A/N: There seemed to be an issue with this last chapter that I hadn't noticed, and I apologize for not getting to it sooner. Here's the actual chapter. The next one is coming soon.
/
[What were you doing on Krypton, Daxamite?] Faora drawled with a healthy amount of boredom, peering through the metal bars of the double layered gate of the holding cell. Her voice was muffled as it always was in the Phantom Zone, but communication was not impossible. The prisoner gave a look of annoyed resignation. He turned to face her almost lazily, a passive look on his face.
[Hiding.]
An ugly snorting sound came from behind Faora. Jax had walked up to stand at her left several feet away.
[Didn't do that great a job, then, did you?] he said.
[I could say the same for you and your rebellion,] the Daxamite retorted. Jax's face turned hard as stone. The prisoner smiled, looking at both armored Kryptonians and then at the space between them. They seemed to unconsciously fall in line that way. [Where is your general?]
[That is not your concern,] responded Faora. [Why were you hiding?]
[What does it matter to you?]
[Answer the question, taiium,] snarled Jax.
The Daxamite glared at the large Kryptonian. He was not fond of that word. Taiium meant "foreigner" or "stranger," and even though it wasn't an insult per se, it was certainly never used as a term of endearment on Krypton. [My name is Dev-Em.]
[I am Faora Hu-Ul, and you will answer my question.]
Dev locked eyes with Faora. After a few seconds, he shrugged. [I slaughtered one of the royal families of Daxam to end their unjust rule. Not so different from you, it seems.]
Faora cocked her head thoughtfully, scrutinizing him. Jax, characteristically, couldn't keep his mouth shut.
[You are nothing like us,] he said, puffing his chest and raising his chin. [A Daxamite could never measure up.]
Faora's forehead creased. Dev rolled his eyes.
[I suppose you're right,] conceded Dev. [I doubt I'd ever measure up to the level of imbecility one would need to blow up an inhabited moon.]
Jax seemed to forget the cell bars and rushed forward in anger. He stopped suddenly, or rather, was stopped. Faora had moved with the speed of a trained warrior and tugged him back to shove him behind her. Jax's furious gaze turned to her.
[Unfortunately,] said Faora, staring back, [Dev-Em is correct. You were ordered to rally Wegthor to our cause, not destroy it. I tolerate your foolishness at Zod's request, but destruction of that magnitude could have attracted the Green Lantern Corps. Now if you cannot find the control necessary to hold your tongue and manage your actions, you will be forced to leave this interrogation.]
Jax grunted and stormed off. Faora's jaw clenched in annoyance, which had become an ongoing occurrence ever since Jax had been promoted. She'd expressed to Zod on multiple occasions her disdain for Jax's presence, always at a loss when trying to enumerate his usefulness. Eventually she realized that Zod kept Jax around as extra muscle to do the grunt work so she would never have to. Dru-Zod was not one for sentiment, but he showed that he cared for her in less explicit ways. Faora appreciated it immensely, yet she still felt he could have picked someone better than Jax.
Faora turned back to Dev. He wore a bored but amiable expression, as if the reality of being a prisoner on a Kryptonian warship was akin to listening to an old history lesson.
[How did you get out of your cells?] Dev asked. [I assume your general is also. Well, as free as we can be in this place.]
The Daxamite grimaced disdainfully. Faora did not answer him.
[Why do you put up with that lout?] he continued, back with his tone of mild curiosity. Faora took a controlled breath and ignored the second question.
[We do not plan to be here for much longer. My general does not want to keep you here when we escape, but you are of no use to us. We are better than our oppressors, so we will not kill you or hold you prisoner if you pose no threat. As of right now, you don't.] Dev raised an eyebrow. She continued. [You are to be released and immediately escorted to the scout ships where you will leave and go about enjoying your reacquaintance with freedom.]
[This is generous, considering your reputation,] said Dev, walking toward the gate of his cell. [Your ruthlessness knows no bounds, matched only by your beauty, Faora Hu-Ul. Why am I to believe that you are better than anyone else of Krypton's elite? Both the highest class and the dregs of society looked upon me with disdain at my sentencing, all because I committed the crime of being a Daxamite. Forgive me if I am skeptical, even if you do somehow manage to escape the Phantom Zone.]
Faora pursed her lips. [The general and I judge by strength of character, not by heritage. I…apologize for my partner's lack of restraint.]
Dev cocked his head, peering at the lieutenant with lidded eyes. [Would you mind if I killed him upon our release?] he asked with a lilt in his voice, as if deciding what to have for dinner.
If the question surprised Faora, she did not show it. She stared passively and took longer to answer than Dev had expected she would.
[My general would mind, so if you made any attempts on his life I am obligated to kill you.]
[Even if my intention is to take his place?]
Faora froze for a fraction of a second. What reason have you for this? she asked warily. This interrogation was not going as expected at all. Faora was normally the most effective at steering the conversation where she wanted to go, but it seemed her stay in the Phantom Zone had left her more than rusty.
[I have no intention of heading back to Daxam or of roaming the galaxies, but I do want freedom. This seems as a good a choice as any.]
Faora felt uneasy. She knew better than to take a stranger at his word, but any reason the Daxamite had to lie had not yet presented itself. Moreover, Zod had not given her details regarding the orchestrator of their escape. She was not particularly fond of her current lack of knowledge. As much as she hated Jax, bringing Dev into the fold had the potential to be much more dangerous. And yet…
[Killing Jax is out of the question. However, I will relay your proposal to General Zod. Until his decision has been made, you will remain here even if we leave the Phantom Zone before then.]
Faora turned to walk down the corridor, but before she was out of earshot Dev called to her again. She stopped to listen.
[This ship was damaged during the rebellion before our imprisonment, yes? Tell your general that I would be happy to repairs-specifically to your phantom drive. If I am granted a place among you, of course.]
Faora pursed her lips tensely. Damn him. He definitely knew a lot more than he let on. Their imprisonment in individual cells stymied the potential of using the ship's phantom drive to escape the Zone, but it wouldn't have mattered. It was damaged. A functional drive would be optimal in their future endeavors, and Dev was apparently clever enough to pay attention to the potential for leverage. Faora decided to let her general deal with him, and left the corridor without another word.
The last week of April saw Clark and Martha finally move from the Kent farm to an apartment in Keystone City. Martha had thought that Clark would be sad about the move since that was the only home he'd known, but to her he seemed really excited at the prospect of living in a new place – a city, no less. He'd come early one morning, and upon the news that the sale of the farm to Lana's extended family had been finalized he'd immediately packed half the house at super speed.
They'd gone through the preparations little by little long before then, so it wasn't much of a hassle. Clark hadn't gone with Martha a few weeks before to sign the agreement for their new place, but he'd dropped by before that to see it for himself in the middle of the night. He loved the living room's big windows, and even though it was a little pricey they'd still gotten it for a steal.
Martha, having been retired for a few years now, had more time on her hands than she knew what to do with. Part of her decision to move to the city was a desire to cross things off her bucket list, because everything new and interesting was far away from you when you live in a rural town most of your life. In places like Keystone City, you could walk two blocks and stumble into an experience that could change your life. She loved the thought of that.
Even though Clark technically lived there too, it was mostly Martha's place. It was small, despite the spaciousness of the main rooms, and utilitarian, exactly what she needed. Clark stayed mostly at the Fortress and didn't have many possessions anyway, so everything he'd brought from Smallville was easily spread between there and Keystone City. He thought it important for him to continue to be on his own. In addition, he'd taken up blogging, transcription, and freelance writing heavily to earn money in his down time. It was slow going, but he was optimistic.
Visiting his mother would never be a problem, and now it had the added benefit of being even closer to Lana than it had been before. The condo was in the second neighborhood from the eastern edge of Keystone City, which was a ten minute drive from the bridge into Central City. Lana could easily come visit too now if she was so inclined. Given the centralization of the place, Clark had made sure to have Kelex fashion a homing crystal for their place in Keystone so he wouldn't have to fly all the way back from the Fortress.
It had been a few weeks since Clark talked to Lana, expressing his mild confusion at the lack of definition regarding the new stages of their relationship (and the sex, since they had spent most of her spring break tiring each other out). Lana had seemed almost relieved. They established that they were both comfortable with how their relationship was progressing and that the basis of it was that they both wanted and needed to be in each other's lives. The specifics weren't as important as the certainty of how they felt about each other. However, since they were both comfortable with the label and the commitment to exclusivity, they were now officially boyfriend and girlfriend.
Lana's graduation had been a quiet and mildly awkward affair. Clark and Martha attended, of course, as did Lana's parents. They were all proud of her and after all the time she'd spent with the Kents during high school it wasn't out of the ordinary for them to be present. Nonetheless, there was still some tension. Though the two Kents were cordial, Martha in particular was not overly fond of them. She was aware of Thomas's problems and Carol's tendencies to make excuses for him, and nothing so far had led Martha to believe there had been any kind of improvement. After the ceremony Lana had actually engaged more with Clark and Martha than she did her parents, though she had talked with them separately when they'd first arrived. Thomas and Carol were undoubtedly uncomfortable (if not bitter) with that fact, but Martha couldn't manage to feel sympathetic since Lana had been coming to the Kent farm more and more often over the years as she grew up. Since the specifics technically weren't her business, though, Martha made sure to keep her mouth shut and be as amiable as Clark.
Though a few of the more important aspects of his life had changed, one thing in Clark's life remained constant – his time at the Fortress. He continued training with Kelex, though he'd eased off on the volume. Instead of the physical he began to focus on the logistics of coming out to the world as an alien being. He'd inevitably be in the spotlight in some form, and the prospect of bringing the people he cared about into that new orbit was terrifyingly worrisome. He didn't want Martha or Lana (or anyone else who would get to know him, for that matter) to be affected by the prejudice and uncertainty that would surely follow. When running this by Lana, she'd given him a thought-provoking consideration. She'd said: how do you be you without being you?
The last Friday in May, Clark had used the Zeta-teleporter to take Lana and Martha up to the Fortress. They were both excited to see what Clark had told them so much about, and to meet Kelex. The whole place was thermo-regulated, so despite being in the Arctic the two ladies didn't have to worry about staying warm in light clothing.
Clark considered himself immensely lucky to have a space totally his own that he did not have to pay for. He was appreciative of his biological father's foresight not just with saving his life, as he now knew, but with making said life more convenient. Granted, if someone with his abilities had less of a moral compass they could easily find ways to obtain their basic needs without paying for them, but even with his desire to live by the law he didn't have much to worry about. Given his body's ability to absorb the sun's radiation as sustenance, he didn't need to eat much, or even at all. Food and shelter were taken care of, so there wasn't much else in his life for which he needed money. What a privilege that was.
Clark went straight to the console while the other two split up and explored the rest of the Fortress. Admittedly there wasn't much else to see besides the crystal furniture, training room, and some of Clark's belongings, but he let them roam. The middle clearing still had much open space left since Clark and Kelex hadn't really needed much space other than for training, but he had a feeling that as time went on he'd fill that space and then some.
"Kelex, run diagnostics and security sweeps please."
"Sure thing, Kal ," came Kelex's disembodied voice. Eventually Martha and Lana came to stand beside him at the console to watch.
"Your A.I. talks like a regular dude," said Lana, running her eyes over the symbols on the console.
"Yeah," Clark nodded. "The more we interact, the more fluid and colloquial his speech becomes. He was built by my father Jor-El and equipped with thousands of languages, but the Kryptonian language was used as a sort of template. Kryptonian language is formal in nature, so formal speech is Kelex's default in every language. He learns to adapt with time, though."
"No kidding," said Martha, with an odd distant look in her eyes. "This is…advanced, Clark."
"Oh, you have no idea."
"So your other father, Jor-El," said Lana, "built all of this?"
"In a manner of speaking," interjected Kelex, who was now in his android form. Lana hadn't seen him walk over, and so was quite startled. Clark made formal introductions now that Kelex had established the illusion of being more present with a body. Kelex continued after shaking Lana's and Martha's hands (to incredulous giggles from the latter). "It was modeled after a very large structure on Krypton in an effort to preserve Kryptonian architecture. Jor-El devised it so that it would be attracted to this planet's closest geomagnetic pole and terraform the surrounding area into structures reminiscent of the crystals native to Krypton in this specific orientation. "
Lana gave Clark an impressed look. "Sweet," she said.
"Sure," offered Martha in a high voice. "No big deal."
Kelex made his way to the console and worked a few of the commands. "Scans are complete, Kal. Nothing out of the ordinary, nothing in the vicinity and cloaking is fully functional."
"Awesome. Thanks, Kelex." Clark turned back to his two companions and took a deep breath. "Okay. I brought you two here to check this place out, but mostly because I wanted to talk about something really important with the both of you while having Kelex at my disposal."
"Okay, shoot," said Lana.
As much as Martha was reeling at the alien technology, her focus was on Lana and her son. She looked at the both of them, marveling at how similar yet different the dynamic was between the other two compared to how it had been. The way they talked and looked at each other was virtually the same as it had always been, but the way they moved around each other had changed drastically. It was like watching a binary star system. The two of them seemed to orbit around each other through a center space, and neither would ever get too far from the other.
"You know that I've been preparing to come out to the world. I realize that this will have a serious effect on the both of you and everyone who knows me even a little, so I've decided that I can't let myself be known to the world as I am."
"I don't understand, Clark. You're just giving up?" his mother asked. "That's not like you."
"No, Ma. I meant that when I do this, it won't be Clark Kent that the world will see. It'll have to be someone else."
Lana followed with a raised eyebrow. "Who are you going to be?"
Clark evaded their gazes sheepishly. "I was thinking I'd just be Kal-El. You know, since it's technically my name too. Nobody else knows that name so it won't tie me back to anyone."
"But some people'll still know your face," reasoned Lana. "And any official documents and old records that have a picture of you will still be out there. Not to mention there's still the very real possibility that government agencies will run facial recognition programs on you the second you out yourself."
Martha looked at Lana with a wary expression and a raised eyebrow. Lana caught her eye.
"What?" she said. "I watch a lot of spy movies."
"Kelex has that covered," answered Clark. "He can access any and all digital databases, so I'll give him altered pictures and descriptions and he'll go in and change any official digital records. I won't be able to do much about paper records like old yearbooks and stuff, but there really isn't much else out there. Good thing I didn't jump on the whole social media phase sprouting up now."
"Yeah, your hindsight is 20-20," said Lana. "But you can't just replace pictures with ones that don't look anything like you."
Clark let out a small laugh. "I'm not. Realistically I can't be the only one who looks like me, so I've got no problem using a picture of myself. Except with a different hairstyle, different color eyes, and glasses."
Lana gave him a look. "Glasses? Your big disguise is going to be glasses? You're kidding, right? I mean, the average person isn't particularly observant when it comes to strangers, but...seriously?"
"That does seem a little ridiculous, honey," Martha interjected with an apologetic look.
"It's not just that. Anyone who comes across the pictures probably won't know me so that's not a problem, but I'll actually be wearing glasses from now on. The few who would actually recognize me without them haven't seen me in a while save for you two, so they'll probably think my eyesight got worse with age just like everyone else. But what's more is that I'll be acting differently too. Non-assuming, not drawing attention to myself like always, but dialed up to eleven."
"So that as Clark you don't seem to change that much but as Kal-El you can be a totally different person," said Martha, fully catching on. "Hiding in plain sight."
"Exactly. I won't have to hide all the parts of me that I have been anymore. And I don't exactly plan on having too many photo ops either."
Lana and Martha exchanged looks. There was an unspoken understanding between them; each of them would always support Clark's important choices.
"If this is how you want to do it, I'm with you," said Lana. Clark beamed in response. She could see his shoulders sag in relief. He must have been a lot more nervous than he'd let on.
"Me too, of course," Martha said with a smile. "We can figure out the smaller stuff later as we go."
"One thing, though," continued Lana. She wore a pensive expression, pausing to gather her thoughts and then continue. "If you won't be hiding your powers and will be using them to help people, then I think you should wear a uniform. Like all other types of service people do."
"What, like the Army?" asked Clark with a guarded look. "Or the police? I don't think that gives the best impression."
"No, babe, that's not what I mean," said Lana softly, giving her boyfriend a patient look. "I was thinking something like a firefighter. Something that you wear every day that will come to make people feel protected, not scared."
Clark nodded slowly, mulling it over. "What do you think, Ma?"
Martha looked around, surveying the space again and watching Kelex going through routine maintenance. She realized now that being in this Fortress and having this conversation would be a turning point in not just her life, but the lives of every single person on the planet. All of this was very real, and having this sneak peek let her know just how much change was about to bombard the world.
"Well," she said, "you can't change the world in just a t-shirt and jeans, now can you?"
Lana grinned and gave Clark an "I told you so" look. He rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "That settles it then."
Clark immediately enlisted Kelex, Martha, and Lana to help with design. Practically all aspects of Kryptonian culture was archived, so he asked Kelex to bring up any and all types of uniforms worn on Krypton. Since part of Clark's big decision was based on embracing his heritage, he wanted the bulk of the design to be Kryptonian. Martha particularly enjoyed the streamlined designs of the elected officials' black uniforms, but Lana thought they needed more color. Lana pointed out the deep blue of the Science Guild uniforms. Clark wasn't too fond of the bulkiness of most military uniforms, but liked the capes of the high ranking officers. Clark and Lana both liked the red from the uniforms of the Priests of Rao. Martha thought Clark should wear a symbol like most uniforms had.
After almost two hours, the three of them (and Kelex) came up with a composite design. The base template was a blue full-length bodysuit like the Science Guild uniforms. Broadly, across the chest, was the same symbol Jor-El had on his robes in the hologram – the symbol he now knew was for the House of El – emblazoned red with a yellow background. Boots and a cape modeled after those worn by lieutenants in the military were included, also red. A faded yellow band angled across the waist, giving the illusion of a belt.
Lana looked at Kelex's projection of the finished design in awe. Of course, that meant she had tons of questions.
"Okay, this is totally awesome," she said, "but one question. I know you seem to have the identity issue figured out but why don't you just wear a mask? Seems like a no-brainer here, babe."
Clark looked at her softly but shook his head. "I thought about that too. But I don't want anyone to think I'm hiding. I want to be someone people can trust."
"I think that's a good idea," said Martha, staring at the hologram of the suit's design. Lana looked at both of them and sighed worriedly. She commended her boyfriend for his ideology and character, but still surmised it was a more dangerous option.
"Kelex?" Lana said tentatively, changing the subject. "Kryptonian materials aren't exactly found on Earth, are they?"
"A significant portion are, but many are not ," responded Kelex. He was now flying around as the other, smaller helper robot.
"Will you be able to make it authentically Kryptonian, or will you have to use materials from here?"
"I could use only Earth materials, but it would not be nearly as flexible or durable as it would be if I used Kryptonian materials. There is a slight problem, though. The suit would be made of a weaving of metals and synthetic polymers, and though the latter can be easily made in the matter manipulation chamber, the former cannot. This metal was common in the Rao system, but to my knowledge it wasn't found on any other worlds besides Krypton and Daxam. I could make something similar, but it wouldn't be the same. The suit would offer less protection against certain types of radiation and energy transfer, which could potentially leave Kal vulnerable despite his durability. "
Lana looked at Clark and then Martha, who was sitting on one of the crystal chairs across the room and still looking at the suit's design. Clark stayed silent, lost in thought and standing a few meters away from Lana, who was at the console. A flicker of worry passed through her head at the realization that even with all of Clark's powers, he wasn't invincible.
"Well, we wouldn't want that, now would we?" Martha said with a tired smile. "But what can we do about it?"
Kelex, uncharacteristically, did not answer right away. Clark did instead.
"What about my ship? Is it made of the same metal?" he asked slowly, looking at the object he mentioned. It was resting on a platform elevated almost a foot off the ground on the west end of the Fortress's center clearing.
"Partially, yes," said Kelex. He did not elaborate.
"Then maybe we can use some of it. I'm sure you won't need all of it, but I can remove some parts."
Martha got up and walked toward her son, eying him with concern. "Are you sure, Clark?"
"Yeah, really," said Lana, facing him. "Cannibalizing it seems like a huge deal. That's a direct line to Krypton. You came here in that thing."
Clark considered their words. He was grateful that they were considerate of his feelings and cognizant of what his heritage meant to him. At the same time, however, it was just a ship. "This whole Fortress is a direct line to Krypton. Having thousands of years' worth of knowledge and Kelex at my disposal is more than I could have ever dreamed of or asked for. And it's not like I'm completely destroying my ship."
Martha, being the more sentimental one in the Kent family, still held a soft, worried look. Lana nodded but eyed Clark uneasily. Even though she'd been here for hours now, being in the Fortress was still trippy. She truly felt as if she were on a different planet despite knowing she wasn't and having human company. Her hand absentmindedly roamed over the side of the console, marveling at the smoothness of the crystal structure. Looking around the open space she saw that not all crystals were the same. Some of them were completely transparent like glass, but others were cloudy and opaque. There were almost no metal structures, save for parts of the training room and the machine forms that Kelex chose to take from time to time. Lana had a feeling those weren't made from Kryptonian metals.
"Okay," said Lana, half shrugging. "If you're sure."
Clark nodded. "Kelex, take any of the least useful parts of the ship and use them for the uniform. Only as much as you need."
Kelex went right to work, giving them an estimated time of twelve hours before the suit would be completed. Clark made sure to keep the sheet that his biological mother made for him, setting it aside for Kelex to add it to the suit as its cape.
In the meantime, Clark, Lana and Martha decided to head back to Keystone City. After getting Mexican takeout for dinner, Clark flew Lana back to Central City so she could prepare for her follow up with the LuthorCorp Fellowship. By now she'd received responses from all of her post-grad options and had decided that she'd go with her first choice soon after graduation. Lana had already dealt with her finals but unfortunately hadn't been able to rest since orientation for the LuthorCorp Fellowship was scheduled for this coming weekend. She didn't have much to do in terms of preparation, but she was still anxious.
Being back in the apartment without Clark gave Lana a chance to relax and think. She'd be moving to Metropolis soon for the Fellowship and would be working closely with several people she didn't know. As daunting as that was, it was her biggest dream. Metropolis was her Mecca and one of the world's main technology hubs. She counted herself lucky in so many ways, from being accepted to such a prestigious program to being in a relationship with someone who made long distance a non-issue. Very few people got their foot in the door in the realm of their career aspirations on the first try and so soon out of college. Moreover, they were flying her out there and then paying for her stay in such an expensive city for six weeks. Triple-checking that she had everything ready for the morning, Lana set her bags in the corner of her room and put an envelope containing her plane ticket and information regarding where she'd be staying in her jacket. She'd made the decision to stay rooming with Chloe for a little while longer, so she made sure to leave her half of the next month's rent. Going through her checklist one last time, her lungs expanded with a deep breath. She could not and would not screw this up.
As Lana got ready for bed, she received a text message from her boyfriend.
Good luck tomorrow. Night :)
Lana smiled sleepily and wished him a good night in response. It was early for her, but a long day and early flight the next morning had her asleep within minutes.