7 Kawatche Caves

"Dad. Do you have a face mask or anything to conceal my face?" I asked.

"Why? You're not going to do anything illegal, are you?" Jonathan asked.

"Well, not really. There's an artifact in this temple in China, and I'm sure I can just enter the place in Super Speed Mode and ignore any possible security, but I want to be very careful so even a slow-motion camera doesn't capture my face." I answered

Jonathan looked hesitant, "Are you sure you need to do this?"

"Yes, Dad. These artifacts are Kryptonian. They don't belong to anyone but my people." I said.

Jonathan paused before walking away to get a balaclava and handing it to me.

"Thanks, Dad." I said before putting the mask on. "I know I look like I'm going to rob a bank, but I promise I'm only going to get the artifacts."

"I trust you," Jonathan responded.

My mom handed me the key to the spaceship. I smiled warmly at her and said, "I'll likely be back late. You don't have to wait up."

"We wouldn't be your parents if we didn't wait up and worry." Martha said.

I laughed and gave her a hug, then gave one to my dad. I said, "Ok, be back later. Love the both of you to the stars and moon!"

"We love you, too!" They said in unison.

I super sped to the spaceship and entered the key. It booted up, and I waited for the startup sequence to finish.

"Hello, my son. It appears you were successful with your journey to the outer atmosphere." The ship's AI of Jor-El said.

"Yes, father. I was beyond successful. I spent several hours orbiting Earth to get enough energy from the Sun before I ventured further. I headed to around Mercury, the first planet orbiting our Sun and spent many hours meditating and absorbing energy. I ensured I exposed every possible surface of my skin to the Sun while I was nude. Isn't that awkward? Was it wise to do that?" I asked.

"The more skin you have exposed will make it quicker to absorb energy. The difference may be negligible in the future as you build your reserves. But ideally, if it's possible to be without clothing while you make trips closer to the Sun, then you should do so, as inconvenient as it may be. It will make the absorption rate quicker so you can focus on your education. I'd prefer that you didn't have to waste too much more time lazing about in space when you could be learning more information." Jor-El lectured.

"Yes, father." I responded calmly. "I'm ready to gather the artifacts. Can you tell me where the cave system is so I can enter the room where I will place the artifacts?"

"You are well-informed it seems," Jor-El stated. "Very well. Here are the coordinates." He displayed the information for me.

"Can you please eject the key?" I asked.

Without responding, the key was ejected from the ship and I grabbed it. I super sped to where the cave system was. I used x-ray vision to determine the best entry point and punched the ground - it broke through and I hovered and entered the cave system. I flew to the octagonal keyhole and held the key out before the hole. The key floated itself to the hole and entered it before a bright light appeared and an energy beam shot through me. I thought it was an attack at first before I relaxed and allowed the beam to lift me in the air and enter information into my brain. If it were an attack, it wouldn't be able to access my brain due to my perk. However, I recognized immediately that it was trying to give me something. It was downloading the Kryptonian language into my brain. After a while, it stopped and released me to the floor. The key ejected itself and I grabbed it before it went flying.