In Smallville High's dark halls, the school lockers, and posters of new plans for the students and faculty spread a cheer of a previous day. However, this was covered by the malfunctioning lights and the smell of remaining odors from the previous day. The only sounds that were in the hallways were the sounds of rusty wheels from the janitor's cleaning cart, and keys being pressed from the end of the hall. The latter noise was made in a small room that reflected the sounds outwards. The keyboard that made them continued to make the clicks that the janitor heard. The owner of this keyboard and the clunky machine it was connected to was Raymond Jensen. The man was tired that evening. Bags under his eyes, but determined to stay restless for the mission he came to Smallville for. That mission was LuthorCorp.
As an environmental journalist, Ray faced a lot of scrutiny for simply providing research for puff pieces on various charities. He wasn't taken seriously as a journalist until his work for the Metropolis Star. Here, he achieved a great amount of fame for his work, finding the truth on a potential outbreak in Louisiana. This earned Raymond quite the fame and notoriety, but he thought he could do more to keep the public informed in his home in Metropolis on the things going on around them. Though he got his wish. In 1989, billionaire industrialist Lionel Luthor had rumors surrounding him about a trip he made out of town. Distancing himself from his company, LuthorCorp. Ray jumped on this opportunity due to the pollution the company had produced. Theorizing that a trip to a small farm town could be a continuation of Lionel's negligence to nature.
Now set up as a counselor for the journalism department at Smallville High, Ray started at work for many years on the biggest case of his life. Keeping record of Luthor's contracts ever since entering the town, the possibilities of electrical disturbances underground, and small bits of evidence leading to bribery of public officials. All of which never could stick until 12 years after Ray's arrival. He managed to find help in a young protege. Clark Kent. The boy was like nothing Ray had ever seen and offered him a fresh new perspective on this case. Photographic evidence of power failure caused by the underground tunnels, hush money delivered to developers. It was finally coming together. Though proof and motive was needed and that clearly was not above ground.
Clark had to provide the photos he was supposed to take during summer break. Though in the meantime, Ray wished to check the tunnels to find something that could help solidify what he worked on for so many years. First using Lionel's blueprints as a map. Finding them was a challenge, but he was typing all night to look. However, after finally pulling up a blueprint on a potential leak a friend led him to in Metropolis, Ray had clicked as fast as he saw it.
As soon as he did, an error popped up on the screen. Followed by a few more. The monitor rumbled while Ray tried holding it down while taking a closer look at the screen. Something was wrong with the pixels inches from his face. He saw a swirl developing on the screen. However it then started extruding from the image itself. These particles shocked him throughout his body. Entangling inside a vortex of light in excruciating pain. After a pull from this vortex that launched him from his chair to the screen, the light from the monitor vanished and Raymond Jensen disappeared without a trace.
The janitor outside heard the commotion and came to see what was going on, but no trace was left aside from a letter telling them nobody was there anyway. The janitor dismissed the worries he had and continued back to work.
In a dark tunnel underneath Smallville, an imposing shadow loomed over Clark Kent as he looked on in awe. He fell over on the metal floor below. After recovering, Clark looked into the shining eyes of J'onn J'onzz gazing back at him. J'onn was an almost skeletal figure that was large in stature. This alien shared no similarities to Victoria Klingman. With a complete change in his strength, appearance, and voice. Being much more of a deep snarl compared to the menacing grit Victoria Klingman had. Clark still didn't know which one scared him more. Even the clothes Klingman wore had transformed when J'onn did. Now transformed from a ruffle blouse and a normal pencil skirt to a blue and red uniform of some kind. Red straps held in an 'X' formation connect a blue cloak and dark blue shorts with a spiral pattern in their placement. Embedded in the straps are golden pins keeping the whole thing together. The transformation looked like smoke transforming into water and solidified in the final design on top of his green form.
As Clark was still shocked by this visage of the green martian, J'onn held his hand out to Clark to help him up. "Get up. I have to return you home." The strange voice of J'onn J'onzz declared. Clark was hesitant. He still wasn't entirely trusting of Klingman, J'onn, or whoever this person was.
"I'm not leaving with you until I know what happened to Ms. Klingman." Clark demanded. Something must have happened to his teacher. If J'onn J'onzz arrived the night his spaceship landed in Smallville, then that means he just took Victoria Klingman's identity. Where she had been at that time was a mystery. However J'onn, knowing the real answer, grew frustrated by this. Just then, his grunts became cries of pain as he too fell to the ground. Though Clark reversed the situation as he got up. Startled by the giant alien falling over.
J'onn converted back as his clothes changed their state once more, and his skin changed from a medium shade of green to Klingman's pale wrinkled human skin. However slightly weaker than when J'onn arrived in the sewers just a few seconds prior. This change in form was connected to J'onn's weaker state somehow. He tried to move as he did as a green phantom in his movement, but was unsuccessful at mustering his strength and form from earlier.
"I know you want answers." J'onn groaned when he faltered in his movement upwards in his disguised form. "I have some of what you seek. One of which is this. I never chose this form, and I didn't kill Victoria Klingman." J'onn clarified slowly. His cadence had been delayed because of a feeling of weakness he felt.
"The human form has limits and whatever forced me to be trapped in this one has enhanced those limitations. Keeping me weakened in this form like a dog in a tugged leash." J'onn continued clarifying. Now he stood on his own two feet in Victoria's form. Holding onto a wall for support, but Clark hesitantly helped him up. Despite previously dwarfing the young teen, J'onn was now only slightly taller once more. The size and appearance Clark knew the martian as his whole life.
"Here, let me get you to the ladder. Help get us out of here." Clark suggested. As he moved the teacher forward, J'onn stopped and halted the boy's movements briefly.
"We're about to have company." J'onn warned instinctively. Clark looked up, trying to get a handle on his new abilities to double check, but couldn't hear anything. What randomly triggered before was dead silent aside from sounds close by such as J'onn's breathing and the water droplets down there in the tunnels.
"I don't hear anything. What is coming?" Clark inquired, still not getting any sound from the ground above them.
"It's not from the sounds they make. Their thoughts can't be stopped at any moment. I can read the workers and they're coming our way." J'onn informed Clark. He moved in the opposite direction of the ladder in order to stay further away from the approaching workers. Gesturing for Clark to follow him. Clark was hesitant since he knew little about J'onn, but then he did hear the guards make movements above which meant they were close enough for his own enhanced senses. It was time to move.
"Wait, you can read minds?" Clark wondered. J'onn didn't have time for questions the boy would inevitably have and so moved him along by his arm. However it was lucky he did end up following along. The boy was strong enough to match J'onn's own strength at full power. In his weakened state, even holding for his attention took some effort.
"Now is not the time for questions about who I am. We need to hide somewhere down here for now." J'onn suggested. "I'm too weak to use my powers to get out so I will need your help. Though if we are both going to make it down in these tunnels, you will need to trust me. Can you do this, Clark Kent?" J'onn clarified. The venture was a tough one to process, but it had to be travelled. Otherwise, both Clark and J'onn would be caught. Exposing J'onn and getting Clark in trouble as well. Clark nodded in agreement. This plan was in both their interests. And so they helped each other get further into the tunnels and hid away when the workers finally entered through the ladder.
Through one tunnel, Clark and J'onn had stumbled through a small crevice in the wall that led into a pathway surrounded by pipes and wires. It seemed like this section was more for maintenance work on the electricity above rather than the tunnels themselves. As Clark and J'onn worked their way in as the workers inside investigated their noise, they stood still and waited for them to pass by their location.
"I think they're gone. Should we get back up?" Clark consulted with J'onn. Seeing if he'd be willing and also if he can detect further dangers.
"Give me a second to breathe. This body's limits are hard to adjust to. Especially after a transformation." J'onn illuminated. Trying to help Clark understand the struggle he was under despite his deception.
Clark looked around while J'onn was recuperating. He tried looking for some exits out of this maze of pipes they hid themselves in. Until one of the pipes showed something familiar to Clark. Etched into the pipe were the initials 'R.J' that were familiar to the young man.
"Raymond Jensen." Clark muttered to himself. J'onn had looked away from his lookout position close to the opposite wall of pipes and back to Clark. Overhearing his comment.
"Who?" J'onn questioned.
"Raymond Jensen. From the Torch. Our highschool paper. He runs it." Clark summarized. J'onn recalled what Clark was thinking of from memory. "I remember. He arrived in Smallville a few years before I did, but despite that, was still very much of Metropolis." J'onn commented. His info about Metropolis skewed due to the majority of his life being on Mars, but he had still picked up quite a bit in 15 years on Earth. "His disappearance was coupled with an absentee notice I saw in his office. Nothing out of the ordinary aside from the fact that he entrusted his stories with you." J'onn added when recalling the events of the past few weeks. Observing Clark as he did. While the mistrust was laid on him for the most part, J'onn did the same.
"I wasn't involved with his disappearance. He was investigating Lionel's activities and was stretched too thin. I took some pictures for Ray and laid them out in his office later." Clark explained to him. He started feeling the site of the engraving. Seeing how it was made could give some clues. J'onn put the pieces together as Clark investigated the markings. "So Ray had looked into these tunnels. However, in order to find more, he decided to go in after hours."
"Seems so, but he was never just held up from getting to school. The marks made on this pipe are recent. The corrosion hasn't changed in color yet. Wherever he is, he's still down here." Clark was heartened by this news. His mentor could potentially be alive. At least this meant something good could come of the day.
Inside the tunnels, tiny purple lights floated over in between pipes. These were drones with cameras attached to the top of them. They moved out of sight as quickly as they entered when Clark and J'onn planned their next move and got moving deeper into another area of the tunnels. Out of sight of the cameras. The Brain InterActive Construct was on the other end of them. Viewing their movements inside the collective drones. Inside a digital stratosphere, Brainiac reviewed the footage.
"Kal-El. You've discovered a friend. Completely foreign DNA scan. Must complete further analysis." Brainiac declared before loading across a vast digital database. It swept a vast number of species at his disposal and that helped him gather that which he needed to.
"Interesting. Compiled under the Class-B morph index. Along with a possible camouflage index. Processing..." Listed through previous footage connected with Kal-El, Brainiac had found Ms. Klingman in a few that matched the date he had converted Milton Fine for Project: Pulsar. "Project Log: Contact Lionel Luthor in approximately half an Earth rotation on intel regarding this intruder's human disguise. Attach the recording along with a full facial reconstruction, but corrupt any signs of Kal-El in the drone's recording." Brainiac logged. Leaving the digital stratosphere, a mechanical container drilled into the wall started spinning to life. Then coming to an exact stop. Inside, a glow started increasing through the chambers of the container. Brainiac felt his consciousness travel into the skeletal body inside the container holding it. As Brainiac felt the eyes open on this drone, the entire form of it was woven with artificial flesh and advanced technology built into it. Fully forming into the strength he needed. Now fully calibrated, the woven muscles broke through restraints that decayed in the container.
"Drone data processed. Beginning offense protocols."
