Superman: New Heights
Chapter Three
Clark stared at the humongous structure in bewilderment, in awe of the massive crystals that seemed to magically spike out of the icy ground, scratching the aurora borealis.
"Okay…what?" asked Clark, whipping his cape behind him and hovering towards the structure. He spotted an opening in the fortress, like a gate without a door. Warily, he stepped foot on the snow and approached the entrance.
Inside the fortress were smaller spikes of ice that jutted from the ground, only this time they had what looked like a tiny opening, like a keyhole, on their tips. The sharp edges of the spikes seemed to have been sliced to only its cross-section.
Directly in the center of the fortress was a cabinet, which seemed to be made of glass. However, the cabinet seemed to empty. Superman edged closer to the cabinet, only for a green beam of light to shine from the top of the cabinet and scan him from top to bottom.
"Kryptonian lifeform detected. Authorization: Unknown," said a robotic voice, as what looked like a black, rectangular object began to materialize inside the cabinet, and the glass cabinet swung open.
"Kryptonian? Like the element?" asked Superman out loud. He always seemed to remember his chemistry best. The rectangular object seemed to levitate, as it zoomed into his right palm. As soon as it touched his palm, another crystal spike began to protrude from the ground, behind the cabinet.
Beyond the new spike there looked to be empty space, nothing but a white sheet on the ground and a frigid dome covering the top. It was as if Superman was staring at an empty ice warehouse, except the space seemed to stretch on for miles.
Superman held the rectangular object in his palm and walked up to the new crystal spike. The tiny keyhole seemed to fit the rectangular object, almost like a key. Clark inserted the key into the spike, only to be greeted with a bright, white light.
Superman shielded his eyes and stepped back, as something- or someone, began to materialize from thin air. He tried staring through the bright light, but to no avail.
Once the light faded away, Clark found himself staring at a man. A man with an unkempt beard and blue eyes, with a facial structure very similar to his stared back at him. He wore what seemed like a black mesh armor on his chest.
"Who are you? And why am I here?" asked Superman, his eyes glowing a little red. It was often a tactic he used to intimidate thugs, but in this case, Clark himself was scared about what he had gotten himself into.
The man blinked, and a huge smile formed on his face. He placed his hands behind his back, and his smile radiated one of warmth, one that Clark found awfully familial.
"Kal-El," said the man, without moving from his position. Superman looked closer and noticed that the man was but a projection from the rectangular box now embedded in the crystal.
"What? What's a Kal-El?" asked Superman, until something hit him. The word "El" sounded even more familiar to him.
"I know this is a lot to take in. The truth is, your mother and I did not account for this to happen so quickly," replied the man. Superman took a step back, the red glow disappearing from his eyes.
"You know my mom? Is she in danger?" he asked.
The man stared at him in confusion, then chuckled. "I did not mean your mother from Terra. I meant your biological mother, Lara Lor-Van," replied the man.
Superman's eyes went wide, and he began to walk closer. "My biological mom? Wait, who are you?"
The man smiled, and Clark could notice moisture forming in the man's eyes which was instantly blinked away.
"My name is Jor-El. You are my son, Kal-El. I am your father, from Krypton," replied the man. Clark stared at him in bewilderment.
"Perhaps I should explain. Follow me," said Jor-El, walking behind the spike and to the empty space.
Clark swallowed hard before reluctantly following him.
"I suppose you know that you are not Terran in nature? That your biological roots are…extra-terrestrial," said Jor-El, as Clark nodded.
"I figured that much when my parents showed me the spaceship I crash-landed in," replied Superman.
Just then, a hologram of a planet showed up in front of the two of them. It seemed larger than Earth, much greener and redder in nature.
"This is Krypton. The planet where you come from. Where your mother, and my wife, Lara Lor-Van, gave birth to you. Unfortunately, we had to send you away to Earth," replied Jor-El.
"Why? Why send me so many lightyears away? How did you even make sure I would reach?" asked Clark, his mind swirling with questions.
"We were a planet with the most brilliant minds in our Sector of the galaxy. However, our ambition led us to mine Krypton's very own core for power sources to continue supplying energy to our civilization," replied Jor-El.
"Wait, harvesting directly from the core of a planet would-"
"Would lead to instability. And due to Krypton being a sort of hybrid between a star and a planet…" started Jor-El.
"Its hydrostatic equilibrium was disrupted, and the planet imploded in on itself," finished Clark, watching the hologram of Krypton exploding.
Jor-El looked back at Clark with an impressed look.
"Before we died, we knew that we had to let you survive. So, we put you in a Kryptonian escape pod and set you on course to the nearest habitable planet. Planet Earth, part of Sector 2814 of the galaxy," said Jor-El.
"Wait, how are you here? If all of Krypton exploded?" asked Clark.
"I uploaded a copy of my consciousness to the key you placed in the crystal. Each crystal in this Fortress of Solitude hosts some knowledge about Krypton as well as the galaxy in general. What you see in front of you is but a hard light hologram of my consciousness," explained Jor-El, gesturing to himself.
Clark held out his hand and touched Jor-El's shoulder. He could feel the metal armor; Jor-El was tangible.
"This can't be real…" replied Superman, looking around the place.
"I know it is a lot to take in, Kal. Finding out about your true heritage like that, and that you're the last son of Krypton," replied Jor.
Clark sat down and ran a hand through his hair. The air seemed to get much colder once Jor said those words.
"So I'm from a dead planet, and my biological father is a hologram?" asked Clark, almost as if he was recapping the events of the day to himself. Jor nodded, before turning to face the entrance of the fortress.
"But what about the crystal?" asked Clark. Jor raised an eyebrow and turned around.
"A crystal?" he inquired.
"Yeah. It was like a…rock of some sort, but at the same time like a diamond," continued Clark, as Jor-El's eyes widened.
"Was it green in color? Did it induce any physiological changes? Like nausea, or weakness?" asked Jor, a worried look on his face.
"No, none of that. It was pink in colour, and when I touched it, it sent out a bright light and I ended up here," said Clark. Jor seemed confused.
"You found this fortress by touching a crystal?" he asked.
"Yeah. Was that not how this was supposed to work?" asked Clark. Jor seemed worried, but then straightened his expression.
"It certainly is odd, as far as I know, Kryptonite cannot transport people. That's something you will have to investigate yourself, Kal. I cannot help you for the future, but I can help you right now," replied Jor.
"How so?" asked Superman. Jor-El gestured for him to follow. They walked back to crystal spike, where the rectangular key was still embedded,
"The Fortress of Solitude is meant to be something of a Kryptonian museum. One that explains its history, and can only be activated by one of Kryptonian heritage. As a result, it's got everything a young Kryptonian like you would need, Kal," said Jor, walking past the crystal and to the left of the room.
Clark scoffed. "I'm not THAT young," he protested. Jor smiled as the two of them walked to a series of glass cabinets lining the wall. Inside was an armor mesh similar to the one Jor was wearing.
"This is the armor of the house of El," said Jor.
"I thought you said Krypton was a planet full of scientists?" asked Clark.
"We were. But there would always be planetary threats to Krypton. Coluans, Red Lantern Corps, and others. Then, no matter who you were, your first duty would be to protect Krypton at all costs," said Jor.
Superman stared at the mesh, as a similar green beam, like the one from the cabinet, began to scan him.
"Kryptonian lifeform detected. Authorization: Unknown," said the robotic voice, causing Jor's brow to furrow.
"Unknown? It should be saying it's the House of El," said Jor. Regardless, the cabinet door opened, revealing the armor. Jor seemed to forget about the discrepancy, looking back at Clark.
"It's yours. It belongs to you, son," said Jor.
Clark reached out and touched the armor. Like a liquid, the armor seemed to dissolve into his costume, seemingly intertwining with fabric from within, hardening the suit.
"The fabric has absorbed the armor," said Jor-El. Superman felt stronger, and the emblem on his chest was highlighted much more. The light blue seemed more defined, and accentuated his musculature much more.
He chuckled, as he looked back at a grinning Jor-El.
Superman walked out of the fortress, while Jor stood back at the door.
"The mystery of the crystal will be something you will have to figure out by yourself, Kal-El," said Jor. "I wish you good luck,"
"Thank you, Jor-El," replied Clark, staring back at the massive structure. "I'll be back to learn more,"
With that, Superman pressed his legs into the ground, taking a powerful leap, miles into the sky, and breaking into flight. The new armor seemed to make him stronger as well as faster, and before he knew it he'd crossed the Arctic Circle.
"HELP! GET THE FLARES!" heard Superman, and he noticed a flare exploding in the sky. He dove down through the clouds and spotted a sinking ship, some people struggling to get out of the lifeboats.
Superman zoomed into the ship, and time seemed to slow down around him. He picked up 3 of the people stuck below deck and lifted them out of the ship, placing them into lifeboats, before focusing his attention on the ones on deck.
In what seemed like mere seconds, everyone was evacuated.
"Whoa…" said someone, pointing at the sky. Obscured by the sun hovered Superman, in his glorious red and blue colors. He waved to the people before flying behind one of the lifeboats, picking it up and taking it back to the mainland. In almost 10 seconds, all the people were safe on land.
Superman zoomed out of there and continued flying, stopping a pickpocket in Germany, an elephant from crashing into a jeep in Africa, and finally catching a climber who was free-climbing El Capitan in Yosemite National Park.
"I'd recommend a harness next time!" remarked Superman, carrying the shocked man to safety.
"W-Who are you?" he asked, still seeming to be in shock. Superman flew to a nearby shop to get a bottle of water, dropping a few cents at the shopkeeper's counter.
He flew back to the man with the water, along with a bag of chips he bought along the way.
"Thought you could use these," said Clark, handing them to the man.
"T-thanks, mister…" started the man, but Superman chuckled.
"Call me Kal…or Superman," chuckled Clark. He seemed to be liking the name more and more. He smiled at the man and flew up towards the sun, drinking its radiation and flying back to Metropolis.
Rudy opened his left eye, only to find himself in a dark, brick, and cement-like room. He turned his eyeball left and saw what looked like a fireplace. Half of his face and the rest of his body was covered by some tarp.
"What the fuck is going on?" asked Rudy to himself. It seemed to hurt to even think, much less move his eyes or his limbs. Resisting the pain, he grabbed the tarp and yanked it off of him, throwing it across the room.
He yanked his neck to the right, hearing a sickening crack as he looked at the cabinets lining the wall.
Some of the small cabinets were open, and all Rudy could see were their feet, with toe tags on their toes. The chilly air and the stench of putrefaction attacked Rudy's nose, and he realized where he was.
"A morgue…I'm in a morgue…" he thought to himself. Panicking, he rapidly sat up, only to his all his individual vertebrae crack and snap in and out of place, before snapping back in. Strangely, he barely felt any pain.
He looked at his arms and legs and realized they were all crooked and bent into place. He let out a massive scream and noticed they were glowing a slight purple, with tiny yellow warts on them.
"OH MY GOD!" shouted someone. Rudy looked up and saw the mortician standing in the doorway, horrified at what he was seeing.
"H-Help…" said Rudy, his voice deeper. The coroner gulped and rushed to his aid, putting him back on the gurney.
"All your bones are bent and broken in place, literally all of them! How…how are you alive?" asked the coroner. Rudy shook his neck, causing more bones to crack.
"You were pronounced dead, this is impossible," said the coroner. Rudy tried moving, only for a couple of his ribs to fall out of his chest.
"AAAAAH!" shouted Rudy, falling off the gurney and crashing to the ground. The bones in his body seemed to crumble into gravel, and he wailed even louder.
"HELP!" cried Rudy, as he tried to crawl away, but he was slithering like a jellyfish. The coroner fell on his back after backing away and tripping on his foot. He reached into a drawer and pulled out a gun.
More pain seemed to take over Rudy's body as he cried on the ground, his head hitting the cold metal floor. He looked at his crushed arm, only to see a bone growing inside it, like a stem shooting out of the soil.
Rudy's eyes went wide as he looked inside the cavity in his chest, and saw his ribs reforming, slowly and painfully. He managed to turn over on his back and see the coroner holding a gun to his head.
"I need to put you out of your misery. I don't know what happened to you, but no one deserves such pain," said the coroner, with tears in his eyes.
"NO WAIT, WAIT!" shouted Rudy, but the bullet went straight through his neck. Blood sprayed out of the hole in his neck like a fountain, and his eyes went dead. His glassy eyes stared up at the ceiling, the redness making his pupils look like stained glass.
The coroner dropped the gun and slowly turned around, vomiting all over the floor. He fell to his knees and wept, before getting back up and staggering to the doorway.
He dared not to look back, as he pulled out his phone.
Just then, an icy shiver ran down his spine, mixed with a feeling of numbness. He felt a bony hand on his shoulder.
The coroner turned around and saw Rudy standing in front of him, his eyes steely and cold, like a sharp scalpel penetrating his soul.
The coroner's heart began to ache. He looked at his limbs and saw them shriveling up as if they were turning into brown twigs. Horrified, he looked back at Rudy, whose arms were glowing pink and he had a look of bliss on his face.
Pain seemed to replace the numbness in the coroner, as flesh began to peel off of his skin and muscles detach from the sinews, He let out a horrifying, blood-curdling scream before the skin and muscle fell from his face, and his body crumpled into what looked like a human-shaped twig on the ground.
Rudy blinked hard, and his skin seemed to turn more people. His skin seemed to have regrown over his wounds after he more or less absorbed the coroner. Without hesitation and almost on instinct, he put on the coroner's lab coat and limped out of the morgue, his eyes glowing purple.
"Sharma! See this!" shouted the young boy, pointing to the sandy ground. The ground seemed to be shaking, almost as if an earthquake was happening, but only in that one small spot.
"What is it, Vipul?" asked Sharma, holding a cricket bat.
"You think it's dinosaurs? Like from Jurassic Park? The fossils could have come back to life?" suggested Vipul, staring intently at the ground. Sharma shook his head and sighed.
"I don't think any dinosaurs were found in India. Now come back to cricket!" whined Sharma. Just then, the whole ground began to shake. Vipul rushed to Sharma and pushed the two of them out of the way.
A humanoid figure came hurtling from the ground, and rocketed straight into the air.
"That's no dinosaur…" muttered Sharma, in awe.
The figure's skin looked as if it was made of black metal, glistening in the hot sun. It was wearing a grey, mesh-like armor, similar to Jor-El's, and it was producing a whirring sound.
Without a single word, it seemed to zoom out of the atmosphere, leaving the two boys stunned as to what just flew out of the Earth.
Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for Chapter 4 soon!