Chapter 4: Hearing Damage

Lois' POV

"Did you sleep alright?" I asked as Conner shrugged.

"I don't know."

"Alright… Go get dressed and then you can come have some cereal for breakfast, alright?"

About ten minutes later he was seated at the kitchen table with a bowl of cereal.

"Where is Clark?"

"He left earlier. He said something about needing to see Bruce before work."

"Oh."

"Conner, you'll have to come to work with me today."

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Clark's POV

Bruce, Alfred, and Leslie were in the cave beside Jason when I arrived. Bruce has propping Jason up as they drained the blood and fluid from his collapsed lung. The procedure took about twenty excruciating minutes. The boy whined and moaned like an animal begging to be put down throughout the ordeal. His mournful whimpers could literally make a grown man cry.

When it was over, they changed his bandages, fed him from a tube, and administered a shot of something into his bloodstream. The two doctors went on and began sterilizing the area while Bruce gently laid his son back down and carefully held his hand.

"Painful to watch, isn't it?" Dick sighed as he came to stand beside me.

"It is."

"They said he only had a ten percent chance of surviving… There's only a five percent chance that he'll walk again. He might even be left with permanent brain damage. There is only a two percent chance of a full recovery. And the scars will never fade… But he's alive."

"I'm sorry about your brother. What the Joker did-"

"You don't have to say anything else. I get it… Jason wasn't the only one that was hurt. Bruce nearly killed the Joker. They're both on hospital beds. Only difference is the Joker's survival rate is a hundred percent. Rather or not he'll be paralyzed is another thing."

"I'm sorry again."

He nodded before leaving my side. He swapped places with Bruce who came to stand before me and growled, "What do you want?"

"Bruce, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said-"

"I know." He grunted before walking away as I followed him.

"Bruce, wait. I'm sorry."

"Are you?"

"Yes."

A moment of silence passed before he huffed, "Fine."

"That's it? You're not mad anymore?"

"Were you expecting a hug?" he growled.

"Not from you."

"Then you may leave. Don't you have a job you should be at?"

"I do but I have a few minutes I can spare."

"Lucky me… How is the boy?"

"He didn't know what a bath was… Yet, he tell me the capitol city of France, what the square root of sixteen is, and how photosynthesis works. Yet, he cannot button a shirt or turn a shower on without help."

"Clark, the boy had reached the point of twelve years of life inside that pod. He wasn't finished aging… Of course he doesn't know everything! Technically, he is a baby stuck in a twelve year old's body with a high intelligence level. He needs someone to show him how to do everything things."

"Yes but-"

"You also need to be aware that his full powers haven't developed yet… You received most of yours at the age of twelve, didn't you?"

"He ripped a door of its hinges!"

"Has he experienced x-ray vision or super hearing or something of that nature?"

"I don't know." I mumbled.

"And yet you're still standing there. After all, we met when you were nine and the only thing you had was super strength. You experienced nothing else until later on."

"What are you trying to say?"

"Any second now, he could start developing his powers inside a vastly populated city with no one around to help him understand what's going on."

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Lois' POV

Conner stared up at the giant globe on top of the building in partial wonder and confusion. The streets around the building were crowded with people trying to get to their jobs on time.

"Welcome to the Daily Planet. I'm a journalist and so is your father."

He mumbled something like, "I have no father."

"Anyway, we'll go inside and then we'll-" I began before he took a step back and grabbed his head with his hands.

"Make it stop!" he yelled.

"Conner, what is it? What's wrong?"

He shook his head and plugged his ears with his fingers.

"Conner, what is it? Are you hurt?"

"Make it stop!" he screamed before turning and running away from me into oncoming traffic.

"Conner! Stop! Conner!" I screamed, running after him.

He stopped right in the middle of the road. He vanished less than a second later.

********Break********

Clark's POV

I set him down in the grass. A few minutes later, he released his death grip on his ears and slowly opened his eyes before looking up at me.

"The voices-"

"You have super hearing. You can hear everyone talking around you all at once. You have to learn how to control it and only focus on one thing at a time." I interrupted as he started looking around.

"Where are we?"

"Smallville."

"I don't know what that is."

"It's the town I grew up in. We're on my parents' farm."

"Oh… I saw Lois' skeleton."

I replied, "That would be x-ray vision."

"What else can I do?"

"So much more. Come on."

He followed me as we moved away from the pasture towards the house. Krypto ran out to meet us barking and wagging his tail. Streaky was curled up on the porch asleep.

Krypto ran up to Conner and licked his hand. The boy smiled as he began to pet the dog.

"Clark!"

I looked up to see Ma coming towards me. I hugged her before she kissed my cheek.

"I'm glad you're here. And who is this?"

"Ma, this is Conner."

********Break********

"Pass the chicken, son." Pa ordered as I passed him the plate.

"Clark, is there a reason why we were never informed of our new grandson?" Ma asked.

"Ah… well… I-"

"It's because he hates me." Conner stated.

They both stared at him as he looked down at his plate and muttered, "It's true. He kept calling me an it. He wanted to have me destroyed but Batman wouldn't let him. He said he wasn't my father. He yelled at Lois for letting me have Chris' room. He doesn't want me. He hates me because I was cloned from his DNA."

"Conner, I-"

"I never asked for your son to die! I never asked for you to take me away from that pod! I never asked for your wife to take me to your home and give me a name! I never asked for your friend to create an identity for me! I never asked for anything from you! I never asked to be made!" he yelled as he stood before he turned and ran.

A moment of silence passed before Ma stood up and said, "Clark Joseph Kent, I have never been more disappointed in you in my entire life."

She left the room as Pa just shook his head at me. He sighed before saying, "I think we need to have a talk outside."

I followed him outside. He came to a stop on the front porch. I could see Conner out in one of the pastures sitting on the grass and staring up at the night sky. Kyrpto was beside him with a ball in his mouth, begging the boy to throw it.

"You know son… Right out there in that cornfield was where your Ma and I found you."

"I know, Pa."

"Son, you weren't ours. Heck, you even came from a different planet. But none of that mattered. Your Ma and I loved you more than anything. We took you in and raised you to be a good man… We'd just thought we'd raised you better than the way you're actin' right now."

I didn't respond as he placed his hand on my shoulder.

"Clark, look at me. You know that I love you, don't you?"

"I do."

"Then take a look at that boy out there playin' with that dog… He's no different than you. He didn't have a choice on the way he was made no more than you did… When I gave you my name, I never cared that I didn't help make you… I just wanted you as my son."

"What do you want me to do?" I asked.

"Care… I know you loved Chris… I did too. He was my first grandson, but you can't punish Conner for his death. Chris wouldn't want you to do that."

*********Break********

Conner's POV

I threw the ball as far as I could and watched as Krypto zoomed after it. I looked up as Clark walked over to me.

"Mind if I join you?" he asked as I shrugged.

He sat down beside me as Krypto brought the ball back and dropped it between us. Clark picked it up and threw it as far as possible.

"That went really far." I muttered as he shrugged.

"You're still young. You don't have your full powers yet."

"When will I get them?"

"I'm not sure. I think I was about thirteen or fourteen when I figured out what all I could do."

"Oh."

"You know, it might be better if you were to stay here for a while."

A moment of silence passed before I commented, "I like it here."

"I do too… It's quiet. I grew up here… You can do anything here and no one will know. It would be better for you to stay here until you can control your powers."

"It's so you don't have to deal with me, isn't it?"

"It's not that… Look Conner, I know I haven't been the nicest person. I'm sorry, okay?"

I shrugged before throwing the ball again.

"It's just that you're something I have to get used to… I lost Chris three years ago. And I just couldn't get over it. I'll probably never get over it… I know it's not your fault and I'll try to be a better… father to you."

"Okay." I responded.

*********Break********

Lois' POV

"Where's Conner? What happened? Is he hurt?" I asked the second Clark walked through the door.

"He's fine. He just had his first taste of his powers coming in."

"Where is he?"

"Smallville."

"He's with your parents? Why?"

He paused before carefully replying, "Lois, Conner is going to be living with my parents and Kara for the next year until he can control his powers."