Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters appearing in this story!
Hello, my wonderful viewers, welcome to the genesis of Earth 25, a DCU Fanfiction series. Witness a dramatic reimagining of the Superman mythos. So, enjoy.
First Contact
Since the dawn of time humanity had shared a deep communion with the stars above. The universe around them has inspired many of their most powerful beliefs about who they are and where do they come from. To answer these question, they had crafted machines to aid them in their quest. One of these machines rests within the plains of San Augustin.
Stationed in the center of New Mexico stood The VLA Radio Observatory, a vast collection of radio telescopes capable of extracting external radio sources. Each anatta stood like giant white flower staring up at the sky. An astounding monument to human ingenuity.
The facilities interior was maintained with a consistent cool breeze, making it Infinitely cooler than the new Mexico's elevated temperature. Not only did this prevented the equipment from over heat but to ensure the employee's levels of comfort. At least, not for the technician who gazed vaguely at his monitor. His job was simple, observe the monitor for any signs of unusual activity in the vacuum of space. On a good day, he saw a meteor, a comet, or some space debris anything to break up the monotony. But what he really wanted was to discover an alien signal from space, indisputable evidence that life exists beyond the planet earth.
Suddenly, as if the universe granted his wish, the technician's console began to beep and flash. Bright red letters appeared, UFO detected collision course. Excitement raced through his body for the first time since his first day. The technician was intrigued by the UFO`s sudden arrival. He wonders if this was it the beginning of their first contact with another intelligent life form, or humanities invitation to join a galactic council of some sort. Before he could speculate any further he remembered that he had a job to do.
"First things first," he muttered to himself. "Inbound unidentified flying object, 384.4 million miles and closing."
Within a millisecond, his station manager materialized at his side, peering down at the same readout. A look of bewilderment formed upon her face. She glanced at the technician`s face, trying to see if he shared her growing concern. A look of glee and excitement was plastered all over his.
"Bring this up on the big screen," she told him.
He Followed her order to the letter. Then the display from his monitor came into view on the larger radar screen. Every other employee in the room had their eyes glued to the screen. The sight of a small foreign vessel heading towards earth. The object accelerated into the planet's gravitational field. Ceramic heat boiled away at the ship as it entered the atmosphere, blazing through the upper reaches like a falling star. The scientist triangulated the UFO`s trajectory, estimating that it would land somewhere in Kansas. Wasting no time, they contacted their higher ups, informing them of the alien spaceship intended crash site.
Inside the White House Secretary of defense, Joe Shuster stood in front of the desk of President Jerry Siegel. Informing the most powerful man in the world on the situation their country is about to face. Once debriefed Siegel's face turned pale as if has just seen a ghost. His trembling hand reached for the phone and dialed the number of the only man he knew that could tackle a problem of this magnitude.
On the line was his appointed Joint chief of staff Lieutenant General Wade Eiling. " Good afternoon, Mr. President."
"Lieutenant General," he said in a respectful tone. "We need to know what's going to land in our backyard, and we need to know before anyone else."
A blue Ram pickup truck drove down an empty road. A married farm couple in their mid-thirties sat in the front seat of the vehicle. They were engaged in a heated argument over the current state of their tense marriage. He loved his wife, but there were times when they would bicker with one another over matters outside their control. As the argument continued, a sudden bright light came into their view. In the distance, a flaming object was racing towards them.
"Johnathan!" she screamed.
He pushed his foot on the brakes just as the fireball flew right over the truck's roof. The vehicle swerved and skidded, stopping just a little of the edge of the road.
"What in the hell?" he said looking out his window. Johnathan turned to his wife "are you okay?"
Her palm rested over beating heart "I'm fine, but what was that?"
"I don't even know," Johnathan replied. He unbuckled his seatbelt. "I'm going to find out, you stay here." The woman turned to see her husband leaving the truck and heading for the crash site.
The farmer walked into the corn field, following the trail of destruction. Dirt and rock had been kicked up, and small spot fires still burned. But through it, all Johnathan could make out something silver. As he got closer he stepped over plates of metal and mechanical parts.
When he reached the impact zone, Johnathan stood petrified at the sight of the foreign spacecraft. It was about the size of a regular car. The ship's exterior design was unlike anything the man had seen. Before he took another step, his wife caught up to him. She too was surprised.
"Be careful we don't know what this thing is?" Mary said while trailing close behind her husband.
Together the couple approached the silver vessel. With curious eyes, they examined what they assumed was the front of the spacecraft. Then a metal compartment parted, releasing compressed gases from inside. Curiosity got the better of them as they remained still, watching the action playout. Once all the gas exited out the ship. Johnathon and Mary were shocked at what they've discovered.
A small, male human looking infant rested inside covered in a translucent gel like substance. While several mechanical wires were piercing through the infant's smooth skin. Then the baby's eyes started to open as if it was waking up for the first time. The infant looks up at the couple, revealing bright blue eyes. A maternal compulsion came over Mary as she reached in for the infant.
"Oh my God, it's a real baby" she cried. Mary plucked the baby from the space ship. She held the baby close to her bosom. For her, this was love at first sight. Tears formed in her eyes as she ponders on where this child came from. While Mary continued to rock the child slowly. The baby began laughing and reaching out to the crying woman. "he's so precious."
John gazed upwards, staring at the night skies above. Then he returned his attention to inspect the ship further. It wasn't badly damaged from the looks of it, but it was obvious from the interior that the ship was not normal.
The baby was content in the woman's arms. "This is a sign from God, Johnny," Mary said whole heartedly. She was already bonding with the baby. Mary held him like any mother would hold their own child. The words the doctor said to her earlier at the fertility clinic went away. What she had in her hands was a miracle.
"Don't get too attached. I'm reporting this first thing tomorrow,"
She shot him a glare. "We have to take him home with us."
"But Mary-"
"No, this baby was meant to be ours."
As he began to ponder about their predicament, the sound of heavy rotors started to fill the night air. A trio of massive MH-53 Special operations helicopters arrived on the scene. Spotlights swept across the destroyed area. One high-intensity beam settled on the couple, pinning them in its unrelenting light. As a reflex, they began shielding their eyes from the overbearing spotlight.
Lieutenant Eiling`s commanding voice boomed from one the choppers loud speakers. "stay where you are, you're completely surrounded!"
From the corner of his eyes, Johnathan noticed the flotilla of armed Humvees that surrounded the corn field. He was startled to see fifty caliber turrets manned and aimed directly at them. A squad of armed soldiers jumped out the vehicles, approaching the couple with rifles at the ready. Their red dotted laser sights decorated bodies of the couple. His apprehensiveness had suddenly doubled
"This can't be good."
With the baby in hand, Mary tried to approach the soldiers, but Johnathan held her back." Mary no," He slowly he raised his hands above his head. Looked down at the baby "It would be unwise to provoke men with assault rifles."
She looked down at the smiling baby then to her husband "why, so they can take him to some lab and experiment on him? He's just a child."
To the public, Smallville is the embodiment of the American dream. Tidy homes, friendly neighbors, some vibrant main streets, and wide-open land spaces. The quintessential perfect small town but, it was a lot more than just that. It was a sanctioned government black site. Smallville's residents consist of citizens from the witness protection program. The town was under constant surveillance with operatives acting like members of the community to help accommodate the residents. On the outskirts of Smallville the US military patrols it borders with distinct orders to shoot unidentifiable trespassers on sight.
Built underneath the town was the top-secret military installation called project base alpha. Its existence is not acknowledged by the government and thus any activities undertaken there were free from surveillance. It allowed scientists and researchers to develop numerous clandestine projects without restrictions.
In one of the many rooms, the baby laid on an examination table surrounded by doctors. They whore chalk white hazmat suits, in the off chance of an infection. This wasn't any ordinary circumstance for these doctors. They were the first people to run a full-screen examination on a real alien. The head doctor conducted a standard inspection of the infant. Checking out his heart, lungs, and reflexes. Peering into his throat and ears, they did not appear to find anything alarming.
Adjacent to the room rests a one-way mirror on the wall. On the other side stood President Jerry Siegel and Secretary of defense Joe Shuster. They watched in complete amazement at the baby extraterrestrial. After a few minutes of spectating, two men joined them in the room.
"Mr. President, Mr. secretary of defense," said Eiling. He gestured toward the man beside him. "This is Dr. Emil Hamilton, with DARPA."
As a former S.T.A.R Labs employee Hamilton certainly looked the part of a scientist. He was in his forties, with a receding hairline and neatly trimmed goatee. His public achievements were far from critical acclaimed. Hamilton preferred puttering in his lab working on various hush hush projects.
"I see you two are enjoying the view," Eiling said gruffly while nodding towards the window.
"When I hear the word alien I expect little green men, not a baby," Shuster replied.
"Despite his appearance, his DNA doesn't match anything human. Metallurgical analysis of the ship further confirms a non-terrestrial origin." Hamilton explained. "His skin density is phenomenal, it resists nearly everything we tried."
Eiling extended his right index finger towards the politicians. A teal colored cast covered his thick finger. "And stay clear of his hands they're small but incredibly strong," he advised.
"Does anyone else know about this?" Asked Sigel.
"Only the couple who found the ship." the Lieutenant General answered.
The president raised an eyebrow. "Will they be a problem?"
"No," Eiling said bluntly. "We've explained the consequences in considerable detail."
In the other room, one doctor produced a portable electronic device with a cord that was attached to a small earplug. He sterilized the infant's ear with a cloth wipe, then inserted the tip of the probe into it.
"What are they doing?" Shuster questioned.
"They're administering a test to measure hearing response," said Hamilton. "it's completely harmless."
The general frowned. His tanned weathered features bespoke a life spent in dangerous situations. He eyed the test apprehensively. "I'm not sure that's a good-" he began.
The doctor flicked a switch, activating the apparatus, which sent an acoustic signal into the baby's ear. In theory, the device would measure the ears response to the sounds. But not this instant.
The baby's screams increased in volume. A deafening shriek shattered the one-way mirror. A nurse's coffee mug came apart in her hand. All the Windows throughout the base shattered and spilled onto the floor.
President Sigal cautiously uncovered his ears, which nevertheless kept on ringing. A second later Eiling and Shuster uncovered their ears as well. The doctors stared speechlessly at the infant. Hamilton's glasses were askew, the lenses cracked. But the baby was smiling now as if entertained by all the commotion.
"Dear Lord," Sigal cried. "Did he do all this, just by crying?"
The baby gurgled happily surrounded by the confused doctors.
Hamilton shared a look with Eiling, who nodded in response.
"So, the balls in our court Mr. President. we have no idea where this child came from, or if there are any other like him on the way." Hamilton informed the leader of the free world.
Eiling chimed in. "What we do know is that if there's only one like him, we should take steps to ensure he's on our side."
All eyes were on the president as he remained still to ponder his decision. He had been in office for less only a year and now he must make a monumental decision. His mind recalled to the masked crime fighters of old, the Justice Society of America. A group of individual heroes who came together to save and protect the world from evil. Their most notable contribution was joining President Roosevelt`s All-Star Squadron during World War II. After the war and years of crime fighting, they eventually vanished into retirement. With no costume heroes and villains around the world entered the super human arms race.
There is a commonly held belief that the next world war will be fought with genetically altered soldiers. To quell this notion the United Nations established an international test-ban treaty concerning the development of super soldiers, but as the saying goes you must learn the rules so you know how to break them.
"It's the law of this country that children orphaned without next of kin are to be considered wards of the state. I see no reason to make an exception in this case," he said confidently. "He's a child of the United States. See to it he's raised like one."
In a small room at the edge of the base. Eiling sat behind his new desk reviewing the personnel files on the monitor one last time. A list of promising applicants flooded his monitor. Although most of them did fit his qualification none of them had what he was looking for except for these two. There was a knock at the door, two quick firm raps.
"Come in," the Lieutenant general called out.
The door slid open and two agents dressed in blue suits walked in, man and a woman. They marched smartly across the floor and took the seats in front of Eiling's desk. An aura of confidence resonated from them. Eiling focused his vision on the two agents, analyzing them further.
The man stood at six feet one inches according to his file. Currently twenty-eight years old, he was in the prime of his life. His skin was fair, medium black hair decorated his scalp. Former college football player and ROTC graduate. Listed in his file were the words honest, ethical and committed.
His counterpart was just as young and much more attractive. Average in both height and build, her most distinguishing features was her shoulder-length dirty blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. According to her file, she was particularly warm, sweet and welcoming to people. She was among the top ten graduates in the academy and took part in multiple humanitarian programs.
"So, you've both been introduced and briefed on the mission?"
The duo briefly exchanged a look with each other. They both had the same answer, the two of them acknowledge the general's question with a nod. Just what he expected of them.
"So, until we know otherwise, you should assume that you're in this for the long. The very long haul. As in fifteen to twenty years, in a confined environment with a potentially dangerous individual." he told them. "For as long as you're in the bubble, you'll have to forgo any outside personal commitments. We have to make the environment non-stressful, idealized and as all American, Norman Rockwell father knows best as possible."
The male agent was momentarily thrown off balance by the unexpected request. A look a surprise was enacted on his face. His eye momentary met with his partners, their gaze lasted about a few seconds. Then his startled mug shifted back to a confident one.
"Once you're in, you're in. We'll extract you only in the face of real physical danger," he warns them. "Any questions?"
"what about schooling sir? He asked revealing his Midland accent.
"If the program is successful, we'll arrange for home teaching since we can't risk exposing him to other children in uncontrolled situations, at least not for a while." the general answered. "Any more questions?"
After a thoughtful consideration, the female agent placed her hand over partners. "When can we see the…. our child?" speaking with her strong southern accent.
The joint chief of staff led the agents to the room where the alien resides. They stood behind a reinforced plastic window. The baby was fastened in a compatible infant seat, staring into space. At first, the room resembled a typical toddler play room but on close inspection, it wasn't. The stuffed animals were missing a limb or a head. Balls were airless sacks of plastic on the floor along with several broken reaching tools used by the nanny to feed him milk.
"Does he have a name?" she asked.
"His day to day name is Clark Kent." The general answered. "It tested well with all the appropriate focus groups. Clark for the American explorer William Clark. Kent because they say it resonated with middle Americans. "
"And our new names are?" he said with a hint of curiosity.
"Jonathan and Martha Kent," Eiling noticed their display of disgust for their new identities. "whatever. it's just a name."
"Hello, Clark. it's mommy and daddy. She said in a playful manner. the child turned to face his new parents. "That's right, baby, it's mommy and daddy. We've come to bring you home."
For the remainder of the mission, the new family was housed in a farmhouse. The building had a yellow and white color scheme, complementing the barns red paint job. its simple rectangular floor plan and twin sets of windows gave the house an aesthetic of a Norman Rockwell painting.
Clark now a toddler sat in his chair at the kitchen table. A freshly baked cake was placed in the center. The small cake had a single candle sticking out of it, representing his estimated age. Behind him stood his parents dressed as stereotypical hicks a requirement for all Smallville residents. They were singing him the happy birthday song.
Once they finished wishing Clark a happy birthday, Jonathan left the kitchen and Martha slipped on a pair of steel mesh gloves. Using protective gloves, she lifted her son out of his seat.
"Before You eat, your father got a surprise for you."
Jonathan returned with a cardboard box. The top of the box was filled with nickel sized holes. He opens it relieving a puppy. Its fur was snow white, its features were a mix of several different breeds. Predominantly Labrador retriever with lingering traces of Jack Russel and Foxhound ancestry as well.
Clark's face lit up at the sight of his new friend. Both Martha and Jonathan set them down on the floor. Wanting to give them some time to play the adults proceed to exit the room.
"Now you just wait there and we'll be back with the rest of your presents." Martha uttered.
Now alone, Clark and his dog made eye contact. With his small hand, he reached out to the energetic puppy. It sniffed the child's pudgy little fingers. Then its eyes widen with shock. The colorless puppy started to whimper and backed away from the toddler.
Confused, Clark closed the gap to play with the dog. But the puppy proceeded to back away even further. Now backed up by a wall, the frighten puppy began to go on the offensive. It follow-up with a couple of aggressive loud barks.
The feeling of fear suddenly surged through the infant's body. Clark pulls away from the barking puppy. Suddenly his blue eyes slowly radiated red light until a flash of red energy burst from his eyes. The puppy made a quick yelp just before being incinerated. When it was over tears started to fall from Clark's round face. Jonathan and Martha barged into the kitchen as soon they heard him cry.
"Clark what -," her words were cut when she witnesses the aftermath. The adorable puppy was a pile of cremated remains, the thermal radiation bleached the puppy's shadow on the wall. Just like the nuclear shadows of Hiroshima.
"Oh my god," Jonathan vocalized.
" puppy!" Clark cried out loud.
In the surveillance room, the operative stared at the monitor in absolute horror at what had transpired. They witness young Clark reduce the dog into nothing in seconds. One of the men vomited in the trash. Another stormed out the room unable process what had happened.
On the northeast side of the united states, the city of metropolis glittered like gold. The people of the city were busy going about their day. Unbeknownst to them, a flaming projectile was zooming into the city's skyline. Then Ufo struck Midtown metropolis, the impact zone exploded with a massive energy output. People in the general vicinity were cooked by the vast amount of thermal energy. Surrounding buildings were immediately leveled by the blast. In the heart of the crater was a small ship with an S like symbol imprinted on it.
A/N: The die is cast, Kal-El is now a child of the U.S. government and another ship has landed what could possibly go wrong? Stay tuned for the next chapter of Men of steel.