AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hey guys, sorry I haven't posted a new chapter to Superman: Origin since October, but with the end of the world coming in two days, I felt I needed to get one out fast! Anyway, I thought I owed you all an explanation before I get into the chapter. I know I said I was going to join and visit Batman in Gotham for a chapter or two, but I realized that it would have been much too hard to do a "World's Finest" story without Clark as Superman and Bruce as Batman. So, I'm headed straight home to Smallville, Kansas, and then in the final chapter, SUPERMAN! Get ready; it's going to be big!

It's spring in Smallville, the cornfields are quiet, the sun is bright and shining, the grass is glowing green, and the world seems so, calm. But then all this is interrupted at an instant when a red-blue blur zooms through the town to the Kent Farm on the outskirts of town.

"Ma! Pa!" yelled a frantic Clark Kent.

Running down the stairs, Pa Kent almost has a heart attack as he's trying to make it to his son. "What is it Clark? What's wrong son?"

Martha Kent, finally next to her husband adds, "Are you hurt?"

Clark is silent. He doesn't know what to say at this point.

"No, I'm..." He finally says.

"What is it son? Why are you acting like this?" Jonathan Kent says to his son while putting his arm on Clark's shoulder.

"Pa, I… I couldn't save them Pa… I couldn't…" Clark falls on his knees, tears rushing down his face as if they were part of Niagara Falls.

Jonathan bends down on his knees, Martha with him.

"Tell us what happened son?"

"I was in Metropolis. They've been having a crime problem. It turns out; this group called Intergang has been getting high-tech weapons from a mysterious partner. I think its LexCorp, but I can't prove it. Lex always did like to rule people with fear and power as opposed to strength like some would. Anyway, a group of seven of them was trying to take down the Daily Planet building, when I stopped the ones trying to take down the building; I went for the other 3. One of them shot at me. Naturally it bounded off my chest, but in the process, I realized that there were innocent bystanders. I turned to see that one of the bullets was headed right towards a little girls face. I zoomed in front of her and caught it, but just as I did so, they turned and fired on the civilians behind them. 12 dead, 26 injured, and 2 in comas. I couldn't save them all, I wasn't fast enough Ma… I wasn't…"

"Clark! Son, you aren't always going to be fast enough."

"But that's not all Pa. When I saw that, I knocked all the goons out, all except one. I wanted to see his eyes, and they had nothing in them. I was staring at an empty, hollow person. I held my hand at his throat, I wanted to kill him Pa. I was so angry, my eyes started to glow red as I was holding back my heat vision, waiting for the moment where I saw fear in his eyes, and right when I did, I saw a little girl crying. She was next to her mom. Her mom had been shot and was unconscious on the ground. A reporter woman, her name was Lois Lane. She was amazing, she didn't care about all that was around her; she was just trying to do the right thing in helping that poor little girl's mother. I walked over and I X-Rayed her. She was almost dead, and if I moved her, I could have killed her."

"What did you do Clark?" asked his mother.

"I sped to STAR Labs, one of the biggest research facilities in Metropolis, and I got a Dr. Emil Hamilton. He saved her just in time. Ms. Lane wanted to interview me. She said what happened wasn't my fault, but I know better. I'm to blame."

Jonathan looks down and then looks back up at his son.

"No Clark. You're not to blame."

Jonathan puts his hands on Clark's shoulders.

"You did absolutely everything you could. You have to learn son, that you cannot save everybody, but saving that one life, but bringing that doctor to save that girls mom, you were a hero."

"I don't feel like a hero."

"But that's what shows that you are. Heroes aren't people who stay to take the glory, heroes aren't those who just want to fight for the thrill, heroes aren't the ones who kill or take thrill in killing. Heroes don't take the glory. Heroes care about those they are protecting. Heroes fight injustice because it's the right thing to do, not to have their face plastered all over the world. That's who you are Clark. That's the kind of hero you are. That's why you can't stop."

Clark looks out the window at the open fields. Part of him wanted to just find Lana, get his own farm, and stay in Smallville. But he knew that that wasn't who he was supposed to be. He knew his destiny, and he was going to fulfill it.

Clark turned to his parents in a position that showed how serious he was.

"I'm going to help people. Once, Lana asked me if I was a 'man or a superman'. I'm going to be that Superman that she was talking about, but I also need to honor my birth parents, Jor-El and Lara. I'm going to wear my family crest."

"Whoa, Clark, hold on for a second! There's something we've been meaning to tell you!"

Clark turns around to look at them.

"What Pa?"

Jonathan steps back and looks his son in the eyes.

"For the last week, the crystal we found you with has been glowing non-stop during the night. We had to put it in the cellar beneath the barn so the neighbors didn't see it. I think it's calling out for you."

Clark sped to the barn and opened the cellar. The crystal started to glow and make a screeching noise. Clark held his hand out and the Sunstone Crystal which immediately transports him to the arctic.

"Ma! Pa!" Clark yells.

Clark turns to see that he is in the North Pole.

"Anybody?"

Then, without even thinking, Clark threw the Sunstone Crystal out over the ice.

Puzzled, Clark wondered why he felt the urge to throw it, and then, it stopped spinning and just hovered over the snow for a few seconds and plunged in.

Almost immediately after, giant pillars of ice started to come up from underneath the ground and form a giant ice Fortress with the House of El symbol above an opening in the center of the compound.

Clark sped over to in and entered into a burst of white light, recognizing him as Kal-El, the Last Son of Krypton.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thanks guys for reading this latest chapter of Superman: Origin, and thanks for being patient with me taking my time on this. The next chapter, Chapter 9, will (hopefully) be released before Christmas for you guys, therefore ending this story. I'll also (hopefully) have a Grinch story out by Christmas to celebrate the holiday season. Thanks guys, see you soon!