Chapter 5:

Jonathon sped along the highway trying his damnedest to get to the Luthor Corp plant before the Sheriff and her deputies. Martha's panicked call to tell him about Clark going to help the plant workers came just moments before the destruction of the methane tankers lit up the sky. Even on the outskirts of Metropolis the explosion could be seen and Jonathon was grateful that he was closer than the County Sheriff.

`Dear God`. Those were the first thoughts that crossed Jonathon's mind as he drove around the carnage that was left between the battle of Clark and whatever the hell it was that was out here. The cornfield lay flattened and burning in what seemed in a mile wide radius. The truck skidded to a stop in the mud and ash as Jonathon grabbed his shotgun from the back window in the cab and began to holler at the top of his lungs. "CLARK!" He climbed onto the hood of his truck and swept his gaze across the ruined field for some sign of his son. "Clark!"

"D-dad…"

Jonathon jumped off the hood and started to trudge through the remains of the field towards the weak sound coming from his son. "Clark! Clark where are you!" The ruined corn moved as Clark tried to get his dads attention waving his arm tiredly in to much pain to do much else. Jonathon swept the ruined corn off of his son's body and bit back a cry of surprise at Clark's bruised and bloody body. "God Clark what happened. Come on son lets get you out of here before the Sheriff turns up."

"I-is it stopped?" Clark tried to focus his badly swollen eyes on his father as Jonathon slipped his arms around Clark and tried to pick him up. Clark groaned as he felt his broken ribs shift under his fathers hold on him. "D-dad…w-where is I-it."

"Clark you're a mess Son, I need to get you out of here before the Sheriff turns up." Jonathon tried his best to ease his son into the flat bed but Clark gripped his arm tightly almost cutting off the circulation and his eyes focused for a few moments on his fathers. "G-got to…got to get t-to caves. Thing….c-called me…Jor-el." Jonathon stared at his son horrified before a determined expression crossed his face. "Ok son, we'll go." Clark rolled into the flat bed and Jonathon pulled the tarp over the top of him before climbing back into the Truck and reversed away from the destruction.

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The fires burned freely around the ruins of the massive methane tankers. Metal groaned and shrieked as it was moved and shifted around the site of the explosion. In the midst of that burning inferno a figure slowly stood. It's skin smoking, it's containment suit in ruins and the restraint on it's once confined arm gone, now it was truly free and it's opponent would fall before it's true might. Ignoring the immense heat from the flames Doomsday searched through the ruins, it would find Jor-el and after a thousand years of captivity would have its vengeance.

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Leaning heavily on his dad's shoulder Clark limped slowly into the caves his teeth grit against the pain as he could feel his broken bones slowly knitting themselves back together. The answers had to be here somewhere, this thing was even stronger than he was and it knew his biological father. He leaned against one of the walls whilst Jonathon swept the beam of his flash light back and forth from image to image till finally it rested on at first appearance was a hunting scene, but the beast being hunted was that of the creature Clark had just battled. "Jor-el!" He pushed away from the wall. "I know you can hear me Jor-el, what is this thing Jor-el, how do I stop it!" Suddenly the cave was filled with a soft blue light as part of the wall melted away and the ship key fell to the ground with a metallic ting. Gingerly Clark knelt and picked it up between his fingers and stiffened as suddenly everything went white.

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It roared in frustration. Somehow Jor-el had escaped it. Doomsday grabbed a piece of two-ton sheet steel, blistering hot and warped from the explosion and hurled it aside in its rage. No matter sooner or later Jor-el would return to once more try to subdue it. Then he would kill the kryptonian. It began to trek across the ruins of the field, it's limited intellect enough to recognise a road for the paths it's metallic enemies used, perhaps if he followed it, and it would lead him to Jor-el. As it stomped along the highway it passed a sign. `Welcome to Smallville Meteor Capital of the World. `

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"Hello Kal-el."

Clark grit his teeth in annoyance. "My name is Clark, not Kal-el." He turned seeking the source of the voice and he stopped short when he came across it. There dressed in white robes with hair almost to his shoulders stood himself. Older, broader across the shoulders, but it was him.

The person nodded. "You are both Clark Kent and Kal-el of Krypton, for you can be neither without the other. I am Jor-el, your father."

Clark stood there in shock as he looked around the white room, glancing down to look at himself and noting he was dressed similarly to Jor-el. "What is this place?"

Jor-el smiled slightly. "This is a virtual simulation of my conoiusness, our home planet was a world of technological wonder, surpassing the advancements of this world by several centuries. We were a world of scientists and artisans with a small contingent arms men, guardians as they were called to defend us. Almost a thousand years before my own experiences here on earth our planet was in the midst of a civil dispute the likes of which was never seen before. The people were protesting the actions the head of the Guardians, a General Zod, Zod sought power only for himself and was rapidly turning Kryptos our sister colony into a police state. In secret Zod charged his lead scientist Abraxus to create a biological weapon, a super soldier to use against Krypton itself and thus the Weapon was created. The Kryptonian genome was spliced and altered till finally from the cloning vats the Weapon was conceived. But it was a force unto itself. It escaped it's bonds and laid waste to first the lab complex then the science compound before unleashing it's wrath upon the city and it's populace. Millions died in the days that followed. Guardians were sent to destroy it and they failed. Whatever Abraxus had done had rendered it nigh invulnerable to all our weapons. I at that time was a Guardian and it was against my fathers wishes that I volunteered for the final assault against the Weapon. Our scientists had been developing a stasis prison to hold the creature and after a long drawn out battle. I and I alone remained alive and the Weapon was sealed within its prison and place in a sychcronys orbit of our primary moon to stay there till we could discover a way to destroy it completely." Jor-el sighed. "We failed and it remained in stasis for a thousand years before the destruction of our planet where the force of the explosion drove the prison here. And now it has escaped."

Clark shook his head trying to clear it of the images that had spawned in his mind as his father spoke of the past. "There must be a way to stop it."

Jor-el shook his head. "The name given to this Weapon by the people here, Doomsday is aptly fitting, for that is what it is, it is unadulterated Hatred, for myself especially and for you by association. You must remember Kal-el, though it looks nothing like you, it's DNA is Kryptonian and like you the longer it spends on this planet under their yellow sun the stronger it becomes. The only reason you have survived this first encounter is your long term exposure, but even then you barely survived."

"Wait Clark turned to face Jor-el, you say it has my powers, or will have, if it's Kryptonian in origin then won't the Meteor fragments affect it the way they do me?"

Jor-el pondered a moment before nodding. "Perhaps, but you would have to handle them yourself and that would render you truly vulnerable to its frenzied attacks."

Clark nodded. "It's a chance I have to take Jor-el, even now it could be on its way to Smallville and I know what I have to do."

The white faded and Clark found himself back in the caves his dad's hand resting on his shoulder. "Are you ok son?" Clark winced as the touch set some of his bruises off. "Jor-el thinks that my plan could work, this Doomsday is Kryptonian in origin, that means the Kryptonite will affect it like it does me."

Jonathon shook his head. "No, it's far to risky, that thing almost killed you son, you can barely stand and you want to go toe to toe with it again with kryptonite involved?" Jonathon squeezed his sons shoulder. "You need to recover let the authorities deal with it."

"Dad I can't stand here and do nothing while it rampages through the town."

The Key seemed to float from Clarks hand and hovered there, Jor-els voice filling the cave. "Kal-el is correct Jonathon Kent, this is his destiny, he must stop this creature before it grows in power. But you are correct that Kal-el is in no fit state to challenge the Weapon." The Key spun in the air, spinning so fast soon it was a blur before it seemed to erupt in brilliant yellow light. "My final gift to you my son, once this light fades my central power source will fade and I will be no more, know I love you and I gladly give my life a second time so that you may have a chance at your own."

Jonathon threw his arm over his eyes to shield him from the glare, Jor-el's words ringing in his ears. "Clark!"

Clark Kent, Kal of the house El stood bathing in the light. He could feel his wounds healing at an accelerated rate even for him, bones knitted together instantly, gashes from the creatures bone spurs heals leaving fresh pink skin and no scars.

Finally the light faded and Jonathon stood there blinking the tears away trying to see past the colour spots. "Clark where are you son?" Finally the spots cleared and Jonathon stared at his son in astonishment. Clark stood there in the centre of the room garbed in a skin tight Jump suit of white with a Silver pentagon on his chest bearing the symbol of the house El. A white half mask covered his face with a dark strip across his eyes. "Clark what did he do to you?"

Clark looked at his dad through the visor. "He recharged my solar reserves, it was the only way dad, as for the outfit, it was Jor-els, we figured it would draw Doomsday's attention. Dad I have to go now, tell mom I love her and tell Lana I'm sorry I couldn't give her the fairytale."

Before Jonathon could respond Clark speeded out from the caves leaving him behind to simply wait and see if is son would return from this fight.

TBC…