When Lois and Clark were allowed to leave, it was early morning. The sun was already rising but it was too early to go back to the Tanners and ask them if they knew anything about Jonathan or to apologize to them for bugging their house or for scaring them. So, they went back to the farm…
Jordan was sleeping at the kitchen table. His phone laying in front of him. After John-Henry left again, Jordan continued trying to figure out what happened to his brother and didn't dare to go to bed. It was obvious that he was sleeping there for only a few minutes. He didn't even change his clothes. Clark carried him upstairs to place Jordan at least in his bed before he went downstairs again to find Lois taking an Aspirin.
"What now, Clark?" she asked upset. "Please, tell me what we do now?"
"I… I don't know!" Clark confessed.
"See… you can't handle everything with powers!" Lois wailed before she walked pass him and walked up the stairs to lock herself in their bedroom.
After this embarrassing interrogation and with the knowledge that they had the police and the CPS now sniffling in their life, it was impossible to celebrate their small victory over Ally. Clark left the house when he realized that Lois needed some space and decided to go to town. A walk through Smallville was one of the few 'human' things, that helped him to calm down…
In the hospital-lab in Metropolis, a young, underpaid, and overworked lab-worker was eagerly expecting his end of shift for tonight…
Nightshifts were always so exhausting. But he needed the nightshift-bonus… The next vial was one of the countless of blood-samples he checked tonight. Jonathan Kent was written on the small paper on it.
He would run the usual tests for drugs, sicknesses, antibodies and anomalies and then his colleague from the morning-shift will take over…
But the moment he had the first drop of Jonathan Kent's blood under the microscope, he got the shock of his life…
"What the hell is that?" the man exclaimed, catching the attention of his colleagues around him.
"What?"
"Hey, look at this! Have you ever seen blood like this?"
The other lab-worker looked through the microscope to see Jonathan's blood-sample and was shocked. It was blood, but also not! It seemed to be having different cells…
"What is this?"
"I wonder that, too? We can't even detect his blood type!"
"Is this even from a human?"
"It is supposed to be blood! Who brought that?"
In the emergency-room. Jonathan was still sleeping but having nightmares. He had no clue that he was now suspected to be seriously ill…
"If this is a blood-sickness, it is the weirdest I have ever seen!" a doctor, who was called said and looked on the file that was attached. "We should take another sample…"
The doctor went to Jonathan directly to take another sample of blood. He used the chance to figure out more about the boy by reading the file that was attached on the clipboard at his bed.
"Mental breakdown… to be transferred to Belle Reeve… signs of abuse… suicidal… oh, poor boy! Let's hope we don't have to add leukemia to it…" the doctor murmured while putting Jon's file back and left the sleeping boy to run more tests.
And once again, it was the same…
"What is this?"
"Is this boy an alien or what?"
"Let this run through all databases! Maybe we figure out what this is!" the doctor told. "We should contact the people who delivered him in! We should keep him here… just to be careful! And try to figure out something about his medical history."
There was not much to find, since Jonathan's parents always avoided medical-screens and doctors as good as possible…
In Smallville and in Metropolis, everyone who knew about what happened to Jonathan was eager to figure out how to help him or to make amends for everything. But still everyone tried to live on normally…
Timmy was upset after last night! He barely slept, and it was visible in his face. He was worried for his friend. Jonathan had always been there for him, when he needed him. And unlike Jordan or Jon's parents, he wanted to give something back. But he had no idea how to help him? It was difficult, since he didn't figure out everything.
Jonathan was hiding something! Something he was ashamed of and something that scared him. It was the thing; he was convinced of that. If he would know what it was, he would understand it better. But Jonathan is too scared to tell it. This was obvious.
He couldn't believe that his parents insisted on him going to school, but his parents both had to go to work, no matter that they were distraught, too. On his way to school, Timmy read the comments on GoogleMaps about Smallville. And it was more than obvious why Jonathan didn't like it there. The Smallvillians don't like their town likewise…
Timmy went to school earlier than usual. Immediately running into his friend Jay Nakamura…
"Hey, Timmy… we missed you yesterday at… oh… Timmy, you look awful!" Jay told.
With his pink dyed hair and his bright orange shirt, Jay Nakamura was someone you can't oversee. An openly gay, stubborn and open boy, born to Gomorran refugees, who made no secret on his deny for conventions and for what others think about him.
"I feel awful!" Timmy wailed and rubbed his eyes. "But good that I see you, Jay! There is something you might be interested in. It's for that paper you organize! The Truth, right?"
"Yes, it's called 'The Truth'!" Jay confirmed.
It began as a school-project but turned into a big thing: The Truth! An online-news-blog exposing bad things, corruption and other things, people dislike.
"Good… the truth is what needs to be said…" Timmy said before he had to yawn again and looked on the screen of his phone to check the time. "Gosh… I need to hurry! Before classes start, I need to talk to my uncle! I tell you everything during lunch break, Jay! And bring your fellow reporters with you!"
"Is it something serious?"
"It is about Jonathan Kent!"
Hearing that name turned Jay's already naturally pale face even paler…
"I'll be there!" the pink haired boy said upset and took his phone to make some calls.
Timmy went straight to the locker rooms of the football-team. Timmy was not really interested in football and usually never finds his way into this part of the school. But he had a reason today.
"You look awful!" a boy in his age, who was a part of the team said when he spotted Timmy entering the locker-room.
"Don't ask!" Timmy wailed. "Is Coach Patterson in his office?"
"Yes, but he said he does not want to get disturbed!" the boy told.
"It's about Jonathan Kent!"
The other boy let his helmet drop when he heard that name and looked with big eyes on Timmy before he turned around and start to yell, without asking any more questions: "COACH!"
Just a few seconds later, Timmy entered the office of the coach of the Metropolis-High-School. The man who was supposed to be Jonathan's coach. And not that fat, mean guy in that Podunk!
"Timmy, you look awful!" the man said with his deep intimidating voice.
"Thank you, Uncle Joe! Everyone tells me that!" Timmy wailed. "I slept less than an hour tonight and got to hear an awful story yesterday… Aww… Uncle Joe, I need to ask you something!"
Coach Joe Patterson, who married the sister of Timmy's mother two years ago, was a man who was easy to describe. Everyone simply said: He looks like Colossus from the X-Men movies. And he had indeed a shocking similarity with Daniel Cudmore. Face, similar body form, very tall, same hair color… If they ever make a movie about Jimmy Cutter's crimes, Daniel Cudmore would be perfect as him, and people will think, Coach Patterson plays himself…
After the incident with Jimmy Cutter and the countless of complains (and not to forget the fact that they lost a game because it was more important for the team to bully a single player from the other team) things changed a lot in the team. With Cutter and his two friends kicked out, the previous head-coach was forced to leave, too by the parents. In the six months, Joe Patterson was head-coach now he brought the team back on track. Not only because his strict 'zero tolerance for bullying' rule that forced every other bully in the team to behave better and apologize.
"You said it is about Jonathan Kent!" the man asked, while filling some coffee from a thermo-bottle into his cup. Jonathan Kent was worth to take a break. "Do you want some coffee, too? You look like you need it!"
"Thank you!" Timmy said. Usually, he was not a fan of coffee, but he really needed some now. His uncle filled some into another cup and gave it to Timmy.
"So, what happened to Jonathan Kent?"
The coach knew Jonathan very well. Remembering the boy's passion, his talent and his modesty. Jonathan had a good influence on the other players, he was nice, and he was one of the best players he had ever seen. It was a pity that he moved away. But he and the previous head-coach proudly send a letter of recommendation to Jon's new coach, to give the boy the chance he deserves.
"I fear the Smallville coach used your letter as toilet-paper!" Timmy said.
Timmy couldn't remember if he ever told Jon that Coach Patterson is his uncle. Well, he is his uncle for not long but yesterday they didn't talk about that. He should notice it when Jon is better. And so, the boy starts to tell his uncle what Jonathan told him about his football-life in Smallville… but at first let Candice's name out of it…
In Smallville, Clark was pacing up and down in the cleaned barn again…
Everything looked so perfect. So tidy and so cared. His parents would be proud on Jonathan. Instead, Clark only told Jordan that he is proud on him. For something he once hoped the boy will never get.
He looked on his phone ever and ever again. Still no call about Jonathan. The police said that the hospital will contact them. But what about Jonathan? Did he tell them to not to contact them? Hell, why he not just flies into the hospital and get him to the fortress…
"Get Jonathan here, Kal!" Lara's voice echoed in-between the many sounds in his ears. She said it almost hourly since she kicked out him and Jordan. Remembering him that he didn't take out her crystal to deactivate her before leaving again.
It let him shiver: He had to think about Martha and Jonathan Sr. and the various occasions Jonathan described to Timmy. On the day he took Jordan to the fortress the first time, Martha would have prohibited it.
"You either take both of them, or none of them!" he could hear her saying in his imagination.
He imagined her standing in front of him. Wearing her favorite pullover, the cotton-skirt and the expensive black orthopedic-shoes, she always complained were too uncomfortable but mandatory for her to not feel too much pain in her ankles. Her face full of disappointment and incomprehension.
And yesterday's incident's reaction would have been even worse: "This is what you imagine with spending time with the boys? This is the reason Jonathan took the X-Kryptonite! I am hugely disappointed in you, Clark! And in Jordan, too! There is no flying anymore! No training! And no more talking about Krypton! When you don't want Jonathan to be part of it, I don't allow that you use it to hurt his feelings! I should have said this long ago! And now you get to Jonathan, apologize to him and help him to get his life back on track. Or you, Lois and Jordan can look for another place to live!"
Clark shuddered at that thought. Indeed, Martha would have interfered earlier and prohibited them to use any powers anymore. Not because they could hurt Jonathan, but because of the boy's feelings. She wanted to protect him! Even if it meant that she would have prohibited him to train Jordan. She also would have seen how Jonathan struggled.
"I should have sold the farm and moved in with you in Metropolis instead. Jonathan might be ignored by you for his humanity, but at least he would have been surrounded by friends! You don't even try to be a father to him!" the Martha-imagination continued ranting.
Another cold shiver ran down Clark's back… he was torn out of his imagination when he heard the trunk lid of Lois' car smashing close...
Clark turned around to see Lois walking around her car, after loading something into the trunk, getting in and driving away. In her face he could see that she cried. He wondered if she slept at least an hour and where she was going. Then he remembered that Lois had planned to meet Chrissy for breakfast to talk about the Ally-article. Not knowing that Lois had another destination…
Even with Jonathan gone, life needed to go on… so for Jordan, Clark thought. And so, he walked to the house to wake Jordan up, who was running late for school…
In Jordan's former school in Metropolis, Timmy Tanner told his Uncle Joe (or Uncle 'Colossus' like he jokingly liked to say) everything about Jon's downfall in Smallville and the reason for his X-K abuse…
"What a shame!" the man said and leaned back in his chair while rubbing with his hand over his right temple. "Jonathan Kent had a promising future… he was a natural talent! I can't believe that this hillbillys didn't want to give him a chance just because he moved from here! And the X-K… you think Jordan Kent took it, too?"
"I didn't say that, but Jordan cheated himself into the team!" Timmy told. "That's what I understood at least! I don't know if it was X-K! Back then it was not known that it was existing, but I also don't know how Jordan could have done that! But he got into the team!"
"Jordan Kent? I can't imagine him as football-player! And all this just because of this whatever between Jordan and their father?"
"Yes! Jon called it a hereditary disease. But he is the one who gets sick from it! Uncle Joe, can you do something for Jon?"
"I don't know what! After everything you told me I should contact the school authority and the High-School-Football-Association! But I don't know what else I could do? Your mom called her social-worker friend, which is good! But I don't know what else!"
"Can't you… I don't know… take him into your team?" Timmy asked.
"Timmy, I would love to have someone like Jonathan Kent in the team! Believe me! I would take him immediately, but I can't!"
"Why? Because of the X-K!"
"Among other things!" the coach wailed, leaned forward, and put his hands together on the table. "The rules say: When someone is caught with performance enhancing substances, he is excluded from all sports teams! This is a nationwide law! It doesn't matter that Jonathan only took it because the team and his parents gave him no other choice. And I believe this! After everything you told me, it is not okay that everyone uses him as a scapegoat! And I will report this! Even if he didn't take it, he got caught with them."
"And the other reason?"
"Well… first of all, Jonathan is not a student at this school! He would need to be registered here! And he needs the permission of his parents to attend here! He is a minor and therefore he must go to school were his parents want!"
"Even if he is suffering there?"
"As sad as it is, yes! The only way for Jonathan to switch school without his parents interfering would be if the CPS gets custody."
"After that incident in my house yesterday evening, I think we are not far from it!" Timmy said before suddenly the school-bell rang. "Oh… I need to get to my first class!"
"Go! And thank you for telling me, Timmy! You can count on me!"
"Thank you!"
"Hey, I am not only Uncle 'Colossus', I am also Coach 'Colossus'! Unlike that Podunk-coach I step in for my players! Lunch break with the 'Truth-team'?!"
Timmy nodded and smiled. He left the office, leaving his brooding uncle alone.
The man thought about the incident at the election-night, Jonathan told Timmy about and Timmy now to him. It doesn't matter how bad a student was, or what he did: Jonathan is a minor and has personal rights. Coach Gaines went too far with this.
A terrible feeling overcame him, and he realized that there was maybe more about the 'scapegoating'. Because this incident proved that Gaines might really hides something. Or why this coach is so interested in turning Jonathan into 'the only one who took it'?
He took the phone in front of him and dialed the number of a certain hotline…
"Hello… I want to report a case of bullying of a teacher towards a student… Not at my school, but at Smallville High in Smallville, Kansas…"
Timmy meanwhile went to his first class. His face still looking tired but at least he could smile again. Knowing that Jon gets finally the support he needs. But suddenly a terrible feeling overcame him… as if right in this moment, something terrible happens…
And indeed, there was an alarm on the computer in the hospital-lab…
"Isolate patient and wait for further instructions?" the lab-worker read from the big red alarm on the computer screen in front of her.
"What?"
"It's that weird blood sample!"
"I have never seen anything like that!"
Suddenly the phone rang…
"Hello! Yes… yes I see it… Who? The DOD?" the lab worker said confused and looked on the screen again.
Jonathan was scheduled to be brought to Belle Reeve soon. But now they had order to bring him to an isolation-room and put him into quarantine. By none other than the DOD!
In Smallville, a cold shiver ran down Jordan's back when he thought about his brother being in that hospital after knocking himself out with a frying pan and then smashing with his back of head against a kitchen counter…
But he was more shocked about the fact that his father insisted on him going to school as if nothing happened…
"I want to go to Jon!"
"You will… but for now we have to wait. They don't allow us to see him right now!" Clark wailed while stopping the truck in front of the school.
"Oh, what a surprise…"
"Jordan, please… I know it is hard for you! It is for me and your mom, too!"
"Since when?" Jordan moaned.
"Watch your words, young man!" Clark said now a bit angrier. "I know we made mistakes. And I know now that I shouldn't have taken you flying yesterday. For now… I think it is the best if we all make a superpower-break! No training for the next time! And no use of powers!"
"After I brought him to Lara!" Jordan ranted.
"I will get him to Lara! I promise!" Clark cried. He knew Lara won't forgive him that easy. Then there was her threat to use Jonathan's genetic scan to take his and Jordan's powers. His whole life he wanted to be normal, and he wanted the boys to have a normal life. It would be a solution. But the world needed Superman. If he wanted or not. Jonathan knew that. This is why he remained silent about his own feelings. "For now… we have to go on! We don't need the people to gossip about us!"
"Too late… I hear them chatting about Jon!" Jordan moaned.
Clark reached out his hearing and indeed could hear some students talk about Jonathan…
"…he screwed off to Metropolis… he can stay there… why that idiot covered for Candice… I heard his father beat him up… that guy is weird… he just can't bear the fact that his brother is better at football…"
Clark shuddered at the last sentence. Jordan was not better. He was a cheat!
"…that guy really had to play hero and grab that bag with the inhalers. That stuff Candice sold was so great, I felt so strong…"
Clark cramped again. So many people knew the truth. So many people just decided to let Jon take the fall. No surprise Jonathan said that this town is his Kryptonite.
"…he was home alone for hours. That was the perfect opportunity to beat him up and turn him into a scarecrow on the field…"
After that sentence, Clark almost tore off the steering wheel. Jonathan, beaten up and tied up as a scarecrow. In 1989 a teenager died during that sick back-to-school-ritual of the football-team. This caused Smallville to be excluded from the regional football-league that season. A huge shame for the town. Obviously, some didn't learn from it…
"…why that brat can't just kill himself and then we are safe…"
"Agghh…" Clark cried up. That was the voice of an adult! Is this Smallville now? Is this what happened to this once great town? Where are all the good people gone?
Metropolis, St. Louis, Topeka, Wichita, Los Angeles, Minneapolis… all places Clark at least got to hear from Kyle when he asked him about some guys.
"I really ask myself what these powers are worth for!" Jordan wailed. "What are these powers worth for when I only hurt Jon with them? Lara was right: I am not a Kryptonian! I am a human with powers he shouldn't have!"
And with that, Jordan reluctantly grabbed his bag and was just about to leave the truck when suddenly someone knocked at the window at Clark's side. It was Principal Balcomb!
"Mr. Kent… nice that you have decided to show up!"
"Sorry, it is my fault that he is late!" Clark said, hoping that if he couldn't get Jonathan's records cleared then keep at least Jordan's clear. "There was…"
"No, Mr. Kent! I mean that it is good that I meet you. I would like to talk to you in my office! And your son, too!" the woman told.
Clark could feel his face turning pale… and in an irony of circumstances, the sun vanished behind dark clouds…
In the DOD headquarter, Sam drunk his fifth coffee but still didn't feel better…
The whole incident with Jonathan was bothering him. And not only that, but his plans with Jordan also got revealed! He should have known that Jonathan was smart enough to realize what Sam's intentions were. Especially after all their fishing trips in the past, that Sam wanted to use to figure out if Jonathan might have discovered some powers inside him by himself. Was he really only able to bond with his grandsons over superpowers? Was he not better than Clark?
"General Lane! General Hardcastle is now ready to see you!" the woman's secretary told him.
Sam moaned. He had to keep up the façade to keep the family-secret. And after yesterday's arrest of Ally, there was a lot to handle at the DOD before the public gets informed. As hard as it was: Jonathan and his getaway had to wait. At least until he was able to limit the possible damage her most important follower (Jonathan's doppelganger) could have caused if someone recognized him.
Sam knew Victoria Hardcastle since almost four decades! He knew she was a strict person and a loyal woman, willing to do everything for her country. Just like him. Her nickname 'Harshcastle', Sam secretly used in the past, too when he talked with Jonathan during their fishing trips, came from her harsh nature.
"Sam, I am glad that you are okay!" Hardcastle said. "But you look awful! Are you okay?"
"I had a very short night! There was some drama with my grandson!" Sam confessed. "The whole Ally Allston mess I honestly successfully denied over the past few hours!"
"The whole Ally Allston mess is what brought us a lot of trouble, one more prisoner with reverse Kryptonian powers, and a lot of worried questions from the public! Your grandson has to wait!" she said.
Sam suppressed a moan. This is exactly what brought Jonathan into trouble: waiting!
The next few minutes they talked extensively about the incident yesterday, about his daughter Lucy's involvement and about the fight itself that Superman only won because he got help from Steel and the 'second smaller' Steel…
Suddenly the phone on Hardcastle's desk start to ring…
Hardcastle looked on the phone to see the red-light blinking. This means that the call was coming over the secured line and was very important.
"Excuse me!" she said and picked up the call. "Hardcastle! … What? No! Really?"
She looked on Sam with big eyes and Sam realized immediately that something was wrong.
"No… go after the protocol! I expect him to be here ASAP! Absolute discretion! And only inform me when you arrive. Yes… Yes! Thank you! I'll be waiting for your call!"
Hardcastle hang off again and looked on Sam.
"Sammy!" she said with an odd smile.
"Vicky?!" Sam asked back, thinking Hardcastle was playing the 'old-friends-joker' again.
"I just received a very… unusual call from my recruits… We have received an alarm after a hospital made a blood-test. A teenager with a mental-breakdown had an undetectable blood-type…"
"A teenager?"
"Yes, Sam! A teenager… looks like this teenager is a Kryptonian! And his name is Jonathan Kent!"
Sam's face turned pale. Suddenly everything what happened last night was going to have even more consequences.
"What exactly was the drama with your… grandson?"
Sam could feel his heart stopping for a moment… This was not good…
Jonathan was still sedated when he was loaded under the presence of several armed soldiers into a military-van that was flooded with red-sunlight…
"Keep quiet! We can't risk Superman to hear about this!" the team leader told his men with sign-language.
Everyone nodded… silently of course…
In Smallville, Clark and Jordan were brought to Principal Balcomb's office…
And Lois drove in her car to Metropolis… her suitcase packed and heading to a Motel… leaving Clark and Smallville behind…