come out there instead of calling first. I'd have loved to see how cute you look in your pajamas."
Lois gasped, then started laughing. "Clark! I can't believe you said that. Whatever happened to that naive, sweet, goody-two-shoes boyfriend I thought I knew?"
His chuckle came across the line. "He's gone. You corrupted him, remember? You didn't expect him to be the same after a little law-breaking, did you?"
Lois laughed again. "Okay, fine. I get it. Now get over here, would you? The suspense is killing me. I want to find out what you found, and I want to see this spaceship of yours."
"Then go get dressed and I'll be right there."
When the phone line went dead, Lois hung up the phone and hurried into the bedroom to change into jeans and a comfortable, warm sweater for the flight.
**********
Lois had barely finished changing when she heard a familiar rush of wind, then the sound of her patio door sliding open and a soft voice. "Lois?"
She hurried out of her room and saw Clark standing a step inside her door, looking uncertain whether or not he should come in uninvited. She smiled and waved him in. "Hi, Clark. Come on it. I just need to grab my jacket."
He stepped the rest of the way inside and slid her patio door shut, all the while watching her move through her living room. She pulled a jacket out of the closet, then shrugged into it and hurried back to him.
She eyed him standing there in his costume and grinned. "I doubt I'll ever get over seeing you in that Suit. It's just so unlike you. Someday you'll have to explain to me how you feel comfortable in those tights and tight bodysuit. I even feel uncomfortable sometimes wearing a leotard to the gym." She shook her head. "I suppose that's how you get away with the whole secret identity thing. Nobody would ever think Clark Kent would wear something so...revealing."
Clark blushed. He glanced down at himself and smoothed the front of his outfit. "I know. I was almost too embarrassed to even try it on when my mom made it for me. You don't think it's *too* revealing, do you? Maybe I should get something else?" A worried expression lit his eyes as he looked up at her searchingly.
"Don't you dare," she scolded, shaking her finger at him. "That outfit is known worldwide. It's come to stand for truth, justice, and the American way." She winked, and then her eyes began to sparkle mischievously. "And it's a great disguise, just as I said. Though after tonight, maybe a black, cat burglar get-up would suit you better."
Clark groaned and rolled his eyes. "You're never going to let me live that one down, are you?"
"Nope," she said matter-of-factly. "Every time you get on my case about doing something illegal, I'm going to bring up this event. Just so you know."
"Great." Clark shook his head, then chuckled. "At least it 'justified the means,' as you like to say. Should we go? I can't wait to show you everything."
His eyes were lit up like a kids' eyes on Christmas morning, and Lois felt a flutter of excitement in her own stomach. This was clearly big. She couldn't wait to find out what he'd found.
She nodded eagerly. "Let's go."
On the flight to Kansas, Lois noticed Clark had grown quiet. He seemed to be contemplating something, and she was certain it had something to do with what he'd found that night in the warehouse.
She shifted in his arms and peered up into his face. "So, what did you find, Clark? Aren't you at least going to prepare me for what I'm about to see?"
Clark glanced down at her, hesitating a moment before answering. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt, since my parents have already seen it. My ship is even more incredible than I could have ever imagined, and I feel such a connection to home through it. There's a dialect etched in the metal around the opening that I don't understand, but I hope to one day learn what it says. Maybe the globe will tell me someday."
Lois's brows furrowed. "What globe?"
"It's the other thing I found."
Clark's arms tightened around her, and Lois could tell from his body language and the light in his eyes that this globe obviously meant a great deal to him. She waited impatiently for him to continue. When he did, his voice was awed, reverent.
"Krypton, Lois. That's the name of the planet I'm from."
A gasp escaped her lips. "How, Clark? How did you learn that?"
He explained how he found the sphere-like object wrapped in canvas on his capsule, and how it had began to glow from within when he had touched it, revealing Earth's globe, then changing to a reddish hue as it revealed the his home planet. He also explained that the word "Krypton" was somehow spoken to his mind.
"It was amazing, Lois." His voice was an awed whisper. "I sensed that it had more to tell me, but then I heard a noise from outside the warehouse and decided to get out of there fast. I want you to see it. Maybe it can tell us all something about who I am and more about Krypton."
"Clark, this is so incredible. I can't even begin to imagine what this discovery must mean to you. I know you've been waiting your whole life to find out who you are and why you're here. You must be so excited."
"I am." He nodded. "But I'm also a little scared. I've wondered about things ever since my parents told me how I came to be theirs. Where did I come from? Who were my parents? Why was I sent here? Did everyone have powers like mine? Now I think I'm about to find out." He paused and drew a shaky breath. "What if I'm disappointed, Lois? I don't think I could bear to learn that I was some scientific experiment gone wrong, or that I didn't really belong where I came from, and that's why I was sent here. Or that I had parents who just didn't want me. I mean, what if--"
"Clark." Lois sentenced him with a finger on his lips. "I don't think any of those things are true. How could anybody not love you? You're not some science experiment, Clark. They sent you here to earth for a reason--if for no other reason than for me to love."
Clark's eyes misted with tears and a grateful smile appeared on his lips. He lowered his head to hers and kissed her softly. "Thank you, Lois," he whispered. "Just knowing that will make whatever truth I have to learn easier to take."
They were quiet for a moment. Then Clark murmured, "I just hope it does have something to tell me. I mean, I sensed it did, but I don't know for sure. All I know is, I wanted you and my parents to be with me when I find out."
Lois reached up to cup his cheek in her hand, and she smiled at him when their eyes met. "We'll give you whatever support you need."
The rest of the trip was taken in silence, and it wasn't long before they were touching down on the lawn in front of the Kents' farmhouse. There were lights on in the kitchen and in one upstairs room, but the house was otherwise dark. Lois glanced at her watch as Clark set her down beside him. It was very early in the morning--just after 3AM in their time zone--and she couldn't help but wonder if his parents would be dead on their feet.
Much to her surprise, Martha was in the kitchen taking a whistling tea kettle off the stove when they walked in. She was wearing a pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt to take the bite off the farmhouse's early morning chill, and Jonathan was sitting at the table dressed in a pair of old jeans and a long-sleeved flannel shirt. While they both appeared tired, they also seemed excited. Lois could tell from the light in Martha's eyes when she spotted them that she and her husband had been anxiously awaiting their arrival.
"Lois." Martha smiled and came over to give her a hug. "It's so good to see you again."
Lois hugged her back. "Thanks. It's good to see you guys, too." When she pulled back, she felt a hand tighten around hers. She looked up to see Clark standing beside her, still looking a little nervous. She gave his hand a squeeze and used her other hand to rub his forearm lightly. "Clark told me about the globe. I'm excited to be here to be a part of this."
"I just hope I didn't get you out here--and you guys up," Clark addressed his parents, "for no reason."
"At the very least, we got to see your ship," Martha commented, giving his arm a squeeze. She had tears in her eyes as she continued. "It means a lot to all of us. Your father and I would have been upset with you if you hadn't woken us up to show us what you'd found."
"That's right, son." Jonathan's voice sounded from where he sat at the table. "We're glad you woke us." He then gestured to the wrapped object on the table beside his cup of tea before looking up at his son. "Shall we?"
Clark hesitated, then released Lois's hand and took a step toward the table. Anxiously, he reached out with both hands for the object and cradled it carefully. He stared down at it for a long moment, then looked back up at the people around him. They all seemed just as anxious as he to learn what this object might have to tell them.
After a moment, Clark took a deep breath, then removed the cloth from the globe.
The room fell silent as they all looked on in awe, watching the reddish glow illuminating the unfamiliar continents, mountain peaks, valleys, and ice caps on the sphere's surface. Clark sat down in a chair at the table, and Lois lowered herself into the one beside him. When Martha sat down beside Jonathan, she commented on the sight before them.
"It's beautiful, Clark. And you say this is Krypton?"
Clark nodded. "The globe seemed to speak to me when I touched it." He glanced down at the cloth that still separated his hands from the cool surface of the sphere. "I didn't want to try touching it again until you were all here to see whatever else it might do."
Lois put a hand on his arm, giving it a squeeze. "Go ahead and touch it, Clark. Let's see what happens."
He looked up at his parents, who nodded encouragingly. Then he looked back at the globe and took a deep breath. "Okay. Here goes."
With shaking hands, he slid the cloth onto his lap and held the globe in his fingertips. Almost immediately, a beam of light streamed out of the sphere, and Clark gasped in surprise when the hologram of a tall man with graying hair was projected a few feet away from them.
He stared in awe at the man dressed in all white, and on the man's chest was a familiar emblem--his "S" shield. Before Clark could begin to ponder that meaning, however, the man in the hologram began to speak.
"My name is Jor-El. And you are Kal-El, my son. The object you hold has been attuned to you. That you now hear these words is proof that you have survived the journey in space and have reached your full maturity. Now it is time for you to learn our heritage. To that end, I will appear to you five times. Watch for the light, listen, and learn."
Clark's eyes filled with tears. This was his father. His birth father. He wasn't some science experiment after all. He hadn't been recklessly abandoned. This man loved him; the effort that it had obviously taken to get him this message told him so.
His heart hammered in his chest as he continued to watch, the image before them changing to that of a lab of some sort where his father was pushing buttons on some kind of machine. The voice continued.
"Time grows short and we continue to search. The immensity of space is both a blessing and a curse. In that near infinite variety there must be some place suitable. Hope and desperation drive us in equal measure."
In the lab, Clark watched a new person enter the scene, a woman with long, flowing red hair. The next words answered his question about who this woman was.
"Lara works by my side. She is tireless and endlessly patient. Considering what is to come, this is my greatest consolation--that we are together."
He watched the room start to shake around the couple, and saw his father hug the woman protectively to his side. Then it hit him. His mother! This woman, Lara--she had to be his mother.
His heart continued to pound as he watched the image start to fade. Then the globe dimmed, darkened, and fell silent.
There was not a noise in the room as the message ended. It wasn't until Clark felt a tear slide down his cheek that he was able to tear his gaze from the globe. He wiped at the wetness unashamedly and looked up at his loved ones around him. Each of them had tears in their eyes. His eyes went to Lois's.
"Clark," she whispered emotionally, reaching out to put a hand on his thigh. "Those were your parents."
He wiped away another tear and nodded. "Jor-El and Lara. Now I know."
Martha's voice reached them, also filled with emotion. "What do you think they were looking so tirelessly for? A new home? Was your world in trouble?"
Clark stared back at the lifeless globe. "I don't know. My father said this would be the first of five messages. Maybe we'll learn what they were looking for."
"How long will it take before there's another message?" Jonathan wanted to know. "Do you think it needs to recharge or something?"
"Possibly." Clark nodded. "I guess there's nothing we can do but wait."
A feeling of frustration overcame him. Now that he'd learned a little about who he was and where he was from, he wanted to know more. How long would it take before he could? Would it be minutes? Hours? Weeks? He hoped it wouldn't be that long. He doubted he could stand the wait. He was sure he would be useless at work, since he knew he wouldn't be able to concentrate on anything else. He sighed.
Feeling somebody take his hand, he looked up. Lois was starting to rise from her chair, and while tears lingered in her eyes, she was smiling understandingly at him. "I know how hard it must be for you to wait who-knows-how-long for the next message, but it's not going to do much good to sit here twiddling your thumbs. How about you show me this capsule of yours? Then maybe we can come back in and check the globe to see if it'll work again."
"Yes, that's a good idea," Martha chimed in. "Why don't you two do that? I don't know about your father, but I'm too wound up to go back to sleep. I'll keep an eye on it and tell you if anything changes."
"I'll wait up with you." Jonathan put a hand on Martha's shoulder. "I won't be able to sleep, either."
Martha smiled lovingly at her husband and reached up to pat his hand. "Thanks, honey."
"Great, then it's settled." Lois tightened her grip on Clark's hand and tugged, urging him out of his chair. "Let's go out to the barn and you can show me your ship."
Once outside, Clark drew in a couple lungfuls of air. "I'd almost forgotten how crisp and clean the air is out here in the fall. It's wonderful, isn't it?" He gave Lois's hand a squeeze.
"It is." They walked in silence for a minute, listening to the sound of crickets and the crunch of the fallen leaves beneath their feet. "It's amazing, the things we heard tonight, isn't it?"
Clark nodded. "I've wanted to know for so long, and finally, in one night, so many pieces to the puzzle are coming together."
They reached the barn, and Clark slid the heavy door open. He took a flashlight from the shelf next to the doorway, turned it on, then led the way to the far back corner of the barn. Once there, he moved several bales of hay, revealing a large set of wooden doors leading to a root cellar.
"I hid the ship down here," he told her quietly, lifting one of the large, heavy doors. "I didn't want to take any chances of it being discovered by anybody ever again."
He handed her the flashlight, then took her hand and led her carefully down the dozen or so wooden steps. When they reached the bottom, Lois looked around. The cellar was bigger than she expected. There were wooden boxes containing potatoes and carrots, and unmarked crates lining the walls. In the far corner to her left, she spotted a large covered object. In the light from her flashlight, she saw Clark gesture to it.
"Let me show you."
He crossed the cellar in only a few large strides, pulling her along with him. She smiled at his eagerness. It made her feel good that he was so excited to share this piece of his heritage with her. When they reached the ship, Clark released her hand and pulled off the thick canvas cloth.
Lois gasped. It was amazing! It was smaller than she expected, but certainly a good size for transporting a baby. Its metal composition seemed unusual even to her untrained eye, and the aerodynamic structure fascinated her. The nose of the ship was pointed, while the rest of the pod was smooth and round. She spotted the strange lettering Clark mentioned and stepped closer. Just as he had done when he first saw his ship, she traced the symbols reverently with her fingers. The unfamiliar metal was cool and smooth to her touch.
She shook her head in wonder. It was hard to imagine this very ship had traveled through galaxies and past worlds as yet undiscovered by the scientists of Earth. She walked all the way around it silently, taking in the shape and contour with an appreciative eye. Finally, she let her hand rest on the top of the pod where she knew Clark had ridden.
"It's incredible," she whispered, shaking her head in awe. "Your people must have been so much more advanced than we are. I can't believe you traveled through space in this."
"I can't either." He took her hand and led her to the nearby stack of crates and sat down, pulling her onto his lap. For several minutes they simply stared wordlessly at the ship in the glow of the flashlight.
Lois let herself settle back against the wall of Clark's chest and pressed her cheek to his. "It feels right, having this back here in Smallville, and it isn't even mine." She smiled. "I can't imagine how elated you must feel."
"I am. I could sit here and stare at it for hours, just thinking about my journey. So many questions come to my mind: Was my father the one who made it, or did he simply program it? Either way, his hands were on this, and so were my mother's. It makes me feel like I'm there with them again, you know? Like I now have some connection to them that I didn't before."
"You do," she replied softly. She reached up to place her hand on his other cheek, cradling his face against hers. "And now with the globe.... There's even more to find out about them."
They stayed that way for several minutes, enjoying each others' closeness and marveling at the importance of the metal capsule before them. At long length, Lois felt Clark's head turn quickly and his body stiffened.
She titled her head back and up so she could look into his face. "Clark? What is it?"
He scrambled to his feet, standing Lois up beside him. "My dad's calling. His voice sounds urgent."
He hurried for the stairs, keeping one hand on the small of Lois's back to guide her safely through the dark and up the stairs. Once the cellar doors were firmly shut and a few hay bales were again covering the entrance, they jogged out of the barn. They spotted his dad on the porch the same time he spotted them coming from the barn.
"Clark, hurry!" his dad called. "It's glowing again!"
They ran across the graveled drive together and up the porch steps. Lois was winded by the time they stepped inside the house door. "Next time you do that hundred yard dash on your own," she teased him, working at catching her breath.
"Sorry." Clark smiled sheepishly. "I thought I was running at normal speed."
"Normal speed for who?" She laughed and shook her head. "Nevermind."
They walked quickly into the kitchen where Martha was holding the partially-covered, glowing globe and marveling at the reddish light emanating from within. She looked up at their arrival, her eyes shining with excitement. "Do you think this means it's ready for the second message?"
Lois and Clark sat down in their places at the table, and Jonathan returned to his seat. "I don't know," Clark replied. "I guess we'll find out."
He took the globe gently from her, removed the cloth the rest of the way, and touched his fingertips to the smooth surface. He jumped when a ray of light flashed from the globe and projected a hologram, just as it had before to deliver the first message.
His father's voice came through loud and clear, and Clark lost himself in the message.
"This is the second of the five times I will appear. You may wonder that I speak your language and not my native Kryptonian. I don't. That is another property of the object. Unmanned Kryptonian probes have explored every corner of the galaxy and beyond. For thousands of centuries we have received data back from those probes. I have every confidence that, given enough time, we can achieve the conversion to a manned vessel. But will we have the time?"
Clark's heart rate quickened. His capsule! Now he knew its origin. It had been converted from one of the probes his father spoke of that explored their galaxy.
Before he could think more about that, his attention was drawn back to the images before him. He watched anxiously as the lab his father and mother were in started to shake violently. His father's voice sounded more urgent as he finished the message:
"The pattern of core disintegration continues to accelerate. Even I cannot predict where it will end."
With that last ominous explanation, the globe's lights dimmed and it fell silent once again.
Clark looked up at Lois, his face ashen. "Core disintegration. Something was happening to Krypton. Is that why they sent me away?" His gaze moved to include those of his parents'. Their expressions reflected the sadness Clark felt in his heart.
They didn't have long to wait before Clark's questions were answered. About twenty minutes later, the globe began to glow a third time, then shortly after that, a fourth and fifth time. They all listened in sadness as Jor-El's haunting messages and the terrifying images of the demise of a planet and its race seared into their hearts.
"There is no longer any doubt. The chain reaction has begun. As panic spreads, the population awakens, too late, to its fate. Our future is inevitable. At last the computers have located a suitable destination: a planet physically and biologically compatible with Krypton whose inhabitants resemble ours, and whose society is based on ethical standards, which we, too, embrace in concept, if not always in deed. The inhabitants call it simply...Earth.
"We have installed the hyperlight drive and tested it best we can. So much is unknown. Contained within the sphere is the navigational computer that will guide the ship through the maze of hyperspace, as well as this account of our final days."
Clark's heart ached as he watched his father and mother set him--a small infant--in the capsule. He watched as his mother lovingly touched the glass enclosure above his smiling face--a mother struggling to part with her child. He heard a sniffling and turned to see his mother crying openly, tears streaming down her face. In that moment, he realized his mother must feel as much of a connection to his biological mother as he did. She understood the love of a child--him--and could certainly feel the pain of losing the love of her life.
His father's voice once again broke into his thoughts:
"I try to picture where you are now as you hear this last chapter. What do you look like? Are you alone? What have you become? Lara and I will never know. But that you should live to experience this...that is enough. We are content. We give you to Earth, to a realm called America, and a place called Kansas. Remember us, and do not regret our passing. All is fate."
Then came the images of his world exploding around him, somehow captured by the mysterious sphere as his capsule was launched and sent speeding away from his planet. His heart ached as it never had before as he watched its demise--and ultimately the demise of his parents and his race.
The globe finally dimmed and then went dark for the last time that night. Nobody spoke a word, for their emotions made it too hard to speak.
Clark glanced up at Lois and his parents. "I wasn't abandoned by my parents. I was saved. They knew Krypton was in trouble and they did everything they could to get me away safely."
Martha had tears in her eyes as she spoke. "But why couldn't they save themselves?"
"I don't know." Clark's voice shook with emotion. "Maybe this globe does. Maybe it will tell me someday."
Martha put her hand on Clark's arm sympathetically just as Jonathan reached across the table to do the same. When Clark turned to look at Lois, he saw tears streaming down her cheeks. The images of his parents'--and his world's--demise had affected her just as deeply as it had him.
She gave him a watery smile and leaned over to rest her cheek against his shoulder, comforting them both with their closeness. "Maybe it will," she agreed in a teary whisper. "Maybe it will."
~*~*~*~*~
to be continued in part 27...
