Chapter 11: The Power Within...

(Part 3 of 3)

The red sky has covered the earth from the sun, and the clouds have gotten considerably thicker. Three F-117 Nighthawks suddenly cut through the clouds. They form a V formation as some of the clouds they cut through reveal what lies underneath. The town that used to be Smallville does not exist anymore. What is left are demolished buildings, and destroyed vehicles, citizen and military. Where cornfields grew now are home to gigantic fault lines, rolling rivers of lava and brimestone tainted land. The entire state of Kansas has been evacuated, only leaving families who wish to stay and wait it out. The entire United Nations building has been thrown into chaos, arguing on who did this to the small American town. The Nighthawks open communications to the Pentagon. Nighthawk 1, turns his on first, by flipping a blue switch to his right.

"Papa bear, this is Mother bear. Interference from the clouds is more than we expected. We seem to be getting more turbulance than scheduled, but I'm sending the video now. Confirm when you recieve video confirmation."

On the other side of the US, a small man sits in front of a large computer. Behind him are several people watching along with him. The video shows what remains of Smallville, the burning, destroyed remainder of a small, quiet town. Fires now envelope the town, and shots of Darkseid's army fill the several other screens that occcupy the room. A general watches one of the screens, and motions to a man.

"Yes, General Lane? What are your orders?"

"Get my daughter out of that place and then contact the president."

"The president, sir? What for?"

"Well, I need his confirmation to lauch nuclear warheads on that alien army."

"Nuc it? Is that our last resort?"

"I believe that is classified."

"Yes, sir. What ever you say."

The man runs out of the room, and General Lane watches another screen. The army surrounds the small group of individuals.

"What the hell are those things?" He mutters.

Back in what remains of the outskirts of Smallville, Cara watches as the strange red and green glow from Eric's box emminates the group. Darkseid watches and suddenly smiles.

Ahhh... Kryptonium. The last evidence of that moon of yours... Xenon, wasn't it? One of the only things that can kill you. The other being me, of course.

Darkseid walks over, and picks up the box. The green radiation hits Darkseid, but to no effect. He reaches in, and picks up several pieces of green Kryptonite, examining them, and carelessly throwing them into the center of the circle, their radiation hitting Kal, Cara, Kara and Krypto, slowly weakening them. Cara looks in horror as Darkseid walks over to her, and grabs her by her hair.

Now it is time to kill off the only people Kal-El cares for. Watch this, Kal-El, for you will see the last of the Kryptonians die, and you can't do anything about it.

Darkseid wraps his enormous hand around Cara's neck, and starts choking her. Tears well up in Cara's eyes as she looks at Kal.

The power is within yourself, Kal-El. Release it, and Darkseid can't stop you.

The sound of Jor-El's voice echoes through Kal's head as he looks on to Cara. Her color is fading fast, and the ogres holding him don't let up their hold. Kal suddenly concentrates, closing his eyes, and sudenly, he starts to convulse. He shakes more and more, until his movements can't be seen in normal time anymore.

You have done it, Kal-El. Now, embrace the power of the entire Kryptonian race.

Almost instantly, the convulsions stop. Kal opens his eyes, one red, the other blue. Darkseid turns his head, noticing that Kal is staring right at him. Kal's body then starts to glow a deep blue.

No matter what you do, you will never stop me, Kal-El. However powerful you get, I will always be more powerful.

"Power isn't everything, Darseid." Kal states.

Perhaps to you, but look closer, Kal-El. Your life partner is still clinging to life.

Darkseid was right. Cara was almost dead, but she still hung in there, tears now rolling off of her pale face.

The ogres holding Kal are now having trouble holding him down. The brilliant blue light shining off of Kal now begins to turn bright white. A low rumble erupts from Kal. Suddenly, the ogres holding Kal down explode, and from the debris and smoke, Kal stands. The white light that used to cover him now shoots straight up, hitting the blood red sky, and splitting up into nine seperate lights, red, yellow, blue, purple, white, black, orange, green, and burgandy, which slammed into Darkseid's army, killing every one of the rock and lava ogres. Darkseid lets go of Cara, dropping her on the ground, and walks up to Kal.

Darkseid lifts his huge, rock-like mucular hand around Kal's neck, and starts to add pressure. Eric sees the pain that the kryptonite is doing to Cara, Kara and Krypto, so he picks up his box, and starts to put the freezing cold Kryptonite back in, until he notices something. An object to his left sparkles in the corner of his eye. Something golden.

My red meteor rock...where is it? He thinks to himself.

After collecting the rest of the Kryptonite, and closes it, Krypto's strength returns, and he runs over to Cara, whose color is returning, but she now is staring at Kal, who doesn't seem to feel the pressure that Darkseid is applying to his neck. Darkseid is now using both of his arms, applying enough pressure to collapse a large building. But Kal continues to stare at Darkseid, until he smiles. Kal smirks at Darkseid, obviously not afraid of the twelve foot, battle scared monster in front of him.

Why do you not feel this pain I am putting you through!

BECAUSE, I AM NOT ONLY KAL-EL, BUT THE ENTIRE LIFE FORCE THAT WAS ONCE KRYPTON. YOU ARE NO LONGER DEALING WITH ONE PERSON, BUT ALL OF US.

THEN I WILL DESTROY YOU ALL!

WE ARE NOT AFRAID OF YOU ANYMORE, DARKSEID. YOU ARE NOTHING BUT SCUM ON THE ALLAH'S SHOE. YOU ARE NOTHING BUT EVIL, DARKSEID, AND GOOD ALWAYS TRIUMPHS OVER EVIL.

Kal smacks Darkseid's arms away from his neck, and easily punches his stomach, sending Darkseid flying up, smashing into an Army helicopter, which was taping the whole fight. The helicopter's shrapnel bombards the now desolate fields of Smallville. Exactly where the helicopter was once hovering, floats Darkseid. Green blood trickles out the corner of his mouth, when he lunges at Kal. Immedietly, Kal rockets off the ground, smashing into Darkseid. Flinging back twenty feet, Darkseid regains his boundries, and slams his fist into Kal's face, pushing him upside down.

YOU MADE ME BLEED, KAL-EL. WELL DONE, BUT THE FUN ISN'T OVER YET.

At the same time, Eric walks over to where the glinting came from. Pushing away the shrapnel, is the source of the glinting. A large pice of Kryptonite sits in front of him, but this one is different. It is a bright golden color, and as he reaches for it, his hand starts to quiver. It bulges golden blood veins, and as he watches, the bony plates under the skin in his arm shrink until they are non existant. Eric quickly opens the box, picks it up the strange hunk of Kryptonite, and throws it into the box. It burns his hands in the brief contact, and he stares at the box, then at the floating Darkseid, who suddenly is impacted in the chest by Kal.

Oh my god, I have an idea... Eric thinks.