Chapter 4: RelationsSuperman returned to Tal hovering in the sky over the DoD.
After handing over the Stranger and the RV to the DoD, Superman had spoken briefly to the commander on site and assured them he would talk to General Lane later. Understandably, they had been very curious about Tal, but were too nervous to directly inquire considering the circumstances and the fact the Kryptonian was floating right above the building, clearly waiting for Superman.
"So, Brother, would you like to follow me?" Tal asked.
"Are we going to one of your homes?" Kal asked curiously, both now flying forward.
Tal smiled behind his mask. "Not quite, it's my sanctum."
Kal's eyes widened. "The place you mentioned being in the Badlands?"
"Yes. This way, Brother."
They shot across the world, rocketing over the ocean and flying over land in a blur until they arrived in the Badlands and entered Tal-Rho's secret place.
Kal looked around curiously.
"Impressive, isn't it?" Tal asked, putting away his mask.
"It is, though it's strange not to see ice and crystals," Kal admitted.
"It is a little more dusty, I'll admit, but the sun . . . I imagine your place is dark for a fair amount of the year," Tal pointed out.
"It is," Kal conceded as they walked further in.
"Well, now that we're here, there's . . . a lot for me to tell you, Brother," he said, going to a rock and sitting down, now looking a little anxious.
Kal nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, I imagine there is." He found his own rock to sit on but suddenly noticed a red glimmer and odd debris at the far end of the open cavern. "What's that?"
Tal looked resigned. "What remains of my father's crystal. Not long after I had left you, I . . . shattered it."
Kal's eyes widened. "Why?"
"Because it was better off destroyed. Really, I should have done it a long time ago, but your father was right. Zeta-Rho had twisted me. I'm . . . I'm so ashamed, Brother, but she said I needed to tell you. She said . . . if you were taught by Jor-El, you'd understand, and . . . from what I know of you, I hope you will." Tal looked down and clasped his hands together.
"Who is 'she'? And why are you ashamed?" Kal asked, concerned by Tal's posture and spike in heart rate.
Tal stood up and went to a pillar.
"Our mother," he said, pressing his thumb on a crystal in the stone.
The hologram appeared, its blue light bathing the reddish orange walls in a strange overlap of hues.
Kal immediately stood up, astonished by the form that had materialized. "Mother," he breathed.
Tal smiled and moved beside him.
"Kal-El, my son," she beamed, before looking at Tal. "You brought your brother to me. Oh, thank the gods! Both of my sons, alive and together!"
Kal looked at Tal, gratitude clear on his face. He clasped his hand on his shoulder. "Brother, I have no words."
"You don't need any," Tal assured. "Besides, there's so much I need to explain."
"You have not yet told him, then, Tal?" Lara asked.
"Not yet. I knew there would be some things he would need clarification on, so. . . ." Tal admitted.
Lara nodded understandingly. "Very well. I will answer whatever questions he has as you tell him."
Kal looked at Tal in confusion.
Tal swallowed. "Brother, you need to understand, my father sent me here with one purpose: To bring back Krypton."
"Okay. . . ." Kal said, confused but encouraging him to continue.
"My father sent me on a path when I was a child, a – a very painful one. He . . . he wanted me to use humans to make it happen."
Kal frowned. "'Use humans'? What do you mean?"
Lara took mercy on Tal and took over. "Zeta-Rho wanted Tal to use a device I had created, the Eradicator, to supplant a human consciousness with a Kryptonian one."
"
What?!" Kal gasped. "You mean, like download Kryptonian minds into humans and override the human minds? Take over their bodies?!" Kal faced Tal.
Tal nodded sadly. "I was convinced that if I fulfilled his dreams, then my own might also come true, but then I discovered that was a lie. When you were in that hospital, I saw how much the world . . . loves you. I began to see that they were more than what I had seen of them. And then after I saved you and you took me to your father, I began to really question . . .
everything." Tal then motioned to Lara. "After that, I came back here and activated Mother's sunstone for the first time. Finally brave enough to fully defy my long dead father," he said, scoffing at the end. He looked down. "I spoke with Mother, and she gave me even more clarity. I came to understand the depth of my father's depravity. And then I shattered my father's crystal." He took a deep, shuddering breath. "I just wish I hadn't wasted so much time doing someone else's bidding. I should have defied him sooner."
Kal sat motionlessly, taking it all in.
"Kal?" Tal asked nervously.
"I'm sorry, this is a lot to process."
"It is. I'm sorry, Brother."
"It's okay. Thanks for telling me. I know it wasn't easy, especially defying your father." Kal took a deep breath. "So where is this Eradicator right now? How close were you to using it?"
Tal grimaced. "I had already used it, but, with Mother's help, I've undone the transferences. That’s part of why I did not contact you sooner. As for where it is now, I destroyed it."
"How many?" Kal asked.
"Three," Tal answered softly.
“And those people are okay now?”
“Yes. And they don’t remember anything, which I’ve also addressed with cover stories and compensation. In many ways, it was actually easier than I had feared.”
Kal’s eyebrows rose but decided not to question things further, at least not right then. "So, was this why you invested in small towns like New Carthage and Smallville? You were looking for specific people or something?"
Tal blinked, stunned. "You . . . How do you know that?"
"I recognized you in a picture I saw last week. I know you're Morgan Edge," Kal explained.
Tal paled. "Who . . . who else have you told? Does the DoD know?!"
Kal grabbed Tal's arm. "Tal, Tal! It's okay! The DoD doesn't know. I only told one person, who was there when I recognized you. My wife."
Tal reeled back before immediately leaning forward. "Your
wife?!"
Kal nodded, giving Tal a moment to collect himself.
"You . . . you have a family, Kal?" Tal asked, his voice so quiet it was good that Kal had superhearing.
"Yes, and now they're also yours," Kal replied.
Tal stilled, astonished joy clear on his face. "You have a family?" he asked again.
"Yeah. I sort of thought you might have already known, considering what you've been doing as Morgan Edge," Kal said, now growing hesitant. "But I suppose . . . you don't know who I am?"
Tal shook his head. "No, I don't know. Have we met?"
"Well, that's actually a relief because . . . you sorta fired me last month. . . ." Kal said tentatively.
"I fired you?!" he cried. "I'm sorry! I'll rehire you! What's your job?"
"Well, we already moved, though I suppose I can work remotely like my wife does. As for what I do, I'm . . . I'm a reporter."
Tal gaped. "You're a reporter? You mean . . . You worked for the Daily Planet?!" Tal squinted at him incredulously. "Do you write stories on yourself, Kal?"
"Sometimes, though I usually leave those up to my wife," Kal admitted, a little embarrassed.
"Your wife is a reporter too?!" Tal straightened, realization dawning. "Bloody hell! You're married to Lois Lane?!"
Kal chuckled. "Yeah."
Tal stood up, his eyes wide. "Wait, wait! Lois Lane has two kids, are those. . . ?!?"
Kal beamed. "Yeah, they're ours. Jordan and Jonathan. Mine and Lois'."
"I'm an
uncle?!" Tal shouted, before whipping around and bellowing, "Mother, did you hear that? I'm an uncle! Twice! And you! You're a grandmother!"
Lara was smiling broadly, exceedingly proud.
Kal couldn’t smile any harder even if he tried. “Would you like to meet them?” he asked.
“Meet them? Now?” Tal asked, appearing as if Kal had asked something impossible.
“Well. . . .” He took a moment to listen. “Probably not tonight since it's so late and I need to talk to Sam – he's my father-in-law."
Tal deadpanned. "Of course, General Samuel Lane is your father-in-law. The Director of the DoD. Well, Brother, at least you're well connected," Tal said.
Kal laughed.
“Should I bring flowers?” Tal suddenly asked, before clarifying. "For Lois when I come visit. That's customary, correct?"
"She loves flowers," Kal assured, amused by Tal's shift of concern. "I'll talk with Lois tonight, and then I can . . . call you tomorrow?" Kal himself now unsure of how to approach things.
"Sure," Tal said, before telling him his cell number.
"So, I guess I'll see you tomorrow? Is there anything else we should discuss?" Kal asked.
"Nothing that can't wait," Tal said.
"Alright. Tomorrow then," Kal agreed.
O o O o O
"Okay, everyone ready?" Clark asked them excitedly.
"Yeah. Go get your brother," Lois said, amused by her husband’s understandable giddiness.
Clark gave a nod and disappeared in a blur. Less than a minute later, they heard two thuds in the front yard.
O o O
Tal landed beside Kal, and he couldn't believe what he was seeing.
They were in Smallville! His brother lived in Smallville! And in a farmhouse! And to top it off, he wore glasses and was currently in plaid!
"Welcome to the Kent Farm," Kal said, motioning around them before pointing to the far fields. "I landed back over there and Martha and Jonathan Kent found me."
"And then they . . . raised you? Just like that?" Tal asked, baffled.
"Yeah. My parents, the Kents, were amazing people. I'll tell you about them more soon," Kal promised as he led them onto the porch and opened the front door.
Tal swallowed as he stepped into his brother's house, breathing in the fresh smell of rolls, a roast, baked potatoes, tea and buttermilk. The air was practically edible. Kal came beside him, smiling as he motioned to the three people standing together in the front room.
"Lois, boys, this is Tal-Rho, my brother. Tal, this is Lois and our twins, Jonathan and Jordan," Kal proudly introduced.
Tal stepped forward and handed a neatly tied collection of flowers to Lois. "Hello, Lois."
Lois smiled at him and graciously took the gift. "Thank you, Tal. They're beautiful."
Tal returned the smile and acknowledged her thanks with a nod before looking to the twins. "Nephews, I cannot fully express how happy I am to meet you," Tal said, shaking their hands in turn.
"Well, we can't thank you enough for saving our dad, so I guess we're even," Jonathan said, grinning, as Jordan nodded enthusiastically.
Tal smiled and looked at Kal. "Well, that's what brothers do, right? Help each other."
Kal beamed and slapped his back firmly with his hand before then gripping his shoulder. It was so strange to be touched so readily and with such strength, for Kal was applying far more power than he ever would with a human. Tal's eyes met his, and he knew his brother was reveling in the relaxed contact just as much as he was.
"Definitely," Kal said, before motioning to the kitchen. "So, are we ready to eat?" he asked cheerfully.
Tal turned his eyes to the walls and furniture, taking in the atmosphere and photographs of people who were somehow involved in his brother's life and who would likely become part of his.
"Yeah, Dad. The table's set and the tea is done. All that's left is to cut the roast," Jordan said, anxiously stuffing his hands in his pockets.
Tal's eyes fell to a photograph on the wall with three people. A man, a woman, and a boy who could only be Kal. They were happy.
"That was when I was ten. Those are my parents, Martha and Jonathan," Kal said softly, seeing where his attention had shifted. "My dad passed away when I was sixteen, and, uh, my mom passed away last month."
"Oh. I'm sorry." He didn't know what to say. He felt a strange emotion he didn't have a name for, but he knew he desperately wished he had been able to meet this couple who had unquestionably cared for his brother. “From this picture alone, I think I would have liked them.”
He was glad that at least one of them had been welcomed. And loved.
"Thank you. I'll show you where they found me after dinner, and I'll show you the barn too," Kal said, his tone shifting from solemn to lighthearted.
"The barn?” Tal asked, thrown by that tidbit.
The twins looked at each other and smiled as if sharing an inside joke. “You’ll like the barn,” Jonathan said.
“It has the ship,” Jordan said.
“And the log,” Jonathan added, which, for some reason, caused the twins to chuckle.
“The log?” Tal asked, looking at Kal who was looking exasperated.
“I’ll explain later,” Kal promised.
“So, dinner?” Lois prompted, who was looking rather amused.
Dinner was a strange mix of a hallmark commercial and a comedy skit. The twins were hilarious and Lois was refreshingly blunt. He could tell why Kal liked her so much.
They didn't get into Tal's life before Morgan Edge, but he did assure Lois that changes were coming to his company and mistakes of the past would soon be rectified. He was no longer his father's pawn.
"I have already offered Kal his job back, and we all know he can work remotely better than most, so that's no problem, though perhaps he would be better off working freelance?" Tal said.
"We will certainly discuss it and let you know,"
Lois promised, her tone light, and Tal could tell it was genuine due to her heartbeat.
Tal was relieved that Lois seemed to hold no ill-will toward him after what he had unintentionally done to them, which reminded him . . . he needed to make a call to the bank.
Sooner than he had expected, dinner wound down, though conversation continued as they dug into dessert: apple pie.
"My parents were good friends with the district judge and he helped with the adoption process. They, uh, told people I had been abandoned in their field. I was a foundling," Kal explained. "Of course, the first year had been a bit nerve-wracking for my parents, cooperating with the investigators and all of that – while hiding a spaceship in the barn cellar – but the lie they had told was close enough to the truth that, in the end, it all worked out. I officially became a Kent."
Tal was mesmerized. "They risked a great deal," he said softly.
"They did. And when my powers began to develop they helped me learn control. Which I often did in the barn," he said, getting up.
"We have the dishes, Clark. You two go on," Lois insisted.
Tal got up as well, once again trying to cover up his startled reaction to Kal being called Clark. Honestly, it was such an odd name. But, looking at Kal, it did somehow fit.
He followed him outside, and he appreciated Lois' thoughtfulness to provide them with some alone time. As much as he liked the twins, he didn't think everything he wanted to discuss with Kal should be heard by them.
With the sun low behind them, they entered the barn.
It was so strange to know that while he was a rich business man, his brother was a literal farmer - while also being the world's greatest hero.
"What?" Kal asked as he knelt down to lift a trap door.
"Just taking everything in. It's strange knowing the son of one of Krypton's most famous scientists was raised by farmers and is now, himself, a farmer," he said with a smile. "Granted, I guess that's just a side hustle."
Kal chuckled before stepping down into the cellar. "Well, it's weird knowing my brother is one of the richest people on the planet."
"I think both of us are rich, though in different ways," Tal said meaningfully as he followed.
Kal's face softened. "And now we can be rich in the most important way, together."
Tal felt his heart sore higher than it ever had before. In a dark, dank cellar in the middle of a podunk town, he felt full. Whole.
"Come, Tal. I'll show you the log first," Kal said.
Kal pulled away a tarp, revealing a literal log. It was a long trunk of a hard oak. Tal could smell the wood, despite the dust. Tal stepped closer, his eyes panning over the old, uneven surface.
Fist imprints. Hundreds of them. Many astonishingly small, as if . . . as if a young, very young, child had made them.
Tal looked up at Kal who was quietly watching his reaction. Tal looked back down, gliding his fingers over and into the knuckle-made grooves.
"How old were you?" Tal asked.
"Four. My dad and I came down here every day to practice for over a month until I had full control. And whenever I experienced a boost in power over the years, I would return and refine my control. It would usually take me a few weeks to get a hold of it," Kal explained.
Tal closed his eyes, recalling his experience in strength control lessons, which had been in the form of ruthless experiments, not gentle guidance under a loving father.
"I know about Bureau 39," Kal whispered.
Tal flinched before he could stop himself. "Oh?" he asked, trying to cover up his lack of control.
"I asked Sam to look into it and the British government immediately began investigating. They have given me what they have found so far," Kal continued.
Tal blinked. "I'm surprised they've found anything at all."
"It wasn't much," Kal admitted, placing his hand on a beige folder that seemed to have appeared beside the log. "But I have it if you want to see it."
The folder was thicker than he thought it would be.
"I spoke with Sergeant Talbert Adams a few days ago," Kal continued when it was clear Tal wasn't going to speak. "He was very careful in only telling me you visited him years after everything. You protected him."
Tal exhaled shakily. "You know, I was tempted to do so many things, but . . . I don't know. Watching from afar as they ate themselves was the most therapeutic I think."
"So you only removed certain names from whatever this list was that they had and then stepped back?" Kal asked, and Tal wasn't quite sure if Kal was more surprised or relieved.
"Why do something someone else is already doing? I did mess with their records, but I also improved their aim at people the world was better off without. I won't apologize for it, Brother, and I removed the names who were kind to me. More people would have been killed if I hadn't interfered and several dangerous people who would have been around longer were removed much sooner. I just sped up the timeline a bit. The only substantial thing I did was get the leadership to turn on each other at the end. The people who orchestrated the whole program and who were trying to cover up their tracks by killing their underlings – they're now dead themselves. The webs humans weave, Brother, are quite extensive."
Kal was quiet for a long moment before his posture fully relaxed, as if deciding something. Tal risked meeting his eyes.
He found a strange blend of gratitude and regret.
"You know, before I had kids, I might have felt differently about what you did, but right now I'm just thankful our family doesn't ever need to worry about those individuals again. I've experienced too many instances of villains returning," Kal said.
"Well, Brother, those villains are gone for good. And I promise I will never let anyone like them in the future ever come near our family," Tal said vehemently.
Kal smiled and Tal felt bolstered by the trust and certainty looking back at him.
And then he knew.
This was how it felt to belong. This was truly how it felt to be an older brother.
O o O o O
Jon looked out the bedroom window, watching his dad and Tal walk across the field to where it had all started for the Kent family, where the ship had landed.
"How long do you think they're going to be?" Jordan asked.
"Not sure. Mom said Dad wanted to discuss a lot of things with him," Jon said thoughtfully.
"Yeah, I suppose they have a lot to catch up on," Jordan said with a frown. "I wonder how far things would have gone if Uncle Tal hadn't activated Grandma's crystal. I mean, Tal's dad had wanted him to use humans to bring back Kryptonians. How far do you think it'd have gone?"
"Who knows. Let's just be thankful we'll never have to find out," Jon said. "And that the Stranger was caught."
"I bet Grandad is grilling that guy for answers right now," Jordan said.
Jon smirked. "I almost feel sorry for him."
Jordan laughed. "I don't!"
"Well, if you think about it, we sort of have him to thank for getting Tal to reveal himself. If the Stranger hadn't hurt Dad, who knows when or how Tal would have come forward," Jon pointed out.
"You're right, let's just be thankful things are the way they are," Jordan said, not liking the alternatives that came to mind. "And not think about what might have been."
"Just embrace what is?" Jon asked, amused.
"Just embrace what is," Jordan agreed.
O o O o O
To Be Continued in . . . Brother
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