Sam stood outside Lex Luthor's holding cell, hesitating one last time. The sight of the man's unconscious body hooked up to machines and beeping screens somehow made what he was about to do feel all the more real. Despite reluctantly agreeing to this mission, he was struggling to take the final step.

It was a huge moment, one there would be no coming back from. Once he walked into that room, he knew he'd be losing his daughter's trust forever.

So, he let himself have a minute to think.

Luthor's prison was nothing but a small cube in the centre of a large underground floor that spanned the length of the entire secret facility. The cell itself was made of reinforced glass and lit up with spotlights from every angle for maximum visibility. Two armed guards stood outside the entrance, with several more covering the perimeters. Not to mention the fifty or so soldiers stationed outside the building, ensuring there would never be any surprise visitors. Only a few individuals were authorised to reach this level of the building. The rest were kept in the dark about what this facility even housed. After everything Lex had done, Sam had known better than to underestimate him. Even in a coma.

Yet here he was… about to do something that had the potential to wake him up.

He tried to brush off the possibility. After all, Luthor had been continually monitored ever since he'd been discarded by that alien consciousness. The doctors repeatedly assured the General that there was no way he would ever recover. Yes, there was still some brain activity - perhaps just enough to hold the information Sam was looking for – but the parts of his brain neccesary for him to survive on his own were long dead.

Besides, even if he did somehow miraculously wake up and recover, it's not like he was going anywhere. This facility had been meticulously designed to protect against any kind of attack, supernatural or otherwise. Sam had even enlisted Argus' help to make sure every eventuality had been prepared for.

He looked down at the device he held in his hand - yet another favour from Argus. A flicker of guilt crossed his mind at the lie he'd had to tell to get it. If he'd been honest with Diggle and Lyla about what the mindscape device was intended for, who knows if they'd have agreed to hand it over – and he had no time for a moral debate.

There was enough of that going on inside his own mind as it was.

His mouth went suddenly dry at the memory of Clark's terrified face back in that dark hallway. He'd been totally blindsided by his son-in-law's irrational panicked behaviour, and the shock had rendered him useless. Despite what he'd said to Hardcastle about Superman's human nature, he'd never really considered him a candidate for a mental health crisis.

Although he was obviously concerned for Clark's wellbeing, his years of service had conditioned him to evaluate worst case scenarios, and he couldn't help going over all risks and implications. Anything that threatened the status quo of the most powerful man on earth was a matter of national security. Right now, his symptoms seemed to only be affecting him… but he'd seen so many men's fears turn into uncontrollable rage.

What if Superman lost control of himself and someone got hurt? What if the Superman of John Henry's earth had been turned on the back of this very circumstance?

As much as he hated to admit it, General Hardcastle was right. They didn't have a choice. There were just too many unknowns, too many risks over which they had no control. The fate of the world was in the balance, and they were totally unarmed.

If it meant preventing the kind of horrific destruction John Henry had described, Sam accepted the burden he had to bear. After all, making hard choices was what he did best. His family might not see it that way, but realistically this was the only way to keep them all safe.

Besides, if he'd refused, he was sure Hardcastle would simply have fired him and sent someone in who was prepared to do the job. At least this way, whatever he saw in Lex's mind would be safe. Who knew what memories Lex's twisted mind still held of Superman. Of the pain he'd inflicted.

With as much conviction as he could muster, Sam nodded towards the guards and they stepped aside obediently, revealing the cell's high tech access panel. He approached the digital screen, leaning in for the eye and facial recognition software to initiate, while simultaneously placing his hand on the fingerprint scanner below. Once his identity was confirmed, the door slid open and he pushed his body through the last vestiges of resistance, stepping inside the bright, sterile space.

It was time to see what the inside of a true psychopath's mind really looked like.

Jon headed down the stairs, still mulling over his conversation with Jordan.

He'd been mostly focused on reassuring his brother, but honestly, he'd been thinking along the same lines ever since they'd seen his dad lying bloodied and beaten on the ground at that factory. Especially after listening to their mom in the hospital waiting area and realising this was far from the first time something like this had happened.

It's not that he was mad at them or anything. Jon was pretty sure even 'normal' parents didn't share all the gory details of the worst stuff that ever happened to them. But the events of the last few days had definitely made him reflect about things he'd never really given much thought to before.

When he was halfway down the stairs, Jon heard what sounded like a chair being knocked over and a loud grunt of pain. He sped up, practically flying over the last few steps before skidding to a halt at the entrance to the kitchen.

He was surprised to see his dad sat on the floor, leaning up against one of the kitchen cabinets. He was naked from the waist up and holding an ice pack against his skin, dabbing tentatively at countless bruises that seemed to cover every inch of his torso. A chair lay on its side beside him, one of the legs snapped practically in half.

'Dad!' Jonathan cried out, stepping over the broken chair and kneeling next to him.

'I'm okay, I'm okay…' his dad reassured, giving him a forced smile that quickly turned into a wince, 'It's not as bad as it looks, I promise.'

'Okay, but… what happened?' Jon asked, looking his dad's purple and blue chest up and down in shock. 'I thought all your injuries had healed?'

'Got some new ones,' Clark sighed, dropping the ice pack in defeat. 'Looks like my invulnerability is still a bit hit and miss.'

Jonathan raised his eyebrow to indicate a better explanation was needed.

'I went to stop a bank robbery,' Clark explained, shifting uncomfortably, as though trying to find a spot that didn't mean leaning on a bruise. 'They shot me, and I went down.'

'I don't get it,' Jon shook his head, 'Your powers came back, right? How could they just disappear again?'

His dad sighed again and gave a shrug that seemed vaguely avoidant. He looked uncomfortable again, but this time for different reasons. Jon frowned, struggling to read his dad's response. Then it dawned on him.

'Did you have another attack?'

Clark looked up at him with wide eyes, his face full of conflicting emotions. He seemed caught between the instinct to deny it and the growing desire to simply be honest.

'Yeah,' he admitted after a few seconds. 'I did.'

Jon watched his dad's face drop slightly as though saying it out loud meant admitting defeat. He'd never seen him look like that before. But then, lately he'd seen so many sides of him he didn't realise were there, he was starting to get used to it.

'It's okay, you know,' Jonathan tried to reassure him. 'No one expects you to be Superman on the inside.'

His dad laughed somewhat bitterly, followed by a sudden coughing fit. Once his breathing returned to normal, he tried to sit up straight, as though changing his posture made him feel less vulnerable.

'I wish that were true, bud,' he explained. 'But people get pretty freaked out when I'm anything less than perfect. I don't really blame them. There's so much about me that they don't know. I'm not saying I'd change that, but I can understand their fear. I'm a mystery… and that'll always feel dangerous.'

Jon tried to catch his dad's eyes as he spoke, but he seemed dead set on talking to his hands.

'Okay, but you know we don't see you that way, right?' he tried to counter.

His dad looked up at him then, giving him a smile Jon could tell was just for show. Man, he was really taking this stuff badly. Jon knew he needed to get through to him somehow.

He sighed and moved to sit beside his dad on the kitchen floor, leaning his head back against the cupboards and looking up at the old farmhouse ceiling.

'You know, I used to be so mad at you for not being around more,' Jon admitted, not wanting to look at his dad while he tried to figure out what he needed to say.

'I'm sorry Jon…' his dad started instinctively, but Jon cut him off.

'Dad, I said used to,' he said, turning his head and giving him a pointed look. 'It's… different now.'

Jon returned his gaze to the ceiling, feeling his dad just watching him but seemingly understanding that it was time to simply listen.

'Okay, so… you remember that little league final you missed? I thought you were just in some office somewhere missing the best game of my life. But you weren't, were you. You were probably off dealing with some huge disaster.'

'Volcano,' Clark said quietly. 'On Nisyros island.'

Jon's eyes grew wide in recognition. 'Right… I remember that! You had to tunnel right into that thing! And then when you came out you were throwing up molten lava! The villagers thought you were a demon!'

He saw a flicker of pain cross his dad's face, and his breathing quickened ever so slightly. Jon kicked himself. It probably wasn't the best time to be bringing up a memory like that.

'I just mean… It's kind of insane, you know?' Jonathan tried to recover, steering the conversation back to his point. 'When we first found out, all I was really thinking about was how weird it is that my dad is Superman. That my dad is this celebrity and has powers and stuff. Now I guess i'm realising how weird it is that Superman is my dad.'

He briefly looked over to find a now confused expression on his dad's face, and he kicked himself for the way this was coming out. He was totally mincing his words.

'You know,' he tried again, 'that the guy who stops all those crazy disasters and fights villains and stuff… is also just an actual guy. A real person... he's you.'

Jonathan thought he saw his dad's eyes shift like he was beginning to understand what Jon was trying to say.

'You're the one handling all of this stuff,' he continued. 'Everyone thinks you're just this unshakeable God, but you're not. Me and Jordan probably don't know half of the things you've seen or had to go through… hell, maybe even mom doesn't know some of it. But based on what we do know, to be honest… I think it's kind of insane that you havent fallen apart sooner.'

His dad looked at him in shock for a moment before suddenly laughing. Jon looked down at his hands self-consciously, not sure if the laughter was a good thing or a bad thing.

'I just mean… It's a lot for anyone to handle. You know?' he added.

Clark reached out and lifted his son's chin back up softly, smiling at him with what looked like gratitude.

'I love being Superman, I hope you know that. I wouldn't have it any other way,' he said, silently searching Jon's eyes for his understanding, as though refusing to continue without it.

Jon simply nodded. He knew his dad wasn't some brooding reluctant hero. He chose to do what he was doing because he wanted to help, and he respected that a lot.

'But… yes,' his dad finally admitted, 'It's… hard sometimes.'

Clark suddenly pulled the t-shirt he held in his hands over his head, and the two of them simply sat there in silence for a moment. Something had clearly shifted, and his dad seemed a bit more relaxed. Like a heavy weight had somehow been lifted.

'So, you know it's okay, right?' Jon added after a moment. 'That this stuff is happening to you? You don't have to beat yourself up about it. Like… It's okay to get some help.'

Clark sighed, still half smiling. He shook his head lightly before placing his hand on his son's neck.

'You know you are way too wise for your age,' his dad said seriously, and he felt himself blush slightly.

In an effort to break the tension, Jon decided it was time to stand up, pulling himself up off the floor and reaching a hand down to help his dad to his feet.

'Tell you what,' his dad bargained. 'I'll book an appointment with someone to talk to – if you do the same.'

'Dad, I'm fine…' Jon tried to protest, but he could see his dad's raised eyebrow and realised he'd basically trapped himself. There was no getting out of this without seeming like a complete hypocrite. 'I guess you're right… It was pretty intense.'

'I'm so sorry you had to go through that Jon,' his dad said, his voice full of emotion again. 'But I want you to know how proud of you I am. What you did… It was incredibly brave.'

Jon bit his lip, trying to stifle the goofy grin that threatened to spread across his face. He shrugged, looking down at his sneakers.

'Must be in the genes,' he said, giving his dad a brief teasing look.

Suddenly his dad pulled him in for a hug, and he found himself simply leaning into it without the usual groans and complaints.

No matter what came next, he was just so grateful that some stranger from another earth hadn't managed to take his dad away from him forever.

Lois stormed into Morgan Edge's offices, not wanting to slow down for a second and risk any doubt creeping in. She knew Clark would be upset with her for putting herself in harm's way like this, but she felt fairly certain Edge wasn't stupid enough to attack her in the middle of his place of business with all these witnesses.

Besides, she was tired of just waiting around while a murderous kryptonian continued to hold all the cards. They needed to know how far along he was in his plans.

Lois walked right past the confused receptionist, not giving her the chance to object. In her haste, she almost bumped straight into Lana who had turned a corner into her path.

'Lois!' her friend exclaimed in surprise, a look of concern on her face.

She knew the other woman had likely been worried about her whereabouts over the last 24hrs but she was in take no prisoners mode right now. She'd have to make it up to her later.

'Where's Edge?' she said bluntly.

'He's in a group meeting! I just found out about the ad this morning…'

Lois gripped the printed design in her hand even tighter. She'd been filled in by Chrissy about Edge's request to run it in the gazette earlier and she was still fuming. That bastard thought he could use her newspaper to further his murderous intentions?

Seizing the additional wave of anger as fuel, Lois set aside any guilt about her rudeness and simply swerved around her friend, leaving her speechless and watching from the hallway as she barged into Edge's meeting room.

As soon as she entered, fifteen pairs of eyes turned to stare at her in surprise. She paused briefly to take in all of their faces before charging ahead with her mission.

'You don't want anything to do with what he's offering,' she declared loudly to the room.

Edge placed a hand on his forehand in an expression of exasperation and Lois side-eyed Leslie Larr as she made her way around the table towards her.

'Miss Lane,' Edge cautioned in that patronising tone that made her skin crawl.

'You all need to walk away right now…' she continued, despite knowing it was likely falling on deaf ears. 'Walk away.'

Leslie moved towards her, and two security guards closed in at the entrance to the meeting room looking to Edge for direction. Fire flashed in Lois' eyes as Leslie tried to grab her arm.

'Don't touch me,' she warned through gritted teeth, though she knew it was an empty threat.

She had no idea who Leslie Larr had been before she'd been eradicated, but whoever was behind the wheel now was clearly an integral part of Edge's kryptonian invasion.

'I'm sorry, if everyone could give Miss Lane and I a moment,' Edge addressed the attendees. 'I promise this won't take long.'

Lois watched the group of potential unwitting victims standing up and heading for the door nervously. She decided to make one last attempt to get through to them. She wasn't exactly expecting them to swallow this pill whole, but if she got even one person to back out now, it would be worth it. Besides, the whole point was to make herself look a bit unhinged. She needed Edge to underestimate her.

'I know this sounds insane, because it is, but he is trying to erase everything you are and replace it with something else,' she said, adding a hint of pleading to her tone for effect.

Unsurprisingly, she was met with looks of only confusion and disapproval. As the last person left the room and closed the door, Edge turned towards her, giving her a pitying expression that made her want to throw a chair across the room at him.

'Well, that was desperate,' he said, with a mixture of mock sympathy and amusement.

'I know what you're doing,' Lois said quietly but threateningly, moving closer to him so she could look him in the eye… and keep his eyes firmly on her.

'Providing good jobs to a community in need?' he retorted with his usual air of pretence.

'You are putting kryptonian consciousnesses into people's bodies,' she continued, making sure he knew she wasn't in the dark anymore. 'You are taking them over and giving them powers.'

Still matching his steely gaze with her own, she slammed the printed-out advert down on top of what looked at a brief glance to be a list of names. She tried to make it seem as random as possible, that her action was nothing more than an expression of anger.

Edge looked down at the advert and then back up to her with that twisted smile. 'And you're evidence for this is?'

'Derek Powell. Rino Rosetti. Leslie?' Lois listed off the names of the people she knew had already been eradicated.

Her dad had filled her in on the attacks at the other 7734 facilities, so they knew there were likely many more people he was using like puppets. God knows how long he had been doing this, and how many had since blown up like Derek Powell.

'Oh, so two dead men, and my personal assistant,' he laughed callously. 'I have to say, this story has holes even by your standards.'

She didn't flinch at his attempt to goad her. She'd expected him to deny everything anyway.

'We both know it's the truth.'

'In my experience truth is rather… subjective. Who do you think people are more likely to believe? A has-been, slumming it at the local paper,' he asked, gesturing in her direction as though she didn't know full well who he was referring to, 'or the man who's giving this town the best economy it's ever known.'

That was the part that made no sense. Edge was a successful businessman, rivalling the likes of Lex Luthor and Bruno Mannheim. How could he be a kryptonian? Was he just another human that had been taken over, or had he been hiding the truth about himself this whole time? Leading a double life, just like Clark.

No, not like Clark, she corrected herself. Edge was nothing like Clark.

'These people are not puppets to be controlled by you,' she retorted, closing the gap between them, and trying to see if there was anything resembling human emotion behind those eyes. 'They have dreams, they have families.'

Pausing briefly to check there was no one within hearing distance, Edge's expression darkened suddenly and his eyes bore into hers. If there was any doubt in her mind before, it was gone now… there was nothing but darkness swirling behind them.

'You think I care about these pathetic humans and their dreams? Your kind are nothing but a lesser species to me, running around killing and maiming each other, tripping over yourselves for fame and attention, valuing all the things that matter the least. Why should you dribbling idiots deserve to live, while my planet, krypton, deserves to die?'

Lois tried to hide the shock from showing on her face as Edge finally let the façade slip away and confirmed his kryptonian origin. She hadn't expected him to give up his cover so suddenly like that.

'It's not up to either of us. As much as you might like to think it, you're not a god.'

Edge shrugged in fake humility. 'My father sent me to earth with a mission. I plan to carry that out. And there's nothing you, or your 'Super' friend can do to stop me. That's if he'll even want to stop me… after everything these people have put him through.'

He cocked his eyebrow at her and smiled knowingly. Anxiety gripped her chest in response. There was something in his eyes that told her he was referring to more than just the damage John Henry had recently inflicted. Was it possible he knew about Clark's history with Lex too?

'He'd never turn his back on us,' Lois replied in defiance.

'How can you be so sure, Lois? Need I remind you where he's really from? I'd think with all the pain and rejection he's faced at the hands of human beings; he may take comfort knowing there are others here like him… just as John Irons prophesied.'

'You don't know anything about him. He's nothing like you.'

Edge laughed like her conviction meant nothing, and she tried to remind herself this verbal tennis match wasn't the reason she was really here.

'I'm excited to find out,' he added with an air of finality.

Lois gave him her best intimidating stare, happy to let him think he'd won this round while she focused on her final task. Feeling confident he would arrogantly think nothing of it, she reached down and picked up the advert from the table, along with the papers underneath. Eager to make safe her prize, she tucked them into her back pocket and turned to leave. Just as she did, Leslie Larr opened the meeting room door.

How had she even known they were done? Had she been listening in? Leslie simply gestured for Lois to leave, her face just as smug as her boss. Lois gave them both one last look of disdain before being escorted out of the building by the two security men. She gave Lana an apologetic look on her way out.

She really hoped the scene she'd just created didn't get her friend into too much trouble – but if she was right about what she'd managed to syphon it would be worth it. They might just have list of everyone Edge had turned as part of his 'executive program.'

Tal-Rho strolled down the damp hallway to John Henry's cell feeling particularly satisfied by the events of the day. Lois Lane's ridiculous outburst had done nothing but affirm for him just how superior a race kryptonians really were.

It wouldn't be long now before they could move onto the next stage of their plan. They had all the candidates they needed now – people who had grown up in Smallville, just like Leslie, and whose exposure to kryptonite would ensure the eradication process would be successful. Once they'd been through the machine, their bodies would be transformed into something beyond their meager human form – something worthy of the kryptonian minds he wished to implant.

Lois Lane knew his true origin… he supposed that meant Superman did too, but that was of no consequence. She hadn't completely ruined his big reveal. After all, he still needed to let Superman know a much more enticing truth.

That he was his brother. That he was no longer alone in a world that treated him with nothing but fear and hatred. That he could have a family.

And the man on the other side of this door might just hold the key to killing any sentimental attachment he still had to these people. When Rosetti had relayed the nature of John Henry's attack on Superman, Tal knew he had an opportunity to seize. He fully intended to capitalize on how dangerous his brother's trust of these people was. Because all they would ever really see was an alien. An outsider. A threat.

Blowing up General Lane's pet kryptonite project had of course in part been a matter of self-preservation, but it also served to expose the DOD's hidden agenda. While Superman was out there saving the day, these duplicitous people were secretly preparing countless ways to kill him.

He'd been watching his brother for years, baffled by the ridiculous life he'd chosen – dressing up in a colourful outfit and flying around with a big stupid smile on his face like he was blissfully unaware of how much they all envied him, feared him… even hated him. Just because Lex Luthor was the only one to say it out loud, didn't mean that every other person on the planet hadn't thought it too. How could they not? These people always rejected what they couldn't control.

He had high hopes that his brother would see things his way. After all, it wasn't like he had any particular ties to this world, was it? Other than his apparent friendship with Lois Lane and a few other insignificant reporters at the Daily Planet, Tal could see nothing that would warrant his unshakeable commitment to the planet he just happened to have landed on.

And yet… there was some uncertainty. Was Lois Lane right? Did he really know anything about him? Tal knew his brother arrived on earth as only an infant – but he had no idea what fate had befallen him. Had he suffered a similar imprisonment to that which Tal had endured? Or had he been raised among them? Had he been brainwashed into think he was one of them?

Still so many unanswered questions. Tal just hope there would be time still to get to know each other. They were long overdue a family reunion.

Tal opened the door to the makeshift cell, smiling in satisfaction at the sight of his prisoner lying limply on the cold hard floor.

'Looks like your fight is nearly over,' Edge observed with anticipation.

The other man could only grunt through gritted teeth in response, panting from a fresh onslaught of pain. He looked beyond exhausted, his eyes flickering between red and blue each passing second.

'You've done a superb job, Mr Irons. Really, you've lasted much longer than any of my other subjects. It's very impressive. But it's time to let go now. I told you… no one can fight forever.'

The other man clenched his face like he was putting every ounce of energy he had left into pushing back one last time, and then his face and body went completely limp. For a moment Tal wondered if the man had somehow died, but he was relieved when there was a small movement.

Suddenly the man's eyes flew open, and Tal knew he had finally lost. His eyes were glowing a brilliant, constant red.

'General Zod' Edge greeted the man he'd spent his childhood looking up to with awe as he rose slowly and purposefully to his feet. 'It's an honour to finally be in your presence.'

'Tal-Rho,' Zod said slowly, examining his new body and testing out movement in his arms and hands. 'You have succeeded in your father's mission.'

'Not quite yet,' he admitted. 'But that's why you're here. There are still a few obstacles in our path, but nothing a brilliant man like you can't handle.'

The other man seemed to ignore him, seemingly searching his hosts mind as curiously as he had his body.

'Superman,' he said with disdain.

'Ah, my brother, yes, he's… a bit of a dissapointment,' Tal explained. 'But I believe there is hope of bringing him into the fold.'

'The shame he brings to krypton is deeper than you know,' General Zod revealed.

Tal cocked his head in curiosity. He hadn't expected John Henry's mind would hold much information about his brother's life.

'What do you mean? What did John Henry know about Superman?'

'He has committed a most heinous act,' Zod explained with disgust.

Tal practically held his breath as he waited for the man to reveal the truth uncovered in his captive's mind.

'He has created offspring… with a human.'

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