Chapter 25: The message from Krypton

[3rd Person POV]

After Ven confirmed Chloe was already infected he was on his way to the caves in a superspeed sprint. He could have confirmed Chloe was infected via xray but then he would skip the event. So he didn't and enjoyed himself instead.

Ven quickly found the parasite samples, dead and alive and the containers that housed them. He waited for them to load everything on the trucks before speeding in and out to take all samples and burn them all. Ven went in when the people were done loading and merely waiting for instructions from Lex. After wards, all he needed to make sure was the parasites in the hospital after they were taken out of Pete and Chloe were also destroyed and he was done. 

"Damn I love super speed. It makes my plans super easy. Barely an inconvenience! haha"

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Some days later.

Clark was standing in front of his ship inside the shed. He was silent, trying to process what he learned from Virgil Swann. The man told him about the message he received from the stars. 

The message said;

⌠ "This is Kal-el of Krypton. Our infant son, our last hope. Please protect him and deliver him from evil. ⌡

and the second message meant for Kal-el himself;

⌠ "We will be with you, Kal-el. For all the days of your life." ⌡

He heard about where the message originated. And how the planet wasn't there anymore. He feared that he was alone as the last of his kind. Though at the back of his mind, he remembered the man who warned him of red kryptonite and if he was one of them. 

He thought to himself, 'were they the last of the kryptonians?'

A few minutes later, Jonathan Kent came down and saw him just standing there. 

"Your mother told me you were back."

"Clark. I know that whatever Dr. Swann told you must be...overwhelming, but...if you need to talk about it, your mother and I are always here."

Jonathan intended to walk back up but then Clark responded.

"Ever since you told me about the ship, I wondered if there were others like me. But then I hear that my planet's no longer there. That my people are gone. I'm totally alone."

"Clark. You're never alone, son. This is your home and we love you very much."

"Come on, let's go back up."

"In a minute. I figured out what this is." Then Clark shows the alien piece of technology debris that came with him to earth. "It's the ship's heart."

"Really? Have you used it yet?"

"I didn't want to do it alone."

"Let's do it together."

Clark used the octagonal key he found earlier through some sort of ringing in his ear to open the ship. By now he had already downloaded the kryptonian information as well so he understood now how to read kryptonian.

As the ship opened up they saw a small space where Clark used to stay when he was but a child. 

"It's hard to believe you were ever that small." Jonathan smiled nostalgic of that time.

Clark inserts the debris into the slot inside the ship. It lit up messages inside the cradle.

"What is it, son?"

"It's a message from my biological father."

"I'm sure I'm reading it wrong." Clark said apprehensively.

"Why, what does it say?"

The Clark translated the message for Jonathan that said;

⌠ "On this third planet from the star. ...Sol, you will be a god among men. They are a flawed race, rule them with strength. That is where your greatness lies." ⌡

Clark was appalled. He turned away from the ship with great distress.

"I think I was sent here to conquer. What kind of planet am I from?"

"Maybe you did misread it, Clark, but even if you didn't...it's you who decides what kind of life you're gonna lead. Not me, not your mother, not your...biological parents."

"What if it's part of who I am? Is that the kind of person I will become?"

"Clark Kent, you're here to be a force for good. Not a force for evil."

"But how can you be so sure?"

"Because I am your father. I raised you and I know you better than anyone."

As Jonathan hugged his son to comfort him, a voice from behind them suddenly spoke. 

"You know, you're misinterpreting the message."

They saw Ven just sitting in the steps of the shed behind them with a sad smile.

"Who are you?!" Jonathan asks, as he stands in front of his son. He was surprised and angry that someone found out about their secret and worried what it would mean.

"My name is Ven. And don't worry, I'm not here to hurt your son."

Clark interjected and whispered to Jonathan that he was the one who warned him about the red kryptonite. Jonathan understood that if he had wanted to hurt Clark, it would have been better to not warn them about the red K. But he's still very cautious since this was regarding Clark's most guarded secret.

"So why ARE you here? You said something about the message?" Jonathan asked.

"First of all, why don't we talk inside your house instead of here in the shed. Martha needs to hear about this as well after all." Ven then stands up and walks towards the house.

Jonathan still a bit apprehensive but nods to Clark so they follow him up and walk to the house. They then fill in Martha before they settle in the dining area as they give Ven some tea for a drink.

"Thank you Mrs. Kent." Ven says after a simple sip.

"Now let's clear the confusion shall we? No you are not here to conquer. You were sent to survive. I'm sure Swann already told you regarding the signal's origin yes?"

"Yeah he did. But he doesn't know why Krypton isn't there anymore." Clark replied.

"Okay. Well before anything else, I have to tell you that I don't intend to tell you everything just yet. I only intend to clarify things, most of it, you will need to discover for yourself since that will be part of your journey."

"Journey? What do you mean?" Martha asks, worried her son is going somewhere.

"Oh you know, growing up. Finding your place in the world and all that. Just like a parent will sometimes keep certain things from you and allow you to discover them, make your own mistakes, learn lessons. There are some experiences that you will need to go through, that I'd rather not interfere in because you need to learn from them."

"...." Clark was a little speechless since he doesn't really know yet if he agrees but decides to keep quiet.

"Alright now, about Krypton. So you were already told its not there anymore. I'm here to tell you that unfortunately it is true. It was destroyed and you were sent here as a refugee. Regarding the message on the ship, well there's a reason for that. Your biological father, or rather his pre-recorded essence, will tell you. But just so we understand, its not to conquer."

"Then why was the message saying something about being a god among men?" Clark asked. Afraid of how it was worded.

"Tell me, Mr. and Mrs. Kent, if you both knew you and everyone in the planet was dying, and you had a chance to send your only son away to survive the calamity, would you send him to a place where his safety is not guaranteed?"

""No. Definitely not.."" They both said.

"Same thing, Clark's biological parents, chose this planet because they knew he would be strong here. Near invulnerable even. To increase the chances of his survival. To make sure their last hope lives on. Someday, when, not if, when, you have your own children, you will understand how it feels Clark, to make difficult choices, even willingly sacrifice yourself for your child. Most parents know this instinctively. To love their child unconditionally that they will make choices to ensure the safety and good of their child's future."

Jonathan and Martha hug each other as they understand what Ven was talking about. How much they had to sacrifice for Clark out of love.

Clark looks to his parents softly. He was already told some of the sacrifices they had made to keep him safe and hide his secret as well. Including cutting off a possible relationship with his grandfather, the father of Martha. 

"Do you know, why Krypton isn't there anymore?" Clark hopefully asks.

"Yes. I don't think it's too much of a big deal to tell you this early so here goes. Just like Swann told you, War. When you look at this world, it doesn't seem strange doesn't it? People will have different opinions. And when some idiot takes this too far, sometimes the results are catastrophic. I mean, just look at Hitler. He had his own opinions and ideals that he wanted to force onto others. And unfortunately he had the political and military power to do so, that caused countless innocent lives."

Ven paused for a bit but decided to tell him anyway.

"Just like him, there was once a general in Krypton, named Zod. I am not aware of the specifics but I WAS made aware that he was the primary reason your planet is no more. The sad thing is, he was once a friend of your fathers."

This stunned Clark. To hear that his planet faced the absolute worst case scenario of an event that happened on Earth as well. And that he was a friend of his biological father.

"The only difference between this planet's Hitler and your planet's Zod is that Krypton is far more advanced than Earth. Imagine if the Nazi's had nuclear weapons in Hitler's time. Heck, they obviously tried to, but imagine if they already did. Then what's left after the war would have been a scorched earth, literally. But Krypton was far more advanced than just nuclear weapons. Krypton was advanced enough to reach for the stars. They were advanced enough to reach earth long ago. So you can only imagine how a single planetary war could have affected that world."

They all shivered at this revelation. They also imagined that what if scenario of nazi's having advanced weaponry and it scared them to think of the aftermath. Had that happened, most of the world would have been radiated and sent the remaining survivors back to the stone age. A war in an advanced civilization is indeed scary enough to give them nightmares.

"So does that mean, I'm truly alone?" Clark asks in a very low and sad voice.

"Thankfully no, you're not. There are still a few kryptonians out there. You'd have to figure out for yourself where they are though. And I have to warn you that some of them aren't exactly friendly so be cautious. But you ARE the last son of Krypton. As in, the last child ever born before it was destroyed."

"Wait, not friendly? So you're telling me, people with the same abilities as Clark....and they are...hostile?" Jonathan asks in a very worried voice. 

Technically this was Ven's way of warning Clark about Brainiac or then the clones of his dad and Zod get released among others.

"Unfortunately yes. So it's up to Clark to figure that one out as it's his people. But it's not ALL bad. I mean, one of them is your cousin so that's good news to you I think."

"WHAT?! Then why aren't you telling me where they are?!" Clark exclaimed. He was really depressed with all this information but his hope was renewed when he heard he had a cousin that could possibly be alive and on earth.

"Can't tell you Clark. You have to find them on your own efforts and when you're ready." Ven replied.

"But they're family! And why are you being so mysterious and all hush about this? Look, I get that some things I need to learn on my own but why are you keeping even this a secret? I-I just don't understand!" Clark said.

"I'd like to know too." Exclaimed by Jonathan. " This doesn't seem to fit the category of things to learn by yourself anymore. This doesn't seem to be life lessons, so why ARE you keeping this a secret?"

Ven stays silent for a bit then sighs. "Future events."

"""?"""

"I know and have seen future events that are going to come to pass. And a lot of these events, I need to stay the same if we want this planet to stay in one piece."

"""?!"""

The Kents were breathless and stunned. Hearing of future events and a possibility that altering it could potentially destroy their world made them speechless. They can't wrap their head around this idea that this concerns their world.

"Let me explain, you've all seen some of Clark's abilities but I have to tell you, there are still a few that Clark hasn't figured out yet. But if you can consider for a second, that IF there were an event, that Clark is needed to protect this world, and he wasn't there...what do you all think happens?"

".....But...that's too much! This is the world we're talking about!" Clark stutters. "I-I'm just one guy!"

"Okay let's scale it a bit. This is just an example. What if a man was able to invade...say the white house. Despite all the security there, he manages to take the president hostage and obtains nuclear weapons launch codes and decides to activate them. With Clark's speed and strength, he could still catch up to the nuke as it flies out of the silos. He could still catch up to them and sabotage it before it destroys whatever target it was programed to hit. Day saved right? I mean, if Clark was aware of said nuke and was able to catch up then good."

Ven paused for them to imagine it then continues.

"Now if say someone saw the future and changed something. Nothing big, but something significant. Like delaying Clark from learning about said nuke. Doesn't matter if it was unintentional. If Clark was not there to catch up to the nuke, then it hits it's intended target. If the terrorist aimed it at a major city, then a lot of people would have died when they could have been saved."

"Now you see don't you? That's my situation at the moment. As for why I know the future, I'd rather keep quiet about that. But what matters is that I do. And I know for a fact, that Clark WILL save this planet at some point, and I'd rather not screw that future up because I told you something that you shouldn't know, at least just not yet. 

Even now, my interference is changing things. But I'm keeping it minimal. Or at least, for what I think is a better version of the future. I'm keeping my changes still in line with the major events of the future."

Ven then looks to Martha and Jonathan.

"Look, like it or not, just like a burning building that you would accidentally come across, it's not your doing but its within your reach. And it WILL happen. And as you've raised your boy to have a good heart, you know he's not gonna walk away and ignore someone when he can help them. Someday the world will need Clark, and he will have the means, capability and willingness to save everyone. For all intents and purposes, I will call it this his destiny. And that destiny is too important so I would rather Clark not get any wrong ideas. Hence here I am trying to clarify things."

With that massive information dump, Jonathan and Martha were still too stunned. But Clark was somewhat able to process it already. He understood that if an accident happened and he was able to stop it to help people, he can't just walk away. It wasn't his nature. Wasn't how he was raised. He knew, if it came down to it, he would step up.

"That's a lot to take in...but I think I get it... You have to keep some of the information if it'll change things too much. But then.. why now, why are you even making changes if you knew the future would have been alright?" Asked Clark.

"Because either way, I've already changed some of it just by living and doing what I'm doing. And I already know what I know. So the best way for me to go about this is to minimize the damage and try to adjust the timeline and keep it from deviating too much. At least to the extent that I can still control. At the same time, I'm trying to make it just a little better. Just like if you knew you were going to be stranded in a desert someday, doesn't mean you can't prepare and bring some supplies."

"....okay but you still haven't told us your role in all this. You never told us who and what exactly are you. Or is that another future breaking secret?" Jonathan interjects.

"Not really. I just thought it might be too much information already and it might distract you all from your current predicaments. But if you must know, I'm currently working with Wayne Enterprises in Gotham as a game developer. But I'm sure that's not what you're actually curious about. It's if I'm Kryptonian right?"

"Yeah pretty much. I mean you are strong. I've felt it when you warned me of the red kryptonite."

"I'm not at the same time I am. Specifically, I modified myself to copy kryptonian biology. Long story short, Yes I'm also alien by definition. Not human. And I'm of a different species entirely. But I can mimic kryptonian cells and have chosen to do so in order to....add more layers to my own protection."

"So that means--"

"Yes that means I can also mimic your abilities. So if I think I can help you in a desperate situation without screwing up the future too much, then you have my word, I will. But for the most part, I would rather you just think of me as kind of like a cheering squad. I sincerely hope you do well but cannot always help out."

Clark felt a little disappointed that his help was limited, and also a bit that he wasn't actually kryptonian. But he was a little relieved that there was someone he can probably count on in a worst case scenario. He understood that if his life and future would be in danger, he might be able to count on Ven.

"Well then. It's late and I think you all need some time to process all of this. So I think it's time for me to leave. But before I do, a final heads up Clark, Your quest will soon begin. Do not fear it."

"Wait, what? A quest?" Asked Clark nervously. 

"Sort of a test. Or education. Or trials. Whatever you want to call it. It's your biological father trying to prepare you for what's to come. He may word it weirdly but make no mistake, its not about conquering earth. It's about saving it. And he will test you. Even if you were his son, he wouldn't condemn an entire planet to an unkillable weapon after all, so he will have made countermeasures in case you go all evil on us. Just be brave Clark. Face it head on and with your heart."

"Don't worry, I'll be back so we can talk about it then. Just don't freak out when you get called. Oh and here's my calling card. Do let me know when it happens and I'll be here. After all, this is an important turning point for you."

And then, after a very long night, he left the house. Ven was gone.

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