Chapter 2

Smallville...

Lois Lane ain't a religious person but she might just owe the Almighty a return to the flock. That's the only reason she can come up with as to why she was spared when those aliens toasted a heavily armed military force in under 60 seconds.

As soon as they left so did she as she tries to run on her bummed leg.

Lois has no idea where she is running to exactly.

She falls over as her leg gives out from under her again. She fires off several profanities at the pain she is feeling.

She just lies there in the dirt for a minute, breathing hard and trying to block the pain out. 'Come on Lane. Remember what the General taught you,' she tries to mentally goad herself into moving.

Lois struggles up to her feet and stumbles forward a few paces. Stumbles right into someone's arms who grab her. "ARH! Let me go you sonabitch!" she yells and she struggles against whoever it is that has grabbed her.

"Easy there, darlin," a gruff voice tries to placate Lois.

"Lois. It's us!" another voice, a familiar feminine one tries to reach Lois.

Lois pauses and looks up, past whoever it is that is holding her and her eyes falls upon a certain monochrome mutant Lois would call a friend. "Dom?"

"Hey there," Domino greets Lois. "Tough day?" she asks with a joky grin.

Lois bursts out into a laugh at that before groaning in pain and almost falling over again. Only the arms holding her keep her from doing so. She looks into the face and the feral blue eyes of Wolverine. "Hey there, Hairy."

Dom snickers. She taught Lois that one.

Logan growls as he lowers Lois to the ground and briefly examines her over. The cut on her forehead and the fact her knee looks pretty messed up are obvious injuries. "What happened to you?"

"The ship! There was this ship...and the aliens...and they smoked the military in like a minute...and they're out there somewhere..."

Domino kneels down next to Lois and places a supporting hand on her shoulder. "Easy there, Lo. Slow down. Take a breath."

Lois does so and takes a few deep breaths. She takes a moment to look around. There are a small group of them. She recognises Iceman...because he's made of ice and Chloe has a crush on him. Chloe doesn't think Lois knows that but trust her, she does. There's...uh...the Brazilian boy...Roberto...that's his name. There's the other Goth...Wanda, Lois thinks her name is. Kurt is rather easier to remember.

Lois puts her face in her hands and tries to compose herself. She can still see it play out in front her eyes. See it and smell it. "They killed them," she says in a shaky whisper. "They killed them all and they didn't even move. Fire from their eyes. It was so easy for them," she says in horror at what she witnessed.

Logan and Domino share a grave look. It was just like they feared. Kryptonians just like Clark.

"Lo?" Dom queries gently. "How many were there?"

"Two. A man and a woman."

"Where are they?"

"I don't know," Lois says with a small shake of her head. "They blurred off somewhere. Their ship crashed down in the field," she says pointing at the way she came from.

Domino rubs her hand over Lois' shoulder. "It'll be ok," she assures the brunette.

Logan looks up at his small team. Small team on purpose. They needed to be swift and his options were limited and they did have to sneak off without being noticed so some had to be left behind. "Stay here. I'll check it out," Logan orders as he dashes off in the direction Lois pointed at for where this ship is.

It doesn't take Logan too long to reach the scene and it doesn't take him too long to see what a one-sided massacre it was with mutilated and charred bodies littering the scene. His eyes glance at the black ship. It's former occupants will be back for that eventually but if this is evidence of what they're like then he can't afford to wait. He has to track them down.

Logan bends down and tries to pick up their scent. There it is. That same slightly odd odour Clark has. That seems to confirm to Logan that they are Kryptonians.

Logan's communicator goes off. He activates his communicator. "Wolverine, here."

"Logan," the voice says in relief.

"Chuck? You alright?"

"Yes. We are fine. They had a couple of mutants who generate a forcefield here."

"Good," Logan says, happy that Chuck and furball survived.

"How are you?"

"Yeah. Chuck, we have a big problem here. It seems a couple of the Space Boy's kind came down with the rocks and they ain't friendly. They've already wasted a small military force."

"..."

"Chuck?"

"Y-yes, I'm still here. Just give me a moment," Charles requests as he tries to absorb that. "This is a problem."

"No kiddin," Logan says flatly.

"And we lost our weapons in the fight with Magneto when we were retrieving Clark's body," Charles recalls the fact they are at a severe disadvantage.

"I can stop them," Logan assures the Professor in cold tones.

"Logan..." Charles begins to caution him.

"Reasoning isn't going to cut it here," he argues.

"Logan, we're not even sure what it would take."

"I'll cut off their heads. See if that works."

"Logan, I don't need to say how much I disapprove of the notion of killing."

No, Chuck didn't. Logan and he have had a few discussions on the subject over the years. "We don't exactly have a lot of options unless you've heard from Space Boy."

"I have not yet heard from either Clark or Rogue...but I have heard from Jean," Charles tells Logan of the conversation he had before this one.

"Red and Slim alright?"

"They're at the Smallville Medical Centre. It survived undamaged and is being used as the main centre for the injured. Scott was injured by an impact. It doesn't seem too serious although he may be taking it easy for a few weeks."

Logan was actually relieved to hear that. "What about half-pint and webs? They never showed up at the rendezvous point and I couldn't raise them."

"I haven't tried them yet but I shall next. What's your situation right now?"

"We overheard the military talking about the ship and were on our way. We bumped into Sullivan's cousin, Lane. She's pretty banged up. She saw it all happen when the Kryptonians laid waste to the military force," Logan's voice strains to try and get across how bad it is to have seen that.

"Bad?"

"I'm standing here now and bad is a gross understatement. They were massacred without mercy or pity and they never stood a chance. There's also a great big ass spaceship lying here."

"Finding it's occupants first is more of a priority."

"Yeah that was my thinking too."

"How's Lois exactly?" Charles asks.

"She really needs a doctor."

"Take her to the medical centre. It will give you a chance to pick Jean up. You are probably going to need her."

"What about our two visitors?" Logan wonders what Chuck thinks they should do.

"Do we know where they are?"

"Not presently. Lane said they blurred off."

"The sun is already starting to charge their bodies but they can't possibly be as strong as Clark yet," Charles makes the educated assessment.

"Then we need to find them as soon as."

"Unfortunately, Logan, there's only one person who can possibly know what it is they are here for."

Clark and he ain't here.

"Take Lois to the medical centre and pick up Jean," Charles directs Logan. "Once that is done we'll plan the next step."

"You're just buying time hoping Space Boy shows up," Logan makes his judgement.

"Logan, just do what I say," Charles orders, his usual calm tones hardened as Logan has rarely heard them.

"Roger that," Logan concedes.


Kawatche Caves...

Aethyr and Nam-Ek enter the caves at a slower, human-like pace and walk all the way up to the plinth. Nam-Ek places his hand over the indent where the 3 elements were designed to be brought together. "Kal-El has been here. It's been active," he reports from what he can sense.

"Then the means of Zod's release is only all the closer," Aethyr takes a somewhat positive view of this before asking the very practical question, "Where is Kal-El now?"

Nam-Ek lifts his hand and turns to look at his cousin. "If he was indeed raised in the local habitation there must be humans he associated with. One will know of his true heritage and will either lead us to him or he will come to us for them," he proposes the next course of action.

Aethyr does not argue with the plan.

Nam-Ek takes steps to leave but pauses when he sees Aethyr's momentarily sad look as she studies the cave. He touches her arm. "Aethyr...we will bring Krypton back," he assures her of what he knows she is sad about. This outpost is a painful reminder of the world they have lost.

"Of course. Forgive me," she asks his tolerance of her moment of emotional weakness.

"You need not ask. I miss it as much as you."

"Zod shall create a new, reborn Krypton, free of the flaws of the old. A world fit for true Kryptonians," Aethyr iterates the belief she has followed from the moment she chose to follow Zod.

"Yes. He will," Nam-Ek says with utter assuredness that that is so.

"Then let us depart," Aethyr says.

Nam-Ek nods and the 2 Kryptonians blur off into town.

Several moments after they leave there is a blinding flash of light and Clark and Rogue appear back next to the plinth.

Rogue takes a moment to reorientate herself. "All things considering that's still smoother than Nightcrawler," she quips.

Clark chuckles before they exit the small alcove and head outside. As soon as they do the acrid smell of smoke hits their noses and plumes of smoke can be seen in the distance in Smallville's direction. Clark's mood sobers immediately. He hadn't been sure how much time had passed. Enough for the meteors to bring their rain of destruction.

Rogue felt what she thought Clark was probably feeling too. Horror and sadness.

Clark activates his communicator. Now there were clear of the caves they should get a clear signal. "Superman to Professor Xavier, come in please."

There is a little static before the voice breaks through. "Superman. What's your status?"

"Rogue and I are fine. What's the situation?"

"Can you come to yo...what was the Kent farm," the Professor manages to correct himself in time. "I think it best we speak in person."

"We'll be there in a minute," Clark says and when Clark says that he means that literally. He turns to Rogue, picks her up bridal style and blurs off in the direction of his old home.


Smallville's Mutant Community, formerly the Kent Farm...

The Professor, Beast and Chloe, who is mightily relieved that Lois is alive if not exactly well, are outside, standing by the humvee they were given when the gust of wind signals Clark's arrival. He lowers Rogue to the ground and she takes a moment to fix her hair.

Clark takes a moment to look around what had been his home for so long with the rather ramshackle extra buildings. He notices some damage to them. Must have been a close one.

"So what's happening?" Rogue asks.

The Professor purses his lips as he wonders how to break this to Clark. "Clark...there's something you need to know."

Clark jumps in and guesses what the Professor is about to say. "There's 2 Kryptonians here."

Charles, Hank and Chloe look at him with complete surprise.

"Of course you knew that," Chloe says with grudgingly inevitability that Clark would know.

"Jor-El mentioned it," Clark reveals.

"In your ice castle at tha pole," Rogue says.

Charles, Hank and Chloe now look completely baffled.

Clark summarises what happened with him and Rogue. The 3 stones forming the crystal, being transported to the Arctic and the crystal building his 'Fortress of Solitude'.

The 3 listeners' eyes obtain a look of awed wonder as they imagine what this structure must look like.

Rogue rolls her eyes and clears her throat to snap them out of it.

"Clark, I must pass on some grave news. Our 2 visitors decimated a military unit sent to secure the ship," Charles says, uncomfortable at delivering this sort of news. He knows about Clark's extreme loneliness and that hearing how 2 others of his kind have committed such acts must be a terrible blow.

Clark closes his eyes momentarily as he absorbs the news. "I'm afraid it could only be the beginning. According to Jor-El they're referred to as the Disciples of Zod, his most loyal and fanatical followers...and chances are they are carrying out Zod's orders even though Krypton is long dead."

"What is their objective?" Hank asks.

"First and foremost...to free Zod." Clark gets some puzzled expressions so he explains. "For his crimes Zod was sent to some sort of inter-dimensional prison. It and he are still there. If you want details on how that works I don't have them," he cautions off getting asked a barrage of questions.

"How would they free him?" Chloe asks.

"Through the Fortress. Jor-El said only it can open a doorway."

"Do they know where it is?" Chloe continues.

"I don't think so."

"Then they would need someone to tell them," Chloe proposes.

"They're looking for me," Clark picks up Chloe's reasoning.

"Yes, Lois did say they moved off at superspeed," Charles can see how that makes more sense now.

"Lois?" Clark queries.

"She was there when they landed."

"Is she alright?"

"Logan found her and she was hurt. He's taking her to the medical centre for treatment."

Good. As annoying as Lois is Clark wouldn't want to see her hurt...well not in any permanent way at least. What to say to her about what she saw...figure it out later. Deal with his 2 fellow Kryptonians first.

"Wait," Rogue says. "Can we even beh sure they know you're here?" she wonders because how could they know.

"No," Clark gives the bluntly true response. "But I think it's safer to assume they do. Question is if they're superspeeding around looking for me how do I find them?"

"Yell real loud," Rogue suggests considering Clark's and presumably his fellow Kryptonians' superhearing.

"Superhearing doesn't just kick in like that. If they just got here their bodies will still be charging. The strength, speed and invulnerability always kick in first. The senses come later," Clark nips that idea in the bud.

"Clark...if you find them what are you going to do?" Charles asks.

"Talk to them. Give them a chance."

"What!" Rogue almost shouts. "Clark they killed people!"

"I know, Rogue," Clark says in sad acknowledgement of that fact. "But we're all that is left. I've got to give them one chance to see that they don't have to continue on this path." He looks at her with a pleading expression. "Please say you understand," he asks of her.

Understanding Clark...that's been the major problem lately in their relationship. Rogue can see him waiting for her response expectantly...hopefully. "Ah understand," she says although she doesn't completely. She just hopes Clark can't tell that from her expression.

"As much as we wish diplomacy wins the day Clark what if it doesn't?" Hank inquires about the other scenario.

"I haven't worked that out yet. They shouldn't be as powerful as me yet so it should be possible to defeat them if it comes to it. Doesn't help we lost those weapons at Magneto's," Clark laments a little. Weapons designed to defeat him would be useful right now.

"Well we could always chuck a few meteorite rocks at them," Chloe suggests in jest. "Or make a prison cell make out of kryptonite bricks," she adds laughing, completely meaning it as a joke.

Clark turns his intense blue gaze at his friend. "Chloe...you're a genius," he says as her words spark an idea in his head.

"I am?" Chloe questions, sounding surprised Clark said that before she says with more confidence, "Of course I am."

"You have a plan," Charles guesses.

"Half of one," Clark says. "But it still needs us to find them...and shovels. We're going to need shovels."

The other 4 people present just stare at him. Either Clark has improvised a brilliant plan...or he's completely lost it.


Smallville Medical Centre...

In many ways the corridors of the medical centre seemed chaotic. So many injured that they were lying out in the hallways.

Scott had managed to get a room to be treated and Jean had never left his side...nor had the little girl they found left Jean's. She had become rather attached to Jean as matter of fact. They still didn't know her name. She was too shy to tell them and Jean would not violate her mind and read it.

Scott lies there in some discomfort. He definitely isn't going to be doing much for a few weeks. The doctors had already told him that. His ribs were broken just as he speculated. Not to mention he is just generally banged up.

Scott has to give the doctors some credit for even treating him. Having explained he was a mutant, he had to so they wouldn't try and examine his eyes, he could see the discomfort in their eyes but they treated him anyway so proof that not everyone hates them.

Jean is holding his hand in her own. She is deeply concerned for her boyfriend's health. Although she still has no clue how she managed to survive unscathed and hasn't had a chance to ask Scott about it yet. Getting him treated was more urgent.

Then there is a commotion outside and Jean senses something strange. She lifts the little girl up on the bed next to Scott. "You stay here," she says to the girl in calm but nonetheless firm tones.

Jean shares a look and a brief psychic converse with Scott before she turns and steps out into the hallway. What she finds is a man and woman, both dressed in matching grey overalls as the source of the commotion. The woman has a security guard literally lifted off the ground by the throat with one hand with consummate ease. Jean reaches out with her telepathy and a puzzled expression comes to her face. She can sense their minds but can't read them. It's identical to the way she senses Clark's mind.

"Put him down!" Jean orders in a loud, firm and commanding tone, needing to save the guard before the woman strangles the guy to death.

The man and the woman turn their gaze to her and cock their heads as if assessing her.

"I won't ask twice," Jean warns them.

"Only one gives us orders...and you are not him," the man dismisses her in a heavily accented English that clearly indicates it is not his native language.

Jean's eyes narrow and she focusses her telepathy on the hand the woman has around the guard's throat and with an immense effort she wrenches it free.

The woman is visibly mildly surprised. "A mind mover," she says in the same heavily accented English. "I was not aware humans had evolved to such a level yet," she comments.

"Yeah...we're full of surprises."

The next thing Jean knows is that the man and woman blur. The man appears in front of her and she is so surprised she stumbles a few paces back...into the woman's arms. One arm wraps around Jean's throat with the other wraps around her body pinning her arms. Two immensely powerful arms that squeeze.

"Try anything and I'll squeeze harder," the woman states in a disturbingly cold and assured manner.

The man looks her over. "A more evolved human. He would be drawn to you. Where is he? Where is Kal-El?"

Jean's pupils dilate in surprise. A dead give away.

"You know him," the man observes from Jean's reaction. "Where is he?" he repeats his question.

"Where's who?" Jean pretends ignorance.

The man looks to the woman and she squeezes her arm around Jean's throat choking her.

"I will not repeat myself," the man warns sternly.

"I'm sorry. I really have no idea who you're talking about," Jean continues her ignorant act, protecting Clark despite the risk to herself.

Then you are of no use to us," the man states with cold finality.

Jean feels the hold on her neck tighten further and then release suddenly. She stumbles forward, turns round and sees the woman...with 3 metal claws rammed through her shoulder.

"Aethyr!" the man cries out. He blurs forward and tackles the man responsible. The man in the strange yellow and blue costume.

Jean watches the 3 wounds on the woman's shoulder heal up...slower than she has seen on Clark or Logan but definitely healing visibly before her eyes.

Bamf!

Kurt appears on the woman's back. "My apologies Fraulein," he says as he teleports away with her.

Nam-Ek pauses from his beating of the man who attacked Aethyr for one moment before he picks the assailant up and throws him literally through a wall. "What did you do to her?" Nam-Ek demands to know as he advances on Jean.

Bamf!

Kurt returns and pulls off the same trick and teleports away with the man.

Jean runs to where Logan was thrown to and finds him still snapping bones back into place. His bones can't be broken but they can be snapped out of place at the joints. Jean hates that sound. "Those were Kryptonians," she had managed to figure out.

"Yep," Logan confirms as she straightens out a few of his neck joints. "Thanks for distracting them," he adds because he basically walked in on the situation and this is his improvised plan.

"Where did Kurt take them?"

"Outside. Come on," he urges Jean to follow him.

Jean does so and once they reach outside she finds the 2 Kryptonians fighting Iceman, Domino, Sunspot, the Scarlet Witch and Nightcrawler in the car park.

Sunspot flies into the male Kryptonian and begins to trade blows but the man is obviously far, far stronger than Roberto is. Not to mention his fighting skills look much superior. Sunspot is soon sent flying as Iceman slides in and starts to encase the male Kryptonian in ice.

As for the female Kryptonian she is getting a shock as her heat vision hits this mysterious scarlet red sphere of energy and emerges out the other side as a harmless spectrum of colour known as Earth as a rainbow.

Domino pelts the female Kryptonian with shots. On the highest setting her weapons at least sting the woman who raises her arms to shield herself from the annoying pin pricks.

Wanda slams a hex-bolt into the woman and she goes flying with a cry of pain.

Aethyr can't understand it. Under the yellow sun she is suppose to be nigh invulnerable but twice now she has been hurt. First by the man with the metal claws and second by this girl in red whose strange energy bolts hurt...really hurt. She needs a different approach she realises as Nam-Ek smashes his way loose of his icy prison. She spots the clawed man who hurt her. She narrows her eyes and they flash electric blue and she spots how his whole skeletal structure is covered in metal. That could work.

Aethyr blurs out of the way from another one of those energy attacks from the human girl dressed in red and behind the clawed man who she picks up and throws into the boy made of ice. She blurs past the mind mover, making sure to brush her and send her flying.

Jean swears as she hits the ground. God, even a minor contact with Kryptonians hurts.

Aethyr then starts to run around the 2 human females who were attacking her faster and faster, whipping up a whirlwind.

With Iceman down Nam-Ek is finally able to smash free of his icy prison. He had watched Aethyr's acts and understands her thinking. He blurs and picks up the others who attacked them one by one and throws them into the centre of the maelstrom Aethyr is creating before he joins her and increases the force. Soon they'll create enough centrifugal force to rip the humans apart.

As the suction increases and her feet start to lift off the ground Jean telepathically calls out for help. "Professor!"


Smallville's Mutant Community, formerly the Kent Farm...

Back at what use to be his home Clark is surveying over a map he had managed to borrow as he draws in pencil where it is they need to go. This for more Beast's benefit than his. Clark knows Smallville like the back of his hand.

He senses a presence near him as he stands at the kitchen table. "You have a question Ms Neramani," he says because she has been hovering around the edge for short while, ever since the Professor introduced him.

Lilandra can be very direct. Usually she is but with Superman it was different. She couldn't read his mind at all. It was so alien...so unusual from any mind she had ever sensed. She steps up to the table. "I don't mean to intrude."

"You're not," Superman assures her. He turns his head and gazes gently at her. "Please. Ask anything you wish and I'll answer it if I can."

"You cause...a few hostile thoughts in our community," she tells him what she has picked up from her fellow mutants.

Superman smiles as if it is funny. "Would these thoughts come from those once incarcerated at Belle Reve?"

Lilandra takes a moment to check that. "Yes," she says in surprise that he knew that.

"Well then the answer is simple. They have hostile thoughts because I put them there." Clark had pretty much guessed it from the expressions he gotten that the meteor mutants he stopped remembered him in some fashion. He hadn't had the time to ask what it was they remembered precisely.

"You're Smallville's mysterious vigilante," Lilandra says as if this is some revelation of confirmation of a great myth.

"Smallville's what?" Superman asks with a bemused expression.

"Smallville's mysterious hero," Chloe phrases it as she joins in this conversation. Having overheard it she realised that Clark probably didn't know and that she needed to intervene. She continues, "You see everyone remembers someone intervening all those times over the years. When you were seen during the fight with the Sentinels they all recognised that someone as you." Chloe stares hard trying to get across her meaning that none of the people Clark took down remember it was Clark Kent that stopped them but all remember it as 'Superman' doing the deed.

"I see," Superman says with a little uncertainty but he thinks he's cottoned onto what Chloe is saying. Truth is Clark was wondering about the exact details of how he was remembered. That's another thanks he'll have to send Wanda's way that no remembers it being Clark Kent. Clark turns to face Lilandra dead on because there is something he needs to say. An issue that bugs him that needs addressed. "We can all look back at our lives and have regrets. I'm safe in saying that, yes?"

Lilandra nods. "Yes," she agrees while wondering where he is going with this.

"I regret that I couldn't help the way you are. However I won't say that if I could go back and do it over that I would do it differently. At the time I did all I was capable of doing and that was stopping innocent people getting hurt. I only hope in time those who have deemed I have crossed them can understand why I did what I did. It was not a judgement on them."

"That may take some work," Lilandra cautions because the hostility was quite deep rooted.

"I have time," Superman says with a small wry gallows smile. Time is one thing he has an eternity of. "In many ways you are outdoing a so-called Superman. You should be very proud of everything you have accomplished here," he lavishes praise on Lilandra.

"I am," Lilandra says.

Just then Clark hears the Professor call him from outside. He excuses himself leaving Lilandra with Chloe.

"You were right about him," Lilandra says to Chloe in reference to things Chloe has said about Superman. He was an intriguing and strangely humble young man.

"Yeah," Chloe says.

"Who is he?" Lilandra asks.

"Not my story to tell."

Lilandra looks at Chloe curiously and picks up her thoughts of "Purple monkey dishwater. Purple monkey dishwater. Purple monkey dishwater."

Lilandra smiles. Chloe was a good and loyal friend and she will not intrude further into her young friend's thoughts.


Outside Clark zips over to the Professor who had just gotten off the line with Spider-Man and Shadowcat a short time ago. They had survived unscathed and were still helping assist people which was good.

"You called Professor," Clark says who observes that the man in the wheelchair is very tense looking.

"I just received a telepathic SOS from Jean," Charles reports.

"It's them," Clark guesses.

"The X-Men in trouble...and you were correct. The two Kryptonians are looking for you," Charles had managed to get from Jean.

Clark does have a plan but he needed more time than this. He improvises. "Tell Jean to tell them she knows where I am and will take them to me as long as they agree not to hurt anyone."

Charles blinks. "Clark?"

"Do it Professor," Clark insists.

Charles closes his eyes and passes the message on.


Outside the Smallville Medical Facility...

Jean is close to throwing up as she spins round and round through the air, trapped within the confines of the twister the two Kryptonians have created, when she receives the instruction from the Professor. She doesn't know why but at the Professor's insistence she does it. "I know where Kal-El is!" she shouts. "I'll take you to him!"

Just like that the whirlwind she is in stops and she drops to the ground as does everyone else. Bobby throws up.

Jean is yanked to her feet roughly by the Kryptonian male.

"If this is a deception you shall not live long enough to regret it," Nam-Ek states.

"No tricks," Jean promises. "Just...don't hurt anyone else."

"Red? What ya doin?" Wolverine asks her, as he tries to make his head stop spinning.

"Trust me. I know what I'm doing," Jean says trying to get across with her words to let her do this.

"Where is Kal-El?" Aethyr demands, her tone showing her patience with these primitives has long since expired.

"I'll show you," Jean replies and then points in the direction the Professor is telling her to having remained in constant telepathic contact.

Nam-Ek heads in the direction Jean pointed dragging her along. Aethyr leaves too.

A short time after they leave Wolverine's communicator goes off. "Superman to Wolverine. You read me?"

"Space Boy, you and Stripes back?"

"Yes. The two Kryptonians. Are they gone?"

"You know about them?"

"Yes. It was my idea Jean lead them off."

"This better be a real good plan, kid," Logan says gruffly, unhappy at Jean leaving with those 2.

"Uh...good plan...well it's the best I could come up with in a few seconds."

"Oh boy. We're screwed," Domino mutters, listening in to this and trying to keep her stomach contents in her stomach.

"I may still need your help. Follow them at a safe distance," Clark instructs. "And I'm to remind you to drop Lois off first. That one is from the Professor."

Lois. They had left her in the vehicle they 'borrowed' from the military. "Will do," Logan agrees. "By the way where have you been?"

"Getting a good view of the Aurora Borealis. I'll explain later. Superman out."


Smallville's Mutant Community, formerly the Kent Farm...

Back with Clark and the Professor, Charles really hopes Clark knows what he is doing. Clark zips back into the house and returns with the map he was working on and hands it to the Professor. He points at a mark he has made. "This is where Jean needs to go," he tells the Professor to instruct Jean to lead the 2 Kryptonians.

"Clark...that's out in the middle of the woods," the Professor remarks.

"Yeah. Pete buried something there for me. Hence the shovel requirement."

"Clark...how dangerous is this?"

"If it works extremely so for me. If it doesn't extremely so for everyone else. If they listen to reason there is no danger for anyone," Clark lays out the possible outcomes as he sees it.

"We've got shovels!" Rogue announces as she returns holding one above her head. Beast is with her with one in each hand.

"Get in the humvee. We're short of time," Clark orders. "I'll explain on the way," he adds as an afterthought.

Beast and Rogue are puzzled but do what Clark says and get in the humvee...which Clark promptly lifts above his head and blurs off to their intended destination.


Somewhere amongst the woods of Smallville...

Nam-Ek and Aethyr's patience grows thin as the red-haired girl leads them deep into the wooded area.

Jean wonders just where it is the Professor is telling her to go. Up ahead she spots the ground has been dug up. The Professor telepathically tells her to stop. "We're here," she announces.

"You lie," Nam-Ek accuses her.

"Lying is their way," Aethyr makes the rather scathing criticism of the human race.

"I'm not," Jean insists. "He'll be here." 'Now would be good,' she thinks to herself.

Whoosh!

"I heard you were looking for me."

Nam-Ek, Aethyr and Jean turn round as Clark has appeared behind them.

"I'm Kal-El."

He almost didn't have to say it. Aethyr can see how he is the spitting image of Jor-El. Also the fact he wears the symbol of his family on his chest...it could be a hopeful sign growing up here hasn't completely polluted his thinking.

Nam-Ek throws Jean away like a piece of garbage. "At last!" he announces.

"Who are you?" Clark asks them as a way to start a conversation.

"Like you we are the last survivors of Krypton," Aethyr describes themselves.

"What do you want?"

"We want you to join us, Kal-El, and help make this savage land our Utopia," Nam-Ek proposes.

Clark's brow furrows slightly. "I heard what you did at your ship. That wasn't Utopia. It was murder," he states sternly.

"The few must be sacrificed for the sake of the many," Nam-Ek argues rationally.

"Is that what Zod told you?"

Both Kryptonians have identical surprised looks.

"Yes. I know who you are," Clark explains for them. "It doesn't have to be that way," he begins to make his case. "Krypton is gone. We are all that is left. You have a choice right here and right now to start over. Choose a new beginning. Choose a new way of life."

"And lose the chance to go home?" Aethyr queries from him.

Clark's brow furrows more in puzzlement. She seems so certain in saying that. "What do you mean?"

"Krypton can be reborn, right here on Earth, Kal-El," Nam-Ek tells him.

"How?"

"Only Zod holds those answers," Aethyr answers...which is true. She doesn't know how. Only Zod does.

'That sure is convenient,' Clark mutters mentally to himself. "And what of humanity?" he asks. If Krypton is to be reborn on Earth what happens to the native people who live here.

"Sacrifices must be made," Nam-Ek repeats.

"Sacrifices must be made," Clark mutters in disgust as he can assume that means isn't good for the human race. "Is that what Zod said when he destroyed our home?" he asks, a long held anger slipping through his tone at losing the place he should have called home.

"Yes," Nam-Ek states, very calmly in matter of fact sort of tone.

"And are you going to continue along his path?"

"We pledged ourselves completely to General Zod," Aethyr states. "We swore it. For a Kryptonian it is an unbreakable oath."

"I see," Clark says, almost remorseful sounding. "Then I guess you have one more sacrifice to make. Me...because I'm not letting you hurt anyone else."

Nam-Ek and Aethyr look...regretful for a moment.

"If that is your decision, Kal-El, so be it." Aethyr accepts his choice...even if it is foolish. She moves her hands behind her back so Kal-El cannot see her as she slips a silvery metallic ring-like bracelet off her wrist. She then throws it directly at him.

At superspeed Clark twists his body out of the way and the bracelet flies by him. It flashes and the light expands into a circular ring of white light that is spinning round. More rings appear crossing at differing angles until they come together and form a circular portal. Within the portal the edges of some kind of tunnel through space appear as if lined with white crystals like the Fortress is constructed from and there is a dim white light far, far off in the distance at wherever the portal leads to.

There was a time when stuff like that seemed odd to Clark. It was last year. Ah, to wish for simpler times.

"We can't destroy you, Kal-El, but we can lock you in a place where you can't stop us," Nam-Ek says as he and Aethyr's eyes glow red.

Clark bends his knees and pushes off into the air somersaulting over the 2 blasts of heat vision and over the heads of the 2 Kryptonians before landing in a crouch behind them. "Heat vision blast into the portal to wheresever-ville. Wow, like I never saw that coming," he says with not so deft sarcasm.

Nam-Ek's face twitches in anger and he charges at Kal-El.

Clark, still in his crouched position, pushes himself up, adding a spin to his movement and perfectly timing a kick to Nam-Ek's head sending the male Kryptonian flying.

Aethyr, meanwhile, has pulled a knife out she kept in her boot, and attacks Kal-El.

Clark dodges the blow and grabs her wrist and twists it hard, using something Logan taught him about disarming someone. "You know you could hurt someone with that," he quips as he forces her to drop the knife.

Aethyr glares at him, her irises glowing red in fury.

Clark smirks a little and delivers a knee to her stomach followed quickly by two more, doubling her over, before delivering a downward blow to the side of her face knocking her down. Yeah he hit a girl. Funnily he isn't feeling all that guilty about it. Maybe the others are right. Maybe his behaviour is off. Clark doesn't have time to dwell on that as he hears the familiar whooshing sound of someone moving at superspeed.

Clark ducks under the blow that was coming and attacks Nam-Ek who recovers to deflect the blow and counters. Clark blocks. As Clark and Nam-Ek try to breach each other's defences Aethyr recovers and joins the fight once more forcing Clark to slip into superspeed and hope he is that much faster than them to fend 2 Kryptonians off at the same time.

For anyone watching them all they see are blurs of motion and the sound of trees snapping and falling over.

That is what Jean is witnessing as she recovers from where she had been thrown down hard. Hard enough to daze her for several moments. Jean feels a couple of pairs of hands grab her and help her up. "Beast? Rogue?" she queries at her helpers.

Rogue and Beast had been hiding a short distance away.

"Good to see you Jean," Beast says.

"Yeah. It's great," Rogue says with a drop of her trademark sarcasm. "Come on. We need your powers," she adds as she pulls Jean to that hole that had been dug. Dug by Rogue and Beast.

Jean peers down inside it and spots green bricks. "Is that kryptonite?" she asks.

"Yeah," Rogue says. "You're going to use it to surround them," she explains while making a circular motion with her finger trying to illustrate what they want Jean to do. Clark had explained how he 'liberated' these from this gang of youths who were using it to make themselves superstrong by inhaling the vaporised rock...which is an idea so stupid even Rogue couldn't come up with a cutting remark to illustrate the level of stupidity.

Jean gets it. "But Clark..."

"Accepts this is really going to hurt," Beast makes a limp joke. "It is his plan after all," he makes the point to Jean.

The sounds of the unseen fight rage all around them and a small shockwave nearly knocks the 3 mutants over.

"Any time Jean," Rogue presses urgently.

Jean raises her right hand to her head and reaches out with her left as she raises the bricks into the air and takes control of every single one. She turns round just to see the 3 blurs come back into focus with Clark being pinned down on the ground by the Kryptonian male while the female rains blows on him. Both other Kryptonians have noticeable injuries on their faces that are healing.

Rogue's eyes widen in panic and worry at seeing her boyfriend get the crap beaten out of him.

Aethyr delivers a powerful blow making blood fly from Clark's mouth. "Hold him," she tells Nam-Ek who locks Clark into a choke hold while Aethyr retrieves her knife.

"You fight well Kal-El," Nam-Ek has to give praise as he struggles to hold down the possibly stronger Kryptonian. It is almost a shame they have to do this.

"Logan will be so glad you said that," Clark chokes out.

Aethyr returns and stands over them, a killer's look in her eyes. "You were a fool to reject us Kal-El," she spits angrily at him. His decision will make it harder and delay them in achieving their goals.

"Foolish decision are sort of my speciality," Clark quips.

Aethyr raises the knife to deliver the killer blow, aiming directly at Kal-El's heart.

Clark kicks out at her kneecaps hard and she falls down where he wraps his legs around her neck in a scissor hold. At the same time he reaches back and tries to get a firm as grip as possible on Nam-Ek. "Now would be good Jean!" he grunts through his struggles.

With Clark holding them in place Jean sends the few dozen green bricks through the air to where the 3 Kryptonians lie locked together in combat. The bricks fall to the ground forming a circle around the 3 Kryptonians. The bricks glow brightly and the 3 Kryptonians cry out and begin to writhe on the forest floor in agony.

Beast runs forward, picks Clark up and throws him over his shoulder and carries him back to Jean and Rogue and away from the kryptonite. He lays Clark down.

"Ok, that hurt," Clark will confess. Even through the protection of his costume that hurt because those bricks were refined, pure kryptonite.

Just then Wolverine, Domino, Sunspot, Nightcrawler, Iceman and the Scarlet Witch finally catch up.

"What kept you?" Beast jokes dryly.

Logan gives Beast the evil eye for that one.

"Help me up," Clark requests.

Beast does so while keeping a close eye on the 2 Kryptonians. It was a bitter irony how the very home that gave them life could now incapacitate and possibly kill beings of such power.

Clark staggers as close as he dare to the 2 Kryptonians. His eyes glance briefly at the portal which is still open. "Last chance," he says. "I won't give another. Choose your path," he asks his fellow Kryptonians.

"W-we shall not betray Zod," Nam-Ek says through gritted teeth at the indescribable agony he is currently enduring.

"You are the traitor for choosing these primitives over your own kind," Aethyr adds through her own gritted teeth as the paralysing pain and weakness spreads.

Clark's face grows sad. "So be it." He looks away. "Sunspot...throw them into the portal," he says, his heart heavy at being forced to do this. They said it would send him to a place he couldn't stop them so logic says it is some place that could hold them. In fact he suspects he might know where it is the portal goes.

Roberto grins savagely as he powers up. "With pleasure," he says with relish after the thrashing they got back in the medical centre car park.

Sunspot walks up to the 2 prone Kryptonians and cracks his knuckles before he picks the male Kryptonian up and throws him, quickly followed by the female. "Adeus!" he shouts at them as he waves them farewell.

The two Kryptonians fly into the portal which flashes and transforms into a flat glass prism like object in which you can see the 2 Kryptonians as if they are pinned inside up against the surface. The prism hovers there spinning before it soars off into the sky and out of view.

It was over.


Author's Note: I figured I had to deal with what did all those meteor infected people Clark stopped remember now after Wanda's little spell and so I came up with that they remembered being stopped by some unknown, at the time, vigilante and not by Clark Kent. The kryptonite bricks are from the season 2 episode Witness. I felt like Clark would give the 2 Kryptonians once chance to choose another path. Of course they would reject it and now he's all alone again. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; The X-Men tie up the last few ends before they head home and Clark and Jor-El have a long overdue father/son talk.