Chapter 3

Clark and Thor stepped out of a helicopter in the North Pole. They had heard about what was rumored to be an alien ship. This caught Clark's attention as he had been on a search for answers. Thor had been quiet the whole way, lost in thought after his attempt to get his hammer back.

"Thor? Are you sure you want to follow me on this," Clark asked.

"I have nowhere else to go. And you have been a good friend. I shall at least aid you in your search for answers." He told Clark, a tone of sadness in his voice.

"Gentlemen," said a female voice. A woman approached them, decked out in a military uniform. "You can unload the boxes over there." She said pointing at a tent. "Be careful, that equipment is fragile."

"Yes mam," Clark said as Thor remained silent. "Uh...I'm sorry, I'm not very good with ranks."

"Lieutenant," She said smiling. "My name is Liz, Sherman."

"Clark Kent," he smiled. "And this is my friend Th…..Theo."

"Well, better hurry and unload everything." She smiled as she walked off.

Later than night, Clark and Thor had snuck away from the camp and made their way up the mountain. Clark used his heat vision to burn a path to the ship. Both men stopped and stared in awe at the sight of it. A hatch opened and they both made their way inside.

"This is quite something," Thor said as he smiled for the first time since leaving New Mexico.

Clark pulled out a key that he had kept since he was kid, when his dad had first showed him his ship and told him how they found him. Looking over at what he assumed could be a console of some sort, he noticed a hole that fit the shape of the key. Holding the key up, it was pulled out of his hand and into the console. That was when the power came on and the two men looked around.

They then heard footsteps behind them and turned to see who it was. "Well, seems you two are more than just hired help huh?"

"Lt. Sherman," Clark questioned. She had a gun drawn on the two of them.

A robotic drone appeared and approached the three of them. Liz turned her gun on it, not knowing what to expect. After assessing the three of them, it perceived a threat and turned hostile. It fired at Liz but Clark sped in between them and shielded her. She looked at him stunned as he was hit in the back. The drone fired again but this time Clark caught it, crushing it with his bare hands. Thor grinned in amusement at Clark's show of strength. Liz looked at him speechless. The three of them then felt the ship begin to move as it lifted out of the icey mountain, taking off.

"What's happening," Liz questioned. That is when the three of them noticed a new figure appear out of thin air, approaching them. Liz turned her gun on him.

"You can lower your weapon. I am not really here." The man told her. "I am merely a holographic image. An echo from the past." She then lowered her gun.

The man approached Clark, looking him over with a smile. "You have grown, Kal."

"Kal," Clark questioned. "Who are you?"

"My name is Jor-El. You...are my son. Kal-El."

"Kal-El,"Clark repeated. "Who am I? Where am I from? How can I do these things that I can do? I have so many questions."

"You were born on the planet Krypton," Jor-El told him. "Krypton's first natural birth in centuries."

"What do you mean," Clark asked, confused.

"On Krypton, we reached a point in our civilization where artificial population control was established." Jor-El directed his attention to the images forming around them. "Every child grown, bred to fulfill a specific role in society. Politicians, scientists, soldiers, all decided before a child is even born."

"That's abhorrent," Liz commented, "Do they have any free will?"

"That is the question, is it not?" Jor-el replied. "How much of your actions are your own. And how much are due to what has been programmed into you. This system led to the downfall of our civilization and destruction of our planet."

"Krypton is gone," Clark stated, his father nodded.

"We began harvesting the core of our own planet for resources. The planet became unstable, it was inevitable. I tried to argue with the council, make them see but they refused to listen. Unable to see past their own programming. They were more concerned with preserving tradition. What Krypton had become. They could not see that our world was already doomed."

"The future of our race is in you, Kal-el." Clark looked up at him . "I knew it, and your mother knew it. As Krypton's first natural birth, you are free to choose your own path. Krypton, the best of our race, lives on in you."

After taking a minute to collect himself, Clark asked, " What am I supposed to do? Why did you send me here?"

"Your mother and I knew that this planet would nurture you as you grew. These humans are a young people, Kal-el. They are capable of great pain and suffering. But they are also capable of being great good. They can be better than what they are, they wish to be. You can help them. You can show them the way."

"How am I supposed to do that?" Clark asked as he turned from them. "All these years, I've seen how cruel people can be. I don't know how I'm supposed to lead anyone."

"I have faith in you, son. I know you can," Jor-el told him.

Thor watched as Jor-el put a hand on Clark's shoulder, reassuring him. He couldn't help but think about his last interaction with his father. He yelled at his father and called him a fool. He was now starting to feel like he was the fool.

"There is much I can show you," Jor-el said. "It will take time, but I can show you how to use your power. You have only begun to scratch the surface of what you are capable of."

Clark looked over at Thor. "My friend has nowhere else to go at the moment, so he can stay with me if he wants. But, Ms. Sherman isn't like us. We should drop her off somewhere so she can go home."

"Ms. Sherman...," Clark began.

"Natasha. My name is Natasha Romanoff," she said, catching Clark by surprise. "I was supposed to investigate this ship and determine whether it was a threat."

"You...you work for the government or something," Clark asked.

"Or something," she grinned. "I don't see any threat here."