Experiment 001
Chapter 7: Do You Believe Me Now?
"Survive?" Martha asked.
"Day by day," Alley continued. "That's the only way. Some days I don't think that I can stand it another second. But I have to. I swore that I would protect and teach Kal-El. I cannot break my promise. Fryt-Jor-El was as close to a father as I could get after I was banished. He was so nice. That is most likely why I do not appreciate rumors being spread about him." She sighed, "You most likely don't believe me, but what I am telling you is true. I swear it."
Jonathan scoffed, "Clark, remember Kara? What if this is just another trick from Jor-El to get you away from us?"
"Kara?" Alley asked, thinking, "That isn't a Kryptonian name..."
The Kents all stared at her. "Really?" Jonathan asked mockingly, "Then what kind of name is it?"
She looked at them with wide eyes, "Well, the name is from Krypton's sister planet—" She gasped, "It only destroyed—gee-ah ra! Ta...never...bru hio!" She spoke as if it was a curse, "But I don't have a computer fast enough! I could easily work that out! Simple geo...geometry." She turned to Clark, "That's what you call it, correct?" She turned, "The velocity of the fragm...unigr..." she started to mumble quickly in Kryptonian. "Do you have a piece of paper and a pencil?"
Martha looked at her, "What for?"
Alley shook her head annoyed, "Never mind. Krypton was not the only planet in our system which had life. Her sister planet also contained life. But when Krypton was destroyed, the brain must not have destroyed that planet. But they hated Kryptonians...why would they want Kal-El? Spite?" She thought for a moment, "The explosion must have done something...the gravitational forces..." she sighed exasperated, "I don't know all the words to describe it in English. If I had a Kryptonian computer I could work it out!" She sighed again, "'Take care of the ship...whatever happens, don't let the ship be destroyed'...you told me, but could I help it?! No! Now I'm stuck on this bru hio planet with nothing but my memory!"
Clark sighed; he knew he would regret this later, "I still have my ship."
"Clark!" Both of his parents gasped.
"Mom, dad, maybe she can open it. Maybe she can tell me why it says to rule them—"
Alley's head snapped up, she looked around and grabbed a piece of paper and a pen that had been sitting on the counter and quickly drew something on it. She held it up for Clark to see, "Did it look like this?!" Clark studied the picture and nodded. Alley started to laugh, "All children make that mistake! This means 'exist'!" She drew another picture on the paper, next to the first one. She held it up for Clark to see. They were almost identical, except the second had a small box with a dot inside it connected to it. "This means conquer!"
Clark stared at the pictures. "You can read and write Kryptonian?"
"Of course! I told you. I was working out the volume of twenty three dimensional universes when I was four! Reading and writing are nothing! Though I'm a little rusty, cause there is no real need to write. But I kept a journal in Kryptonian. I started it when I was first learning English." She opened her backpack and pulled out a small red book, "I've never shown it to anyone. Not even Alex."
Clark took it and opened it. Inside were a lot of symbols, Clark recognized a few, but most of them were foreign to him. There were a few in particular that he recognized; "hate" and "afraid" were what stuck out the most.
"But you—" She stopped and stared at Clark for a moment, "Have you ever had to cut your hair?"
Clark was unprepared for the question. He stammered for a moment before he finally got out, "What?"
"Your hair," she annunciated, "did you ever have to cut it?"
Clark shook his head, "No, it doesn't grow longer than this." He was wondering what the heck this had to do with their conversation.
She smiled widely. "He didn't think it would be important. But I did. Just like a girl, always thinking about looks, he said. I thought that maybe people on Earth wore their hair short, like on Krypton. I thought I could fix it, if I was wrong, but I just wanted to make sure that you would fit in."
"How did you fix it?" Martha asked.
"Well, I knew that the change in radiation of the suns would wreak havoc on our bodies, I didn't know how, or what it would do, exactly; I did experiments, but none turned out exactly like what has happened. Well, I created the...Fryt-Jor-El called them 'Alio', for me. They're little robots that keep your hair from growing longer than that."
"You created?" Martha asked.
Alley nodded, "Yes, I'm glad they worked. I spent a long time trying to perfect them." She giggled, "Longer than Fryt-Jor-El wanted me to."
"Why do you keep calling him, 'Fryt'?" Jonathan asked.
"Well, it's like a form of respect. Not unlike 'Mister'." She looked around, "So, the ship is undamaged?"
Clark nodded, "But it seems to work on its own. Whenever I want it to do something, it won't open."
"Well, have you asked it to?"
"What?"
Alley laughed, "It's voice activated. We kept it simple. Five words will open it."
"And what five words are those?" Jonathan asked, sarcasm lacing his words.
"May I show you?"
Clark nodded and led the group out to the barn, and down into the cellar where his ship was kept.
Alley ran her fingers across its hull. "So small..." She looked at the wing, where the small octagonal key was missing. "Where's the key?"
"It was stolen," Jonathan eyed her, "this won't cause a problem, will it?" He knew she was going to make some excuse. She wasn't from Krypton.
Her response surprised him, "Not in the least. The key was to open it without speaking. Tsukai mir la ui Alli-Oxah."
Jonathan, Clark and Martha jumped as the ship started to emit an eerie red glow. A hum filled the cellar and the ship opened. The red light focused into a beam and a line of light stuck itself to Alley's forehead. As suddenly as the light appeared, it was gone, and Alley staggered back, shaking her head. "I had forgotten how strange that felt."
Clark was stunned, to say the least, "What did you do?"
"Tran...translation," she looked up for a moment, "Yeah, translation."
"Translation? Of what?" Martha really didn't have to ask, because a moment later the entire cellar filled with the same red glow.
"Alli-Oxah," a deep voice spoke, it was gentle and kind, and as smooth as silk. "My apprentice."
Clark gasped, and heard the same reaction of awe from his parents. At the center of the red glow, a translucent image of a man stood. He was tall and regal, wearing a long black robe with an "S" inside a triangular pentagon on his chest. A thick black cord was tied around his head.
Alley bowed her head, waved her left hand over both shoulders and extended then extended it to him, palm up. "Sir Jor-El."
He returned the gesture, and placed his hand on hers. "You have grown, become a woman. This program has not been activated before now. What has happened?" The hologram's face contorted with worry, "My son? Does he live?"
"Yes, my lord. He lives."
Relief flooded his face and he smiled, "You look to be eighteen...my son is eleven? And hansom? He had so many qualities of his mother. He must be intelligent. Have you taught him well? Has he already begun multiphasic calculus? Any interest in science in general?"
"Sir! Please, slow down. One of the stasis chambers malfunctioned."
"Kal-El remains an infant?"
"Kal-El is seventeen."
Jor-El's smile widened into a full-toothed grin, "My son..." The smile faded. "I have no right to call him such. Did he find a family? One who loves him as Lara and I did?"
"Yes."
"He must despise Lara and me."
"He does not know you, Lord! He cannot speak Kryptonian. Nor read it..."
"You were assigned to teach...!"
"Lord! I did try. The chamber failed, as I said. For five years after we landed it kept me frozen. I was found by...scientists...it was not until now that I have found your son again. He lives as an Earthling. He knows nothing of his birth home."
The figure nodded solemnly, "As it should be. And you? Did you find a family?"
"For the most part. Though families on Earth are very unlike ours. Status is defined by wealth."
Jor-El smiled, "As I reminded you it would. You must have been quite the protégé; your intellect was staggering for your age, even on Krypton."
"No, milord," Alley lowered her head in shame. "The scientists did not understand, they destroyed the ship before the translation programs could run. I was unable to communicate."
"Destroyed?" He asked, his head turned to the side, as if he was thinking. "If you could not communicate...how long where you there?"
Alli-Oxah lowered her head and mumbled something.
"You will answer your lord, apprentice!"
"A year, milord."
"What did you do?"
"I gained knowledge."
"If not on language, what?"
"The Brain Computer polluted the fragments of Krypton. I cannot even have a memento from home. It emits radiation lethal to Kryptonians."
"And Kal-El knows this?"
"Yes, milord." She thought for a moment, "Clark," she said to the figure. "Clark Kent is the name he was given."
"Clark-Kent." He smiled, "And the family of Kent, what is their status?"
"They are here, milord, if you wish to speak to them."
"I would," the figure answered.
Alley looked back at the three people staring at the spaceship in shock. "Mr. Kent," she called. "Will you please speak to Lord Jor-El?"
Jonathan didn't take his eyes away from the figure standing above the ship, "Why can he speak English?"
Alley smiled, "He can't, that light was actually a neural reading device. Makes you think you're speaking each other's language. Can't you tell? My English isn't exactly this perfect. I haven't had to stop and think once?"
Jonathan put his hand to his head, "Will this cause any damage?"
"No."
Jonathan nodded, not quite believing, and walked up to where Alley was. The figure bowed and repeated the same gesture of moving his hand over his shoulders and extending it palm up to Jonathan, which Alley had done to the figure. Jonathan looked over to Alley who was mimicking the gesture; telling him to do the same. Jonathan did it, and the figure straightened.
"Lord Jonathan-Kent, of the House of Kent, I present myself to you. I am Lord Jor-El, Leader of the house of El...former leader of the House of El."
"What do you mean, 'former'?"
"Lord Jor-El is long dead. I am a holographic representation of his personality downloaded into this ship's memory core. And the Leader of the House of El would be my son, Kal-El."
"His name is Clark."
Jor-El nodded, "Do forgive me. You were the one who cared for him. I must remember that he is no longer seen as my son. Though you must believe, I loved my son."
"Then why did you send him away?"
"Our planet was dying. I had no choice. I could not leave with him, I was being traced, and Lara would not leave me. I had the ship eighty percent completed when Alli-Oxah told me that she had found some frightening information that she could not explain. I knew she was the most intelligent of my students. She found out on her own, and gave me what I thought was enough information to go to the Council, but they would not believe us. She helped finish the ship and we built another for her. I did not want our culture to die."
Jonathan sighed, "I don't understand. He was a baby. How would that make your culture survive?"
"That is why Alli-Oxah was sent. She grew up in our culture. She would teach him."
"But she was only seven."
"A very intelligent seven year old. My youngest apprentice. Brilliant in physics. Would have brought her house a great title when she was older."
"Title?"
"Yes, on Krypton a house's title was dependent on many things. Alli-Oxah would have been a great scientist. It is unfortunate that she was unable to learn English by the ship's translator. She would have given your planet an abundance of information that would have helped your evolution. It must be difficult for her. She has so much information in her brain, but she cannot convey it because she does not have the vocabulary."
Martha could not wait any longer. She stepped closer to the hologram. "But why weren't we able to open the ship? Jonathan and I have always wondered why he was sent here, and what kind of people could send a baby away."
"People with no other choice, my lady. You would be Jonathan-Kent's wife?"
Martha nodded, "Yes, I'm Martha Kent."
Jor-El smiled, he touched his forehead with his middle finger and touched Martha's forehead. She looked over to Alley who was giggling.
"It's like a guy kissing your hand, here," Alley explained.
"You are just as beautiful as my wife. And to answer your question, it is because the ship is voice activated, but in Kryptonian. Your language would have no effect on it."
"But it has a mind of its own."
"The only way the ship can react without a voice code is because of the key, or for a medical reason." The image wavered in front of them, "The memory banks are in disrepair. Alli-Oxah will repair them, if you wish. The crash jostled a few pieces loose. I will speak with you again, if you wish."
Jonathan and Martha both nodded, and the hologram and the red light vanished.
"Do you believe me now?" Alli-Oxah asked.
Martha sighed, "I guess we have to. Although you might have to let this soak into our brains."
Alley nodded, "I would understand. It must be...uncom...difficult, to have it said so quickly. I am sorry. But if you wish, I shall repa...fix the ship so that you may speak whenever you wish."
Martha smiled, "Thank you."
Alley nodded, "I shall see you tomorrow at school, Clark." With that she said good bye to Jonathan and left the barn.
Jonathan and Martha looked over at Clark, who had not said a word, who was just staring at the ship. "Clark," his father asked, "are you alright."
"They were scientists," Clark said. "I-I...they..."
"Clark," Martha put her arms around her son. "They wanted you to live, Clark. They wanted to make sure you would have everything you could."
"I'm, I'm just going to go to sleep, okay?"
Martha looked at Jonathan, "Sure, Clark."
The thought of anything from her home gave her the hope she needed. With that stupid scientist looking for her, she would have to watch out.
Jor-El had been right though, it did drive her crazy that she could hardly answer questions in math or science just because she didn't have the terminology. She knew more about quantum physics than Stephen Hawking; but she couldn't tell you what a black hole was. A symi-waz typ, on the other hand, was a collapsed star or other large matter that had collapsed in on itself and had the gravity to suck in everything close enough.
And math...that drove her even more insane. She had no idea what "pi" meant. Pi to her was an edible desert filled with some kind of random fruit. She had no idea why Earthlings would call something with numbers a pi. Even numbers gave her a difficult time. They were hard to remember. Sometimes she would even shout answers in Kryptonian if she didn't correct herself quickly enough.
But she lived on Earth now. She'd just have to get use to it.
She felt a slight twinge run through her entire body, and stopped for a moment.
A meteor was close.
'Great,' she thought, 'just what I need.'
She looked around for the source. A car was parked on the side of the road, not ten feet away. She shrugged and started walking. If she just kept walking she would be away from soon and just walking past it couldn't hurt her too badly. Sure it made her feel very uncomfortable, but it didn't feel deadly. And if she had to be that close to feel it, it had to be pretty small.
"I know you feel it," a man standing next to the car said. "It's the only protection I have against you."
Alley didn't even think twice, she just started to run. But she couldn't get past the car. It was as if suddenly the entire car was made of the meteor rocks. She fell to her knees, cringing, and trying not to cry out.
"Be a good alien and get in the car. I need that Nobel Prize. No, I deserve it."
A/N: I'm soooooooo sorry! I know it took me forever to get this chapter up. But I had some difficulties with writer's block, random stress, and all and all making this chapter make sense.
Please review! I'll have the next chapter up before I leave for Alaska!
Please review!