Jonathan had no idea what just happened! Everything went so fast! He knew, Timmy was in the fortress and talked to Lara. That means he knows what could help him, or not? And Jonathan could feel that he was able to think clearly, despite the red solar lamps were turned off again.
But Jonathan also still felt how the red Kryptonite tried to get into his head again. How his mind was struggling, and he was going to lose that fight. Like someone who is forced to drink alcohol and he can't stop the hangover.
Jonathan wondered how long he has. A minute or two? Maybe only a few seconds? What should he do? Timmy was his friend, but he was just a victim of Clark's temporary dumbness, too. And what could Jonathan do anyway? He felt so bad for pulling him into this mess!
Jonathan remembered very well that day, his father took Jordan to his first flying-lesson while he left him behind on the farm to do their chores. Shortly after promising him to help him. The so-called 'barn-scene' was the worst offense of his life and a painful punch into his soul. It was the prove that his father does not care about him. Not because of the X-K but because he was powerless. It haunted him till today. And Jonathan remembered very well that he saw two options: hang himself in his room or leave and never ever talk to his family! He decided that he didn't want to give Smallville what they wanted (hanging himself) and so he called Timmy!
Timmy was the one who kept in touch with him after the move! They kept in touch while Timmy was living in Germany! Timmy was the one friend Jonathan called when he needed someone to talk after Eliza dumped him and Jordan was busy with himself and his powers. And Timmy didn't hesitate and invited him to his house in Metropolis when Jon told him about the barn-scene (the censored human-version). Don't even asking his parents before. Jonathan always imagined what would have happened if he really left that day. If his father was not suddenly fighting for his life? If Natalie didn't call them just a minute before he was about to sneak out of the house. Taking the bus and getting out of Smallville? How long it would have taken for anyone to notice his absence? But anyway, it was a nice thought that Timmy was someone he could rely on.
But Jonathan couldn't afford any valuable second to think about this...
This is an absolute hopeless situation. They are aboard a plane! A bulletproof, expensively furnished plane with enough fuel on board to blow up all of Downtown Metropolis. And what could Jonathan do anyway? He is alone vs. 4 adults. Luthor has a bomb-trigger, ready to blow up another plane with countless of innocents. Including Timmy's parents. He knows that this Otis guy has (at least) two guns and was a violent killer, too. The two women were probably unarmed. But they work for Luthor, so nobody could know if they secretly have assassin-skills or have guns hidden in their bras. And then there were the pilots? They work for Luthor, so they have to be violent killers, too, or not?
All Jonathan could do was walking into the galley in the rear of the plane. Thinking about his trapped mother, the trapped Cushings and that other woman down there. And the fact that he had only a minute or two before he loses his mind again.
'Think, Jonathan! Think!' He mentally yelled towards himself.
The galley was a standard galley like every plane had it. Just that this galley was for an exclusive VIP-jet and not for a standard plane of this type where 300 people needed to be served.
There were the standard trolleys for beverages and snacks, a wine-fridge, boxes with water-bottles and other stuff. Jonathan looked around to look if anyone followed him. Luckily everyone was focused on Timmy. Then Jonathan looked up to see if there were any cameras. At least he couldn't see any.
He needed an idea! Something that helps him to overpower them! But what? A knife? A corkscrew? A bottle of Vodka? What in the world does this plane have to be able to serve as a weapon against four ruthless, armed adults? Extraordinary! He had to be extraordinary! Just like his mother once promised to him to show him how to be. She never kept her promise! Morgan Edge, Ally Allston and Bruno Mannheim were always more important! This means he must come up with something by himself! All alone! Just like always in his life…
Timmy meanwhile wondered if it was long enough and if Jonathan understood it. He hoped so! But Timmy was sure for one… no two things! First: If he should miraculously survive this flight, he moves back to Germany! He is done with Metropolis, done with Superman, and done with the US-government for allowing people like Luthor to walk around freely and for allowing people like Sam Lane to rule in the army! And second: After smooching with Jonathan, he can now say without doubt that he is definitely straight! As nice as Jonathan is, that wouldn't work between them.
Jonathan meanwhile searched the trolleys and boxes for anything useful while also getting the champagne out of the fridge and filling six glasses on a tray. For him and Timmy, too? Why is he even doing that? But what is useful in here?
He found matches! He could set the galley on fire… No! Not a good idea to light up a plane you are sitting in! He found a knife! He could jam it into Luthor's tummy… No! Otis will shoot him and Luthor will use his remaining strength to blow up Timmy's parents…
No matter what he came up with, everything seemed hopeless. If those guys would just sleep…
"Sleep?!" Jonathan whispered abashed.
Was it the fury that was raising inside Jonathan again, or why he is suddenly seeing red? No, it was the tiny red light inside the box with medical supplies…
This is never going to work! No! This is going to be a disaster! But… they will all not survive this flight anyway! He saw it downstairs! The cargo-door had a weird mechanism… One that made it possible to open the cargo door in-flight. Maybe to blow them all out of the plane in mid-flight? Jonathan wondered if this is even worth the risk. Luthor is a sociopath…
No! No, he does not want to hide behind a Kryptonian anymore! He does not want to wait for someone with powers to come and safe him! If he really has to die today, he wants at least to die with the thought that he tried to fight back at least! And so, he investigated the box with the medical supplies to see what kind of pills they have. Luthor was prepared for everything. He found pills; nobody just gets that easy in the pharmacy. Suddenly he found a box with Tilidine…
Jonathan didn't think, he just opened the box and put several pills into each glass…
He had to think back to the moments he helped in the firehouse when he helped checking the interior of the ambulance-truck. He was grateful that (despite his drug-past) they trusted him to help them to check the medications inside. And while checking the stock, they explained him what each medication was, and how dangerous it could be if it is overdosed. Tilidine was one of those, they warned him about. It was strong, and if overdosed it could cause fatigue, dizziness, hallucinations, and a lot of other things…
Sleeping pills would be better, but he found no! So, this opioid had to be enough…
"What is taking there so long?" Lex said. "Miss Teschmacher, go and check what is taking there so long!"
'Fuck!' This was everything, Jonathan thought! Not because he could clearly hear that (wrong timing for superhearing or whatever was going on with him) but also because they will see what he is doing here. The pills he put into four of the glasses still needed a few seconds to completely dissolve and he needed a distraction. Out of instinct he just grabbed the champagne bottle to shatter it on the ground…
"WHAT A FUCKING PILOT IS FLYING SO BAD! AGHHHH… THIS BULLSHIT!" Jonathan screamed while grabbing another bottle with champagne and throwing it against the wall, right before Miss Teschmacher was about to enter the galley.
The woman shrieked and shied back again.
"LEX! You should turn on the red lights again! He has one of these tantrums again!" the woman cried.
Jonathan put on his best red Kryptonite fury. Grabbing one more bottle to shatter it. Pretending that he was in fury again. And he was shocked that it came out of him so well! A clear indication that he was losing himself again. His time was running out…
Suddenly the galley filled with weak red light…
"Jonathan, enough!" Lex ordered into his tablet. "Calm down and bring us the champagne!"
Jonathan heard this voice in his head. It felt like Lex invaded his head. He must have spoken it into tablet. So somehow this tablet is controlling him. He didn't know enough… He must accept that it was the red Kryptonite that was messing with his brain. Maybe this tablet emits some hypnotic call only he is affected on?
What ever was going on, Jonathan knew he was running out of time. He felt the real fury rising up inside of him. And he couldn't afford to bust himself now. Hastily he threw the empty pill packages back into the box, closed it and placed the tablet with the champagne glasses on his left hand while using his right hand to stabilize and balance it and walking back into the cabin.
Knowing exactly which glass had the most pills. This one was for Luthor… and also wondering how long it will take for the pills to work…
Jonathan came back and start to hand everyone a glass of champagne. Lex made big eyes when he saw Jonathan placing a glass in front of Timmy, who was still kneeling with his hands tied up behind his back on the floor and that he had a glass for himself, too. But Lex was in such a good mood that he accepted it.
"Usually, I would serve you not even water! But since I am such in a great mood today, and that mostly because of you, I accept that you drink with us!" Lex said.
"And how?" Timmy asked, looking on the glass in front of him, that he was not able to hold.
"Otis, free one of his hands! But not his writing one, just in case!" Lex ordered and turned to Jonathan. "Is your friend left or right-handed?"
"He is right-handed!" Jonathan said.
Timmy looked up to his friend and was surprised. That was either a lie, or Jonathan couldn't remember that he and Jordan always asked him how he was able to write with left. He knew he is a lefty. He lied!
Does it mean it worked? Does it mean Jonathan has a plan! At least Jonathan hoped that nobody asks him any more questions and that Timmy understood the message! At least Timmy could say that his good hand was free again, when that Otis guy used a knife to free it to allow Timmy to take his glass and smelling on it. Wondering if Jonathan put anything in it? But he trusted Jon! He knew he wouldn't put it in his glass, too. Or was it just another red Kryptonite curiosity?
Lex meanwhile put his devices away, lift from his desk and walked around to stand in the middle in-between everyone to start his speech…
"I want to celebrate on this great day! Yesterday by this time, I never dared to think that everything would be so easy, if I had just kept a closer eye on Lois Lane's family!" Lex start.
'Stop holding big speeches and drink the spiked champagne you darn selfish bastard', Jonathan thought and fought to not blurt this out. The longer Luthor's speech takes, the greater is the risk for Jonathan losing control and blurting out the truth about the pills. But a sociopath like Lex seemed to love holding speeches. Especially when they are about himself.
"Who could have believed that everything goes so well. And that just because of Superman's and Lois Lane's own mistakes." Lex said and turned to the wall behind him to look at a small object on the wall, Timmy and Jonathan immediately recognized as a camera. "Thank you for being an emotionally abusive bitch as mother, Miss Lane. If you and your husband wouldn't have been so stupid to believe that this boy there is fully human, I would have never figured out about your little secret. So did not the whole world. And the best of all, nobody can connect me with anything of that! Ha ha ha ha…"
Jonathan could hear his mother crying even louder downstairs. So, it was obvious that she could see everything through this camera. He did his best to keep up his poker-face.
"I never dared to say this, but I am happy that we met Jonathan. You have not only given me enough material to destroy your father and your mother. But also, enough to prevent that your brother ever gets a reputation and enough genetic material to study more about your breed. Powers or not, you are an alien! But enough of that… On a new area! An area without Superman! Without Lois Lane! Without so called superheroes! And without anyone to stop us! CHEERS!" Lex yelled.
"CHEERS!" Eve, Otis and Amanda yelled, too and all four drank their glasses.
Jonathan drunk his glass, too. Putting on his best poker face while he could also feel the fury slowly getting overhand of him again. But mainly to celebrate that Luthor drunk the pills. Timmy didn't want to drink on it. He didn't want to celebrate the end of Superman. No matter what bad things he learned about him. But he knew they would kill him if he does not drink, so he drunk a few gulps, too.
Lex and the other evil guys emptied their glasses at once and Lex immediately start to make a face.
"Ughh… Tastes different! Has to be another year?" Lex wondered. "Miss Teschmacher, get us another bottle."
Jonathan did his best to not to laugh. Luthor just drank eight Tilidine pills and he didn't notice. But suddenly the fury overcame him again. The glass fell out of his hand and Jonathan felt he was losing his mind again.
"Stay calm, Jonathan! If you behave, I let you downstairs again to slap the people there again." Lex told/ ordered before Eve came back with a fresh bottle to fill Lex' glass again and then those of the others. "Ah… what a day! This is a historic moment! We got to see the downfall of Superman. All because of his own dumbness and his egoism. And we all got to see and hear so many things. Superman's reputation is definitely ruined as soon as the world figures out what he did! I take back everything bad I said about the press before. Sometimes and when we really need them, they can be on our side! Cheers!"
Lex drunk from the second glass and suddenly his happy expression turned confused.
"Ughh… Miss Teschmacher!"
"Yes, Lex!"
"Show me the bottle!" Lex ordered harshly. The second glass tasted different. Lex smelled on the bottle before taking a small sip directly out of it to test it. Indeed, the taste was different. "Miss Teschmacher, where is this bottle from?"
"From the fridge! And it's the same champagne as the other!"
"Is that a fresh one?"
"Yes, I opened it!"
"And the one Jonathan opened for us?"
"He shattered it!"
Timmy got nervous. So that's it! Whatever Jonathan mixed into the champagne he hoped that it works fast. Nervously he looked back and forth between Lex and Jonathan, whom he knew that he would blurt out the truth anyway as soon as someone asks him. No matter if he was furious or calm.
"Jonathan… did you put anything into my glass expect the champagne?"
"Yes, you sucker!"
"And what… ohhh…" Lex suddenly felt nauseous. The glass and the bottle fell out of his hands, while he stumbled backwards and hit with his butt against his desk.
"Tilidine!" Jonathan blurted out. "That's an opioid!"
"AGHHH… YOU LITTLE… OTIS! KILL HIM! OTIS!"
Otis couldn't respond! The moment he grabbed his gun, the man fell on his knees and start to vomit. Amanda tried to grab on off Otis' guns to shot by herself, but she suddenly felt a wave of nausea hitting her, too.
In a lucky circumstance, the plane made suddenly a turn to the right, forcing the nauseous Lex to stumble away from his desk and into an armchair. Away from tablet and any buttons.
Out of instinct and with a loud scream, Timmy stormed towards the desk, tackled Eve away and pushed the button for the red sunlight to flood the cabin with the lights. Not too late since Jonathan was close from attacking him, too.
Jonathan stumbled and fell on another armchair. Before he realized Luthor storming on him to strangle him. Jonathan's eyes widened in horror when Luthor's strong hands grabbed him by his throat to strangle him.
"You darn alien-breed… you fucking failed genetic experiment… you are going to pay for that!" Lex ranted while using all his power to strangle Jonathan.
Jonathan, in all his panic, shattered a champagne-glass in Lex' face. Hurting the man's face in the process. Lex roared in pain and briefly left off Jonathan who used the chance to kick the villain into his guts…
Timmy rushed around the desk to grab Lex' tablet, hoping to be able to deactivate the bomb in his parent's plane, but Eve pulled him by his hair back. Timmy used his body to push Eve against the wall and giving her a clout with his own head. But Eve was surprisingly strong and tenaciously and pushed the still tied up teenager away from her. Timmy smashed on the table, where he used his free hand to try to pull the lamp off, but it was screwed on…
Amanda, who had a severe allergic reaction to the Tilidine was totally wasted and start to vomit, too. Unable to fight. Otis meanwhile was able to pull out one of his guns and tried to aim Jonathan. But Lex was in the way…
Jonathan kicked wildly with his legs while running out of air and trying to push the drugged Lex away. Luckily a turbulence let Lex slip and Jonathan was able to give him a fist-punch into his face that forced Lex to stumble backwards.
The moment Lex was out of the way was the moment Otis start to fire. But in all his dizziness he missed Jonathan for a few inches and the bullet hit the bullet-proof wall behind the teenager. Jonathan stormed forward, stepped on Lex' face on purpose to keep him on the ground and stormed on Otis who fired again…
The second bullet hit the lamp, Timmy tried to tear off the desk and let it shatter. Glass shards flew all over and hit Timmy in his face, too. Forcing the screaming teenager to let off and grab Luthor's tablet instead to smash it on Eve's head. Eve fell forward and hit the button for the door to the lower deck. The entire desk moved aside and pushed Eve into the opening stairway, causing her to violently fall down the stair…
Jonathan was able to kick Otis with his knee into his face while grabbing the gun and holding it up. Otis shoot two more times. This time into the ceiling where he hit the red sunlamps…
Suddenly the lights in the whole cabin start to flicker while the plane seemed to descent.
Hearing the noise from the cabin, Luthor's loyal pilot stormed out of the cockpit to see the chaos and interfere, too. All while his 'civilian' pilots got scared and prepared an emergency-landing.
Trying to tackle Jonathan away, Luthor's loyal pilot stormed towards Jonathan. Unfortunately for him, Luthor was able to stand up, grab the stand of a shattered champagne-glass and wanted to use it as a dagger to kill Jonathan. But right in this moment, his pilot got in the way.
The man roared in pain, when the sharp crystal-glass pierced into his body and punctured his lung. Jonathan got pushed aside but was able to tear the gun out of Otis hand and throw it away, but Otis took already the other one.
The stabbed pilot stumbled on Lex, who was affected severely by the pills. Timmy was able to grab the champagne bottle and smash it on Lex head who got only shortly distracted. Otis meanwhile shoot one more time and hit the ceiling again, causing a big piece of the ceiling to collapse and crash down on Timmy, who screamed in pain. Lex meanwhile pushed the body of the pilot away and now stormed on Jonathan, to kill him with his bare hands. But Jonathan was able to dodge the attack and punch Lex into his face with his fist one more time.
Lex stumbled backwards again, directly on Otis' who let the gun drop. Knowing that this was his only chance, Jonathan stumbled forward to catch it. But Lex was faster and start to shoot on him.
A piercing pain shot in Jon's right arm when the bullet left a deep graze in it. But with his left hand, Jonathan was able to grab Amanda's computer and smash it with all his remaining power into Lex' face. Finally knocking him out while Lex gave out one final shot…
Eve was laying unconsciously in the lower-deck, Amanda drugged, Otis laying weakened under the unconscious Lex and latter was unconscious when Timmy was able to push the ceiling panel that fell on him away and rush to Jon, who fell on his knees and looked on his friend with a bright smile. The red sunlight was on again, giving Jon this calm feeling back.
"Timmy, go and get my mom out of there!" Jon wailed exhausted. His face and his clothes full of blood.
"Okay!" Timmy snapped and ran into the galley to get a knife to cut the seatbelts.
Jonathan pressed his hands on a spot at his tummy and looked down to see the blood pouring out of a shoot wound…
In the lower deck, the prisoners were able to watch Lex sadistic speech and the following brawl in horror. When the door opened, and Eve fell down the stair everyone screamed even more. They screamed again when a blood smeared Timmy came down the stairs with a knife and he start to cut the seatbelts of everyone.
It took a few seconds for Timmy to cut Lois' seatbelt open but when it finally tore apart, Lois stormed up the stairs to get to her son…
"JONATHAN!" She yelled when she arrived on the main-deck and found her injured son sitting next to the unconscious Luthor and on Otis' right hand. Full of blood, his face, and his throat full of bruises and a bleeding wound in his tummy. "JONATHAN!"
"Mom…" the boy wailed weakly. Feeling that he indeed got hit by the bullet.
One by one, first Emily, then Chrissy, Sarah, Lana and Kyle came upstairs to see the chaos and the terrible injuries of Jonathan. Everyone was shocked when they realized the blood pouring out of the wound and that Jonathan got paler and paler with every second.
"OH MY GOD!" Chrissy exclaimed.
"QUICK! WE NEED A FIRST AID KIT! HURRY!" Lois screamed when she realized that Jonathan got really shot. "JONATHAN… JONATHAN, STAY CALM! LAY DOWN…"
Jonathan laid down in his mother's arms and Lois could see the wound. It was deep and start to infect already.
Everyone ran through the cabin to get anything to help Jonathan. Lois gave the gun to Kyle who should force the pilots to land ASAP. Lana brought a first aid-kit. Sarah found a bottle with Vodka to sterilize the wound. Emily was tasked to use some blankets to tie up the bad guys. Timmy helped her. All while Lois didn't move away from her injured son.
"M… o… om… I…" Jonathan began to stutter.
"Shhh… Don't talk! Safe your powers!" Lois cried. The tears running down her face when she saw Jonathan's face turning paler, his eyes seemingly losing their color, too. And small green veins appearing in his face. "What the…"
Lois eyes widened in horror when she saw those green veins around Jonathan's face. She looked at his wound again and saw more green veins. She knew these marks just too well! It was a Kryptonite poisoning. With trembling hands, she took her son's hand that he was pressing on his wound to look at it. Much to her horror, she saw the bullet glowing green in the wound. Luthor used Kryptonite bullets….
"AGHHHH… THE BULLET IS MADE OF KRYPTONITE! WE HAVE TO GET IT OUT!" Lois screamed.
Lana and Sarah arrived with the supplies. Everyone was shocked. Of course, Luthor had even them prepared.
"Oh my god…" Lana wailed while she used some Vodka drenched tissues to clean the wound.
The plane made a turn.
"We fly back to Metropolis!" Kyle's voice suddenly echoed through the cabin over the speaker-system. After storming the cockpit with the gun, he was able to force the pilots to return to Metropolis and took the phone to make an announcement in the cabin. "Those guys here seemed to have no clue that we were down there!"
Nobody was listening. Everyone was focused on helping Jonathan…
"Stay with me! Stay with me, Jonathan!" Lois begged while they start to use some tweezers, they disinfected with Vodka, too, to carefully pull out the green glowing Kryptonite bullet. "It's soon over! Hold on!"
"Mom… I… am… so… r… y… I… ne… ver…"
"Shhh… I know, Jonathan! I know!" Lois said. Millions of thoughts running through her head now. Millions of things she wanted to tell him now. Like how sorry she was or that she wanted to give him everything he wants just to forgive her. But first they needed to get the bullet out of Jonathan and as far as possible away from him.
Chrissy, who was holding the Vodka bottle almost start to vomit, while Lana was able to grab the bullet, that was luckily not very deep in Jonathan's wound and carefully pulled it out. Sarah turned her head away in shock and disgust. Timmy was petrified at that view and Lois used her left hand to hold Jonathan's eyes close, so he does not have to see it by himself.
After several endless seconds, the glowing bullet slowly came out of Jonathan and Lana walked with it away to flush it down in the lavatory…
"It's done! You're doing great, Jonathan!" Lois cried and kissed her son's forehead.
The green veins began to get less, and the bleeding stopped almost immediately when the bullet was out. Everyone got closer again to surround Jonathan. Not looking at Luthor anymore who slowly regained consciousness while Jonathan was close from losing his…
"This… is… all… m… my… fau… t… and… I…"
"No, Jonathan!" Lois cried again, kissing his forehead again. "Nothing of this is your fault!"
"Yes, it's yours Lois!" suddenly Lex said with a vicious smile.
In shock everyone turned to Lex who was awake again and used his hand to push a button on a small device in his hand…