Chapter 1: The Last Son of Krypton

June 18th, 1989

"Well this day couldn't get any worse..." said Jonathan Kent to himself.

He glanced in his rear-view mirror at the large amount of crops he was unable to sell. Ever since several of the surrounding farms started bringing a lot of the same produce to the farmers market a few years back, sales have been rough for him. Money is tight, and he isn't sure he can keep up all this work by himself anymore. He's getting older, his 40th birthday just a week ago. But he isn't able to afford any farmhands, especially around here, when there are better paying jobs in the city.

Jonathan sighs as he turns down the shallow dirt road towards home. There awaits a sight straight out of a picture book. White, two-story house with wrap-around porch. Large, freshly painted, red barn with cows grazing behind and a sprawling cornfield. He sighed happily seeing the one thing that made him truly happy. Martha was sitting on the porch, working on her quilt. He laughed inwardly, wondering if she was ever gonna finish that thing. He smiled, getting out of his beat up truck.

"Hey sweetie! I'm home." Jonathan said as he walked up the porch steps.

"Jonny! How was the market?" she said smiling, although Jonathan could tell she saw the produce in the back of his truck. He almost wanted to lie.

"It could've been better, to be honest with you sweetheart." he replied "Billy Ross and his son Pete had pretty much the bulk of the crowds attention with their so-called "Super Veggies, more like snake oil if you ask me"

"Now Jonny, don't be like that. Billy was just doing what he could to provide for his family. 'Specially after his wife passed." She said scolding " Speaking of neighbors, did you hear? The Langs just had a baby! A sweet little girl named Lana."

Jonathan could see the pain on his wife's face, even behind the smile. Since college, he and Martha had always wanted the the American dream. House, white picket fence, raise a family, the whole nine yards. They decided to wait until they were financially stable to have kids, but about 7 years ago Martha found out she had a birth defect where she was unable to conceive children. It crushed her, but nevertheless she kept trying. Eventually they both conceded., believing that they had been given enough in life and it just wasn't meant to happen. Now with him recently turning 40 and her approaching 35, they had given up.

"Well we'll have to drop in on them tomorrow and catch up!" he said optimistically "Now what do you say I make supper tonight?" He smiles heading inside while looking at the setting sun.

Later that night

Jonathan was relaxing on the porch drinking sweet tea and just taking in the cool summer night before bed. Martha was getting ready for bed upstairs. He downed the last little bit of his tea and was about to turn to head inside when he noticed something. It was a shooting star.

"Well I'll be damned. Martha! Come down here quick! It's a shooting star!" he yelled.

Martha quickly descended the stairs and joined her husband outside to admire the rare beauty. "Wow...Oh! Honey, we have to make a wish!" she said excitedly.

Jonathan was gonna say it was silly, but the he couldn't say no to her, especially after she was showing such childlike joy about it. So, with still some convincing, he closed his eyes and wished.

I wish...Jonathan thought to himself.

"Uhh...Jonathan?" said Martha in a concerned voice.

More than anything...he continued thinking, not really hearing his wife.

"Jonathan, is that star getting closer?" she said more worried

Is for my wife to be happy for the rest of our-BOOOOOOM!

Jonathan's thoughts were interrupted by one of the loudest, earth-shaking explosions he has ever heard. Martha screamed and they both fell down as some large meteorite slammed in the middle of their cornfield, shaking the ground for miles. They picked themselves up and looked at each other. Equal parts curious and terrified, the couple made their way into the cornfield towards a large pillar of smoke. When the broke into the clearing, they were dumbstruck. Dug into a massive crater was a large metallic vehicle of some kind.

"My God..." Jonathan said in shock. "That's...that's a damn spaceship!"

"We got to call somebody, right?" Martha replied. "Like NASA or someone, I mean we can't-" Martha pauses. "Do you hear that?"

Jonathan stopped and tried to listen. It sounded like...crying? But that's impossible he thought to himself. But before he could say anything, Martha was already sliding down the side of the crater towards the ship.

"Martha!" he yelled, following her. As soon as she touched the ship, the glass part of the small pod opened. And to both of the Kent's surprise, inside was a baby boy, wrapped in several blankets of blue and red. The poor thing was crying it's eyes out. Something strange caught Jonathan's eye in particular. A strange symbol embroidered in the blankets.

"Is that...an S?", he states, even more confused then before.

"I'm not sure, maybe." Martha replies, seemingly not bothered by this strange scenario. "Jonathan, do you think we should-"

She stops at the sight of her husband, looking at the sky, his face pale. "Mother of God..." he says, barely above a whisper. Martha looks up, and is both fascinated and horrified by the sight. What looks to be hundreds of meteors peppered across the night sky are currently falling towards the planet.

"Hurry Martha, get the boy inside!" Jonathan says panicked while ushering his wife and the strange infant into the house and down to the basement.

The trio huddled in the corner of the Kent's basement, trying their best to ignore the regular shakes and sounds of explosions outside. After what felt like hours Jonathan opened his eyes, he hadn't realized he fell asleep. In the dim darkness he heard his wife's soft laugh, followed by a high pitched giggle. He looked to his left, his eyes slowly adjusting to the low light, and saw the love of his life playing with the baby. She had such a bright smile on her face, one he hasn't seen in a long time. He knew then and there, he couldn't take this baby away from her.

"Clark.." his voice piercing the empty room.

Martha jumped and looked at him quizzically.

"If we keep him he's gonna need a name, I always wanted to name my son Clark, after our old friend from college"

Martha's filled with tears as she hugged her husband smiling. "It's perfect" she says looking at the now asleep child. "Clark Kent, our son."

And so in a dark basement in the town of Smallville, Kansas, as the apocalyptic sounds of a meteor shower could be heard outside, Jonathan and Martha Kent held their new infant son, unsure of what the future will bring.