The elder Jonathan cursed himself for not being able to prevent his brother from following him. He should have known better that he rather saves his powers, than stopping those nuclear missiles. Lara confirmed the presence of a fast-approaching object, and the younger Jonathan became just pale.
"My powers haven't restored enough to fight him!" the elder Jonathan said.
Due to his long exposure to the red-solar-forcefield, the elder Jonathan's powers were nearly completely drained. He needed sunlight to recharge and to get stronger again. But for that he needed time, they don't have.
With his remaining superhearing he could hear his brother approaching. And he got slower to prevent any other family members to hear him. They knew that Clark left with Lois and Jordan a minute ago to fly back to Smallville. The older Jordan came from the other side, obviously trying to avoid getting heard.
"We have a few seconds! Distract him!" the older Jonathan ordered his younger self. "I know we can do that! I must recharge!"
Before Jonathan could protest, he saw his older self speeding out with Superspeed, only leaving a note in Jonathan's hands.
Jonathan couldn't believe what was happening! He is going to be left alone with an evil superpowered Kryptonian that killed hundreds of million humans and obviously came back in time to prevent his former self from losing his powers.
"Jonathan, I stay with you!" Lara said and suddenly they were surrounded by a bright red light.
Jonathan recognized that light immediately. It was the same red light, he saw John-Henry using when he weakened his father. So, it was obviously red sunlight, like it was on Krypton and that would render them powerless. Jonathan tried to ignore the fact that he suddenly felt so weak, too. Jonathan looked on the note to read it.
"Golden Kryptonite, 6 seconds were missing, don't believe him!"
Jonathan had no time to think about it further as there was suddenly a heavy gust of wind, before Jonathan could feel that he was lift off his feet and sat down on a seat before Lara's holographic image vanished…
The older Jonathan was able to hide in a secluded chamber, together with a surprised Lara, who was unaware this function that was obviously a development of Jonathan. He hissed on her to remain calm while they used the yellow solar energy in this chamber to recharge his cells with sunlight to be able to fight.
"I need the full dose, at least for a few minutes!" he whispered in Kryptonese. "I updated the fortress with the message-crystal. We have 5 minutes!
"I hope your younger self will be able to distract him long enough!" Lara responded back, also in Kryptonese. Not daring to ask when she will teach Jonathan the language. Even if Jonathan would have loved to tell her how she will convince him to learn the language after figuring out that Jordan will never learn it.
"Give me the dose… in the main room nobody will notice…"
The younger Jonathan meanwhile, realized that he was sitting on something hard. He looked up and could feel his heart stopping when he saw his brother. 10 to 15 years older. Wearing a suit that looked better than his current one, but still didn't look heroic and it didn't fit him.
The older Jordan had this odd expression: Mean, vicious… Looking as if he is ready to use his heat-vision on him to kill him… The sudden change of his expression gave Jonathan a hope to survive this encounter. Hoping his future self's plan would work… Otherwise… he had a plan! Do they have the same plan?
"Where is he?" the older Jordan asked in a demanding tone.
"Gosh are you old!" the younger Jonathan said, trying to don't to show his fear openly.
This is a mass murderer. A guy who was selfishly doing what he wants just to prove everyone that he is better than everyone else. 341 million people died because of his mistakes.
"Where is he?" the older Jordan asked again.
"Done!" Jonathan responded. "He was trying to take your powers, but six seconds were missing! And you have obviously still your powers! So, it means Lara was right and you get your powers back in a few weeks! And my older self flew away to charge himself in the sun, I think! So why are you here? Do you have to break my arm now to keep sure the time goes according to your needs?"
"Boah… you don't really believe the crap you older self told everyone here!" the older Jordan played innocent while waving with the crystal of Lara that was thanks to Jonathan's earlier update still active as long as it is close enough to the podium.
"Tell me and Lara!" Jonathan said cool and calm while pointing on the crystal. "If you are innocent why not tell her, too."
"I want the red sunlight to stop. What did your future self do with the fortress?" Jordan looked around and was surprised that the Red sunlight inside the fortress that disturbed his powers was still active. "What?"
"I don't know! I don't even know how to activate anything in here. Or did you forget that I was never really showed around or got anything explained here."
"Jealous like you have always been!" the adult Jordan teased him. "Where is you?"
"Jealous?" Jonathan ignored the last question. "For what? For you obviously not knowing how to be a hero?"
The adult Jordan suddenly went forward, grabbed Jonathan by his shirt and lift him from the chair again. His eyes starting to glow in a fiery red…
"Tell me that again…"
Jonathan tried to free himself, but the adult version of his brother only laughed at him.
"Don't even try! I have years of training and you are just a weakling. In future you take X-K just to keep up with others. Like you always have."
"You lie! Lara has confirmed everything!" Jonathan said spiteful and kicked against Jordan's legs. But latter was unimpressed. He was weakened by the red sunlight, but it was obvious that he had still a measurable amount of his powers.
"Where is the Golden Kryptonite?" he roared.
"The what?"
The rest of the family meanwhile arrived back on the farm…
Jordan was complaining the whole time about his condition and about his parents grounding extension for another week. He also complained about the slow speed of the landing and about the fact that Jonathan was at the fortress now while he is the one who is Kryptonian.
"Jordan, shut up!" Lois didn't endure Jordan's behavior anymore. "Today was a very hard day. And everything you wail about, is your powers. Your brother is very mad on all of us. And we all heard today things that made us very upset. I don't know what to think about everything and I was shocked to figure out that most of that might be my fault, too. So stop complaining about your missing powers! Your father and I hoped that both of you will never have powers!"
Jordan became pale when his mother yelled on him. He wasn't used on that.
"You said your proud on me for my powers!"
"I was proud on you for using your powers to help your father, or saving my live and that. But not for bragging with them, exposing yourself to the world or thinking that you are better than everyone else… maybe your father and I should had been stricter and less careless to you when you used your powers? Maybe your brother wouldn't feel so left out and sue us one day and leave? Or do you want to drive away your brother because he is useless for your training?"
Jordan became even paler and shacked his head in shock. He tried to imagine how everything would had developed if Jonathan really left to live in Metropolis with that friend. He knew that everything would had been different and that Jonathan was an important Person in his life. He didn't want to lose him but Jonathan's powerlessness seemed to create a rift between them. If he wanted or not.
"Think about what your brother told and see this as an opportunity that there is a live beyond powers!" Lois cried. "Anyway, with Luthor out there, it is the best when the 'Smallville Samaritan' isn't seen for a while! And without Jonathan's broken arm, he will be not forced to give up his job again or be mad on all of us even more?"
"Broken arm? When did I broke his arm again?" Jordan said.
Lois only lifted her right hand in front of Jordan's face and made that ominous gesture again. This time slower and more obvious. Jordan's eyes widened in shock when he finally recognized the meaning of it, hid his own arms behind his back and became pale again. Trying to fight that feeling of nausea that overcame him when he realized what he would have done to his brother if he flew over to the seminar.
"Oh my god! No surprise he is so mad on me!" Jordan cried and looked around. "Was this place always so deadly silent?"
Jordan couldn't hear anything. Not even the sounds, he believed every normal human would hear at this place. He hadn't only lost his ability to fly, but also his superhearing and all other powers. He felt so lost and trapped here at this place. And these feelings, he realized, had to be what his brother feels at this place all the time: silence, loneliness, powerlessness. At least his brother was able to drive now! Why he never took driving-lessons, too? Why he made fun about it? Why hadn't he seen it earlier how much he actually hurt his brother with his ability to go everywhere he wants while he is struck here? Jordan looked on his crying mother and his desperate father, who looked like someone who just lost an important person. He didn't endure it and passed them to enter the house.
"Safe your words! I send myself to my room!" he said with lowered head and walked to the house to go to his room and think about the following weeks and how he will handle them without his powers. Jonathan was right: he forgot how to be human!
Lois and Clark looked after him silently and thought about today's revelations. They were shocked, too and wondered how to handle it.
"And what do we do now?" Lois asked.
"Well, of course we have to overthink the way we handle our sons. One is convinced that we don't love him because he has no powers and the other one thinks he can allow himself everything because he has powers!" Clark wailed.
Both were talking about some necessary changes. Like being harsher to Jordan and supporting Jonathan more.
"Now that we have a future Jonathan here, do you think he will tell us how we can defeat Luthor, or will he tell us that he doesn't know because we left him out of that, too and never let him help again?" Lois asked.
"I would love to keep Jordan out of that investigation, too!" Clark moaned before he suddenly heard a car approaching in the distance. "Lana's car is coming!"
Clark noticed that he was still dressed as Superman and speed into the house to change into Clark again. Jordan was alone in his room, brooding about everything. When Clark came out again and stood next to Lois again, he used his vision to see that it was Sarah, who looked visibly upset…
Back at the Fortress…
Jonathan was still hold by the adult version of his brother while his own adult version stood hidden in a secluded chamber and charged with sunlight to get his powers back. Hoping his younger self is able to distract his brother long enough…
"Come on! Finish me off!" Jonathan said mockingly. "No human weakling means everyone will be fully focused on you!"
"Oh, you think I am so mean. No… I am not here to kill you! I will need you in the future!"
"For what? For saving my life ever and ever again and showing me and the rest of the world that you are better than me?"
"Shut up your jealous voice and tell me where he and the Golden Kryptonite are! I saw your blueprints in your Siberia-Fortress. You developed a special form of Kryptonite that is able to destroy Kryptonian cell's ability to absorb solar energy. Where is it?" Jordan said and threw Jonathan away.
Jonathan flew through the room and landed violently on the ground. He groaned in pain when he slipped over the cold ground. He landed directly next to the two lead boxes that contained both forms of Kryptonite. The green one he already knew and the yellow-golden one, that had to be the mentioned Golden-Kryptonite! The stuff his older self tried to use to take Jordans powers.
Jonathan lift from the ground and could feel the bruises all over his body. His bones seemed okay, but he was still alone with this guy who walked over to him. Jonathan looked down on the lead box… He had an idea…
"Okay… here is it!" Jonathan said, stepping with his left foot on the lead-box that contained the green Kryptonite…
In Smallville…
Sarah stopped with squeaking tires right in front of Lois and Clark and jumped out.
"Gosh… you guys won't believe it…" Sarah said out of breath. She was sweating and her heart was pounding. "…from the future… telling me that many people will die… if…"
"Sarah, Sarah calm down!" Clark reassured here. "You met him, too?"
"Yeah… where is he now?" Sarah asked.
"At the fortress! Don't worry Sarah, we handled everything!" Lois reassured her. "I am sorry if you got scared, but we will figure out what to do!"
"Aww… that was so weird… he was suddenly so… old!"
"I know it was an odd view!" Clark confirmed. "Sorry that you got pulled in it!"
"Well, I am just glad that I was able to help!" Sarah said. "I mean… I have no idea who I called, but Jordan said it was necessary to not to destroy the future…"
"Wow… wait… who? Jordan?" Clark asked shocked. His first thought was that she met the elder Jonathan, too.
"Yes! The adult Jordan from the future! I met him right here and he said, I have to call this number and say these sentences." Sarah told and presented the note on her smartphone. "I went to the phone-booth and did as …"
Sarah stopped talking when Lois and Clark start to scream in shock when they recognized the number as the office of General Hardcastle at the DOD and understood the partly crypted message…
"AGHHH… JORDAN! The adult one! He tries to prevent the changes!" Lois yelled. "The DOD…"
"I take care of the DOD!" Clark said before flying away.
"WAIT, CLARK… JONATHAN IS ALONE AT THE FORTRESS…" Lois yelled after him, but Clark was already gone and in the DOD, to prevent anyone from finding Sam's documents about his plans which would also mean their public exposure. Lois turned to the house. "JORDAN FLY TO THE FORTRESS AND… AGHHH…"
Lois realized that they were in trouble: Clark was busy, and Jordan was powerless, which meant a supposedly evil adult Jordan was now with two powerless Jonathans at the fortress. She hoped Lara was there to help and that the adult Jonathan was able to fight back.
"What? What is going on?" Sarah asked confused, not knowing that she unknowingly made everything more difficult.
"I'll explain you on the way! Quick, we have to get back to the phone you used…" Lois yelled while jumping into the car, followed by Sarah to race back to town.
Jordan watched everything from his room. Seeing his father flying away without him and his mother leaving with Sarah rushed, suddenly gave him that feeling of being useless again… and his thoughts wandered back to his brother. Knowing that this must be what his brother feels all the time, they left him alone here.
At the fortress…
Jonathan used his foot to push the lead-box with the green Kryptonite over the ground and towards the evil-adult-version of his brother who looked down on the box.
"Lead lined, of course!" the adult Jordan moaned after realizing that his x-ray-vision wasn't working on the box. His eyes wandered to the other lead-box. "And what is in there?"
"Green Kryptonite, I think!"
"Oh… you were prepared!" Jordan moaned and used his feet to push the lead box back to Jonathan.
Jonathan had to step aside to avoid getting hit by the fast lead-box that hit the wall behind him.
"Open it!" Jordan ordered.
"What? The box?"
"Yes! Open it and expose yourself to the golden Kryptonite!" Jordan demanded with crossed arms.
"And why? I thought you always wanted me to get powers, too? If I touch the Golden Kryptonite, I will never get them?"
"Because you are not supposed to get powers! I am the powered one! Accept it and stop complaining about being weak. It is my destiny to be the next Superman. And your destiny is to be my support! That was always and there is nothing to discuss!"
Lara in the other small chamber was shocked to hear that. She wanted to interfere, but the longer her crystal was not directly in the podium, the weaker the red sunlight became.
"I am almost done… open the small gate…" the older Jonathan whispered.
In the other room, the younger Jonathan could see the face of his older self through a little opening in the wall. Giving him a signal Jonathan understood immediately…
"Okay… I open the box now!" the younger Jonathan obeyed.
Slowly he opened the closures of the lead-box and turned the box around so that the open side was on his side. Jordan wouldn't see that it was the green Kryptonite and not the golden one…
Jonathan opened the latch and saw the glove with the lockable latches with the green Kryptonite behind. Jonathan remembered that evening, he wanted to show his mother proudly his new shirt, when suddenly his brother stormed it, cheered about his Kryptonite-immunity, and got all the attention again. He was immune against Kryptonite, too but with Jordan it was always something special!
The moment Jonathan opened the box he felt the sweat running down his face and his hands. His fingers became pale… Jonathan ignored this… it was the red sunlight, the fear… or maybe the Kryptonite? Jordan could get hurt by it, too! He only recovered faster. Maybe it was the same with him? Maybe he and his brother had more in common than he believed? Jonathan could feel that unpleasant burning sensation on his fingers when they got closer to the Kryptonite and closed the latch on the glove to stop the radiation of the green stuff. That was the moment, the burning on his fingers stopped and he felt better. The red sunlight became weaker, too.
Jonathan carefully lifted the glove out of the box and presented it to Jordan who tried to use his x-ray-vision on the glove again.
"Nice invention! Smart of you to choose a design that is keeping you isolated from the radiation." Jordan said unimpressed. "You know… I saw the blueprints of your inventions! Interesting stuff! You could have helped me and Dad with the stuff you created in your fortress?"
"How can I create it when you never take me to the fortress? And when I am powerless, you two will never take me here anyway! Dad has done absolutely everything to keep me away from here! Why do you think he will take me here as soon as I am more human than now?"
Jonathan tried to distract Jordan more to prevent him from turning around and seeing his older self floating in yellow sunlight.
"Let that be my problem! It's what we always been and how it is better for everyone. I am the powered Kryptonian and you the unpowered human…"
The older Jonathan made a gesture with his hand that said, 'open the latch', before forming a 'g' (for green) with his fingers and giving a thumb up. Lara who was right behind him, nodded silently. She was aware of the plan and Jonathan realized that they had the same plan.
"…okay… I open it! I do it! When you say it is the best for everyone… I destroy my powers!" Jonathan said while he slipped into the glove and pressed the button.
The adult Jordan smiled satisfied. Knowing that this is the Jonathan his parents raised: The one that obeys and who does whatever you tell him. The one that knows that he is not able to stand up, or keep up to a Kryptonian… And not the one who suddenly turned against him. But the moment Jonathan slipped into the glove and the latch on it opened, he realized that he underestimated his brother. A bright green light shoots out of the glove and hit the adult Jordan at full force.
Jordan groaned in pain when he got hit. The burning sensation on his skin felt awful and due to his weakened state, he had no chance to stop his brother, when he speeded out of his hideout and kicked the crystal out of Jordan's hand that flew back into the podium at his place, giving Lara back the full control over the fortress.
Jonathan could feel the burning sensation in his face and his other uncovered body-parts. Only his hand in the glove didn't hurt. Lara helped him by sending a beam of yellow sunlight on him. And if he liked or not, Jonathan could feel that it helped.
"NOW!" the older Jonathan yelled.
Lara used some energy to push the lead-box with the Golden Kryptonite closer to Jordan, but Jordan was indeed able to resist it, grabbed his brother's leg and threw him against the wall…
Jonathan (the older one) roared in pain when he hit the wall at a force, that would had killed every normal human. The younger Jonathan tried to hit the older Jordan with the green beam again, but Jordan was faster and pushed him away. Jonathan roared in pain when he slipped over the ground and into the corner. The glove slipping off his hand and Jordan used his heat-vision immediately to destroy the glove and the Kryptonite in it.
"SO… YOU THINK YOU ARE BETTER THAN ME?" Jordan growled and sped to the younger Jonathan to grab him, lift him off the ground…
Jonathan ran out of breath when he felt the adult's Jordan's hands around his neck and could feel that he will lose consciousness in a few seconds. All while looking down on two brightly glowing eyes, ready to incinerate him.
"I need to show you who is the real Kryptonian!" Jordan growled and his eyes glowed even brighter.
Jonathan realized that it really happened. He is going to die at the hands of a Kryptonian. It's happening again…
"If you kill me now… nobody will help you in future…"
"All I need is to sell your truck to pay my lawyer. For the rest we don't need you…" Jordan said and made himself ready.
But suddenly a bright red beam of laser-vision hit the older Jordan from the side and threw him away. Jonathan fell on the ground and looked over to his older self, whose eyes glowed brightly red, too.
"We will see who the real Kryptonian is!" the older Jonathan said while his eyes stopped to glow. "The truth… vs. the arrogant stereotype…"