CHAPTER XX

I flew to my dorm room, opening the window and floating through. Jimmy was out like a light, sitting on a chair. He'd evidently been waiting for me. I walked up to him, lightly slapping his face. "Wake up," I said quietly. Jimmy's eyes fluttered open, and he raised his head. When he saw me, his eyes brightened and he grinned. "Dude, I'm so glad you're back!" he said, "What happened?" I told him about how Brainiac and I had fought. "Nice!" said Jimmy, "What happens to Brainiac now?" "I'm not entirely sure," I said, "I'll have to find out some other time, though. I have things to do. I have to let everyone know I'm safe." "Everyone?" asked Jimmy, "Who does that include?" "Lois," I said, "...And my parents." "What?!" said Jimmy, "No way, man! They'll shut you down, for sure!" "And I'll have to accept it if they do," I said, "I have to let them know. I can't hide it forever, anyway." Jimmy sighed. He nodded after a few seconds, saying, "Fine. I'll see you when you get back." I nodded too, taking off my costume. "What's with the white clothes?" asked Jimmy. "It's all they have at the Fortress," I said. "Huh," said Jimmy, "Well, you ought to get to it, dude." I changed into regular clothes as Jimmy went to take a shower. I closed my dorm window, walking out the building. I approached the girls' dorm building. Well, one of them. I was prepared to search for a while. Though I know it's creepy, I had to fly past every window until I finally found Lois'. Luckily, her's was on the first floor. I knocked on her window a few times, seeing her sheets move slightly.

Eventually, she looked up at me, bewildered. She got up, walking to her window. She opened it, whispering angrily, "You should be glad I room alone! What the heck are you doing here?" I took a few seconds to answer. To fill the silence, I said, "You...still look great without makeup." "Thanks, I guess, but that doesn't answer my question," said Lois. I nodded, saying, "Well, um...I just wanted to let you know I'm here. And I'm safe." "Okay," said Lois. She noticed the stitches on my face. "What exactly happened?" "I fell," I said. Lois raised her eyebrows skeptically. I finished, "...Numerous times." Lois didn't seem convinced, but she said, "All right. Why'd you tell me this tonight? Couldn't it have waited?" "I didn't want to forget," I said, "And, um...I know this is sudden, but...you want to go see a movie sometime? Maybe have dinner?" "Are you seriously asking me out after creeping outside my window?" asked Lois. I slowly said, "...You could...say that." "Well, aside from this, you seem pretty trustworthy," said Lois, "So...I'll think about it. Now, get lost." I smiled in spite of the situation, nodding and walking off. Lois watched, saying to herself, "Cute, but weird. Yeah, that sounds about right." She closed the window to her room, sighing. She went back to her bed, trying to get back to sleep. She bit her nails, staring at the ceiling.

Meanwhile, I walked across the campus green, saying, "Time for a long distance flight." I flew upwards, heading towards Smallville. After a few hours, I finally touched down directly in front of my house. It wasn't nearly as late as it was in Metropolis, so my parents were still up and lights were still on. My mom was reading a cooking magazine while my dad read the newspaper. I sighed heavily, walking up to the door. I raised my fist to knock, but lowered it after a couple seconds. I was severely lacking in confidence at the moment, but I knew I had to tell them. And so, I finally knocked on the door after minutes of indecision. I heard my dad say, "Who could it be at this hour?" I heard footsteps right in front of the door, and the porch light came on. After a few seconds, the door opened, and my dad looked at me, his brow furrowed. He said, "Clark?" My mom looked up, seeing me. She gasped, quickly putting aside her magazine and running towards me. She hugged me tightly. "Whoa, Mom," I said, taken by surprise, "I've only been gone for about a week." "I know, but it feels like such a long time!" said my mom, "How'd you get here?" "I was just about to ask that," said my dad. I paused. Eventually, I said, "Maybe we should go inside before I explain." We stepped back into our living room, sitting down. I was across from my parents. I sighed, saying, "Have you guys been watching the news lately?" "Yes," said my mom, "Why?" I began fidgeting nervously, unsure how to tell them.

I eventually asked, "Have you seen anything about a...superhero?" "No," said my dad, "We've been watching it, but not all the time." "Well, recently in Metropolis, there's been a superhero they've been calling Superman," I said, "I bet you've guessed it by now...it's me." "What?" said my dad, "How?" I explained to them my Kryptonian heritage and powers. "Remember about a year ago, when I asked if we could see your old army stuff?" I asked. "Yes, vaguely," said my dad. "That was my first costume," I said. My dad stayed silent. My mom asked, "Why didn't you tell us?" "I thought you'd flip out," I said, "I was honestly scared to tell you." "Why would you be?" asked my dad. "Well, you're concerned for my safety, right?" I asked. "Yes," said my dad, "But you know what? When I was your age, I was wanting to get into the military. I wanted to help people. You're just doing the same." I looked to my mom, saying, "I bet you're not as on-board as Dad." She slowly said, "It does scare me, thinking about you going off and fighting who knows what. But...even though you're hurt, you look...happier. Maybe this is what you've been needing." "Maybe," I said. I stayed silent for a few seconds, eventually saying, "Well, I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to cut this short. It won't be long until morning, and I have to be at work." My parents nodded, and we all stood.

We went out the door, and I looked upwards. Before I started heading back, my dad suddenly said, "Now that you know about your biological parents...what are we?" I looked towards him, smiling and saying, "Don't worry, Dad. I'm Superman. But I'm still Clark Joseph Kent." I flew upwards, going back towards the college. Soon, I flew back into my dorm room, where Jimmy was already asleep. I took a shower, thinking about what my mom said. Maybe Superman is what I needed. Maybe Superman needs me. I still think about it. After I got dressed, I got into my bed, drifting off to sleep. After only a few hours of sleep, my alarm went off, and I turned it off, groaning with exhaustion. I got dressed for work, waking up Jimmy and telling him to get ready, too. We caught a taxi just a few minutes later, going to the Daily Planet. Lois was already out front, waiting for us. "Have you thought about it?" I asked her. "Eh...give me a little more time," said Lois. Jimmy asked me, "Thought about what?" "I asked her out last night," I said. "In the middle of the night, you asked her out on a date?" asked Jimmy incredulously, raising his eyebrows. "Who knows?" I said defensively, "She hasn't decided yet. Maybe it'll work out and she'll say yes." Lois raised her eyebrow, turning and walking inside. Jimmy and I followed her, ready for another day of our dream job.

Meanwhile, Alexander was passed out on the floor of the warehouse where he'd operated on John Corben. The complicated procedure had lasted for many hours, dragging on through the night. The surgeon who'd assisted him was sleeping on a large workbench, using several rags as a makeshift pillow. The other henchmen were also sleeping, scattered around the warehouse's main room. Suddenly, Alexander's eyes snapped open, and he exclaimed, "Fried calamari!" He sat up quickly. He realized where he was, sighing, rolling his eyes, and saying, "Not going to find that here." He stood, looking over John Corben. Alexander stretched, walking over to the surgeon. He shook him slightly, saying, "Hey. Wake up." The surgeon stirred, his eyes eventually opening. He asked, "What's happening?" "We're waiting," said Alexander, "The Terminator over there hasn't woken up yet." "Is he not working?" asked the surgeon. "No," said Alexander, shaking his head slowly, "As far as I can tell, he'll function perfectly. The strain from his wounds and the operation means he could be a while, though." The surgeon sighed and asked, "So, what, do I only get paid if I stay for it?" "You got that right," said Alexander. The surgeon groaned in exasperation. "What does it matter to you if I stay?" asked the surgeon. "Oh, it doesn't matter that much to me," said Alexander, "But you don't want to miss this. It'll be really cool." The surgeon sighed but stayed, wanting the money he was promised.

Alexander watched and waited for around half an hour with the surgeon, before they heard a loud groaning coming from John's direction. Alexander grinned widely, saying, "This is it, this is it." The surgeon looked towards John. He saw John get up from the table. John's eyes had a strange green tint to them. The surgeon still had his surgical mask over his face, meaning fortunately, John wouldn't recognize him as the one who caused his injuries. John looked at Alexander, saying, "What happened to me? I feel...funny." "Then why aren't you laughing?" said Alexander jokingly, "What happened to you was that you were attacked. We fixed you up." "Why?" asked John. "Because you needed to be," said Alexander, "That's all. You can feel as suspicious as you want, but the fact remains that we saved your life." John asked, "You fixed...everything?" John looked at his hands. They looked normal. Alexander said, "Yes, everything...check under your pants when you're alone, please." John nodded, saying, "This is amazing." He looked himself up and down. He was wearing plain clothes and simple shoes. His skin looked fresher. "Did you get rid of my cancer?" he asked. "Yes, while we were at it," said Alexander. John turned around, seeing the copious amounts of blood and blood bags all over. "Must've been messy," said John. "Yeah, it'll make for some interesting stories in the future," said Alexander. John turned back around, facing Alexander.

John said, "Now what?" "Now we return you to the hospital," said Alexander, "You still need to rest, and they also need to know you're not dead. You're free to take the van." He tossed John the keys. John said, "Thank you." He walked past Alexander and the surgeon, getting into the van outside and driving off. Alexander went around, waking up the other henchmen. He turned to each of them, giving them large wads of cash. He said to all of them, "I expect never to see any of you again. Have yourselves a good day." All of the henchmen except the surgeon exited the warehouse. The surgeon asked Alexander, "Why'd you just let him go?" "John?" said Alexander, "Well...John doesn't know that underneath all the fake skin we gave him, he's filled with metal and little space rock in his chest. And he won't know for a while. Once he realizes it, though, he's going to be confused, angry. He's going to stir something up, and he's going to attract Superman's attention. It'll be interesting." "So, this is some kind of experiment?" asked the surgeon. "Oh yes," said Alexander, "And what we find out will be of extreme importance." The surgeon nodded, walking out. Alexander sighed contentedly. "Get yourself ready, Supes," said Alexander to no one in particular. Meanwhile, John Corben was driving down the highway, enjoying his new lease on life. He rolled down the van's window, feeling the cool breeze on his face. Or at least, that was what he was attempting. It was strange. On the left side of his face, and his hands too. It was like he couldn't feel anything, like he was detached from everything else. As if he was almost entirely composed of metal.

END OF BOOK ONE

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