Kryptonian
End Times
Apocalypse
The extinction of all life on the planet Earth is another way of putting it. Our world ends.
To the causal observer this seems like something to avoid. Yet there is a huge interest and fascination with this very idea. The Left Behind series is wildly popular and is all about end times. The end of the world and the Apocalypse is a cottage industry, with zombies, plagues, nuclear war and a whole host of other scenarios for how it will happen. According to some estimates nearly 10 percent of all Americans believe they are living in those end times right now. There are a surprising number of people that actually want this to happen and are actively working to bring it about.
A large number of people actually want the world to end.
Just think about that for a moment.
Why would anyone want the world, the world we all live in to end? Narcissism might be an answer. The idea that you're so special of course all those prophecies are meant for you. After all if your world is going to end, which it is, why shouldn't the rest of the world end too? How can the world go on without you?
For a millennium there has always been a minority that believes the world is going to end in their lifetime. Hucksters and con man have been cashing in on this idea the whole time. The world is going to end, pay me and I'll tell you when. People keep paying, keep wanting to believe, yet their world ends, in other words they die but the larger world keeps on going. They sell them on the idea that they will be one of the lucky ones that escape the horror and agony that comes along with the world ending. They'll be whisked away to some magical place where they can actually sit back and watch everyone else suffer. Does that really sound like paradise to you?
Hispaniola
In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue.
The Taíno people knew about end times and the Apocalypse.
Columbus discovered the New World in 1492 when he landed on the island of Hispaniola. 5 hundred years later Columbus's name is still remembered. What isn't always remembered is that when he landed there were already people living on the island he named Hispaniola. Estimates put their population at somewhere around 1 million.
Also making the trip with Columbus was smallpox.
By 1518, just 26 years after Columbus landed, the smallpox epidemic killed 90% of the natives, the Taíno people. By 1548, less than 100 hundred years after that first contact, the native population had declined to fewer than 500. There are no more Taíno people. Their world is gone and lost forever.
Imagine being one of those last 500. You could probably try and tell yourself it was the end of everything, but you only needed to look around to see that it wasn't. It was the end of you and your civilization. The Gods you believed in were silent or worse an illusion. The history of your people would become just a footnote in other people's history books. That is if they remembered you at all.
22 years ago
Your name is Jor-El.
It would not be immodest to say you are one of the best and the brightest of an ancient, highly advance people. The possibilities that are open to you seem limitless. You've met the person you want to share the rest of your life with, Lara. You are both in your prime years, your careers just beginning to flourish. Your first child has just been born, a son you have named Kal-El.
Life is good, so exceptionally good.
That's what makes your discoveries so terrible. You know that all of it will end and it's already too late to do anything about it. You kick yourself for being such a fool for spending so much valuable time trying to convince the authorities to take immediate action. Now even if they somehow came around to your view, there just isn't enough time.
All your dreams of a future with Lara and your baby boy crumble into dust before your eyes. You will never have that second child you both wanted. So many firsts you will never see with your son, his first steps, his first words, his first day of school, his first crush, his first kiss, his first love and everything in between is lost to you now. You glance over to see him playing on the floor with his mother, so innocent and you know you can't let it end, even if it's only him that continues.
You've discussed it with Lara and while the small prototype you built to show the authorities what kind of vessels they needed to start building if they wanted to save the population, won't carry you all. It will carry your son. At least he will survive. Lara agrees, but you can see the toll this is taking on her. You offered to try and modify the small ship so she can go too, but she firmly declines. If you're going to do this, she says, than she wants her baby to have the best possible chance. That means he goes alone.
The first rumbles begin to shake the capital, just as you predicted. In the moment you hate yourself for being right. Time is dwindling down towards the end. Krypton is in its last hours. All it's marvels, all it's technological achievements, all it's history will soon be gone and the universe will just continue on as always. Other races may make a note of the event in their records, but will quickly move on with their own lives.
You pick your son up and kiss him, whispering his name, Kal-El as you look at his tiny smiling, innocent face. He doesn't know it now but he will soon be the last Kryptonian, the hope for his entire species. Jor-El knows this is too much to put on any one person, especially a baby, but you've run out of alternatives. He wants his child to live even if his mother and he can't be there to watch.
Time is growing short as the tremors continue to grow in magnitude. As much as Jor-El want to send his child off to safety, he wants to spend every moment he have left with him. Whatever his fate may be, Jor-El want him to know who he is and where he's from. He want his child to know about his parents, Jor-El and Lara. He wants him to understand they did this out of love and to save him. He wants him to remember.
Lara standing in front of Jor-El and tells him its time. She has tears in her eyes, but has always been the stronger one. He nods and they move to where he's hidden the prototype ship. As Lara places their tiny infant son inside, Jor-El busies himself with the preparations. This whole time Jor-El has been working on a two pronged approach to the coming disaster. Part one is to get the authorities to begin evacuating the planet. This has been an utter failure.
The second track has been a way to preserve the memories of Krypton, all of it. It was meant for all Kryptonians as they journeyed out into exile. It would have an audience of only one now, his own son, but Jor-El still considered it perhaps his greatest achievement. With a lump in his throat, Jor-El loaded the finished program and moved over to stand with his wife.
Everything is ready, or at least as ready as they could make it. Lara had selected what world they would send their son to. With surprising practicality she had chosen. A mother's worries guided her. A helpless infant alone needed some protection. The nearer red sun planets were out. They had no idea where he might land. It might be in the wilderness and on a red sun planet this would make him the easy prey for wild animals. On a yellow sun world, he would have a natural protection that would aid in his survival.
Her second criteria was for a world that her child would blend into. If he looked different than everyone else it would put his life in immediate jeopardy at worst or make him an outcast for as long as he survived. Lara wanted for her son what every mother wants. She wanted him to have a chance to find happiness and live a full life. She also worried about his safety. A yellow sun world would make him strong and immune him to most physical threats. She wanted to give her son ever chance and thus she made her choice.
Earth.
It was a young planet, still primitive by Kryptonian standards. What little the probes Krypton sent out to explore the galaxy had relayed back about the world showed its inhabitants were humanoid and looked surprisingly like Kryptonians. It was a violent and dangerous world, but it showed great promise. On a world like this her son might become something greater than just a man. Again a mother's interest showed through as she found she very much like this idea. He would get his chance and in the end that was all a mother and father could hope for.
After too many tears and expressions of love the time had come. Sealing the prototype ship, Jor-El and Lara made the supreme sacrifice and launched the little ship carrying it's precious cargo off into the unknown. As their world crumbled around them they sent all their wishes and dreams along with the rapidly disappearing ship.
Krypton was no more.
Smallville – 22 years later
As if coming out of a dream Clark found himself standing in the front yard of the Kent family farm. How he got here was still unbelievable to him, flying seemed crazy yet here he was. Fragments of the battle at the docks flashed through his mind and he still wasn't sure if it was all real. Had Dinah really been there or had his battered mind just created it? Had the woman in black really said Kryptonian? How did she know? Where had all those images of places and people he'd never seen or met come from? Why had he felt compelled to return here?
A faint, eerie glow came from the barn and Clark moved towards it. Pushing open the doors, he saw the light was coming from where he and Jonathan Kent had buried the fragments of the ship he had arrived in all those years ago.
"Greetings Kal-El of Krypton. It has been too long."
Gotham
Selina tossed her bag on one of the overstuffed chairs and headed into the kitchen. She needed a drink.
"Harley, I really, really don't need your problems added to my own right now. Why did you come here of all places?"
"Cause we're friends, Selina,' Harley happily replied.
"No we're not, really,' Selina offered. While she knew Harley and did sort of like her, Selina also knew that Harley brought along her own brand of crazy. The weird love love/hate hate hate relationship she had with the Joker creeped Selina out. In many ways Selina thought of Harley like a teddy bear that had a ticking bomb strapped to it. She could be lovable and incredibly sweet, but there was no telling when she would go off.
Taking the big bottle of Pinot Noir out, Selina poured herself a full glass. After the first healthy swallow she poured another and turned to hand it to Harley.
"Thanks!" Harley replied, accepting the glass and then looking around the kitchen. "You got a nice place here, Selina. Really Aces!"
"You're dripping blood all over it at the moment, Harley.' Selina pointed out.
"Oh, yeah, I was involved in a little dust up down at the docks earlier,' Harley replied. "I was just about to take a shower when you got home."
"A little dust up, Harley?"
"Yeah, why?"
"It was all over the television! It looked like an all out war going on!" Selina shouted at her clueless semi-friend. "You're probably wanted by half the state by now and you brought all that heat right to my doorstep. I don't really need that right now, Harley."
"Sorry." Harley offered. "Would it help if I made cookies?"
"No, actually it wouldn't."
"Toll House?"
"No, Harley, not even Toll House cookies are going to help at this point,' Selina replied.
"Are you sure? I mean the fight's over and the cops have their hands full just with the people still down there, so I'm probably not their top priority right now. No one knows I'm here except you and if I ever saw someone that needs cookies it's you, Selina. You seem really stressed. I mean you just dismissed the idea of Toll House cookies without a second thought. That's just crazy talk, Selina."
Selina dropped her head into her hand and began rubbing her temple and the area just above her eyebrow. Harley always had this effect on her.
"Harley." Selina began slowly. "I appreciate the thought, but you can't stay here. It's too dangerous."
"Ha-Ha, no it's not,' Harley scoffed. "It's perfectly safe, trust me, besides you got plenty of room. You won't even know I'm here."
"Harley you're bleeding on my floor, that doesn't say safe to me."
"Oh, where are my manners,' Harley gasped. "I'll take a shower right away and then mop this up. No worries Selina!"
She turned and started for Selina's bedroom.
"Harley!" Selina groaned. "What are you even doing in Gotham? I thought you were in jail?"
"I was, but they let me out to capture Superman,' Harley replied.
"What? Why?'
"You know those probably would have been good questions to ask,' Harley admitted. "I didn't, sorry. I just wanted to get out so I agreed."
"So-So, um, are you going to keep trying, you know, to capture Superman?" Selina asked, her mind thinking of Clark and what this could all mean.
"No, why? He seems like a cute guy and all, sure. I gave it the old college try, but it was a no go,' Harley replied. "No hard feelings, we move on. Him to his super life and me with mine."
"You're not thinking of going after the Joker are you, Harley?' Selina asked.
The smile slipped from Harley's lips and a very cold, emotionless look came to her eyes.
"Right now all I'm thinking about is a shower, Selina."
The two young women held each other's gaze for a moment and then Harley smiled and headed off to take a shower.
Gotham – The Batcave
The Joker had slipped away, for now. The rescue of Ms. Lane and the Joker's henchmen suicidal tactics had delayed Batman long enough for the trail to go cold. His cowl down, Bruce sat in front of a bank of monitors reviewing the entire incident. He had watched it several times looking for any flaw in his tactics, ways to improve and any keys to further understand the Joker. He'd found nothing useful, but it hadn't stopped him from looking at the video one more time.
When he finished, Bruce resisted the urge to watch it once more. Eventually he knew he would, but fresh eyes would be better for finding something he missed tonight. As bone weary as he felt, he pushed past it, knowing he still had to watch what had happened down at the docks. It could have waited till morning for most men, but this was a part of why Batman always had an edge on his opponents. He knew his margin of error was infinitely smaller than those with special powers, so he had to prepare and train twice as hard as they did. He had to be ready for any possible situation, having gone over it in his mind beforehand. He had to know as much if not more about his opponents than they did about themselves. When it came right down to it, there was no mystery to his success he was just better prepared and out worked everyone else.
Bruce watched the tape from beginning to end and then started it once more. The second time he made some preliminary notes about his impressions of the battle and each of it's combatants. Several things jumped out at him.
Thorne had started his move on the other families. That meant a full scale gang war had started. If he had to guess, Bruce thought the pulse rifles gave the edge to Thorne, but Falcone still had the numbers on his side. Maroni looked to be the odd man out and that meant his family would be the most desperate.
Harley Quinn, Dr. Light, Silver Banshee, King Shark, Atomic Skull and Killer Croc's involvement could only mean they were the new Suicide Squad, the covert government team run by Amanda Waller made up of inmates from Belle Reve prison. As their target seemed to be Superman that meant the government was interested in him too. Bruce found this very interesting, but as he watched the footage, he realized it was Harley Quinn in charge of the team for as long as her attention span seemed to be focused on why they were supposed to be there.
Why would Amanda Waller put Harley Quinn of all people in charge, he wondered? Knowing something about Amanda he could only conclude this was some sort of test, perhaps more than one kind of test. Amanda was probably more interested in something other than just capturing Superman. She played a long term game so he would have to keep a special watch on her in the future.
A rare smile came to his lips as he watched a clearly shocked Vicki Vale holding the microphone as Harley stopped in the middle of the fight to give an impromptu interview. He knew as well as anyone how dangerous and insane Harley was, but there was also an odd childlike charm about her he couldn't deny. The fact that she threatened the Joker didn't hurt either.
The women in black was a new player on the scene. An unknown, he watched the way she moved and fought and felt warning bells go off in his brain. Her speed and power said Meta, but why she was there was a mystery at first. As he watched he realized her focus was also on this Superman. The ease at which she overwhelmed everyone else and killed without remorse or second thought was a dangerous sign.
Bruce sat back and slowed the video down when Dinah made her first appearance. Knowing what she'd just been through, he had to admire her willingness to reenter the fray. He found himself worried when the woman in black lashed out but somehow Dinah managed to avoid those lethal whips. He had to admire the way she fought, using tactics similar to ones he would have used in a similar situation. He knew of her other ability, but now witnessed it first hand as she overwhelmed Silver Banshee and basically brought an end to the battle. That she did it all so soon after her injuries he couldn't help admire.
He watched a little more of the aftermath. At least Vicki had the good common sense to stay a little way out of harm's way he thought, remembering the situation earlier. He then turned his attention to the rest of the night's activities. He went through all the reports familiarizing himself on what else was happening in Gotham. Small things had a way of turning into big things when you weren't paying attention so he made careful notes on all of it.
One item caught his attention. A couple reported a woman smashing through their apartment window dressed in all black, wearing a hood and goggles. They also reported hearing gunshots. The location of this report, Gotham Terrace Apartments interested him along with who he suspected the woman was. He just knew it was Selina. Through back channels he knew about the diamonds but had been waiting until they made their next connection so he could have the whole network. He knew they would be a temptation for her, but hoped she wouldn't move on them until after the buyer arrived. There were other questions that came to his mind. Her crashing through the window and being seen by the civilians wasn't like Selina. Something must have gone wrong with the robbery, he surmised. Definitely have to keep an eye on her to see what comes of that.
Bruce was just about to switch off the monitors for the night when something seemed to nag at the corners of his mind. Switching the video back on he ran through the video from the docks once more. He was once more taken aback by how much punishment Superman seemed to be able to endure. When he lifted off the ground and floated above the scene Bruce was suitably impressed as was probably everyone else that saw it. The moment he was looking for was just before that though and involved the tall woman in black. It took a little adjusting to make sure he heard what she said as clearly as possible. He played it several times before sitting back and just staring at the screen.
"What exactly is a Kryptonian?' Bruce asked aloud of no one in particular.
Gotham
Lashina arrived back at her penthouse hotel room feeling rather good about herself. The night's exercise had been just what she needed to burn off some of her energy. As she slipped in through her window her mind was still lingering on the Kryptonian, Superman. She'd had her doubts about him during the fight, but his last display boded well for future plans.
"So my wayward pet finally returns."
Lashina turned quickly to see the light go on and reveal Granny Goodness sitting watching for her.
"Granny!" She gasped in surprise. "What-What are you doing here?"
"I think you know, Lashina, don't you?" Granny replied. "Did you really think your dear old Granny wouldn't see what you've been up to this evening? Granny sees everything, my dear, you should have known that by now."
The cold, evil smile on the old woman's lips sent a chill through Lashina's body. Having grown up in Granny's orphanage, Lashina new only too well how vicious and cruel the old woman was.
"You were told to observe, only observe, Lashina,' Granny said. Her sickeningly sweet voice dripped with menace. "You willfully went against my orders, my child. Your old Granny is not happy about that, not happy at all."
Lashina knew she could attack and snap the old cow's neck as easily as breaking a match stick. She also knew if she did, there was no place in the universe she could hide from Darkseid's wrath, The Dark Lord took a dim view of disobedience.
"I was just observing, Granny, I promise, but the situation forced my hand,' Lashina offered. "I only did what I thought you would want me to do, Granny."
"Explain." Granny said with her cold smile.
"The group with the metas were clearly targeting this Superman. They were attempting to capture him and I knew you have a special interest in him so I acted to prevent them succeeding. I'm sorry if I overstepped, Granny." The word sorry felt like acid as it crossed Lashina's lips. She always hated groveling like this to Granny, but knew it had to be done, for now.
"Why would you think I care about this Superman, Lashina?' Granny pointedly asked. She did have a special interested in him, but wanted to know just how much Lashina knew about this interest.
"Just that you asked me to relate any news about him, Granny,' Lashina replied, tryng to sound as innocent of any other connections as she could.
Granny looked at Lashina for a moment and then her smile got just a little wider.
"I think you might be playing a very dangerous game, Lashina,' Granny said. "Your dear old Granny would hate to have to ask Desaad to lock you in one of his special rooms to learn you lesson. It would grieve me so to watch you suffer that endless agony."
"Please, Granny,' Lashina whispered. She knew only too well the horrors of Desaad's special rooms.
"I could forgive your actions, Lashina, I really could, except you made a mistake,' Granny replied. 'You failed to remember one of my first lessons to you. Information is valuable. You let this Superman know you know he's a Kryptonian. That's valuable information that would have been useful later, Lashina."
"I'm sorry, Granny, I was just trying to get him to fight back,' Lashina explained.
'It seems it worked, for you sake,' Granny offered. "I will not report this transgression to our master, but it does change my plans. You will have to remain here in this place, Lashina."
"Oh?"
"Don't act as if this displeases you, dear, Granny knows better. This Superman will eventually seek you out now that he knows you know what he really is. He will have questions and I will supply you with the answers you will give him. You will use your considerable charms to get close to him, dear. You will slowly bring over to our side, so that we might make a gift of him to Darkseid one day. A day I, alone, will decide on,' Granny explained. "You will do this, my dear or you will wish for Desaad's special rooms when Granny gets through with you. Are we clear, my sweet?"
"Yes, Granny."
'Such a good girl, such a good girl."
Washington
John Lynch watched with some interest the battle at Gotham's docks. Lynch was the former head of Team 7 which had included one Dinah Lance. He had moved up after they disbanded to a something called Internal Division. It was a deep black ops, totally off the books group with fingers in many things, all of which officially didn't exist. Lynch saw Amanda Waller's, another former Team 7 member, fingerprints all over the Gotham operation. It was so her style, games within games, objectives inside other objectives, all to disguise what she was really interested in.
For now Lynch would let her play her games, as they didn't interfere with his plans. They had actually helped tonight, as Black Canary made an appearance and used her special abilities. It appeared she'd gained some control of them since her sudden departure from the team.
There was a knock at his door. After a moment it opened and Alex Fairchild stepped inside. He'd been working with Lynch since the Team 7 days and was also a former member. He handed Lynch several reports and then glanced at the monitor.
"She's gotten better,' he commented.
"Yes, she has," replied Lynch. "Interesting company she's keeping too."
Fairchild nodded.
"There is something else about her that isn't in the reports,' he offered.
"Oh?"
"It seems through back channels some rather important people are trying to get the charge against her dropped."
"How important?" Lynch asked.
"Very important, Senators and a couple of congressmen,' Fairchild replied. "Apparently some major donors are pushing it."
Lynch turned off the monitor and sat back to think about it of a moment. He had nothing to worry about from most Senators or congressmen. They would do whatever the donors behind they wanted. He and his organization were insulated against most of them.
"I wouldn't worry about it,' he offered.
"Usually no, but they are on the right committees,' Fairchild noted. "So far they haven't asked any questions, but they might."
"Why the interest in Dinah? What do the donors care about her for anyway?"
"Who knows?' Fairchild replied. "She's a gorgeous young woman, I'm sure that's part of it. She'd be easy to turn into a cause célèbre on that alone."
Lynch thought about this a bit more. He saw an opportunity when it was presented to him.
"Perhaps we've been going about this the wrong way,' he said. "We could give the Senators and congressmen their way on this one and further insulate us from any more questions. They get to chalk it up as a win and impress their donors and perhaps we get Miss Lance to come out from hiding."
"You know she's never going to come back to work for you, Lynch,' Fairchild replied.
"We'll see, won't we?" Lynch said with a smile. "If she doesn't, having her out in the open works for the alternative too. Perhaps you'll get to look up our old friends Cole Cash or Slade Wilson to deal with her if that becomes necessary. In the mean time Dinah's making interesting friends. Amanda Waller seems to have developed an interest in this Superman character, perhaps we should too."
"I'll put some people on it,' Fairchild replied. He started to leave the room, but stopped and turned to face Lynch. 'Have you thought about just letting Dinah go, Lynch? If she were going to reveal anything about the operations or us she would have by now. Why not just cut your losses?"
"You're not that naïve, Alex,' Lynch stated. "Considerable time and money were invested in all the agents of Team 7. There is no just walking away for any of us."
Gotham
Ev had wanted to celebrate, but Dinah had other things she needed to do. With another 'as you wish' Ev departed, laughing as Dinah grumbled about her driving the joke into the ground.
Her bike was still functional, even after the damage the woman in black had done to it. The tracer was still in place and now that the situation on the docks was over, Dinah wanted to find out more about it. She'd intentionally left it where she found it so she wouldn't tip off whoever had placed it there. The bike had been at Bruce's mansion the whole time she'd been recovering, but Dinah didn't put it past her former colleagues to break in and plant it. They'd made their intentions clear by sending Deadshot after her.
As she drove to one of the more unsavory parts of Gotham she was still processing what she'd seen earlier at the docks. Clark had flown, actually taken off and flown. How was that even possible, she wondered? His Meta abilities continued to surprise her, as it seemed new ones were appearing all the time. Just how powerful was he? And who was the woman in black? Why had she called him a Kryptonian? What exactly was a Kryptonian anyway?
Those questions would have to wait until she saw Clark again. Right now she needed to know more about the tracer. Dinah pulled her bike around the back of the closed, rundown looking electronics store and took the tracer off. She put it in her pocket and knocked on the heavy steel door. Two long raps, then a short one followed by a series of long and short raps, and then she waited. It took a few moments, but the door finally opened a crack.
"What?" The figure on the other side demanded.
"I need your special services, Rudy,' Dinah said. She pulled a hundred dollar bill out of her pocket and held it up.
The door closed momentarily and then the chain was heard coming off and a series of locks opened before the door opened wide. A thin, rather dirty looking man stood in the doorway smiling as he looked at the money. This was Rudy.
"Well, come on it!" He said, taking the money from her fingers.
Dinah passed him and heard him close and relock the door behind them. The room was crammed from floor to ceiling with electronics, not all of the legal variety.
"So what brings your lovely self down to my domain this evening, Miss Lance" Rudy cheerily asked as he moved back to his workbench.
"Found a tracer on my bike and need you to tell all about it, Rudy,' Dinah explained.
"Well, let's see what you have."
Dinah took the tracer out of her pocket and held it out to Rudy. He took one look at it and turned pale.
"No! Get that thing out of here, now!" He shouted, physically moving away from the tiny device. 'Why did you have to bring that here?"
"What's wrong?' Dinah asked, surprised by his reaction.
Rudy got up quickly and started to usher Dinah towards the door.
"Here's your money back, just get that thing out of here now,' he said as she rushed to open the locks. Now Dinah was really confused.
"What the hell is wrong, Rudy? I just want to find out where this came from. What aren't you telling me?" Dinah demanded before he pushed her out the door.
"That is trouble I don't need," Rudy said, pointing to the tracer. "If he put it on your bike then I don't want to know you either. Everyone with half a brain wants nothing to do with anything involving him. Now get it out of here, Dinah!"
"Who? Just tell me who, Rudy and I'll go,' she replied.
Rudy nervously looked all around as if he expected trouble to come from any direction. Finally he sighed and gave Dinah a quick push before starting to slam the door shut. She put up her hand and stopped him.
"Just give me a name, Rudy and I'll go."
"Batman."
Then the door slammed shut.
Smallville
The ship had related to Clark what it was and why it had taken so long for it to be able to contact him. It still wasn't fully repaired, but it would be able to access the message from his parents for Clark.
Clark found his heart racing at the knowledge that he was about to get answers for so many of the questions he'd always had. As the ship begin the process of accessing the information from it's damaged and partially repaired systems, Clark couldn't help but wonder what the message was. Would it be something as simple as a recording or more elaborate like a hologram? He knew so little about the world he came from and his birth parents were little more than names and vague faces to him all his life.
Suddenly as if by magic a large white door appeared next to the ship. Clark moved all around it, examining it from every angle. It had almost no depth, yet stood close to eight feet in height and five feet in width. Taking a deep breath he stepped through and into something beyond his imagination or wildest dreams.
It wasn't words or images but a total, all encompassing experience. Each of his senses was bombarded with incredible amounts of knowledge and understanding. Jor-El and Lara were there, but not flat images or even three-dimensional projections, but as real as anyone Clark had ever met. He could feel the texture of his father's hand and smell the scent of the perfume his mother was wearing. He could touch one of the tears that rolled down his mother's cheek as she embraced him.
Without words so many things seemed to be explained to him. The knowledge of not just Jor-El and Lara but so much of Krypton itself seemed to flood into his awareness. Without saying a word so many questions were answered.
Too soon it was over as he stepped back through the doorway. He was back in the barn on the farm he'd grown up on. The ship was silent. Clark slumped down to one knee as tears came to his eyes. Tears just like the ones in his mother's eyes.
Gotham
Harley was peacefully sleeping on Selina's couch, her arms wrapped around a stuffed bear she'd found in Selina's closet. The evening hadn't been without incident. After her shower, Harley had shown a little too much interested in the gun Selina had. Harley had said not to worry, as she demonstrated her skill by spinning it around her finger like a gunslinger from the old west. Of course it had gone off and shattered one of the light fixtures before Selina had been able to take it away from her.
Selina poured the last of the wine into her glass and checked on Harley one more time before she climbed into her own bed and hoped against hope for a peaceful night sleep. Taking a long drink from her glass, she set it on her nightstand and turned off the lights. As tired as she was, as soon as Selina closed her eyes the night's events began to replay in her mind. She couldn't help making a face when she thought about Blondie showing up at the docks to help Clark. He'd ended it with her, but Selina guessed some women can't take a hint.
The woman in black intrigued her and she'd asked Harley about her earlier. Other than finding out how cool Harley thought her whips were, she hadn't been much help. Another thought came to Selina and she found herself raising up on her elbows and turning the light back on.
"What the hell is a Kryptonian anyway?"