During Faora's interrogation of Dev-Em, Zod had headed off to question the other prisoners. Dealing with the Tamaranean went quickly and smoothly, much to his surprise. The bulky, orange-skinned prisoner was grateful at the prospect of being released, though his faculties didn't seem to be all there. He agreed to take a pod for himself when they left the Phantom Zone immediately after it was offered. That left the Martians.

They seemed to be comrades, but not particularly close. Sy'rann and Dal'en were equally anxious to escape this dimension and did agree to depart from the ship upon release, but offered the stipulation that they would be leaving separately. It seemed Sy'rann was eager to return to Mars whereas Dal'en was not. Zod had been holding his breath with more than a little trepidation - and still was, to an extent. There was still the possibility that the current prisoners would renege on their deals, but the Martians were the only real threats. A part of Zod felt lucky that his discussion with them had gone cordially enough, but another part urged him to take that with a grain of salt.

Now, Faora stood in the doorway of the captain's quarters, brow furrowed in equal parts contemplation and confusion. She couldn't believe Zod had agreed to Dev's offer. After he told her about his encounter with the Coluan – all of it this time – she couldn't help but feel like he was being too hasty. Time was of the essence, but she was wary of Dev-Em. He did not seem like one to be easily manipulated.

Jax, of course, took the news of the new partnership horribly. General Zod put him in his place immediately, but Faora knew better than to expect Jax to be cordial and cooperative despite the general's strictness. So for the time being Jax was in the armory, having been ordered to take stock of all weaponry and make sure everything was in good shape. He loved weapons, so it was easy to appease him in the short term. That left Faora alone with Zod.

[This still troubles you?] asked Zod in a low voice from inside the room. He sat at the edge of the cot looking up at Faora.

[I do not trust him, General.]

Zod smiled. [I would think you foolish if you did. He is a means to an end and no match for the three of us should he endeavor in treachery. The sooner we make it to Earth, the better.]

[Because of the Coluan?] Faora knew better than to insinuate that he was motivated by fear, but the thought did flicker across her mind. Granted, this could not have been just some average Coluan. The difference in appearance that Zod described would have probably unnerved her as well, but Faora worried about the general's motivation. She, like him, wanted a new Krypton, made better and stronger than their flawed home. But should it come at the request of an outsider? What if following that course of action played into the Coluan's hands and somehow left them vulnerable?

[Because of Krypton, Faora.] Zod motioned for her to come inside. She did. [The Council destroyed our home in their misplaced tenacity, but we have the chance to make it anew. I will not waste it.]

Even if it's exactly what he wants?]

[We will deal with that in time. Earth will give us extraordinary abilities and have us at less of a disadvantage.] Zod stood up and walked closer, looking her over.

[Dru…] Faora began. She wanted to continue but decided against it when she looked him in the eyes. There was a cold challenge mixed in with the neutral softness that was reserved only for her. Sometimes, when she was this close to him, she'd forget that he was her superior officer. He did not.

[When we leave, I need you to alter the healing chambers.] The general explained his plans at length for what seemed like the first time, and Faora was grateful. Living her life in the military chain of command, she knew that many times leaders kept things close to the vest, as she had with her subordinates. The fact that Zod had given her the whole plan, and not just the part for which he needed her, helped to quell her uneasiness.

[Can you do that for me?] he asked. The question held an uncharacteristic tenderness, but the command was unmistakable.

Faora nodded. [Of course.]

[Then we are ready.]

The general walked across the room and retrieved the brick-like device gifted to him by the Coluan. On it were about a dozen symbols he did not recognize and only one movable part. It was a small lever that rotated inward and depressed to reveal a switch. Zod felt Faora's enraptured eyes on him, and clicked it.

/*

The week following the miraculous save of the L707 airliner saw a steady stream of articles, social media posts, and broadcasts concerning Clark, who people called "The Flying Man." Most mentions were of the conspiracy theory or hoax variety, especially overseas. International news outlets immediately expressed the view that the reports from witnesses in Metropolis were fake, citing the possibility of leaked Hollywood movie footage or just someone trying to "stir the pot" with doctored video. Granted, most of the footage regarding the incident wasn't very clear, so it couldn't be taken as concrete evidence in either direction, especially since both Luthorcorp and Boeing had declined any comments. Regardless, the story was spreading like wildfire.

Clark hadn't made another appearance in his colorful suit since then, but was now sporting his new glasses everywhere. He'd shaped them himself from Jonathan's old pair of glasses that Martha had kept in remembrance of him, cutting a transparent crystal from the Fortress. Most of the past week Clark spent his time blogging, writing article-style news reports and opinion pieces on mostly social justice issues. It was important to him that news was accessible to the average person, especially when large media outlets allowed significant stories to fall to the wayside. People on social media had recently started to get good at this, and the only reason Clark hadn't hopped on that wave was to reduce his internet footprint to only a few locations. The more and more he would do as this "Flying Man" the more scrutinized he would become, and the more he put out there as Clark, the more likely something could get traced back to him as the other guy. The prospect seemed difficult. Clark had only just found the fine line, and now he would have to walk it.

Lana, on the other hand, had absolutely no problem whatsoever sharing anything that had to do with him online or on social media platforms. She didn't have many accounts, but she had surprisingly large followings on the few that she did. Well, maybe not so surprising to her, since she knew she was decently good-looking and had a nice balance of personal photos and weird posts with witty captions. Lana wasn't one to post often, but the rate at which she did increased considerably after her boyfriend was caught flying on camera. Shared articles and blurry pictures of him interspersed with LuthorCorp Fellowship group selfies made up her recent posts, and on the whole she was excited. She'd asked Clark if it'd be a problem to post him from time to time and he'd said it wouldn't, so Lana capitalized. She didn't really talk much about him, but instead let the pictures and articles do it for her.

It was a week and a half later when Clark decided that he should go out again and make an appearance. He didn't want to seem like he was hiding, or risk the attention going away because everyone thought it was fake. There was nothing else like this to go on, so people would just assume it wasn't real due to lack of evidence. So he put on the suit and took a day to fly casually. He'd taken the teleporter to his mother's place and, after an impromptu knitting session at her request, flew around the metropolitan areas of Keystone City before flying over Central City. He'd made sure he was going slowly and low enough for him to be seen, but not enough to be identified.

Clark had several hours of daylight to work with, so he made his way east. He took a path through many big cities, soaring over St. Louis, Cincinnati, Washington D.C., Metropolis, Gotham City, Philadelphia, New York City, Ivy Town, and Boston. It was fun; he took pleasure in flying for the sake of flying, without worrying about if people saw him or not. Clark felt free in a way he never had before. With arms stretched out and cape flapping behind him, he was all smiles as he made his way across the country.

Naturally, he continued to be mentioned on the news and was trending on social media. If he was being honest with himself, Clark enjoyed the attention. Putting on the suit was like becoming someone new while at the same time being exactly who he always was to the fullest. Being recognized for who he was felt good.

The next few days he flew over the Atlantic and made his way over large stretches of Europe, Africa and Asia just because he could. At first, he flew with the intention of not making any direct contact with anyone but after a little while it became unavoidable. A handful of times there were problems that he felt required his immediate assistance, like fires, earthquakes and a derailed train. Clark didn't want to insert himself too much into people's lives too quickly, but immediate danger was where he made an exception. If he had the opportunity to save a person's life or prevent them from getting hurt, he would take it.

Clark visited Lana her second weekend in Metropolis for a quick date, grabbing a bite to eat and then walking around midtown New Troy. Listening to Lana's progress with the fellowship so far, Clark found it obvious that she was enjoying herself and it was exactly where she belonged. He couldn't help the secondhand excitement.

"It's so difficult, but so fun!" gushed Lana on their way back to her building. "We crashed a robot testing its light-sensory reaction time. Well, it was mostly Gerry but we're a team so it's all of us. Not to toot our own horns or anything but we did get it down to half of what it originally was. Nah, screw it. I'm totally tooting. We're awesome!"

Clark smiled and draped an arm around her shoulders as they walked. The sidewalk was crowded but it didn't bother them. Lana put her arm around Clark's waist and slipped a couple of fingers in one of his belt loops.

"It's nice being able to do a bit of everything. Lena and I have a few ideas about making firefighter uniforms lighter but more durable with all the materials in the lab. I'm not supposed to tell you this, but I'm going to anyway because I'm too excited and you of all people can keep a secret. LuthorCorp actually invented this new material called Dilustel that has a super high melting point and is lighter than titanium. If we can find a cheaper way to manufacture it, then better protective gear is just the tip of the iceberg."

Clark gave her an impressed look, intrigued. It sounded like LuthorCorp's R&D department was a well-oiled machine. Human innovation never ceased to amaze him, even after discovering he was an alien from a planet that was thousands of years ahead of Earth in terms of technological advancement. He hadn't yet studied Krypton's technology at length, but he wondered what he would think if he did. Would he provide people on Earth with some of that knowledge or keep it hidden?

Getting back into Lana's LuthorCorp apartment, the two of them found themselves alone. Lana shucked off her shoes, surprised. She hadn't known her two roommates would be out and so had asked before she left if it was okay for her boyfriend to stop by for a bit. On the kitchen counter they found a note from Takeia.

Shopping and catching a movie! Be back later XO

"So we've got several hours till Takeia comes back," mumbled Lana absentmindedly. That left another woman. She called into the empty expanse of the apartment. "Lena? Are you here?"

Lana didn't receive an answer. She looked at Clark. Catching her eye, he cocked his head to the side and listened before shaking his head. Lena wasn't in the apartment either. Lana smirked to herself, letting her mind wander over the opportunities while Clark moved to the kitchen and washed his hands. Lana followed him.

"I'm going to take a shower. I'm all sweaty," Lana declared, peeling her top off in one smooth motion and tossing it at her boyfriend. It hit him in the face and landed right on his shoulder. He gave her a look.

She stood a few feet away from him wearing only black denim shorts, a pink bra, and a challenging expression. Her hands were on her hips. Clark smirked. "Okay, have fun."

Lana raised an eyebrow, watching her boyfriend dry his hands and retrieve her shirt from his shoulder. "Oh, I plan to."

Clark responded with a curious expression too open to be purely innocent. Lana nodded, smiling and turning to walk away from him.

She took a few steps and looked back over her shoulder when she reached the hall by the bathroom. "Aren't you coming?" she called.

Clark tapped his chin, pretending to think. "Nah, I trust you to get clean on your own."

Lana gave him a look, and then pouted dejectedly. "Fine, if you're sure."

For extra emphasis, she looked Clark straight in the eyes and unbuttoned her shorts. Digging her thumbs into the waistband, she slowly bent forward and slid her shorts and panties off in one full motion, never breaking eye contact. Then she rose up and unhooked her bra as well. It soon joined her shorts on the floor. Lana shook out her hair and smiled brightly.

"Just want you to know what you're missing out on," she said with a voice like honey. Lana gave her boyfriend a small wave and headed back toward the bathroom.

Clark's eyes followed every move. He'd seen Lana just like this fairly often, but he never got used to or tired of it. Clark erased the distance between them in a blink of an eye. He turned her back around to find his girlfriend wearing the smug look of all smug looks.

"Change of heart, baby?" Lana practically purred.

"I figured you could use some supervision." Clark let his fingertips glide over her hip and then brought his lips to hers. Lana pulled back after an instant.

"I specifically took my clothes off so you wouldn't have to use your super vision."

He gave her butt a playful smack, earning a laugh from the redhead, and joined her.

/*

Lena made her way to the lab on LuthorCorp Tower's ground floor. Inside, Lex was sitting at the empty table on the far side of the room to the right, leaning forward in his seat and staring at his laptop. Behind it was a wooden chess set ready for a game.

"Have you considered taking the Luthor name yet?"

Lena pursed her lips. They'd had this talk several times but she indulged him anyway. "I thought we were trying to keep my relation to all of you a secret since it would bring bad press. Or, you know, make my life significantly harder."

Lex smirked. "You've heard him a million times. 'The only bad news is no news at all.' And that was before, when you were younger. Now Dad endorses the idea. It would be good for you, even if Mother wouldn't exactly approve."

"Because I'm so interested in your mother's approval," replied Lena bitterly, stopping a few feet from the table. "I've been acutely aware of her hatred for me for years now."

"She doesn't hate you. It's…more of an intense dislike."

"Oh, well in that case…" cut Lena. Lex laughed.

"To her, you're a constant reminder of Lionel's infidelity. I doubt she ever really loved him, but it still stings nonetheless."

"It's all ego, Lex. She feels slighted, not hurt. But his actions have nothing to do with me. As smart as she claims to be, you'd think she'd realize that."

"No one ever accused her of being reasonable."

"So forgive me if I can't sympathize." Lex's expression softened. She continued. "I wonder what she'd think of her darling boy actively campaigning against her interests. You're saying I should let Lionel publicly claim me as his daughter and then change my name to Luthor, despite what it would do to her image."

He shrugged. "She can handle it, and you can handle her. It would be good for you."

"And Lionel?"

"Come on, Lena. Has a famous rich man ever truly been held accountable for anything?"

He was right. She knew that. What made her hesitate to answer now was not the perusal of advantages, but confusion over Lex's position. He loved and cared for her in his own way, she was certain of that much, but was not altruistic in nature. Everything he did, amiable or not, was calculated. He never expressed feelings without a reason. Still, a small part of Lena felt special when Lex would go out of his way for her. She wasn't exactly used to consistent affection or care from anyone, even though Lionel did try.

But Lex was already famous as a legitimate Luthor and so had nothing to gain or lose. His relationship with his mother was vastly different from what he had with his father, yet he would bash and bolster both their reputations equally when in private with Lena. But there was a palpable split in the family. Lena knew that well. Lionel doted on her in response to Lillian's love for Lex. But in many ways Lex was a wild card.

"And what would you get out of it, Lex?" Lena folded her arms unconsciously.

He paused, as if thinking of the prospect for the first time. Lena knew better, but didn't take it to heart. "I suppose I get more company in the spotlight and in those dreadful social functions. About time, since I've been awfully bored without you up till now."

Lena let out a soft airy chuckle. "I'm not one of your girlfriends, Lex. You can't sweet-talk me that easily."

"That's right. You're family. Why wouldn't I want you there with me?"

"'Luthors are defined by strength and intelligence, nothing else.' Lillian taught us that. What would she think of you playing the family card?" Lena continued to push him. If she pretended to be stoic and skeptical, maybe he'd switch up and show his hand. More than anything she hoped his regard for her as family was the same as hers for him. Lex had never let her down, but still she just wasn't sure.

Lex angled his body toward his sister and looked her in the face. "We don't have to be like our parents, Lena. We're better than that - better than them. You are my sister, and I want you to enjoy all the perks and privileges of being a true Luthor. Money, influence...better security clearance. All of it."

Lena perused his face. It was the same as it always was, almost enough to be considered expressive. But she trusted his eyes, which held a look only she got to see. Eventually, she smiled. "Thanks. But again, I'd like to establish myself on my own first. If I do decide to own the Luthor name, I would rather it come out afterward."

Lex smiled crookedly. It was her favorite one, the least rehearsed. "Suit yourself."

Lena breathed a sigh of relief and pulled up a chair. She sat next to him, turning a bit to look at what he'd paused on the laptop screen when she walked in. She side-eyed him.

"You're watching this again?"

On the screen was the Twitter video she'd already seen three times, a man with a red cape floating in midair over a crowd of people at an airport. "Does that surprise you?" Lex answered.

"I don't know why you keep replaying this. We both know what happened, and watching it a thousand times won't make it any less confusing."

Lex turned to look at her directly. His hairline was already receding and there were wrinkles around his eyes, belying his actual age. Most of the time it didn't feel like he was eight years older than her, but at times like these Lena would notice. He answered her. "What about this is confusing to you?"

"Last time I checked people didn't fly without the assistance of a machine," she said.

"You're correct, of course, but I don't think he," said Lex, pointing to the screen, "is a person."

Lena got up to sit back down across from him. Lex moved the laptop out of the way and centered the chess set. White was on Lena's side, so she moved first. "What's he supposed to be then? An alien? A god?"

Lex rolled his eyes and moved his own piece. "Surprisingly trite, coming from you. No, but I do not think he is a person as we are. He is something…more."

"Care to elaborate, Lex?"

They played further and the pieces became more and more spread out on the board. He continued. "Do you remember the story of Prometheus? Dad would tell it from time to time."

"Of course," Lena drawled, lapsing into the story. "Prometheus avoided punishment after the titans lost the war with the gods. After mankind was created, Prometheus gave them fire and taught them how to use it. Zeus expected sacrifices from man as a result, and Prometheus, bitter over the imprisonment of his family, tricked Zeus into picking an unfavorable sacrifice as the standard. So he punished mankind by taking fire away. But Prometheus loved mankind and so stole it back for them. For that, and for tricking him, Zeus forced Prometheus to endure eternal punishment by having an eagle eat his liver every day. Check."

Lex nodded and moved his piece. "I was reminded of the story when watching the video. Mankind has always been at the mercy of the powerful, whether literally or figuratively, in life or in myth."

"I don't disagree," replied Lena, eyes locked on the board. "But who is he in this scenario? Zeus or Prometheus?"

"That's the question, isn't it? At least it was at first. But I think it is more complicated."

"You think it doesn't matter. Whether he means to rule or to help, his intention doesn't matter."

Lex nodded. "Perceptive as always. Yes. He can be one or the other or neither, and it would never change the fact that all of mankind is at his mercy. And there is nothing we can do about it. Check."

Lena stopped and eyed the board, thinking ahead the next few moves. "We know nothing about him. It's shortsighted to make such an assessment without more evidence. He only seems so powerful because he can do things others can't. It's a game changer, sure, but not the end of the world just yet. We need more data. But he's a person, no matter his origins, and the fact that he can fly and carry a plane doesn't change that. We need to treat him like any other high-value human unknown: figure out who he is, what he wants, and why he does what he does. Even if he's something that can't be classified right now, it's very unlikely that scientific discipline would be unable to explain his existence to some degree. I think you got too swept up in what he can do and inadvertently put him on a pedestal."

"I suppose anything's possible no matter how improbable it may sound," Lex responded with amusement in his voice. Lena gave him a look. "But you're regarding this in the context of him as a singularity. He may be his own individual person, but he is also a new phenomenon. He's the first of his kind, but I guarantee he won't be the last."

Lena nodded and reassessed the board in front of her. "You want to figure out the extent of his abilities and limitations so that we as a civilization -"

"-as a species," Lex interjected. Lena fought the urge to roll her eyes.

"-can prepare for others like him. So we know what to expect."

"Precisely. And maybe even replicate it, eventually."

Lena should have known. Of course Lex wanted that power for himself. Of all the Luthors, Lex was most prone to grandiose ideas. Lena couldn't empathize, but she understood the appeal. The Flying Man looked like he could do anything. Who wouldn't want to feel the same?

Lena sighed. "Whether we regard him as merely a threat or as much as a catalyst for human evolution, we have to determine who he is before we define what he is. As perplexing as the latter may seem right now, it wouldn't matter as much as the former even if he turned out to be more powerful than we already think he is."

"Interesting notion. Why?" asked Lex, looking directly at Lena now. She moved and met his eyes.

"Because knowing what a person can do is less informative than knowing what a person would do. Especially when that person currently has the advantage."

"And do you think we'll be able to trust whatever we find out? None of us will ever truly know him." Lex eyed the board, cupping his chin. After a moment, he moved.

Lena took her turn immediately after. "That remains to be seen. You're treating him like a higher being. He could just be another one of us."

"If he isn't?"

Lena smiled softly and answered in a low voice, moving her piece. "You're still focusing on the what, Lex. Checkmate."