Chapter 10: Revelations
Disclaimer: All things Supergirl/Superman belong to DC. No infringement is intended.
Clark Kent was 12 years old when he finally learned the truth.
The day had started like any other day. He got up to find his mom on top of the barn, watching the sunrise as she always did. Lately he sometimes joined her. He couldn't fly on his own yet, but he was getting quite proficient at leaping and could easily jump up to join her (and without tearing half the barn's roof down in the process. That had only been the one time and never since!) They had then joined Uncle John and Aunt Martha for breakfast before Clark headed to school and his mom headed out to either save the world as Superwoman or invent some amazing new gadgets. The only thing that was slightly different was that his mom told him to keep his evening free, as there was something she wished to talk to him about. He didn't think too much about it, to be honest.
The day progressed like any other day, too. Eventually school was over and Lana and he headed home. They did homework together at her place and then he finally headed over to the Kent farm. His mom would be home in time for dinner as always when there wasn't an Earth-shaking emergency and then they would have their talk, whatever it was to be about.
Today, though, there was an Earth-shaking emergency.
When mom didn't come home on time, the Kents immediately turned on the TV, figuring that someone would be reporting on Superwoman's latest adventure. They didn't have to search long, one of the news channels was already on the case.
"... fighting the super villain known as the Parasite, who seems to have grown to gargantuan proportions!"
Clark saw Aunt Martha stiffen in fear. Clark dimly remembered hearing about someone called Parasite before, mom had taken him down a few years ago, he thought. It hadn't sounded like a big deal then, but Clark knew that his mom was not always telling him everything, especially the dangerous stuff.
Clark knew that his mom was not entirely invulnerable. She was incredibly strong and tough, yes, but there were things out there that could hurt her (and him, too), such as that glowing green stuff she had told him to look out for. He also knew that Aunt Martha always worried, but some days she worried more than others. Right now, she looked as worried as Clark had ever seen her.
"Not that creature again," Clark heard her whisper.
"Amazingly, Parasite actually seems to have the upper hand," the reporter said. "Superwoman appears to be weakening every time he gets close to her."
The Kent family watched in agonized silence as the fight played out on TV. The purple creature called Parasite seemed to be growing larger and more powerful, even as Superwoman tried to keep a distance and pelted him with pieces of debris and the occasional car, too. The battle seemed to last hours, though only a few minutes had passed in actuality.
"... Superwoman has managed to pin the creature under a ton of rubble, I don't think he's getting out of that one. Chalk up another win for… wait, something is wrong. Superwoman is swaying, she... oh God, she's collapsed."
With the Parasite apparently subdued, the reporters were moving closer to the scene and the picture now showed Superwoman, his mom, on her hands and knees, struggling to remain upright. All three Kents gasped at the same time, finally getting a good look at her.
"Dear god, are you seeing this back at the studio? Superwoman, she... she looks like she has been starved within an inch of her life."
Clark began to panic. His mom was always strong, always tough, she could beat anything. But now he was seeing her on TV, looking so weak that even staying on her hands and knees seemed too much. Her blonde hair hung lifeless, her skin was ashen and wrinkled. Her uniform, which usually fit her like a glove (and Clark had NOT needed to hear how many boys at school loved looking at pictures of his mom in her super suit) hung loose on a body that seemed practically emaciated.
"Parasite must have gotten to her before she buried him," John whispered, his fists clenching so hard Clark could hear his bones creak.
"Oh sweetheart," Martha gasped, trying to stifle her sobs.
"Paramedics are on the way," the reporter said, "but I am uncertain how much help they can be."
Clark had stopped listening, his eyes fixed on his mom. He had never seen her weak, she was always so strong. She was always there for him, no matter what. She could be on the other side of the planet, but when he needed her, she was always there in a flash.
"She just needs some sunlight," Jonathan said suddenly, though he sounded like he was trying to convince himself. "I'm sure that will help her recover!"
"It's evening in Metropolis," Martha said, barely keeping herself from crying. "There won't be any sunlight until tomorrow morning. She... I don't think she..."
Clark was only twelve, but he understood. He knew that his mom and he got their powers from the sun. He could feel it every time the sun rose, every time it touched his skin. Standing in the sunlight for ten minutes was better than an all-you-can-eat buffet. Uncle John was right, his mom just needed sunlight and then she would be all right.
There was no sun in Metropolis right now, though. And his mom looked so weak he didn't know whether she would make it through the next ten minutes, never mind the night. He had never been more afraid in his life.
"We need to tell them," Martha said, frantically looking for the phone. "We need to tell them to get her into the sunlight!"
"There isn't anyone who'll believe us," John said, looking just as frantic. "And how they are supposed to get her into sunlight? No vehicle would be fast enough."
And suddenly things clicked in Clark's mind. His mom needed to get to sunlight, right now. And except for herself, there was only one other person in the world who was fast and strong enough to make that happen.
He didn't stop to ask Martha and John for permission, because he could not afford for them to say no. He knew it was dangerous. His powers were still unreliable, unstable. He could run very fast and jump very high, but he couldn't fly yet. He was strong, but his strength still sometimes came and went. His senses were better than any humans, but he didn't have full control over them yet, so he sometimes lost focus. But mom had trained him. With every new power, every new increase in strength, she had been right there and taught him how to use it, how to control it.
"One day soon you'll be a hero, too, Clark," she would tell him.
"The day is now, mom," he said to himself and started running.
The landscape blurred past him and Clark had to remind himself not to go too fast, otherwise he wouldn't be able to avoid obstacles. This would be so much easier if he could fly. Also, he didn't know exactly where Metropolis was, only the general direction. So he ran along the highway road, easily overtaking even the fastest cars, following the signs saying East. He focused on his vision and his eyes gazed farther and farther. There were more signs, some of them now saying Metropolis. He ran faster, not caring that his clothing began to smolder. A large city was ahead of him, a sign saying "Welcome to Metropolis".
The harbor wasn't hard to find, he just headed for the ocean. There was still devastation everywhere, the fight against Parasite had done quite a bit of property damage. Clark didn't care about any of it. His eyes sought only one thing, his mom, and he finally spotted her.
The next part would be tricky. He knew that he shouldn't allow people to see him. He could move fast enough that he was little more than a blur, even to cameras, but he needed to time this just right. Usually there was no trouble when he occasionally collided with his mom at super speed during their training, but his mom was hurt and weakened. The last thing he wanted to do was make it worse.
Never in his entire young life had his senses been this sharp, his focus this strong. He moved with certainty, no hesitation, no doubts. His power didn't fluctuate even once. His mom needed him and he would save her, because that's what heroes did. That's what his mom would do. So he blurred past the police line, blurred past the gathered spectators, fire fighters, and medics. The backlash of his passing made some of them stumble, but he didn't hit anyone. And then he was with his mom, bending down, scooping her up in his arms, and just kept on running.
It was difficult. He was still a good deal smaller than his mom. The weight wasn't a problem, he was already strong enough to lift Uncle John's tractor, but the balance was off. He needed to keep running, or he would tip over and send them both tumbling. So he focused on keeping up his speed, never missing a step, even as he started a long curve that took him around Metropolis harbor, out of the city, and finally on a heading back west.
Running in a straight line and outside the city, he finally took a moment to look down at the precious cargo in his arms. He almost stumbled at the sight. His mom looked so bad he wanted to cry, more like a stick figure than her usual self. But he could see that her eyes were open, her hands were clutching weakly at his shoulders. She was alive. She was going to be all right. He just had to get her into sunlight, then everything would be fine.
He kept running west, because he knew that the sun set in the west. It had only just gotten dark in Metropolis when his mom had fought the Parasite, still twilight in Smallville, so it should still be light somewhere out west. So he kept running, faster and faster. A series of sonic booms travelled in his wake, but he didn't care if he blew out a few windows along the way. Nothing mattered except helping his mom.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, there was light up ahead. They were catching up with the setting sun. Clark kept on running, overtaking the shadows of evening, and the first rays of sunlight finally touched him and his mom. He could feel it, could feel his skin soak up the energy. He just hoped that Uncle John was right and it would help his mom as well.
He didn't dare look down to check, keeping his eyes on the road ahead. No time to stumble, no time to make a mistake and let the dusk catch up with them again. He needed to keep heading west, into the sunlight, no matter what. He felt his mom moving in his arms, he thought he could feel the wrinkles in her suit smooth out, but maybe it was just his imagination. No matter, he had to keep running.
Quite suddenly there was no more land under his feet. He had reached the western end of the continent, there was nothing but ocean ahead of him, nothing but water under his feet. Clark closed his eyes for a moment, fearing that he would stumble and lose control. They'd go under where the sun didn't reach and couldn't heal his mom. When nothing happened, though, he opened his eyes again.
He was running on the water. His feet were moving so fast that by the time they would have broken the water's surface, they were already gone again. Wow, this was so cool. The sun was rising higher in the sky as he caught up with the day and he was running on water. How awesome was that? If not for the severity of the situation, he would have whooped in delight.
Suddenly his feet lost contact with the water and he was rising into the sky. It took him a moment to understand what was going on, but then he noticed that his mom's arms had tightened around his body. He looked down at her, seeing her beautiful smile and blue eyes, and he could watch as the sunlight smoothed out her skin, restored her vitality. He was still holding her, but now she was holding him, too, and taking them both into the sky, closer to the sunlight that was making them both stronger.
They had often flown together. It was cool every single time, but he always felt a tiny bit jealous, too, because he could not do it on his own yet. There was no jealousy today, though. Today he was soaring through the sky with his mom and everything was perfect. Because she was going to be just fine.
"Clark, my sweet boy," she said, smiling brightly. "Great work. Thank you!"
Clark's own smile put the sun they were still heading towards to shame. He had done it. He had saved his mom. Everything was right in the world.
The day was not over yet, though.
When they finally returned to the Kent farm after simply soaking up sunlight for the better part of an hour, they were almost barreled over by Martha and Jonathan. The elder Kents stormed out of the house and embraced them fiercely. Tears were running down Martha's face as she closed his mom in her arms, relieved to see her alive and whole. Jonathan's eyes were shining with wetness, too, as he watched the two most important women in his life embrace.
Looking at Clark, he walked over to him and put both his hands on Clark's shoulders.
"That was terribly reckless of you, Clark," he said, a stern look on his face. Clark was about to speak up in protest, but then John's lips curved up in a smile. "You did great, kid! Thank you for bringing her home safely."
"Please never frighten me like that again, Karen," Martha said, still refusing to let go of her niece. "Both of you, please never frighten me like that again!"
"I'll do my best," Karen said, "but you know I can't promise you that."
For a long moment the two women looked into each other's eyes and seemed to communicate without words. Their eyes moved over to look at Clark, before meeting with those of Jonathan. John seemed to not understand for a moment, but then looked resolute, nodding. Karen finally moved out of Martha's embrace and walked over to Clark, kneeling down in front of him.
"I was never more proud of you than I was today, Clark," she said. "And if you still feel up to it after all that happened, I think it's finally time."
"Time for what?" he asked, confused.
"Time for you to learn the truth, Clark. The whole truth!"
Kara was sure that there had been other days in her life when she had been scared as much as today. The day Krypton died, of course. That was forever etched into her mind. Several days in that first year here on Earth, when she had struggled to gain control of her powers and was uncertain what the future would bring for her and Clark. Certainly some others, too.
None of it changed the fact that she was currently working very hard to keep her fear under control. Fighting the Parasite in Metropolis had been an ordeal. The creature was dangerous enough all by itself, but since it had learned to siphon off her power simply through proximity without actually having to touch her, it had become near-suicide to fight it. She had beaten it, yes, but it had taken every single bit of strength left in her.
As she had fallen to her knees, no energy left in her body, she had briefly thought that this would be it. She would never be able to return to her family. The night had just begun, the sun that could save her would not return until morning. She would die right there on the cold concrete of Metropolis harbor without ever getting to tell Clark the truth, as she had planned to do that very evening.
But then Clark, her sweet Clark, had swooped in to save her like the hero she had always known he would become. A part of her was angry at his recklessness, at risking his own safety like that, but a much larger part was so proud that she felt like bursting. She had already committed to finally telling him everything and that had only reaffirmed it. It was time.
Rao, she was so very afraid of his reaction.
The plan how to tell him had been in place for years. Martha, Jonathan, and she had gone over it time and time again. So when Clark predictably told her that he wanted to know today and not wait a minute longer, she took him into her arms and together they flew north. Further and further north until there was nothing but ice beneath them. She could hear Clark gasp when he spotted their destination.
"What is that?" he asked, breathless.
"That, Clark, is our Fortress!"
To the casual observer the Fortress looked like an iceberg, but it was actually constructed from Kryptonian crystal. Technology far ahead of anything else on Earth kept it intact despite the cold and the wind, kept it floating with the ice shelf. As Kara approached, she felt the sweep of sensors, the Fortress' computer making sure that only the two people who were allowed here could approach.
One of the walls opened up and Kara swooped in, gently setting down in what she had come to think of as the reception area of the Fortress. Not that there had ever been any sort of reception here. She was barely ever here herself and Clark was the only other person ever to come. It was his birthright as much as it was hers.
"Did you build this place?" Clark asked, looking around with wide eyes.
"Kind of. I had the right tools, though. You'll understand in a moment."
She took his hand and led him down the corridor. At 12 years old, he was now reaching the age where he usually resented his mom holding his hand in public, but these were special circumstances. So he followed meekly, obviously already close to being overwhelmed.
In the chamber ahead of them was the ship. The craft that had brought them here to Earth so many years ago. After the Fortress had been finished, built in just a few hours thanks to Kryptonian construction crystals, Kara had brought it here to make sure that it would never fall into the wrong hands. The Fortress was somewhat more secure than the Kent family barn.
"Is that... a space ship?" Clark asked upon seeing it.
"Yes, it's a space ship. OUR space ship, Clark."
He looked at her and she told him the story. She told him of Krypton, the doomed planet. She told him of the day the planet died. She told him how there had only been one space ship ready to launch and that she had climbed onboard with him in her arms, rocketing off to safety. How they had landed in Kansas and been found by the Kents, who had been kind enough to take them in and became their family.
"So we're… aliens? Real aliens?" Clark asked, trying to digest it all. He had always known that they were special, of course, and had asked her not too long ago why they had powers when Aunt Martha and Uncle John didn't. He knew about the Amazons, thanks to Diana, and had once asked her whether they might be related to them. Aliens, however, had never entered his thoughts, it seemed.
"Yes, Clark. Your birth name is Kal. Kal Jor-El. And mine is Kara-El."
He nodded, then looked up at her. "And my dad? What was his name?"
"His name was Jor-El. And..." she hesitated, swallowed, and finally managed to force the words out. "And your mother's name was Lara."
The silence that followed was so loud it made her ears ring. Clark just stood here, staring at her, clearly not comprehending. She could barely believe it herself, uttering these words after so many years of pretending otherwise.
"What?" he finally said.
"I... I am not your mother, Clark," Rao, it hurt to say these words. "I am actually your cousin. Your father Jor was my uncle, the younger brother of my father, Zor-El. My mother's name was Alura. Our fathers built the ship that took us to safety and it was Lara who put you into my arms, telling me to take care of you, even as I begged them to not send us off alone, to come with us."
Tears were filling her eyes as she somehow found the strength to keep talking.
"I am sorry for lying to you for so long, Clark, but we thought it the best way to make sure that no one would ever try to take you away from me here on Earth. I never wanted to take Lara's place in your life, please believe me, but you were still so young. We didn't think you would be able to keep the secret from everyone, unless you truly believed that I was your mom."
Clark said nothing, just staring at her, then staring at the ship. Kara walked over to a control panel on the wall and flipped several switches. Moments later the lights in the room dimmed and holographic images began to show. Images of four people in Kryptonian clothing, standing tall in a circle around the room.
"This is our family, Clark," she said. "Those are your parents Jor and Lara," she indicated. "And those are my mom and dad are over there."
Clark turned where he stood, taking in the images surrounding him, still not saying a word.
"The holograms are interactive," Kara went on. "They're not actual artificial intelligences, but they're programmed with everything the computers know about the people they represent and all my memories of them, too. You can ask them questions if you want."
"Can…," he began, stumbling over the words. "Can you give me a minute?"
Kara simply nodded and walked out of the room. Rao, how she had dreaded this day. She had done the right thing, she firmly believed that, but she had still lied to Clark, her sweet little Clark. She was unable to say when exactly she had stopped thinking of him as Kal. To her, he was Clark, had been for years. Not her cousin, Kal. He was Clark. Her son.
She stopped in the reception area, just standing there and waiting. She picked up the beginnings of the Jor-El hologram saying something to Clark, but then deliberately stopped listening, giving him privacy. Clark had wanted to know about his father for so very long, he deserved to have his privacy for it.
It had been a long day. A lot to put on a boy that was still just 12 years old. She was only 25 herself, really not that much of a difference, but she felt so much older. She still thought of herself as Kara-El most of the time. Kara who remembered Krypton. Kara who grew up the daughter of Zor and Alura. Kara who watched as Krypton died. But she was also Karen Kent, who had grown into a woman under the loving care of Jonathan and Martha. Karen, the mother of a sweet little boy who was the single most important thing in the universe to her. For the last 12 years she had been both. Kara and Karen. Super-powered Kryptonian and teenage human mother. And she wanted to be both. She WAS both.
She didn't know how much time had passed. Half an hour maybe? She had just stood there, staring at nothing, waiting, the universe seemingly holding its breath. Finally there were footsteps, Clark emerging from the corridor behind her. She turned around, looking at him as he came towards her.
"I am sure you have many questions," she finally said, her voice somehow sounding steady despite the turmoil of emotions inside of her.
"Hundreds," he said, his own voice somewhat shaky. "But for now I just have one."
"Which one?"
He came closer, looking up at her. She knew that he would soon be as tall as her, probably taller, but for now he was still smaller. Still a child.
Her child.
"I get that you are really my cousin. I understand that. But..."
"Yes?" she asked as his voice trailed off.
His eyes met hers. "Is it okay if I keep calling you mom?"
Kara took him into her arms. "Always!"
And the universe exhaled.
End Chapter 10
Author's Note: I didn't really see this last scene coming, it sort of snuck up on me. This was actually one of the first chapters I wrote and I had this whole thing worked out where Clark would go into a teenage snit, act out, yell, brood, and everything. And then this happened. It's been eight years since I lost my mom and I guess I really miss her still. I recently saw the Aquaman movie and when Arthur was reunited with his long-lost mom, I bawled my eyes out. Do me a favor and go hug your mom if you still can.
Oh, and the scene of Clark finding out he can run over water was, of course, inspired by The Incredibles. Greatest superhero family ever to be put on the big screen, bar none.
This chapter marks the end of the first story arc, so to speak, which covered the time period from Kara and Kal's arrival on Earth to Clark being told the truth and taking the first step towards becoming Superboy. The origin mini-series, if you will. There will be fewer time skips now, but I will probably not be able to keep up the daily updates, either.
