Hey everyone! Here is the next chapter…which will answer a few questions! Enjoy!

The Future of Justice

Chapter 9- Killer

Daily Planet:

It was time for Clark to head home after his first day on the job. He felt like he belonged there; like it was where he was meant to be. As Clark was about to head out, Chloe walked in. "Hey Clark; Lois called and told me that you're working here now. I was thrilled to hear that!" Clark smiled. "Thanks Chloe; don't forget, it was you who got me interested in journalism in the first place." Chloe chuckled.

"Yeah, I know. But tell me, I know that you dropped out of college a few years ago…how did you get the internship here if you're a drop out?" "I owed him a favor, Miss Sullivan." Clark and Chloe turned around to see the new Editor-in-Chief himself, Perry White. "Hello, long time no see." Perry said as he shook Chloe's hand. "Hi Mr. White, it's nice to see you again. What did you mean you owed Clark "a favor"?"

Perry smiled. "Several years ago, on the day that the sun had those solar flares, I pulled a ridiculous stunt to prove that Clark had super powers and ended up putting my life in danger. Even though he didn't have any powers whatsoever, Clark dived down and he and his friend, Pete, pulled me back up. Clark could've killed himself trying to save me, and yet he helped me anyway. I wanted to pay him back for that, so when he came here to apply for that internship…I called in a few friends to help me give Clark the job, despite him not being in college. Plus, I know he has potential in journalism. I want to see how he does here."

Chloe was amazed and held back a laugh; she knew that Clark had powers. "I have to tell Lois that story. By the way, what happened to Pauline Kahn? She was the previous Editor-in-Chief, wasn't she?" Chloe asked. "She retired a while ago, and requested that I'd take her place; I didn't mind in the slightest. So, here I am." "Also, with Lex gone, who's the new CEO of this place?" Chloe further inquired.

"Well, after Lex fell into his coma, a good friend of mine named Franklin Stern bought the Daily Planet and became the new CEO. He's a great guy. Actually, it was him that Pauline asked to have me fill her spot…and he was one of those friends that had a hand in getting Clark to work here. Like I said, I have friends." Chloe and Clark were very interested to hear all that.

"Wow, that's great. Well, I have to go now; I just wanted to thank your new intern for getting the job." Chloe smirked as she walked out. "Later Clark." "See ya, Chloe." Clark said. Clark then turned back to Perry. "So, you like how Lois is doing?" Perry nodded. "Sure do; she's got a big career ahead of her in this business. I think she'll go far…and maybe one day you'll catch up with her." They both laughed. Just then, Jimmy walked in.

"Hey Chief, I got some great photos I want to show you; I think you'll love 'em!" Perry sighed softly. "First, don't call me that. Second, I'll take a look at those photos in a second, Olsen." Jimmy smiled. "I'll be waiting in your office sir." Jimmy replied as he headed upstairs. Perry shook his head. "Nice kid, but he needs to stop calling me names like that." Clark shrugged. "I don't know…it kind of suits you, sir." He said as he smiled.

"Great Caesar's Ghost; you too Kent?!" Perry said as he threw his arms in the air. "Well, anyway keep up the good work and I'll see you tomorrow." "See you, Mr. White." Clark then walked out with a big smile on his face; he definitely belonged there.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Kent Farm:

Clark had just gotten home and went inside. He found a note on the kitchen table; it was from Kara. "Hey Clark. Brian and I went out for a bit; no, not on a date! Just hanging out. Trust me; I have no Red Kryptonite on me this time. We'll be back soon. Kara." Clark smiled and shook his head. He noticed that Kara and Brian have been spending time together lately. He wondered if Kara and Brian really were in love…but he dismissed the idea quickly.

He knew that it could never work out btw them; they were both from different times, after all. To pass the time, he walked to the barn to take some hay to the horses at the stable. When he stepped inside, however, he discovered he was not alone. "You must be Kal-El; you definitely resemble your father when he was your age." Clark looked up at the loft and froze in shock…it was Zor-El.

"Zor-El?!" Clark asked in disbelief. His uncle nodded as he slowly walked down the stairs. "In the flesh, nephew." Clark could not believe another enemy from his past had returned. "Are you another replicate, like the one in that crystal the real Zor-El gave Kara?" Zor-El shook his head. "No; I am not a replicate…I'm the "real" Zor-El." He said as he stepped off the stairs.

Clark was not convinced. "You can't be Zor-El; he died when Krypton exploded." His uncle smiled. "I almost did, Kal-El. I was injured badly as I watched your cousin fly off in her ship. Right afterward, I used my one last hope for survival…a portal to limbo. Jor-El had the Kryptonian Council destroy all the portals on the planet earlier, but they never knew about the one I used.

"I used the crystal console nearest to me to open that portal and jumped through just before Krypton was destroyed. I was trapped btw time and space, and the energies there kept me alive…but I was still suffering from my wound." "How did you get here if you were trapped in limbo?" Clark asked, still not believing he was talking to the real Zor-El.

"Simple; I saw a rip close to my position and saw you flash through it. That rip was still open, so I went through it, hoping it would let me out of that prison. To my complete shock, I ended up here on Earth, where I was meant to be." Clark was in more shock than ever; Zor-El had escaped to Earth when Clark traveled to Krypton's past to stop Brainiac from killing his infant self and save Kara.

"The instant I arrived, the planet's yellow sun healed me and gave me the same powers you have, my nephew. However, I soon saw that the humans were still alive. That meant only one thing…Kara had failed to carry out the plan I laid out for her. I believe you had a hand in that." Clark did nothing. "Your replicate tried to kill the human race…Kara and I both stopped it!" Zor-El shook his head in disappointment.

"That's very unfortunate; I had high hopes for Kara. I thought she would fulfill her destiny and make Earth a new Kryptonian paradise." "Kara is not like you, Zor-El! She cares about the people here, just like I do!" Clark retorted. "You rubbed off on her too much, Kal-El." Zor-El said spitefully. Clark then realized something else. "You've been on Earth for months, haven't you?" Clark asked. "I have indeed." Zor-El answered.

"Then why did you wait so long to come after me?" Zor-El smiled. "I was busy; I found a lonesome cabin not far from where I had appeared. I spent my solitude there and began working on the means of getting my revenge on you…and finally taking what should be mine." Clark did not like the sound of that. "What are you up too Zor-El?" "I thought you'd never ask, nephew."

Zor-El then took out a small metal box from his pocket. "Try to see what's inside." He said. Clark didn't want to take orders, but he looked anyway. To his surprise, his x-ray vision couldn't see through it. Zor-El continued to smile. "You can't see through the material, can you?" Clark stared back at his uncle, refusing to answer. "This box is made of what humans call "lead"; I picked up one on one of my earlier trips here. I discovered that it shields me from the radiation of those green glowing rocks that I encountered as I explored near the cabin."

Clark didn't like where this was going. "I made a lead suit to protect myself until my special surprise for you was ready. When I was finished, I placed it in this box, which protects me from its effects." "It contains green kryptonite, doesn't it? If you open it, you will be affected just like I will be." Clark said. Zor-El shook his head once more. "It contains a piece of our home world, yes…but it's not green. As for it affecting me…I won't be close enough to it when it is opened."

"What do you mean?" Clark asked, starting to feel nervous. Zor-El then threw the box at Clark, who allowed it to land at his feet. "You will open it." Clark didn't move. "What is inside?" He demanded. Zor-El continued to smile. "That box holds a piece of what you might call "Gold Kryptonite". It will take away your powers upon exposure…permanently." Clark stared at the box with horror; a piece of kryptonite that can rid him of his powers forever?! "I spent my time shaping the gold rock into the symbol of our house; I thought it would be ironic that the powerful symbol of our house would ultimately be your downfall."

"What in the world makes you think I will open this and lose my powers willingly?!" Clark asked incredulously. "Open it and I will give my word that I will leave the humans alone, but under my rule. If you don't, I will burn your precious home to the ground!" Zor-El replied. Clark shook his head. "I'll fight you then!" Clark retorted. "Many innocent lives will be caught in the crossfire, won't they? I will make certain that you and I struggle where humans occupy. Do you really want that? The choice is yours Kal-El." Zor-El said as he crossed his arms, waiting.

Clark was in a bind; lose his powers and let Zor-El win, or oppose him and allow everyone else to suffer his uncle's wrath? He didn't want to lose his powers, but he also didn't want to risk anyone's lives; he couldn't live with the guilt if he did. Just when Clark was about to reach for the box, he heard another voice. "Don't listen to him Kal-El!" Clark and Zor-El turned around to see the Martian Manhunter himself: John Jones.

Zor-El scowled at the sight of him. "Well, if it isn't my brother's Martian body guard. I didn't expect to see you here on this primitive mudball, John Jones." John frowned. "Nor did I expect you to survive Krypton's destruction. You will not force Kal-El to give up his powers." Zor-El stared back hatefully. "I don't take orders from you, Manhunter." He then punched John through the other side of the barn wall.

John landed in the middle of the field, but got back up in time to block another punch from Zor-El and punched him back. Zor-El crashed on the other end of the field. He wiped some blood from his mouth as he got up. "Even with my powers from Earth's yellow sun, you still hit hard John." John flew straight at Zor-El, but Zor-El flew up to avoid the attack.

"Fortunately, I know what hurts you!" Zor-El said as he fired his heat vision all across the field surrounding John, setting the whole place ablaze. The fire rose quickly, which caused John to collapse in pain. Zor-El smiled as he flew back down to the ground outside the fire, watching John suffer. "That's for forcing me out of Argo City!" Zor-El yelled in triumph. Just then, Clark ran in and was about to use his super breath when Zor-El zoomed in front of him.

"I don't think so." He grabs Clark and punches him, which sends him flying and land on the driveway near the house. As Clark was about to get back up, Zor-El held him in place. He once again held the small box that contained the gold kryptonite. "Open this right now Kal-El or all you care about is lost!" "You'll lose your powers too since you're this close!" Clark reasoned. "If I have to lose my powers to get you to relinquish your own, so be it!"

Zor-El forced the box into Clark's hands and was going to make him open it, but someone knocked him off and sent him soaring several yards away. Clark looked up and saw with relief that it was Kara, with Brian right behind her. "Are you alright, Clark?" She asked as she held out her hand. Clark, accepting it (and dropping the box), got up. "Yeah, but John is in trouble." Clark pointed to the flames that surrounded the Martian Manhunter.

"I'll handle my father, you and Brian save the Martian." She said as flew towards her father without hesitation. Clark and Brian flew back to the flames. "Stand back Brian." Clark said as he drew in a deep breath and unleashed his super breath to extinguish the flames. The fire was gone in an instant, and both Clark and Brian helped John back to his feet. "Are you alright?" Clark asked. "I will be, thank you both." John said weakly.

"Brian, you stay here with John, I'll go help Kara." Clark instructed. John shook his head. "No Kal-El; I'm fine now." John said as he got back up with renewed energy. Clark and Brian were amazed that John could recover so quickly. "We all must help Kara." John suggested. "What do you think Clark?" Brian asked. Clark thought for only a second before he answered. "Alright, let's go."

While Clark and Brian went to help John, Kara headed straight for her father. Zor-El was shocked to see his daughter again as she approached him. "Kara, I thought you were trapped in the Phantom Zone! I am so glad to see you again, my angel…" Kara grabbed her father by the neck, hard. She looked into his eyes with hate she never felt before. "Don't you DARE call me that! I'm no longer your daughter!!" Kara then threw him back into the barn where he landed hard.

Before Zor-El could get back on his feet, Kara flew in and threw him into the ground, causing a small tremor. "Kara, what are you doing?" Zor-El asked in shock. "Giving you what you deserve!!" Kara then began punching him mercilessly. Each blow caused a tremor that shook all of Smallville, though not enough to cause any actual damage. Kara was unrelenting in her assault. She kept on attacking him without stopping. Zor-El was bleeding from Kara's constant blows; he could not fight back. Kara was about to punch him once more when Clark grabbed her wrist.

"Stop it, Kara! He's had enough!" Clark said as he looked into the bleeding face of his uncle. "No Clark, let me go! He deserves it!" Kara stared back at Clark with a look that shocked him. "He's right Kara; your father is finished. I will take it from here." John said as he and Brian appeared in the barn beside Clark and Kara. "No, he deserves to die!" Clark was shaken by the rage coming from his cousin.

"Kara, we all know your father has done a lot of harm, but killing him won't make things any better." Clark reasoned. Kara shook her head. "You don't understand. His sins go a lot deeper than you know." Kara said as her voice shook with anger. Clark, John, and Brian looked confused. "What are you getting at, Kara?" Clark asked. The answer she gave was something Clark never expected to hear.

"Clark…MY FATHER DESTROYED KRYPTON!!" Everyone in the barn was in a state of shock, especially Clark. "What?" Clark gasped in shock. Kara nodded. "You heard me…this man I used to call "father" blew up our home planet!!" Clark didn't know what to say. "But how?" Brian asked. Kara answered without any trouble. "My father was in charge of the mining operations on Krypton's capital city, Kandor.

"He used the equipment there to drill into Krypton's core with Brainiac's help and caused it to ignite and rip the planet to pieces!" Kara exclaimed. Kara then turned to John. "If you don't believe me, read his mind! He can't hide anything from you!" Kara demanded. John reluctantly nodded as he turned to Zor-El and probed his mind. It took only a few seconds. When he was finished, he was definitely shaken. He then turned to Clark.

"She's right, Kal-El; Zor-El is responsible for Krypton's destruction." He said solemnly. Clark felt completely confused. "But, I don't understand…I thought Zod destroyed Krypton? He didn't deny it when I confronted him about it." Clark questioned. "Zod only wanted to rule Krypton; he never intended on destroying it. You were right about something, though; Zod and my father were working together during the war.

"My father gave Zod information that would help him gain the upper hand, including where to send his forces to attack! Of course, Zod didn't know what my father was really planning. My guess, in his arrogance, he took all the credit for destroying Krypton when he fought you." Kara replied with hatefulness in her voice. Clark was devastated; he couldn't believe that his home planet was destroyed by someone from his own family.

"How do you know all this?" John asked, surprised by the amount of information Kara knows. "My father wasn't the only one to have "survived". Brainiac returned and came after me and Brian earlier…" "I destroyed Brainiac!" Clark stated. Kara shook her head again. "He downloaded a part of himself into a computer some time ago and reformed himself last night. He used some kryptonite to weaken me and tried to get control of me, like he did to Lana and Chloe.

"Thankfully, Brian found a way to get him off of me in time and I finished him. But when Brainiac's attempt to control me failed, he accidentally unlocked a suppressed memory in my mind. It showed me my father telling me of his plan to destroy Krypton and making Earth a new paradise, and that he wanted me to be a part of it." Kara then turned to Clark. "I ran from him and informed your mother about what he was doing; she said she would inform Jor-El at once.

When my father had caught up with me, we had a brief struggle before I accidentally knocked him into the crystal communication console, severely wounding him. I was upset for what I had done. He pretended to comfort me so that he could use his El crystal to wipe my memory of the whole thing! Next thing I knew, my father gave me that blue crystal, got me into my ship, and sent me to Earth." Kara stopped for breath before continuing.

"That wasn't all I learned from Brainiac's assault. I also saw a memory of him talking to my father here on Earth. They were talking about killing you, Clark! Brainiac had gone after me and Brian while my father went after you with a way to kill you. That's how I knew that he was here; I knew he'd be waiting for you to arrive to use his "weapon", whatever it might be." Kara finished. Clark was starting to feel very angry himself as he turned to Zor-El.

"Why Zor-El…why would you destroy your own planet?!" Clark asked furiously. Zor-El answered with pride in his voice. "I did it because Krypton's destruction was foretold, Kal-El. The ancient Scrolls of Rao showed the signs of the end of our world…all of which had come to pass. Then, a man would rise from the ashes on Earth and become a god among men. It was my destiny to fulfill that prophecy and become that "god"."

Zor-el sounded insane to Clark and everyone else as he continued. "My original plan was to leave Krypton with Kara before it was destroyed. But because of the injury I sustained, I could not make the journey…that's where my crystal came in. It was made as a back up incase I could not escape Krypton myself. However, to make sure that my plan did succeed, I used that portal to escape the destruction and waited for an opportunity to come to Earth. Like I said earlier…I was disappointed that the plan failed."

Kara grabbed her father's throat and silenced him. "Shut up! We've all heard enough from you!" To Kara's surprise, Clark grabbed her hand again. "This is not the answer, Kara." Kara looked dumbfounded at her cousin. "How can you say that, Clark?! You heard what I said, what he said…Zor-El is a killer and he must pay! It's because of him that we are the only Kryptonians left!" " I know; I'm just as angry as you are. But you can't allow yourself to be filled with hate and revenge."

"But…" Kara was about to argue further when Brian placed a hand on her shoulder. "Clark's right; your own anger will destroy you. If you do this, you'll be no better than your father. You're better than him…now show us." Brian said softly but firmly. Kara looked from Brian to Clark and to her father. She was trying to decide what to do. Half of Kara wanted to kill her father for his sins, but the other half wanted to do what was right.

After a moment that seemed to last an hour, Kara had let go of her father and breathed heavily. "You're right; I'm not my father. I won't kill him." All three of them smiled at her for making the right choice, even Zor-El was. "I knew you couldn't kill your own father, child." "Enough from you!" John said as he used his mind power to silent Zor-El.

"I won't kill him, but he should still be punished!" Kara stated as she got up on her feet. Clark nodded. "I agree…and I think I know the best punishment for him." He super sped outside for a second and returned instantly with the small box. He gave it to Kara. "What's in here?" Kara asked. "Your father said it holds Gold Kryptonite. It can take away our powers permanently. Why don't we let that be his punishment?" Clark asked.

Kara thought about it and smiled. "I like that. Would you like to do the honors?" Kara asked John as she handed the box to him. "Certainly." John replied with a smile. Clark and Kara stood back far enough to avoid the kryptonite's radiation, while Brian stood with John. When he opened the box, a bright golden glow came from it, and it caused Zor-El's eyes to glow golden and to feel extreme pain. A moment later, Zor-El fell unconscious and drooled. The gold kryptonite had stopped glowing, having done its job on the closest Kryptonian.

Before John closed the box, Brian got a look at the kryptonite; it was indeed the shape of the House of El. When the box was closed, Clark and Kara walked back up to them. When Zor-El woke up a moment later, he seemed frightened. "Who are you all? Where I am? Who am I?" Everyone was confused. "Zor-El doesn't remember any of us?" Clark asked. "I thought the gold kryptonite was to permanently take away our powers, not to cause amnesia?" Kara questioned.

John then read Zor-El's mind again for answers, and was again surprised. "It seems that the gold kryptonite did more damage than even Zor-El himself realized. It caused severe and permanent damage to his brain's memory cells…he has no recollection of his past whatsoever." "So he not only lost his powers permanently, but also lost his memory permanently as well." Brian summarized. "Precisely, Brian." John said as he nodded.

Zor-El seemed rattled. "What do you mean I lost my memory permanently? What is going on?!" John used his mind powers to render him unconscious before picking him up. "What will we do with him?" Clark asked. "I'll take him to a place where he will be taken care of. Since he no longer remembers who he is or what he has done, he isn't a threat anymore." Clark, Brian, and even Kara agreed. "Take him somewhere I'll never have to see him again." Kara said scornfully. "I understand." John said as he flew off with the amnesiac Zor-El.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Kent House:

"I'm really proud of you, Kara. You did the right thing in sparing your father's life." Clark said as he and Kara drank some hot chocolate that evening; Brian had returned to the Talon earlier. Kara shook her head slightly. "It wasn't easy; I never wanted to kill anyone before today. Brainiac was no problem for me; he was just a machine that went bad. My father, on the other hand, was a real person. I wasn't sure back then if I could handle the desire to kill and not do it."

Clark nodded. "I understand. Trust me; you're not the first person I had this conversation with." They were both silent for a while before Clark spoke again. "Thank you Kara." He said softly. Kara looked at him questioningly. "For what? Sparing my monster father's life?" Clark shook his head. "No, I meant thank you for saving my life." Kara smiled. "No problem; I couldn't let my father force you to give up your powers."

Clark laughed this time. "Kara, I'm talking about when you told my mother about Zor-El destroying Krypton. My mother passed your warning to Jor-El and that led them to putting me in my ship and sending me to Earth before Krypton was destroyed. It's because of you that I am here in the first place. I would be dead along with my parents if it weren't for you. So, thank you."

Kara smiled more from his appreciation. "You're welcome, cousin." She said as she took another sip from her mug. Another moment of silence had gone by. Clark was about to talk to her again, but he saw that Kara was looking worried. "Kara, what's wrong?" Kara looked at Clark with apprehension. "Clark, something else happened with Brainiac I think you should know about." Clark looked curious. "What else did he try to do?"

Kara shook her head. "It's not what he did…it's what happened btw him and Brian." Clark's eyes widened in surprise. "Brian? What are you talking about?" Kara took a deep breath and exhaled. "Remember me saying that Brian somehow got Brainiac to let go of me?" Clark nodded slowly. "Well, the truth is…he shocked Brainiac by putting one of his hands on his back. It caused him to release me and sent him several yards away."

Clark was surprised once again. "You're kidding!" Kara shook her head. "No, and it gets weirder. While I was recovering from both the kryptonite and Brainiac's attack, I saw both of them getting huge headaches at the very same time; I saw them holding their heads in pain." Clark was getting more and more confused by the second as Kara went on.

"Right after the headaches had ended Brainiac said something I didn't understand. He said that he felt a strange signal that drew him to where me and Brian were, and that the signal came back but stronger just then. He then said that…that the signal came from Brian!" Kara said in bewilderment. Clark was really in the dark now. "Brainiac felt a signal…from Brian?" Clark said in complete confusion.

Kara nodded. "Yeah, and Brainiac said that since Brian felt pain the same time he did, that Brian must have felt it too. He went to say that he and Brian had some sort of link; maybe a mental link or something, I don't know. When Brainiac asked how they two of them were connected, Brian replied with "Believe me, I wish I wasn't!" He didn't seem scared or confused when he said that…he sounded completely hateful about it, like he hated that he and Brainiac shared a link."

Clark still can't understand where Kara was going with this as he listened. "When Brainiac tried to penetrate Brian's mind like he did to me, he discovered that he couldn't do it. Brian laughed and said that he hacked into Brainiac's systems when he touched him, and said he shutdown all of Brainiac's powers! That's how I was able to destroy Brainiac so easily…because Brian made him vulnerable."

Clark's mouth fell open from that latest fact. "Brian had shut down Brainiac's powers?! How could he do that?" Clark asked in amazement. Kara shrugged. "I have no idea; all I was focused on was finding you before my father could get to you." Kara then leaned her head towards Clark. "Clark, do you think that…that Brian really does have some kind of connection with Brainiac?" Kara asked in fear.

Clark didn't like the thought as he looked at the fear in Kara's eyes. The idea that one of their closest friends could be in league with one of their most dangerous enemies was very disturbing. At that moment, Clark got up. "What are you doing?" Kara asked. Clark got out his cell phone and dialed a number. "I'm calling Brian to meet me in the barn. I think it's time we found out who he really is."

To be continued.