Chapter 20

Smallville…

Clark returns home after a very long day. He had been helping Tess who had been suffering recurring dreams about being abandoned in an orphanage and found the place run by this metahuman woman called Granny Goodness who could erase the memories of people and had done so to Tess and was doing so to other girls under her 'care' turning them into weapons.

But weapons for what?

Clark can skip over the whole exposure to kryptonite (because that is a cliché at this point), being captured(ditto), tortured (three for three) and almost having his own memories wiped (seriously that has happened or almost happened to him a ridiculous number of times) and instead focus on that question.

Weapons for what?

Is this woman building some sort of army?

Right now, Clark has no answers but he's going to try and find them. He is a reporter after all.

He probably looks pretty haggard he thinks to himself as he enters the house. It had obviously been a stressful and upsetting day. More for Tess than himself. He'll give her a little time to process events but then they'll have to try and find an answer as to what Granny Goodness is really up to.

Clark enters the kitchen, opens the fridge and fetches out a soda. He is just taking a nice, long refreshing drink when…

"Papá."

"Hey," he greets his grown-up offspring.

"Long day?" she queries, just getting that sort of aura from him.

"Yeah."

"Well, you'll have to tell me about it later because, um, there's something we need to talk about."

Clark looks at her. Her tone and demeanour tells him this is serious. "What is it?"

"It's about Abuelo."

Clark cocks his head to the side, puzzled.

"Jor-El," she clarifies.

"What about him?" Clark asks, his tone showing just how fed up he is with that collection of 1s and 0s that is all that is left of his biological father.

"You're gonna want to sit down," Mia advises, pretty certain that her father will not take this well.

Clark looks at her intently for several seconds before he follows her suggestion and sits himself down.

"Unbelievable! He's unbelievable!" Clark rages as he paces back and forth in the kitchen. "I cannot believe he would go as far as to abduct you! Wait," he says, stopping. "How did he abduct you?" he suddenly wonders.

Mia rubs her head. She guessed this would be her father's reaction. Hoped it wouldn't be but here we are. "Two words. Martian. Manhunter."

"John?!" he exclaims.

Yeah. John…or in Martian J'onn had been the weird shadow demon thing using his shapeshifting abilities to abduct her on the behalf of his old friend. "He was doing Abuelo a favour. They are old friends you know."

"Like that excuses this!" Clark scoffs in derision.

"Papá. Please calm down," Mia beseeches him.

"Like hell," he spits out furiously. "You would think I would have earned some damn trust by now!"

Mia's eyes widen as she gets why he is so mad. He feels betrayed and hurt that Jor-El doesn't trust him. "Look on that front, I get why you're mad and really I know, from personal experience, Abuelo is a bit of a twip."

Clark gazes at her. "Personal experience?"

"I never met you, Papá before I travelled back in time."

"Yeah?" he asks, wondering where this is going.

"Therefore, how did I get my Kryptonian name?"

"Jor-El," he realises.

"Jor-El," she confirms. "Also, my costume came from him as well. Not that that made up for 23 missed birthdays and Christmases but dwelling on that would just be me being petty."

Clark reluctantly half-smiles at her humour.

"Like I said I know he's a twip but he and I, we talked it out and I think you need to do the same. In fact, I told Abuelo I would take you to the Fortress."

"You what?" Clark asks, unable to believe what he is hearing.

"Come on, Papá. I know how it feels to not have a father in my life and you don't have to. He's right there and if it means anything I gave him a piece of mind in regards to his slagging terrible treatment of you."

"Did you?" he asks plainly.

Mia nods. "I can sit here and say I know his methods suck, again from personal experience but I do believe he does mean to do what he thinks is best."

"I've heard that before," he says, sounding just a little bitter because that reminds him of what he was saying to his mom at Thanksgiving about people who make decisions involving him but don't consult him. He looks intently at his daughter. "How long?"

"Sorry?" she asks, confused.

"How long did he know about you?"

"Oh!" Mia gets the question and the reasoning behind it. "He didn't. Before, in my timeline, he didn't know if what you're thinking is that he hid me from you. I don't have any powers yet and I think I come off pretty much as human if you examine me or scan me. It was only later, when my powers developed. Um, like last year from my perspective, the Fortress started picking up my energy signature and Abuelo called to me."

Clark supposes he feels some relief that at least this is one thing Jor-El wasn't keeping from him.

"I…Dios, I know you have questions, want more details about this but I can't give them to you, Papá. I'm sorry," she says, desperately wishing to avoid them because it leads into area of where her Papá is and of course, the answer is dead.

There are so many questions Clark has. He has a whole list of things he's picked up from her when she half-answers questions. He can make educated guesses and answer some of them himself but others…others he would need her to be prepared to be totally honest and clearly she's not willing to be so.

Mia needs to get this conversation back on track. "I can't make you go to the Fortress or make you speak to Abuelo. All I can say is that I risked the dangers of time travel to meet you. All you have to do is make a little trip up north and what do you have to lose? You and Abuelo barely talk anyway but think of what there is to gain. I can tell you from personal experience that, being close to one's father, it is a lot," she says with real feeling. She would struggle to put into words what it is she has gained by being with her father.

Clark looks at his daughter's expectant expression and can actually see the little girl she is in the here and now who has that exact same look. He can also see in her the little girl that never knew her father and he swore he would change that. It's also happens to be a look he has a hard time refusing. "Ok. I'll go," he concedes.

"Schway!" she says cheerily, happy and excited that she succeeded.

"But," he cautions, "I'm not happy with the abducting you and John and I will be having words."

"Oh, well, me too, actually. I mean future him was much nicer to me. He was one of the few who were."

Clark looks at her curiously about that last line. Why would people not be nice to her? "What do you mean?"

Mia looks up, alarmed. "Oh, um, nothing. It's nothing," she tries to dismiss it.

"Mia," he says sternly.

"It's…like I told you, people had these expectations and it felt like I wasn't living up to them."

"They were judging you?"

Mia rubs the back of her neck. "I guess so…maybe. I can't read minds and it didn't feel right to just come out and ask."

Clark frowns. He can't be anything but unhappy people were harshly judging his daughter. It's also nothing he can do anything about since it's 20 years in the future. A future that has probably already been altered and will be further as this sounds like another thing he needs to add to the list of things he wants to change. "I feel like that is something we should talk about," he mentions but before she can say anything he continues, "after we go see Jor-El. Come on then. I hope I don't regret this."

Fortress of Solitude…

"Alright! I'm here, Jor-El!" Clark calls out, throwing his hands up into the air in blind hope rather than any real expectation.

"Abuelo!" Mia calls out. "It's time! We discussed this! Don't be a twip!"

"I knew this would be a waste of time," Clark mutters, preparing to leave.

"No. Wait," Mia tries to stop him.

Then there is a burst of light that surrounds father and daughter and there, standing in front of them appears an image of Lara and Jor-El.

Clark stands there mesmerised as his mother speaks.

"My son... I've only had the joy of knowing you a few weeks. I wish I could be with you always to guide you and protect you."

"We don't have much time," Jor-El says.

"My dearest Kal-El, our love will always be with you. I can already see you carry within you your father's independent spirit."

"But more importantly, your mother's never-ending bravery and her compassionate heart."

"Your father tells me the new world you're journeying to, Earth, is full of complicated beings capable of great emotion. My wish is for you to live a full and wonderful life, but I need you to know, you were born of a great love. And your brilliant father has devised a way for you to carry on that love... without us," Lara says, her voice full of sorrow and heartbreak.

The image fritzes for a second before Jor-El speaks again. "The ship I designed to carry you to your destiny can only hold one Kryptonian ... one who has so much potential ... so unlike your father. Your mother and I cannot come with you. To do so would be to burden your innocent soul with our frailties and failures. But you have within you the best of both of us. And I am sending with you all my knowledge and none of my ego or regrets. They will die with me here on Krypton. Whatever trials I put you through, I will never lose faith in you."

There are sounds of explosions in the background and the image fritzes again.

"Quickly, before it's too late," Lara says to Jor-El before speaking to Clark again. "We may not have been able to save our planet..."

"…but we are confident you will become Earth's greatest saviour. And never doubt that, just as you are a part of us, we will always be a part of you. Farewell, my son."

"Farewell," Lara adds in a barely heard tearful whisper.

And with that the hologram recording ends.

Mia steps forward next to her father. "You ok?"

Clark takes a moment to get his emotions in check. Unshed tears fill his eyes. "Yeah. Yes. I'm fine," he sniffles.

"At least you got a message. All I had was faith that my Mamá was watching over me."

"I'm sure she was, Mia."

"I think…I think the way Abuelo behaves is because he believes his mistakes would be some sort of…burden upon you."

"That's…insightful."

"Thank my adopted mother. She was the insightful one."

Clark looks at the brunette woman with interest. He has never heard her mention her adopted mother before. Course, the fact she even had one tells him a little bit more about Andi's death. That it happened when Mia was young enough to need to be adopted by someone. Which means it can't be that far in the future. He says, "I used to think Jor-El was this strong, unshakable force, kind of like I thought I was supposed to be."

"Just like the way I felt about myself and you then," Mia laughs with the irony of it all. It's like history repeated itself with her in her father's stead.

"I guess Jor-El was more human than he would care to admit."

"Well, the fact I exist at all shows that Kryptonians and Humans aren't that far apart."

"Yeah. He blames himself for losing our home. All the weight I thought I had on my shoulders, he was carrying something so much heavier," Clark says with new understanding of his biological father.

"And he didn't want you to carry it with him," Mia gets.

"I get it now. I do. I wouldn't want you to carry the burden of my mistakes either," he says to her. "But you do carry a burden. The one you mentioned. Of expectations."

Mia shrugs. "You…I probably shouldn't say this but you cast a big shadow. You will be this world's saviour, just like Abuelo wanted you to be."

"Perhaps but I'll be so because it is what I want to do rather than what is expected of me. If Jor-El had just let me figure that out on my own I think we may have gotten along better."

"So, he didn't quite get rid of his bossiness then?"

Clark chuckles at her joke. "You tell me. You know an 'older' version of him."

Mia makes a face. "Please. Don't get me started or we'll be here all day," she gripes.

"I think, after the day we've had we need to unwind. Tell me do they still have karaoke in the future?"

"Yes. Why are you asking?" she asks suspiciously.

"It's power-ballad night at the Ace of Clubs. That is if you don't consider it too not-Schway to hang around with your old man," he teases, playfully elbowing her.

"Well, it would be good to blow off some steam. Just as long as you don't cheat on Mamá by hitting on all the single women. That would be mortifying."

"Your mother and I are not dating," he insists.

"That's what she says too."

"Did you ever think we were telling the truth?"

"Nah."

"Mia…I'm really not ready to get back into dating so regardless of what you believe about Andi and myself I think I can avoid embarrassing you."

"I'll be holding you to that," she vows.

Metropolis...

Meanwhile, Clark's antagonist of the week, Granny Goodness, stands in an abandoned building waiting. She had been summoned here by her Lord.

She is soon joined by a man with dark blond hair and the bald-headed form of Gordon Godfrey.

"Hello, Granny," the dark-blond man greets the white-haired older woman.

"Desaad," she greets him back, though not with much fondness at all. "I must say I'm not sure I like this form you were reborn in."

"It's grown on me. Then again none of us had much choice in the matter did we."

"No. We did not," Granny says gravely. Her eyes turn to Desaad's companion.

"Ah, yes. Let me make the introductions. Granny meet Gordon Godfrey. Godfrey has been chosen. Our... Dark Lord... has anointed him... made him like us ... a prophet. He is the third minion of the prophecy that will see us all restored to our true selves."

"So, I do have a higher purpose," Godfrey says in revelation at the fact.

"Yes, Godfrey. Your golden voice will be broadcast around the world, attracting the suspectable to our Great Lord's promise of salvation."

Granny looks sceptical at this.

"His mind needs some time to understand our Lord's greatness. He is, after all, only human," Desaad explains.

Granny snorts. "Not impressed. And you ... I see you're enjoying your clubs. They seem more popular than ever. One would almost think you've taken after dear old Sleez."

"No need to be insulting, Granny. I assure you there is purpose to my actions. I bind their bodies, Godfrey breaks their spirit, and you, my beloved friend, you clear their minds, preparing the way for them to become one with our Great Lord. Our unholy trinity is complete."

"Yes. It is," a powerful voice speaks as from the shadows dark smoke emerges and takes a humanoid form, towering over the three.

The three instinctively drop to the one knee.

"My Lord," Granny greets the entity. "I cannot express how wonderous it is to be in your presence again."

"Stop your simpering, Granny," she gets told off. "Be thankful I have need of you or else I would punish you for your failure today."

"Failure?" Granny asks, trying not to stammer in fear. None fail the Lord without punishment.

"You had in your hands today, one of the few who might be able to oppose me."

Granny thinks hard. "The boy?"

"Not just any boy. The last Kryptonian. The one these mortal fools call the Blur…and you let him escape!"

"You had him in your hands?!" Desaad exclaims, unable to believe she messed that up.

Granny glowers but remains silent.

"The boy will be dealt with in time. Once Granny has finished retraining her Furies. I trust you can manage that simple task," he says, disdain lacing his tone.

"Of course, my Lord," Granny assures him, grovelling.

"For now, I seek the female that is in his company. This 'Maiden of Might'. She is an anomaly. And more than that she is protected by Magics of the Old Gods. I was burned when I attempted to join with her. Whatever secrets she possesses I will have as my own."

"Her capture is as certain as this world's subjugation, my Lord," Desaad promises.

"We shall see, Desaad. You should know better than most my intolerance for failure."

Desaad swallows hard. That brings up a lot of painful memories.

"This world has created these so-called heroes as if antibodies to fight me but I will crush any hope they can bring. And all I have to do is turn the Human's own intolerance against them. Once they lose hope, they will succumb to the salvation only I can bring."

And the trinity chant as one. "And this world and all others will bow down to you, oh Great Darkseid!"

Author's Note: Since I wasn't going to change anything about Clark and Tess' part in this episode it's why I switched the focus to Mia. And while that means we didn't see the Female Furies in these chapters I will be using them later. Unlike the show, which never did. I mean, seriously, what was the point in introducing your own version of them and not using them again?! You could have had a kickass final battle with them in the finale. I'm also going to embellish the backstory of the Apokoliptians a little to give my own take on them but we'll get to that. And now Mia has become a focus for Darkseid so maybe Jor-El is correct. Her presence here endangers the future. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews.