Not the most exciting chapter I know, but it will help set up the next part of the story.

Green Hal37: Well, it's accurate to most adaptations of the character. After High School, he usually goes away to the Fortress for a few years until he make his journey to Metropolis and adopt the bumbling reporter persona. Glad to hear it. Yeah, you're right about that. You even have Lionel and later Lex being the one responsible for most of Clark's enemies like Norman is responsible for Peter's. Me to, it usually happens when a writer turns a specific character into their pet. You'll see.

Smallville

Morning

On a farm, a farmer was going about his normal chores when he heard a loud noise. Looking up, he saw something was falling from the sky. A split second later, he realized that it was heading straight for him. Dropping his tools, the farmer ran out of the way, just a few seconds short of being crashed by the object as it crashed onto his land. The force of the crash sent the farmer flying and he crashed into some hay, which cushioned the impact. Pushing himself to his feet, the farmer quickly grabbed a rifle from his nearby barn and approached the crater wearily, taking a look at what had crashed.

It could only be described as a spaceship. It was a dark grey, rectangular shaped object about the size of a truck, maybe a little bigger. It seemed foreign, way too smooth to be manmade.

The farmer had barely processed this when a bright light suddenly imitated from the ship. To the farmer's shock, two people emerge from the light. One, a tall, dark haired woman whose hair stopped mid-way down her back. The other, a muscular, dark skinned man. Both of them wore some kind of armor.

Suddenly, the two were in front of him before the farmer could blink.

"S-stay back. I'll shoot," the farmer said as he stepped back, taking aim at them.

Paying him no mind, the man grabbed the rifle and yanked it out of the farmer's hands. As the man threw the rifle away, the woman grabbed the farmer by his shirt and threw him back. The farmer crashed into a wall of his barn, the wall breaking upon the impact as he sailed through, landing on the floor of the barn. The man and woman then walked off, paying him no further mind.

Luthor Mansion

Later in the morning

After taking a shower, Lionel was getting dressed as he listened to the news. He paused as a new report came on.

"Breaking. It appears meteorite isn't the only thing to fall from the sky in Smallville. A large, metallic object crashed on the north edge of Smallville earlier today," the reporter said as a photo of the ship was shown. "Speculation of what this object is ranges from a new type of fighter jet to an alien craft, but the real mystery is the farmer who owns this land. He was found inside his barn, unconscious with the wall broken open. We are told he is delicious at the moment."

Lionel stared at the television screen, a grim look on his face. There was no doubt in his mind that they had arrived. Whatever he and Clark had been feeling, it had just made its way to earth.

Metropolis

Afternoon

Standing atop a skyscraper, Clark used his super hearing, listening to the entire city. He paused as he heard a car crash, and then relaxed once he realized that the driver was okay.

"Kal-El," Clark stiffened as he heard Lionel's voice. "We need to talk. Meet me on the roof of Luthor Corp."

Luthor Corp

Not long after

Lionel stood on the roof, waiting for Clark. Feeling a slight gust of wind behind him, he turned around to see Clark.

"We have a problem son," Lionel aid grimly. "The Disciples of Zod."

"Zod is trapped in the Phantom Zone," Clark said dismissively.

"He is, but his influence doesn't remain there. Before Krypton was destroyed, two of his followers, Aethyr and Nam-Ek fled the planet on his orders. Zod knew that your father would send you to safety, along with all his knowledge, so he sent them to wait for you," Lionel explained.

"How could they find me here?" Clark asked as he frowned.

"The Fortress. It gives off a beacon of Krytonian energy which they likely picked up from their ship," Lionel pointed out.

"So they'll head for the Fortress," Clark realized and Lionel shook his head.

"No. They arrived in Smallville son. And there's another place much closer that is coated in Krytonian energy, the place where you destroyed your ship," Lionel told him and Clark's eyes widened in realization as he realized exactly where they were headed.

Kent Farm

Not long after

Jonathan was putting away his tools after a morning of work on the farm and sending everyone else home. After Clark had disappeared, he had been forced to hire some help for work around the farm. As much as he had wanted to deny it, Jonathan knew that he couldn't keep the farm running alone with Martha working at The Talon. It wasn't what they had wanted, but they managed.

Jonathan was heading towards the house when, suddenly, a voice spoke up behind him.

"Where is Kal-El?"

Startled, Jonathan turned around to see a dark skinned man and dark haired woman in some kind of armor standing behind him. Warning bells were going off in his head just from the sight of them.

"Where is Kal-El?" the man repeated.

They were looking for Clark. He may not know where his son was, but Jonathan would rather die than point these people, who were clearly Kryptonian, in his direction.

"I don't even know who you're talking about," Jonathan lied.

Angrily, the man grabbed Jonathan by the neck and threw him towards the house. Jonathan crashed through the door, which fell off its hinges, and rolled into the house, dazed.

"Jonathan!" Martha exclaimed in shock and horror as she rushed from the kitchen to her husband's side.

As she helped him into a sitting position, the man and woman entered the house.

"You will tell us where Kal-El is," the woman said.

"Aethyr. Nam-Ek."

The two turned around, seeing Clark standing behind them. From the house of El crest on his shirt, they knew immediately who this was.

"Kal-El," Aethyr greeted and Clark nodded. "It is an honor to meet you."

As the pair stepped off the front porch, Jonathan and Martha stared at their son for the first time in over two years. He was taller, his hair a little longer. But it was the cold, expressionless look on his face that was the most jarring difference. He had let the Kryptonian in him take over.

"What do you want?" Clark demanded.

"We want you to join us, to help us make this savage land into our utopia," Nam-Ek explained.

"What would followers of a madman like Zod know of Utopia?" Clark asked and they stiffened. "Yeah, I know all about him. And I know what you're really after. I won't let you free Zod."

"Then you will die son of Jor-El," Aethyr said angrily, her hand moving towards the bracelet around her wrist.

Knowing what she was planning, Clark sped over and grabbed her wrist, punching Nam-Ek and sending him crashing into the ground. Clark and Aethyr wrestled for the bracelet for a few moments before Clark managed to yank it off her wrist. He stepped back as Nam-Ek rushed forward.

"You want to be with Zod so bad? Then join him," Clark sneered before throwing the bracelet a foot away.

Jonathan and Martha watched shocked as a vortex opened up, one that seemed to be trying to suck in Aethyr and Nam-Ek. They staggered before Clark stepped back and took a deep breath. Clark then seemed to blow out a powerful gust of wind, which hit the two Kryptonian like a tornado. They lost their footing and were sucked into the vortex, caught in its current. Once they were inside, the vortex closed on them.

For a moment, it was silent. Clark spared his adoptive parents a glance but, before they could even begin to figure out what to say, Clark turned and sped off.

Smallville

Later in the afternoon

Sherriff Adams was staring at the ship as her deputies tried to figure out the best way to transport it when a large truck rolled up, followed by a few more vehicles. Adams looked towards them as a man in a suit stepped out.

"Sherriff Adams?" The man asked as he approached her.

"Yes. And you are?" Adams asked, deciding she already didn't like him.

"Doesn't matter. I'm seizing this unknown object in the name of the government," he said as he pulled out a piece of paper, which he then handed to Adams. "If you have a problem with it, take it up with the Secretary of Defense."

As she read over the form, Adams seethed. She didn't like it, but he was right. The form seemed legit, nothing she could do about it.

Luthor Corp

Not long after

"Thank you for your help Mr. Secretary," Lex said on the phone as the doors to his office opened and Lionel walled in. "I'll have to call you back."

"Oh don't hang up on my account son," Lionel said as Lex hung up.

"What are you doing here Dad? I thought you'd like to take a few days at the Mansion before getting back in the swing of things," Lex said and Lionel chuckled.

"You know we Luthor men are men of action. Don't you worry, I have no intention of fighting you for the CEO position," Lionel assured him, taking Lex back.

"You don't?" Lex asked wearily.

"It has always been my intention to pass the company onto you. I've been catching up on the company and, in my absence; you've done a fine job as CEO. I simply wish to work alongside you, under you son," Lionel told his skeptical son.

"I'm sure I can find a pace for you here," Lex finally said after a few moments.

"I appreciate it Lex. I look forward to working together," Lionel with a smile that was meant to disarm but Lex only saw as a serpent stalking its prey.

Fortress of Solitude

Same time

"I sent Zod's followers to the Phantom Zone but I don't think it's over," Clark said as he stood in the fortress.

"I fear you may be right my son," Jor-El said, his voice echoing throughout the Fortress. "I fear that the Disciples of Zod's arrival on Earth may only be a herald to a greater danger."

Metropolis

Later in the afternoon

In a Luthor Corp facility, the ship stood on a platform that kept in above ground. A dark liquid leaked from the ship onto the floor. The liquid moved, swarming together until it started to form a shape. It rose up until it formed a man, who looked around at his surroundings in interest.

Considering that Clark, even without training, could send Aethyr and Nam-Ek, a trained Clark would have an even easier time with them.

And Brainiac is here, but his plans will be very different as opposed to the show.