Chapter Sixteen

Fifteen minutes later, Clark and Lex walked through the hospital together and came around to Ryan's room. Lex's hand caught Clark's wrist before the teenager could reach the door handle, and he nodded to the window. Inside Ryan's suite, the lights were dim, but bright flashes flickered across the faces of the boy and the three teenagers gathered around him, illumination from a TV screen.

Craning their heads, Clark and Lex could see where a TV cart had been brought in, with as big a set as could fit, a VCR and a Super Nintendo system. On the television screen, they could see where Homeward Bound was just about to end, as the boy Peter waited for his dog Shadow to come over the hill.

Ryan must have sensed Lex, because he turned, saw Clark and gave them both a bright, misty-eyed smile and a wave; then his gaze shifted back to the movie, knees drawn up to his chest on the bed, arms wrapped around them. The boy was clearly absorbed in the film, and as were Pete, Landon and Colin, and neither the teenager nor the billionaire wanted to interrupt at the climax.

"It's amazing," Lex whispered. "To know what he knows, be faced with death, and he can still just be a kid."

Clark nudged the older man's shoulder with his. "Hey, we're going to make sure he can go on just being a kid."

Lex nodded absently, as if he wasn't convinced of that himself, but gave the teenager a half-smile that tried to be hopeful.

Clark's hand brushed his friend's, accidentally. The rich boy's breath almost stopped, but he didn't pull away. They stood close for long moments, neither speaking, until finally the end credits began to roll on the screen and Colin flipped on the light.

Ryan was staring at them, wide-eyed and smiling. They quickly stepped apart before the others caught the boy's gaze and turned. Colin threw open the door to let them in, wiping his eyes with a napkin. "For a kids' movie," he said, "that packed a wallop."

Clark entered first, heading over to Ryan, followed by Lex who just threw an arm around Colin. "Sorry we missed it, but I'm glad you enjoyed it." He looked at Ryan and smiled. "Get your fill of video games earlier?"

"Yeah!" the boy said. "I'd only played the original Nintendo before, so it took a little getting used to, but it was definitely fun even if I kinda miss Duck Hunt."

"Well, you're the only kid in the ward right now, so they should leave the cart for you as long as you're here. Plenty of time to practice."

"It's cool," Ryan said. "If another kid comes in, I want them to have it. It was just nice to see a new movie." He turned to Colin. "Thanks for renting it," he said. "I never got to have a dog, but… I'd really want one like Shadow, I think."

"I dunno, Chance is my man," said Pete, while Landon put in a vote for Sassy, and Colin said he'd simply have to take one of each.

"Where are my dads?" Clark asked, suddenly realizing that his parents weren't anywhere to be seen.

"Oh, they went for a walk when we started the movie," Landon said. "Should be back any minute."

"Pop didn't want to leave me," Ryan said. It was the first time Clark had heard the boy call either of his dads by anything other than "Mr. Kent," and it warmed the teenager's heart. He could just imagine Jonathan practically having to drag Martin away for a break, too.

The younger boy shook his head and leaned into his big brother. "But he'd been up all night and all day, and I knew that they needed to talk about things they didn't want me to 'overhear'." He tapped his head. "If these guys hadn't been here, I don't think I could have convinced Dad and Pop to take a break." He grinned at Clark's friends. "Thanks for hanging out," he told the three teenagers.

"Nowhere we'd rather be," Landon assured him, and it was clear from the smile on Ryan's face, that he knew all three of the older teens meant that.

Ryan's expression changed as another headache hit him, a wince flashing across his face, before it lessened, and he looked at Clark, squeezing the teen's hand for support.

"Heard a lot of stories about you and Smallville from before –" He trailed off, eyes suddenly locked on Lex, face going pale.

"Oh my god." Ryan gulped, head turning as his gaze switched between the two older boys. "Clark? Lex knows…"

The farm boy and the billionaire exchanged looks as Clark sat on the edge of the hospital bed. Lex just gave Ryan a knowing grin and focused on a very specific mental image for the boy to see: his view of Clark taking flight with Ryan in his arms.

"Oh. Wow," the boy said, eyes widening. "You let him see you… because of me?"

Clark's eyes flicked to Lex and held his gaze for a moment, then he looked back at Ryan. "It's…a little more complicated than that, but… yeah? Yesterday really got me thinking, but you uh, kinda forced the issue there at the end." He nudged the boy's cheek playfully with his knuckles. "Ryan, my secret's not worth anyone's life, let alone yours."

"What's left of it," the boy muttered, then winced again when Clark frowned at him. "Sorry, I just… I'm happy about it, but I'm sad I won't…"

"Be here to see how it all turns out?" Lex finished for him. "Don't think like that, Ryan." The young man had pulled up a chair to the foot of Ryan's bed. He was sitting backwards, arms folded across the arched backrest as he watched the brothers.

"We have a plan," he said. "Just hold on, alright? We're not giving up yet, and neither should you." Lex put a reassuring hand on Ryan's leg and gave it a little shake. He glanced over his shoulder at Clark's friends, then turned back to the boy. "With everyone here on the same page, there's so much more we can accomplish together. I assume you already knew that Colin knew?"

Ryan nodded and looked past the billionaire to give the blond boy a grin. "For a couple days. When we were all on the porch, before Lex got there. You kept wondering when Clark was going to do something, but didn't want to let on."

Clark's eyes shot to Colin, and the reporter held up his hands. "Guilty," the blond said. "Given that we were all being held at gunpoint, I think it was pretty fair. At the time, I had no idea I was standing next to Junior Counselor Troi, though."

"Ouch," Ryan said, clutching his chest in mock agony. "That one hurts!" He raised a hand to his temple and said, "I'm sensing…too much sarcasm, Captain," while his other hand came up to playfully flip Colin off.

They all broke up in laughter, just as a knock came at the door. Jonathan and Martin walked in, all smiles at seeing the group so lighthearted.

Jonathan smiled a greeting at Clark, then nodded over his shoulder at a struggling, bewildered delivery boy. "Lucky we found this young man in the parking lot when we got back." The farmer turned to Lex. "I assume this is your doing?" he asked, holding up two pizza boxes in his hands.

Behind him, Martin carried a large, covered tray, with a couple plastic bags looped over his arm. The delivery boy brought up the rear with the rest of the pizzas, a couple of six packs of soda and several more paper bags piled on top.

"I thought it would do us all some good," the billionaire replied. Lex, Clark and the rest of the teens all stood to help, moving the TV cart out of the way and taking the food and accoutrements from the adults and the overburdened deliver boy. They piled it all on the counter and any available free space.

"Thanks, Dustin," Colin said. He knew the pizza boy from school, and gave him a little kiss on the cheek, making the teenager blush.

Lex chuckled, and pulled out his pen, jotting something down on the back of a twenty-dollar bill before folding it with some others and pressing it into Dustin's hand, before sending him on his way.

The flustered delivery boy stammered his gratitude, gave Colin a questioning-but-warm look, then retreated down the hall in record time.

Colin folded his arms and leaned against the door looking up at Lex. "What did you write?" he asked, eyebrow raised.

The billionaire shrugged. "I gave him your new number."

Colin scoffed. "Excuse me, my what now?"

Lex gave the fifteen-year-old a half smile, popped a can of Pepsi to take a sip, then picked up the box he'd carried in earlier, moving it to the tray table by Ryan's bedside.

"Pizza is one thing, but I've got something else for everyone that I think is going to be more useful long term." He pulled the box open and started removing its contents, smaller individual packages, with each person's name written in sharpie underneath the product name. He handed one to Ryan, who grinned up at him, then slapped another into Clark's hand, telling him to pass them down. He nodded at the others when everyone in the room was holding one. "Go on."

"'Lexicom'?" Landon asked, eyeing the label as he pulled the box open.

"I wanted to call it the T-1000," Lex said, "but was informed that was already taken. Marketing came up with this and apparently it tested well, so I didn't have much say in the matter…"

Colin was the first to free his gift from the packaging, and a new cellphone fell into his hand. Smaller than his Motorola by far, and very sleek, it had an LCD screen and… "Ohmigawd," he gasped, gulping the last syllable. "Lex… it does text messaging?" His eyes got huge as he looked at the young man. "These aren't supposed to be out—"

"Until early next year," Lex nodded, smiling. "I know. LuthorCorp's telecom division has been field testing them for a while now. They started giving some out to the executives and their spouses, hoping to build some buzz through word of mouth. Since I still have some pull at the company, I was able to procure a shipment."

"Yo, Lex, this is incredible," Pete said, "but like… for all of us? That's a lot, man, even for you. Thanks."

Lex smiled. "They're all activated," he said, "and the service charges are taken care of at least until you all graduate." Eyebrows went up all around and he shrugged. "Being more reachable the last few days would have made things a lot simpler. Now that we're all on Team Superboy, it just makes sense. I was going to save these for Christmas, but under the circumstances, Happy Halloween it is."

The youngsters thanked Lex and started dishing out the pizza and wings before sitting down to check out their new phones. Clark's parents exchanged concerned glances, and reminded the teens to make sure it was alright with their parents, then thanked the young Luthor themselves, Jonathan rather awkwardly.

Pete fired up Mario Kart on the hospital's Super Nintendo, wanting a rematch with Ryan from earlier. Ryan managed to talk Clark and Lex into playing a couple of rounds, which Lex won through judicious application of shells and banana peels. Then, trading the four controllers between matches, they got everyone in on the game, even Clark's dads.

By 9 PM the food was mostly gone, and the impromptu tournament had come down to Lex, Clark, and, of all people, Jonathan with Ryan a distant but happy fourth. It was a close thing, but the farm boy and the billionaire managed to essentially knock each other out of the race, allowing Jonathan to speed past them to the finish line, with Ryan close behind. Foster father and son laughed and high fived each other to the cheers of the onlookers, while Clark and Lex both shook their heads and chuckled at having mutually snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.

Given Ryan's prognosis and Lex's influence, the hospital had been pretty lenient about visiting hours, but it was getting late, so Jonathan and Martin once again reminded Clark's friends about school in the morning, and the trio began saying goodnight. Ryan thanked them again for spending the time with him and all the fun and stories and gave them each a hug.

Jonathan said he'd take the boys home and come back, but Ryan stopped him and nodded at Martin. "You guys need sleep, too" the boy insisted, stifling a yawn. "Go get some rest. I'll see you in the morning?"

Martin glanced at his husband, then moved to Ryan's bedside, reaching out to stroke his hair. "Are you sure? This is where we belong, with you."

"It's okay, Pop," the boy said with a reassuring smile as Martin's hand rested on his cheek. "Clark and Lex will be here; I'll be fine for now."

Squeezing Ryan's hand, Martin looked at his son and the billionaire, who gave their own assurances. Then he nodded slowly and kissed the boy's forehead.

"Alright, if you're sure." He started to do the parental thing of tucking in the blanket edges, then stopped himself, not wanting to embarrass the preteen in front of his friends any more than he already had. The ginger man looked at the clock, then to Jonathan. "We'll be back by, what, 5:30, 6AM?"

"Count on it," the farmer replied, then leveled his sternest look at Clark and Lex, shaking his new cellphone at them. "Call us if anything happens."

"Of course," Lex assured him. "Ryan's right. You're both exhausted, and he's going to need you at your best. Go. Sleep. He won't be alone."

With those assurances, Jonathan and Martin reluctantly departed, with Colin, Pete and Landon in tow.

After they'd gone, Clark and Lex sat with Ryan, on either side of the bed, and talked quietly. Lex laid out his plan, which made Clark a bit more optimistic than he had been all day, though Ryan was clearly still uncertain. The boy had been resigned to his fate since almost the moment Clark had rescued him from Summerholt, and he was afraid to let himself give in to hope.

Lex saw the hesitation and held their gazes. "Do you trust me?"

Ryan gave him a small smile and a nod of acceptance and squeezed Clark's hand. Soon after that, he'd fallen asleep, and the two friends sat with him, keeping watch in companionable silence for a while.

A little before midnight, Lex pulled out his phone and went into the hall to make some calls, setting things in motion overseas. A few moments later, he came back and took his seat.

"Everything will be ready," he whispered.

Clark nodded. Before he could say anything else, he felt a tug on the "string" in his mind. He mouthed the words "My friend's here," to Lex and got up.

Ryan began to stir, but Lex shooed Clark towards the door, and slid his chair closer to the bed.

The farm boy gave the two one lingering look, glad for the care that Lex showed the young boy, then headed outside. His gaze swept the skies, and he caught sight of a swirling red trail as it dove for the ground and landed in the small, wooded area to the side of the hospital grounds. He ran in a blur of his own, hope swelling in his heart just as fast.

"J'onn?" he called as he reached the tree line.

"Here, my friend."

That time, the voice was audible, rich and booming in Clark's ears, not simply in his mind. He turned and saw the red glow of the Martian's eyes staring back at him from the darkness. Stepping closer, he smiled.

J'onn J'onzz hovered in mid-air a few inches off the ground, his tall, slender frame shrouded in a cape that would have been blue were it fully visible. The Martian was using his powers to bend the light around him into wavelengths beyond human sight, meaning that Clark was the only one who could perceive him.

"My apologies for the delay," J'onn said. "I was out past Saturn, near the edge of the solar system."

The teenager's eyes went huge. "How could I reach you all the way out there?" he asked.

"You are much stronger than you know," the Martian said, simply. "But have I arrived too late?" His voice was grave. "I sensed no other Kryptonian on my approach. Nor Daxamite."

Clark was confused, head tilting for a moment until he realized. "Oh." He shook his head. "No, no, you haven't. J'onn, I didn't mean a brother Kryptonian, and it's not Mon-El. I meant my brother. My adoptive brother."

Then it was the Martian's turn for confusion. "Your parents have taken in another foundling?"

"Of a sort," Clark said, with a smile. "His name's Ryan, and he's human. I'd tell you all about it, but there isn't much time. He has a gift; he can read people's minds. A little. Everyone but me. At first I thought you might be able to teach him how to block out the noise, but…now, he's… he's dying, J'onn and I… I don't know how to help."

The Martian floated closer, his cape billowing around him. "Will you show me?"

Clark nodded and tried to clear his mind of everything but Ryan, as J'onn reached out and touched his thoughts. The familiar probe was strong, but light and gentle as his friend went sifting through his memories of the last few months. He picked up not only everything Clark knew about Ryan, but everything he felt, from their first glimpse of each other at the hospital, then playing basketball by the barn, to saving him outside the diner, and again at the bowling alley… everything in between and everything since.

J'onn felt the depth of the teenager's love for the younger boy, the bond that had grown so quickly between them; he felt Clark's joy at gaining a brother, as he had with his Daxamite friend, and the sudden, soul-crushing fear he was going to lose someone he loved yet again. All that had happened this weekend, from Ryan's phone call to the confrontation at the farm, to taking flight in front of Lex… Lex.

The young man was nearly as strong a presence in Clark's thoughts now as the boy was, they were so intertwined together. Despite the surface calm Clark had achieved, the teenager's mind was like a whirlpool spinning faster and faster, and J'onn felt himself get pulled down by the undertow, swept along through another set of memories before he could stop himself…

So much had happened to Clark in the last year, so much involving this Lex. There was something…familiar about him, but pulled by the current as he was, all the Martian could see was how Clark saw this man and how the farm boy felt about him. Brilliant, mysterious, fun, alluring and rebellious. So many near misses and close calls, so many times saving each other. A good friend, despite the secrets that made them both unsure; then Clark's relief at the secret being out, and what he dared not hope in the midst of all that was happening with Ryan. Underneath it all from the start, something else, a sense of recognition, and a longing that the teenager was only beginning to understand.

But J'onn understood. He could clearly see what Clark himself most likely wouldn't for a while yet. The realization was startling enough that the Martian managed to stop short and keep himself from going deeper into the more intimate corners of the teenager's mind. He pulled back from Clark, regretting that he'd even accidentally invaded a place he wasn't invited. The agitated, volatile pull of the now-adolescent Kryptonian's thoughts was much stronger than he'd anticipated.

Mental contact had lasted mere seconds, but Clark's face was wet with tears. J'onn instantly solidified, resolving into the human form he knew would be most comforting to the teenager, and wrapped his arms around him.

"It's alright, boy," said the rich, bass voice of Josh Johnstone. "I don't know if I can help, but I'll do everything I can."

The hug was like the turning of a pressure valve, and Clark held on tight to the massive six-foot-six frame of his old friend.

"Thank you," he said softly with his head on "Josh's" shoulder, before pulling back to look into the gentle giant's kindly eyes. "C'mon, let me take you to Ryan."

Clark led the disguised alien through the hospital and back to the room. Rounding the corner, they could see Lex through the window, sitting by the bed, holding the boy's hand as he slept. He looked up on their approach, then gently slipped out of Ryan's grasp and came out to meet them in the empty hallway.

"He's finally resting," Lex said, "but he's been in and out every few minutes. The fear of being alone, like he was in Sommerholt… I understand why your dad didn't want to leave him on his own."

"Between the three of us, I don't think we'll have to," Clark said, inclining his head toward J'onn. "Lex, this is my friend Josh Johnstone. He worked with us on the farm, the year I turned eight."

Lex's eyebrow went up. "When you were eight?" he said, quickly sifting through his mental timeline of Clark's history. Then his gaze shifted to give the man a closer appraisal. "So you were here when—"

"When Clark saved Landon Lang from the twister?" Josh finished with a chuckle. "Yeah. Damndest thing I ever saw." He extended his hand toward Lex. "Good to meet you, Mr. Luthor."

"Any friend of Clark's," the billionaire said with a small smile, and accepted the handshake.

In that instant of contact, something passed between them, a mental flash that even Clark caught the edge of. A lab, a machine, two boys, one with green skin, the other with bright red hair.

Sudden recognition shone in Lex's eyes before they went dark again, his gaze distant, almost vacant. Both the billionaire and the alien pulled back, shaking their heads.

"Albie?" J'onn whispered, and Clark could hear the Martian's amazement underneath the voice of the farmhand.

"What was that?" the farm boy asked. "Are you two alright?"

Lex blinked and the moment passed as if nothing had happened. "Albie?" he repeated. "Haven't heard anyone called that in years."

"I'm sorry," the Martian said, fully reasserting his persona. "You just reminded me of someone I knew…a lifetime ago."

The billionaire shrugged. "Afraid not," he said. "I'm sure I'd remember meeting someone like you."

"It's alright, my mistake," Josh agreed.

Lex regarded the big man, then the teenager, favoring them both with a half-smile before moving back to look through the window into Ryan's room. The boy was still asleep, though his head had turned towards them.

"Please, forgive me, I don't mean to be rude," Lex began, "but I must admit I'm wondering what a former farmhand could do to help Ryan?"

Clark cleared his throat and eyed J'onn, still concerned about what had just transpired, and not wanting to reveal too much. He didn't want another secret between him and Lex, but it wasn't his call. At a nod from the Martian, he just went with the middle ground.

"Josh has a gift," he said. "Like Ryan's, but stronger. It occurred to me the other day that he might be able to teach him to block things out. That was before…this."

"Ah," Lex said, turning to lean against the wall, looking at them, the pieces falling into place. "You, Ryan, Cassandra… I'm starting to wonder if I'm the only one around here without any ESP…" He let out a rueful laugh. "But that was a good thought, Clark. And might still help."

"On my word, I'll do anything I can for the boy," Josh said, looking past Lex to where Ryan lay on the bed. He laid a hand on Clark's shoulder. "He's dreaming now, but he'll wake soon."

"You two look after him," Lex said, glancing at his watch. "Caulder's people should have the serum ready soon, and it's nearly 7AM in Finland. Time for me to commandeer a conference room and get the ball rolling."

His fingers traced over the Napolean franc that made up the face of his timepiece, and then he looked up at Clark, eyes suddenly alight with a new idea. "Mind lending me your watch?"

"Something wrong with yours?" the farm boy asked.

"Only that it can't signal Superboy yet," Lex retorted.

He wiggled his fingers at Clark, and the teenager reluctantly surrendered his watch, raising a wary eyebrow.

Lex shrugged. "If nothing else, it'll give me something to tinker with when I get put on hold."

Clark let out a laugh. "As if anyone would dare subject Lex Luthor to elevator music."

"You'd be surprised," the billionaire said with a smirk.

Movement from inside the room drew their eyes to the window. Ryan was stirring. His eyes fluttered open and his head swiveled from one empty chair to the other, tensing as he looked around the room. He only relaxed when he saw Clark and Lex in the hall, then his eyes shifted to the mountain of a man standing with his friends.

Clark waved at him, and Lex aimed a thought at the boy – "I'll be back soon" – then headed off down the hall.

Before opening the door to Ryan's room, Clark turned to whisper to his friend. "What was that, what did I see, between you and Lex?"

"A long story for another time," the Martian replied. "One he does not yet remember."

With a sigh, Clark let the matter drop and pushed into Ryan's suite. He smiled at the boy. "Hey, buddy, how'd you sleep?"

Ryan shrugged. "Okay, I guess. It's really loud all the time, even more than in Edge City…" His eyes flicked between his brother and the newcomer. His head tilted curiously.

"This is Josh," Clark said. "He's an old friend, you can trust him. Landon told you about the tornado, Josh was there that day. I thought he might be able to help you, too."

"Hi," Ryan said, tentatively, though Clark's words put him more at ease and the tension in his shoulders eased. "You've known Clark a long time, haven't you?"

The big man nodded, impressed by the boy's perception. "That's right. I've watched over him ever since the day he arrived."

"You're very different," Ryan said, then blushed. "I don't mean that in a bad way! Sorry! Just… I've never felt anything from a mind like yours before."

Clark stood back, watching the exchange between the two in wonder. J'onn had let his mental defenses down yet, at least not far, and he'd assumed the alien would be another blank to the boy, like he was. But no, Ryan was picking up so much more.

"What can you see?" the big man asked gently.

"Nothing clear," Ryan said. "You have to hide, even more than Clark. And your name definitely isn't Josh. John? No… J'onn." He gasped. "Oh. Oh my god."

J'onn's gaze shifted towards the window into the hall, and the blinds suddenly fell.

"Clark," Ryan said, his voice gone soft, barely a whisper. "He's… he's…"

"A friend," Clark said, coming over to squeeze the boy's hand. "One of the best people I've ever met. You can trust him, Ryan."

"I know," the boy breathed, face lighting up with whatever he saw in the other's mind.

"Don't be frightened, young one," J'onn said, his voice shifting from that of the farmhand towards what he presented as his natural tone. "There is no need for pretense between us."

Ryan gaped as the huge man's form changed before his eyes, almost as if melting, then resolving into something new like clay on a potter's wheel. Where Josh Johnstone had been, now stood J'onn J'onzz, the Martian Manhunter. Slender and emerald-skinned, but still just as bald, he was draped in a dark blue, high-collared cape and long trousers, with a red X-shaped harness strapped across his muscular chest.

"Oh, wow." It was all the boy could say as he gripped Clark's hand even tighter. On the one hand, he knew his big brother was an alien, but J'onn actually looked the part, and his mind was a something entirely different, infinitely strange.

"I do not know if I can do much," J'onn said, holding up a hand, "but I would try to help you, if you'll let me in."

Ryan nodded, and Clark watched as the Martian placed his hand on the boy's forehead, fingers spread, their touch light. J'onn's eyes flashed red, and Ryan's suddenly went gray. Clark held on to his little brother as J'onn entered his mind, and the physical contact let Clark's own latent telepathy pull him into the link as an observer, rather than participant.

Images came, flowing both ways, similarities helping to establish a deeper connection and ease the young human through the process without fear. J'onn saw Ryan's earliest childhood memories, his mother, and the moment he first realized he was hearing another's thoughts. Then came his mother's illness, long nights sitting by her bedside, the marriage to a man who she thought would take care of her son but had lied, and when she was gone, had forced her son to help him steal and cheat, and everything that had happened in time since.

In turn, Ryan saw flashes of life on Mars, untold centuries ago. J'onn's life with his family, his spouse and children; the way they shared their lives through thought and through touch, knowing each other from the inside out. A society so entirely alien in its aspect, but so much like humans in their capacity for love, courage, fear, and for hatred. He saw other Martians beyond J'onn's own people, ones with red skin, and white skin, and more besides. The greens were rounded up into camps and…

J'onn guided the boy's mind away from the end of that vision, sparing the boy the trauma of witnessing the loss of his family and the fall of his world.

He meant to redirect the flow of memories to his arrival in Dr. Erdel's lab, but his encounter with Lex had brought other memories to the surface. J'onn's own thoughts had drifted farther back, to his first time trapped on Earth, and Ryan suddenly saw a human boy with a mop of curly, red hair. The names Albie and Alex floated through J'onn's mind before he could tuck them away again, but it was enough for Ryan to put two and two together.

J'onn knew Clark was there, too, witnessing it all from a distance, and decided that he could let them see the truth. Let them see how a young Martian child had been pulled across space and time and imprisoned by a cabal of human scientists looking for the answer to an ancient mystery. How the son of one of these men had shared hidden messages with the alien and had become his friend in a time of great despair. How they had shared adventures in worlds of their own imagination, and how, when the captive boy was going to be tortured to death for information he did not have, the human had shown immeasurable compassion and found a way to send his friend back home, at great cost to himself.

Letting the images flow, J'onn shifted his own focus to Ryan's physical brain, and saw the tumor, the source of the child's distress. What had once been small, benign and hardly noticeable, was growing out of control, pressing on other sections of the brain it should never have touched, causing pain and bringing death.

He pulled back from the link, guiding Ryan and Clark to the surface, until they shook it off on their own. The whole experience had barely taken seconds, but it left the human and the Kryptonian both breathless and panting. As Ryan's eyes returned to normal, J'onn let his hand fall to the boy's chest, feeling his heartbeat slow and ease as he caught his breath.

"Your gift may be small, young one," said the Martian, "but its spark shines bright. It is a wonder all its own. In a thousand years or so, who knows what might spring from it."

J'onn's voice was so kind, but his red eyes held a depth of sadness words could not express. He looked at Clark and shook his head, then met Ryan's gaze again. "I am sorry. There is little I can do except ease your pain and shield you from without. I cannot cure what ails you, but perhaps I can hold it back for a while, maybe enough to buy the time your brother and Alexander need."

Ryan blinked away tears, face screwed up in sorrow, both for himself and for J'onn's own pain and loss. He settled against Clark's shoulder and let out a shaky breath.

"Thank you," he said to the Martian, gripping the big green hand as it lay over his heart. "I'm sorry for you and Lex. For what his father did. You should tell him who you are."

J'onn simply patted the boy's hand and offered him a reassuring smile. "It was centuries ago for me, little one, though barely more than a decade for him. In time. When he is ready to remember."

Clark hugged his arm tighter around Ryan's shoulder, and wiped his free hand across his own face, still shaking off the experience of the mind-link. "Do you think the plan will work?"

"I do not know," J'onn answered honestly. "But there is every reason to hope; and every reason to hurry." He touched Ryan's head again, and there was a gentle glow, as telekinetic energy began to work inside the boy's brain. "This will help ease the pressure for now."

Ryan's face seemed to relax even more, his brow unfurrowing. The pressure in his head lessened, and pain he wasn't even consciously aware of stopped. "Wow, that's…better." He started to thank J'onn, but then his head whipped around toward the door. "Lex is coming."

Instantly, J'onn slipped back into his guise as Josh, moments before the door opened and the young billionaire walked in, phone in hand. "Hope I'm not interrupting…whatever you have going on in here," he said, "but I just heard from Joshua Clay, Niles' associate. The serum's ready. They can send it by courier plane, but it would still take a couple of hours to get here." He looked at Clark. "I don't want you to get anywhere near Caulder's place if you don't have to, but the sooner we get it here the better…"

Clark took a step, ready to speed off to Ohio, but Josh put a hand on his shoulder.

"No. Your friend's right, kid," said the farmhand. "I know Niles Caulder of old, we go way back. Josh Clay's good people, but you don't want any part of Caulder's circus. Let me handle this one."

"Are you sure?"

"I am. You get ready to do your bit." J'onn turned to Ryan, gave him a smile, then looked back at Lex. "Tell them someone's on the way. I'll be back soon as I can."

Lex looked skeptical but turned to relay the information into the phone. By the time he'd hung up and looked back, the farmhand had vanished. "Well, well. Your friend is full of surprises, Clark. Not another Kryptonian, is he?"

"No," Clark said. "And not meteor-infected, either. But you'll have to ask him if you want to know more. Not my secrets to tell, Lex."

The billionaire looked at him, lips pursed. "Didn't think so. As long as you trust him."

"With my life," Clark said. "And Ryan's, yours, everyone's."

Lex was surprised by the strength of Clark's assurance but shifted his gaze to Ryan. "And what do you think of him?"

"Everything Clark said, and more. He's one of the good guys, Lex. Deep down, you'll know it, too."

The young man sighed, nodding his acquiescence. "Alright. With you two vouching for him, what else can I say? I'll roll with it." He looked up, and eyed Clark. "For now."

"Mighty good of you," came Josh's booming voice as he suddenly resolved into existence beside Lex.

The billionaire jumped back, and let out a started cry, backing into the wall. Then he doubled over, laughing at himself as he recovered. "Damn," Lex said shaking his head, and pointing a finger at Josh. "You got me. No atmospheric disturbance, so…teleportation?"

"Not exactly," the big man said, holding out a vial in one hand, jerking his thumb over his shoulder with the other. "I came through the wall."

Lex looked past him to the undamaged exterior wall, then took the vial, shaking it as he held it up to the light. Thankfully, the liquid inside was amber, rather than the toxic green of something derived from kryptonite. Then he looked back at the big farmhand.

"Telepathy, super speed, molecular phasing? If you could, I don't know, shape-shift as well, I'd say you were a Martian."

A broad, toothy grin broke out on Josh's face, and laughter bubbled up from somewhere deep in his massive chest. "Martians don't exist," he said, voice rumbling as his shoulders shook with mirth.

"Not anymore," Lex agreed. He gave the farmhand some serious side-eye, then shook his head, and turned to Clark and Ryan. "I know you don't want any more injections after Sommerholt," he told the boy, "And I don't blame you one bit. But this should help shrink the tumor enough to make an operation much safer."

Ryan gulped and eyed the concoction warily. "Will it hurt?"

Lex shook his head. "It shouldn't. Most likely, you won't even feel it."

The boy looked up at Josh, standing behind Lex, and the big man just gave him a gentle nod. Then Ryan turned to his guardian angel for guidance. "Should I?"

Clark saw the fear in his little brother's eyes, and gently squeezed his shoulder. "I don't like it any more than you do, kiddo, but it's the best chance there is."

Ryan closed his eyes and squeezed Clark's hand. "If I don't…" he began, then faltered, choking off a frightened sob. The boy took a deep breath and fought for his courage. "I know you have to leave, but… if things go wrong… whatever happens… promise me you'll be here?"

Clark's hand slid from Ryan's shoulder to the back of his neck. "I promise."

The twelve-year-old let out a shaky breath, trusting the word of his big brother and his Superboy. Then he looked at Lex, and held out his arm, like he was about to get blood drawn. "Okay. Do it. Please, Lex. Before I chicken out?"

The young Luthor gave him a half-smile and filled a syringe according to the instructions he'd received from Dr. Clay, tapping it to release any air pockets. "I'm sorry, Ry, it's got to go a little closer to the problem. Lean forward?"

New fear filled Ryan's eyes, but he understood. Biting his lip, he gripped Clark's hand for support and bent his neck.

Lex eyed the teenager and the farmhand, then reached behind the boy, holding the needle close to the bare skin along his spine, just below his neck. "It may sting a little," he said. "I'm sorry."

"Just do it," Ryan begged, tears falling from eyes shut tight.

Lex took a breath, and plunged the needle in. Ryan let out a sharp gasp, but otherwise there was no immediate reaction.

"All done," Lex said, stepping away.

"Are you alright?" Clark asked.

Ryan nodded and leaned back. "Yeah, I'm okay. It was just cold."

Lex checked his watch, then looked at the Boy of Steel. "It should start working in a few minutes, and then have a few hours to do its job." He put a hand on Clark's shoulder. "It's time. I know you can get there in seconds but even you have to obey some laws of physics. You'll have to go slower on the way back."

Clark nodded, squeezed Ryan's hand one more time, and then ruffled his hair. "You just hold on. Lex and Josh will be here with you until I get back."

Ryan gave him a smile, a bit bleary-eyed, but full of hope. "Go be super," he told his big brother.

The teenager stepped back into an empty corner of the room, then spun as he had in Lex's library, blurring into motion barely long enough to register, before Clark Kent was gone, and Superboy stood in his place. He winked at Ryan, then nodded to Lex and J'onn. A moment later, he was gone out the door, only a fading blur of red and blue in his wake.