Clark couldn't believe what he just got to hear. This boy insists to be his son, from another world where his doppelgangers know everything about his powers and his origin. But the boy knows nothing? Why? If he would know where he comes from, he would tell the people he cares about everything he can!
Jonathan lowered his head in shame and blushed. He was not prepared for that question and had nothing to tell them.
"What do you mean with 'nothing'?" Clark asked.
"I don't know anything about Krypton! It's like I said, you… ehm… your doppelganger, my father only took my superpowered brother to the fortress and told him the most. I mean… I have no powers; I don't see myself as Kryptonian anyway!"
"Hard to believe!" Clark said. For him it sounds like his doppelganger prefers the powered child over the nonpowered.
Clark was always convinced that he will never be able to have kids. That he, due to his alien heritage, won't be able to! And that if he miraculously makes a child, he hoped that it won't have powers, to be able to have a normal life. Not forced to hide and stay away from others like he did.
Lois meanwhile looked back and forth between Jon and Clark while also discreetly making some notes on a notepad under the table. She couldn't imagine Clark as someone who would treat his child poorly. Otherwise, was this boy from another Earth. And she knew that there were Earths with evil Supermans. Maybe Jon came from a world with a secretly evil Clark who seeks for world domination with his powered child? Jimmy just remained silent and looked back and forth between Clark and Jon, too.
"I honestly don't understand it!" Clark said. "Tell us the long and complicated version…"
And so, Jon did…
Meanwhile, back in the park where Jon arrived…
The souvenir-vendor, who sold the Superman-shirt to Jonathan was interrogated by a man in an elegant black suit, black polished shoes, and dark sunglasses.
"I would guess him around 16 or 17. Average height! And he was wearing… I would guess fire-fighter clothes! Not the fire-fighter gear they wear in duty, but the blue stuff they wear while they are in the fire-station. Short dark hair, blue eyes! And he was talking weird things! His shirt was torn, so I sold him one!"
"You know his name?"
"There was something written on the back of his fire-station shirt! Lil'… K… I am not even sure if it was a name, it looked more like a rapper-name!"
"And you sold him a Superman-shirt?"
"He stole it! He paid with this counterfeit money!" the vendor said angrily and pointed on the 'counterfeit' money in the plastic-bag, the man in the suit was holding now. "And he was talking weird things… about the purgatory, about a test, about Superboy… I had the feeling he was just out of the psychiatry. He didn't want the shirt at first!"
"He didn't?"
"No! He looked on the shirt as if it was poisonous! Then he said something about purgatory-tests again and I got lost! He took it because he thought he will be send to hell if he doesn't! But why is that important? Gosh… Did he really run away from the psychiatry?"
"Don't worry Sir! You don't have to worry about him!" the man said. "Thank you for your help!"
The man turned around and walked down the path further into the park. Another man in a suit was standing hidden in the bushes. With a scanner he was walking across the space and able to localize the place, where Jonathan was laying.
The scanner beeped loudly when it detected something. A hair…
At the Daily Planet, Jonathan told in the meantime the Story of his life and the few things he knew about the powers or Krypton. Clark made notes and compared them with his own notes and his own 'knowledge' about Krypton.
It was obvious that Jonathan had not a good opinion of Krypton, too. That he experienced a lot of bad things and met only the negative aspects of Krypton. His lack of powers and the preferment of his parents for his superpowered brother only increased his desire for a normal life. He told them everything: about the 14 years of lies, about the involuntary reveal and the following 'forced' move to Smallville. About his happy life being ruined and about every attempt of him to get his life in control and make it better being ruined by either his family or Sam, or Jordan's powers or anything else Krypton related.
Lois and Clark looked on each other embarrassed and full of shame. Both were young and not that long together. Kids were not on their minds and it was determined that for the next few years that this matter can wait. But they knew that this boy came from another Earth with a whole different Clark and Lois. Not telling the boy anything about his heritage, even if they have full access to all the knowledge and the history of their family, sound awful. It made no sense. Clark and Lois wondered what was the purpose of their doppelgangers with this.
Jonathan's story also brought some valuable information. The boy might not know everything, but what he knew about Krypton let Clark calm down. He wasn't sent here to conquer this planet. He was sent here to survive the destruction of Krypton…
"Krypton is destroyed?!" Clark asked.
"Yes! First it ran out of recourses, then there was a civil war, and then it explode. That's all I know!" Jonathan explained.
Clark looked on his own notes and realized that it was a better explanation for everything he saw in those visions he had in his spaceship and about everything they figured out by themselves.
"So… you say my powers come from the sun."
"Yes! Because here we have a yellow sun and Krypton had a red sun! It is called 'however-effect' when the cells absorb the energy, store it, and then let it out as flying, laser-eyes, ice-breath…"
"Ice breath? I have ice-breath, too?"
"Yes! You really are not so in in that, too?" Jonathan realized.
When Jonathan was talking, Clark used the chance to tell him about his own experiences and how different his life and his personal experiences with his powers or with his 'fortress' that was now destroyed, just like the holograph of 'Jor-El'.
"So… my true name is Kal-El! The man in my ship was my father Jor-El! What is Krypton? The planet of short names?"
"I would guess so!" Jonathan said. "But don't ask me how they pass over names!"
"And my mother?"
"Lara! Her name was Lara!"
Clark thought about it. He told about the vision Jor-El let him see when he was 'inside' the spaceship for the first time. About the red sky and the reddish atmosphere on a planet that was in war and in middle of a destroyed building! How the man with the same 'crest' on his chest placed him in that little pod, that (according to Ma and Pa Kent) grew into that huge monstrous object over the past 22 years while buried under the farm.
"Your explanations match with what I got shown. But I never fully understood it. Now some things make more sense!" Clark realized. "Oh… you can't imagine how relieved I am that I am not here to conquer this world."
"Yeah, at least you were not in my world! But I know there were worlds where it was not the case!" Jonathan said, remembering the footage he saw in John-Henry's RV of his father's doppelganger killing his mother's doppelganger.
"Jonathan, we know that! We are aware of the multiverse, too! And we have seen data of evil Superman, too!" Lois told. "I am sorry, that my doppelganger disappointed you! I know I have doppelgangers who are pretty badass and cool. And that there are Lois Lane's out there in the multiverse who are not so 'extraordinary'!"
Lois was thinking about herself and about the great things she read about her doppelgangers on the other Earths when she was in the vessel of the League of Lois Lanes. Sure, in the past few months she made some progress. Promotion to regular reporter and getting her articles finally published and so on. But she still felt like she was not as successful as her doppelgangers. Now she knew that there was a Lois Lane out there, who made promises but never kept them.
"Well, my mom once told me she wants to show me how to be an extraordinary human in a super family! And I was looking forward to learning it from her. Because she is a strong, self-confident, and great person. But Morgan Edge was more important! And I think she only thought I was jealous on my brother, and she wanted to calm me down!" Jonathan moaned.
Lois discreetly tapped with her finger on Clark's leg to catch his attention. Clark looked down and saw her notepad…
Morgan Edge: Prison, tax-fraud; Ally Allston: Dead; Bruno Mannheim: Prison; Lex Luthor: ?
Clark noted that as a request to get out for a moment to talk.
"Would you excuse us for a moment?" Clark said.
They left! This time they didn't lock the door to not to upset Jonathan even more and they went into a corner to talk undisturbed…
"Do you believe him?" Jimmy asked.
"What he says make sense!" Lois concluded.
"Yes, it does! Remember when we were at Cadmus? There was everything in red solar radiation, too and my powers were not really working!" Clark remembered and crossed his arms. "The rest of his story, sound so… aww… do you think I would do that?"
"Do what?" Jimmy asked.
"Neglect my powerless son to openly prefer the powered? At first it sound as if it was unintentionally, but the more he told, the more I think how ridiculous these efforts are. When I was his age, I would have done absolutely everything to figure out where I come from and how to control these powers better. And even if I don't have powers, I would at least want to know where I come from!"
"Clark, what our doppelgangers did to him was not right! But we are not them! Look at us, we don't even look like them! As if we are entirely different people!" Lois said. "Maybe that's why he is able to talk to us that openly?"
"Do you think he said the truth about him not having powers?" Jimmy asked.
"It's been a weird morning, Jimmy! I don't know what to think about it!" Clark said. "When I was his age, I didn't want my powers! I just wanted to be normal! I still want to, but I can't change who I am!"
"Let's test him!" Lois suggested. "Let's see if he told us the truth about him having no powers!"
"And how?" Clark asked confused.
"The same way you busted yourself in front of me!" Lois said with a sheepish smile and walked away. "STEVE!"
Jonathan was waiting for a while and still studied the booklet with the articles about Superman that have been published so far in this world. Learning more about the differences between their worlds or looking for more familiar names. Jon looked up when the door opened, and Lois and Jimmy came in again with some notepads. Clark came in a second later with a box in his hands.
"Sorry, we had to handle our colleagues! Mind if I drop that here for a moment?" Clark said and placed the box on the table in front of Jonathan. Jonathan noticed the words 'To Steve' written on a small yellow pad on the side of the box.
They sat down in front of him again. Clark noticed that Jonathan was looking on his arms.
"I still can't imagine that your suit appears when you mentally demand it. What are you? A character from a magical-girl-anime?" Jonathan asked, still seeming to not to realize that he and everything else around him was 'anime'.
"I never thought about that, but it matches! But my mom modified the suit!" Clark said.
"I am happy for you that they are still alive here! In my world I never got a chance to meet my grandfather I was named after." Jonathan murmured and became pensive. "I never met my human grandfather; I never met my Kryptonian grandfather and the only person I could call grandpa turned out to be a liar!"
"Be happy you haven't met the Sam Lane of this Earth yet!" Lois murmured.
Thinking about her father, gave Lois mixed feelings! On one side, she loved him. Even if he was not the best father and hid a lot of things from her. And after figuring out that he was the general who kidnapped and almost killed Clark she was so mad on him, that she swore to herself to never ever talk to him. Sam, unaware of Lois' close relationship to Superman and unaware that it was Clark, tried to explain himself.
They met occasionally over the past months. Lois tried to get info about his work and Task Force X from him. Sam tried to explain himself, while also trying to figure out if his daughter knew more about Superman than she admitted. Lois was not sure how to handle her father and if he was really trustworthy. She couldn't know if he already bugged her phone and her workplace. And if it was true what Jonathan told them, she had one more reason to keep sure that he never figures out about Clark's identity.
"My father is a bit difficult! Don't bother about him!" Lois said.
"A bit?!" Jon and Clark said at once. Both looked on each other surprised after blurting that out. But they both had their experience with their respective Sams.
"Yes, I admit: He is very difficult! But I meet with him for dinner tonight, again. Maybe he will tell me finally what his new position is." Lois told.
"Sorry… It's just weird to think about it! Everyone who is dead on my Earth is still alive here!" Jonathan murmured. "Excuse me…"
Jonathan took the box; Clark just put on the table and moved it away to have some space in front of him. Unaware of the content. Clark tried to not to look as surprised as he was, but Lois had the same sheepish smile on her face, like when Clark lifted that box off the table.
"You know… I thought he is just acting like that because he is a soldier, because he never fully accepted my father and so on… I mean he even told me to be wary of my father's and my brother's powers. And then he starts to train him secretly to make him one of his weapons. And instead of saying directly into their faces that I know that this is only to turn Jordan into his henchman I let my jealousy take over. And after his death I figured out that he disowned me! My parents said, it is ridiculous that I believe that all those fishing-trips in the past were just a ploy to turn me into a loyal person so he has it easier when my powers show up and he has two super-soldiers. And now it is too late to confront him with that… aww… does this stupid box have to be here?"
Jonathan wanted to lay his arms on the table but the box was in his way. Jonathan lifted the heavy box from the table and put it away.
"Sorry… I am just so… aww… I mean all the times and the constant humiliations… I don't want to scare you, or insult you… I mean you two are not my parents and I can't blame you for your doppelganger's acts. I just don't know anymore. I am suddenly on another Earth. You guys are so different and so young and so… you know!"
"Ehm… yes…" Clark said. "… Jonathan, are you sure about the powers? Maybe you are just a late-bloomer?"
"Oh no! I am sure! And even if, why I should beg for love when I know that I would only get it for powers, they always say it's good that I don't have it!" Jonathan moaned.
"Yeah, sure!" Jimmy said.
"What? What is that meaning?" Jonathan moaned again.
"Jimmy… please!" Lois hissed towards her friend before turning towards Jonathan again. "Sorry, Jonathan… your story was just… very incredible! I know we are not your parents and that they were totally different people. I am sorry that you had to endure so much! Could you hand us the box over?"
"Sure!" Jonathan said and lift the box again. Holding it now in his hands. "Sorry if I bother you with my story, or scare you!"
"No! You don't bother us!" Clark said with a smile, his eyes wandering to the box.
"Anything! You can tell us anything!" Lois said, while seeing the box in Jonathan's hands.
Jimmy just had this odd smile in his face. His eyes also fixed on the box. Jonathan had this odd feeling and looked down on the box in his hands, too.
"What? Why you look at me this way?" Jonathan asked.
"Well… we believe you that you are from another Earth. But are you really sure that you are powerless?" Lois asked.
"Why?"
"Because I and Jimmy here are not able to lift that box! Only Clark can! And you, too!"
"What? This is silly! What is in there? Dumbbells?"
Jonathan used one hand to open the lid of the box and indeed saw a pair of heavy dumbbells in the box. Real dumbbells made of iron! And not fake ones. Jonathan put the lid away and used his fingers to feel the device in the box. Praying this was a joke and they were made of styrofoam. But it was iron.
Jonathan's face turned pale and with wide eyes he glared on the doppelgangers of his parents and their friend. Jonathan let out a panicked scream and threw the box away. The heavy box with the dumbbells hit the file cabinet and crushed the top of it. Like Clark did it when he unintentionally busted himself…
Full of fear Jonathan looked down on his hands.
"This can't be… Oh… this is another test… Foreign Earth… this isn't happening…"
"Ehm… Jonathan…" Clark noticed that Jonathan was extremely upset.
"No no no no…" Jonathan yelled and ran out of the room.
"Jonathan, wait!" Clark yelled after him and followed him. Knowing that he couldn't leave him alone. Because he feared that he could tell around their secret, but also because he feared that Jonathan and his powers, the boy obviously was not able to control, could harm anyone.
Jimmy and Lois were alone now. Jimmy looked over to the crushed file cabinet…
"Clark busted himself the same way?"
"Yes, he did!" Lois said with a smile. A short glimpse on the clock revealed that they spend hours here. "Gosh… so late. They all will wonder where we were."
"What about Clark?" Jimmy asked.
As if on cue, Clark appeared back in the room with Jonathan in his hands.
"I get him home. Cover for me!" Clark said before he vanished again.
Lois and Jimmy rushed back upstairs to the editorial where they bumped directly into their boss Mr. White…
"There you are! Where have you been for the last two hours?" he demanded.
"Mr. White… ehm, sorry! There was this boy, who had informations about… Superman!" Lois said, biting on her lip.
Superman had turned into the Daily Planets favorite news reason! Perry White was always eager to get more on Superman than any other newspaper in town.
"Anything useful?" Perry asked.
"Not really unfortunately!" Lois smilled innocently. "After a while he had a seizure. Clark is getting him to the doctor now!"
"Whatever… at least you are back, so we can continue. There is some news!" Perry said.
Perry went to the middle of the room and called everyone in. All present reporters and staff gathered together and everyone was curious what Perry was going to announce.
"As you all know, Superman wants to give his very first on-screen-interview with a handful of chosen reporters from every mayor news-outlet in the city. I got confirmed information that some other papers try to fool us and be the first one to get an exclusive interview with Superman. And I want the Daily Planet to be the first one!"
Lois and Jimmy looked around and saw everyone making notes or listening closer.
"So, whoever figures anything out about Superman, where to find him, where he lives, or what his real name is, tell us. Getting the very first exclusive interview will give this paper a huge prestige boost and cement our status as Metropolis' no. 1 news-source. And now head out… and figure out as much as you can!"
With these words Perry turned around and walked towards his office. Lois and Jimmy looked on each other again worried.
"We should talk to Clark!" Jimmy said.
"Yes! I hope he is able to calm down this boy!" Lois said.
Jonathan meanwhile was yelling louder and louder when he realized that he was hold by someone and flying at high speed through the city…
The bumbbels scene: watch?v=K6uC41sOVCc