The Legend of Superman

Disclaimer- Characters within this work are not of my creation, and are property of DC Comics.

Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster

Issue Four: Heritage, Part 2 (of 2)I

Smallville, Kansas. March 18th, 1994:

"Braniac?"

"YES, KAL-EL. IT IS WHAT YOU HUMANS CALL AN ANAGRAM. IT IS MUCH SIMPLER TO REMEMBER THAN MY FULL NAME."

"Why am I here? Why did my birth parents send me here?"

"YOUR FATHER TOOK WHAT HE BELIEVED WAS A NECESSARY STEP TO SAVE YOUR LIFE."

"Save my life? What do you mean?"

"KRYPTON IS NO MORE. YOUR FATHER MADE THE DECISION TO SEND YOU TO EARTH IN ORDER TO SAVE YOU, KAL-EL. IT IS A DIFFICULT DECISION THAT HE GRAPPLED WITH MANY A NIGHT."

"So he sent me here to save me? What... what happened to Krypton?"

"I AM AFRAID IT WAS DESTROYED SHORTLY AFTER OUR SHIP LEFT. WITHIN A FEW DAYS, AT MOST."

"How was it destroyed?"

"THERE WAS A WAR, THREE YEARS BEFORE YOUR BIRTH. ONE OF THE BATTLES ENDED WITH THE USE OF A POWERFUL WEAPON. THAT WEAPON, IN ADDITION TO KILLING MANY, SHIFTED THE ORBIT OF KRYPTON SO THAT IT WAS CLOSER TO THE SUN. THE PLANET COULD NOT ADAPT TO THE CHANGE, AND BEGAN TO TEAR ITSELF APART."

"So, what about the others? My parents, the rest of my family? Where did they go? Are they here, too?"

"I AM AFRAID NOT, KAL-EL. YOUR FATHER WAS ABLE TO UNCOVER THE PENDING DISASTER OF KRYPTON, BUT THE HIGH COUNCIL WOULD NOT LISTEN TO HIM. THEY DEEMED HIM INSANE, AND SEVERED ALL TIES. YOUR FATHER, ONCE A HIGH-RANKING GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL, WAS SHUNNED BY MOST OF SOCIETY, AND FORCED TO MOVE OUT INTO THE WILDS OF KRYPTON WITH YOUR MOTHER. IT WAS THERE THAT I ASSISTED HIM IN CREATING YOUR SPACECRAFT. "

"You helped him to create my spacecraft?"

"YES. WE WERE ABLE TO FASHION THE SHIP WITHIN A MONTH OF YOUR FATHER'S EXILE. DURING THAT TIME, HE, ALONG WITH ANOTHER SCIENTIST KNOWN AS NON, TRIED TO WARN THE PUBLIC, BUT THEY WERE BOTH ARRESTED AND TRIED WITH TREASON."

"My father was tried with treason? So, he died in prison?"

"NO. MYSELF, ALONG WITH A SMALL GROUP OF THOSE LOYAL TO YOUR FATHER, MANAGED TO BREAK HIM OUT OF PRISON BEFORE THEY LOBOTOMIZED HIM. NON, UNFORTUNATELY, WAS NOT SO LUCKY. WE WERE UNABLE TO SAVE HIM BEFORE THE PROCEDURE WAS COMPLETED."

"Lobotomies? That's what they did to prisoners? Isn't that..."

"HARSH? CERTAINLY, FROM MOST STANDPOINTS. HOWEVER, THE KRYPTONIAN HIGH COUNCIL TAKES DRASTIC MEASURES TO PREVENT UPRISING IN THE GOVERNMENT. IN FACT, BEFORE YOUR FATHER JOINED THE HIGH COUNCIL, THE STANDARD SENTENCE FOR MOST VIOLENT AND HEINOUS CRIMES WAS DEATH. BASED ON MY KNOWLEDGE OF EARTH, SUCH TACTICS ARE QUITE SEVERE, BUT ON KRYPTON, THEY DID PREVENT MOST CRIME. THE CRIME RATE WAS NEARLY NON-EXISTENT."

"Wait, you said that you helped free my father from prison? I thought you were a computer program."

"INDEED I AM, BUT ON KRYPTON, I POSSESSED A PHYSICAL BODY... ONE YOU MIGHT RECOGNIZE AS A ROBOT. I ABANDONED THAT FORM TO ACCOMPANY YOU TO EARTH."

"So, don't take this the wrong way... but why are you here? Why did you come with me to Earth?"

"TO ENSURE YOUR SAFETY ALONG THE JOURNEY, AND TO ASSIST YOU IN THE JOURNEY AHEAD. IT WAS THE LEAST I COULD DO FOR MY CREATOR."

"My father. He created you?"

"YES. JOR-EL WAS A BRILLIANT SCIENTIST. HE CREATED ME AS A VESSEL TO GATHER ALL OF KRYPTONIAN HISTORY. I WAS ALSO CREATED TO CARRY THE ENTIRETY OF KRYPTONIAN ART, HISTORY, MUSIC AND SCIENCE. THAT FACT IS A SECONDARY REASON WHY I ACCOMPANIED YOU. I CAN TEACH YOU MUCH OF YOUR LOST HOMEWORLD, AND HOW TO ADJUST TO YOUR NEW-FOUND ABILITIES."

"My abilities?"

"YES. BY MY CALCULATIONS, YOU WILL GAIN ABILITIES BEYOND THAT OF A NORMAL HUMAN BEING. I BELIEVE SUCH A CHANGE CAME FORTH DUE TO THE YELLOW SUN THAT THIS PLANET ORBITS."

"Why would the sun give me abilities?"

"KRYPTON ORBITED AROUND A RED SUN. MY HYPOTHESIS IS THAT, DIFFERENT FROM A RED SUN, THE YELLOW SUN OF THIS PLANET IS CHARGING YOUR CELLS AT AN INCREASED RATE. IN ESSENCE, EACH DAY YOU LIVE UNDER THIS YELLOW SUN, YOU ARE SLOWLY GAINING AND STORING ENERGY THAT WILL MAKE YOU STRONGER, FASTER THAN A NORMAL HUMAN BEING. I CANNOT POSTULATE TO THE FULL EXTENT OF THE POWERS YOU MAY GAIN, BUT I AM CERTAIN THAT, AS YOU AGE, YOU WILL CHANGE DRASTICALLY."

"Drastically? Like my skin changing color, or something?"

"NO, I SINCERELY DOUBT THAT. MORE LIKELY IS THAT YOU WILL GO THROUGH MAJOR INTERNAL CHANGES AS YOU GO THROUGH PUBERTY AND REACH ADULTHOOD."

"Death Bridge!!"

"I BEG PARDON, KAL-EL?"

"It's a ravine close to home. The bridge snapped, and I fell... a long way. But I'm still alive!! Does that have something to do with these abilities you say I'll gain?"

"YES, I BELIEVE SO. IT IS ENTIRELY POSSIBLE THAT YOUR BODY HAS BEGUN TO BECOME STRONGER, MORE RESISTANT TO PAIN. IN TERMS OF THE ORDINARY HUMAN, YOU MAY JUST BECOME INVULNERABLE TO HARM. OF COURSE, THAT IS JUST MY GUESS. I WOULD HAVE TO OBSERVE YOU AS YOU AGE FURTHER IN ORDER TO FULLY UNDERSTAND THE DEPTH OF THE CHANGES AT HAND. HOWEVER, I DO FEEL CONFIDENT IN SAYING THAT YOU WILL OPERATE AT A LEVEL HUNDREDS OF TIMES HIGHER THAN THE NORMAL HUMAN BEING. YOU MOST LIKELY WILL BE ABLE TO JUMP FURTHER, RUN FASTER, AND HIT HARDER. AND, WHEN YOUR BODY REACHES THE PEAK OF ITS CONDITION, THERE IS NO TELLING WHAT YOU MAY BE ABLE TO DO."

"Wow. I mean, I sometimes feel different than other people, but I didn't realize I would be able to jump off cliffs and not get hurt. Dad... imagine what I could do!! You always said that I was destined for great things... maybe this is my chance!"

"Your chance, Clark?" Johnathan frowned, not sure as to where the conversation was headed.

"To do something! To help people! I mean, if I can't get hurt or anything, I could do so much to help others! I could run into burning buildings to save people, or stop robberies!"

"Woh, woh, woh, Clark. Not so fast. I mean, we don't even know the extent of what you can do yet. For all we know, fire could hurt you. I don't want you running into burning buildings before we know more about your powers. And, you have to think of one more thing. What will other people do when they find out you have powers? I don't want my son taken away to be experimented on!! I realize that this is a gift, but you have to use this one very carefully. You have to think what something like this could do to your life. I love the fact that you want to help others, and use your... powers... to do good, but there are sick people out there that will do anything and everything to succeed. Not only that, but we've seen those newspaper reports about other people with strange abilities. You see more and more every day it seems! There is no telling what is out there in the world, Clark, and I just want to be certain that you are ready to face it."

"Ok, Dad. I guess I really didn't think of it like that." Clark frowned, and sat down on a crate in the corner.

"Clark. Look at me, son. I don't want you to think that I am crushing your dreams here. I just want you to be able to be ready, so that you can make the right decisions when the time comes. I mean, Brainiac just said that you might not gain all of these powers until you are an adult. And although you are certainly mature for your age, fifteen is still pretty young. I know both your mother and I would feel a whole lot better if we got a full grasp on these abilities of yours before you start fighting the criminals with guns. Okay, Clark?" Johnathan put his hand on Clark's shoulder, smiling lightly, waiting for his response. Clark stared at the ground for a few more moments, then smiled back at him.

"Ok, Dad. I think you're right." Clark stood up, and turned towards the ship. "Ok, Brainiac. I think I want you to help me understand these powers that I am going to get. To understand my home planet..." a quick glance at Johnathan, "and my birth parents."

"VERY WELL, KAL-EL. SHALL WE GET STARTED?"

Next issue- Smallville, Part 1 (of 3). It's one year later, and Clark, after a lot of help from Brainiac and his parents, is ready to journey out into the world. What will he do? And, just who is Kyle Luthor? Stay tuned for the next issue, coming soon!!!!