Hey everyone!

I'm trying a new recap style based on old pulpy tv serials from the 60's. Tell me if you like it, or if you think it's too corny.

This chapter kinda doesn't seem that cohesive to me. It almost feels like several mini chapters, but I'm not sure how to fix it.

Enjoy!

Previously on Orphan Adrift: (old timey announcer voice)

The X men, working under misunderstood information and assumptions, were led to believe that Kent Farm was another heinous mutant experimentation facility, which they assumed used painful methods in order to forcibly awaken their own daughter's X gene before its natural time, as other such facilities had done in the past! The X men attacked the farm to free the poor child, but were met with much heavier resistance than they were expecting, namely, Superman!

Completely without combat experience using his full power, the X men at first seem to be triumphing over the Man of steel! However! The table quickly turned when the the Man of Tomorrow cut loose, systematically overpowering each mutant hero at their own strengths!

The X men handily beaten, the Last Son of Krypton was about to take it too far! Luckily, the battle was interrupted by Martha Kent, who is determined to both clear misunderstanding and ensure repair of damages to her property, bargaining from a position of strength!

Professor X, on the other hand, has far more concerns than simply reimbursing the Kents for damage, which he is more than willing to do! But what are his concerns? Are they valid? Will he give up on having the young Alexandria attend his institute? Will they reach a compromise fit for everyone involved? Or will the X men and the Kent family part ways as bitter enemies?! Join us at the table of negotiation… now!

"We will of course reimburse you for the landscaping costs and medical bills, as well as provide brand new replacements for the appliances and tractor our presence forced your daughter to use, as well as your door that we damaged in our entry into your house." The professor said quickly, apparently wishing to get things over with.

I rose my eyebrow. He seemed genuine, but I couldn't actually tell what was going on in his head.

Rewinding a bit to earlier after Ma ended the conflict, we had gathered up the injured and incapacitated X-Men to receive treatment, and I had picked up Logan from where he had been running through the corn, determined to return to the fight. It was interesting to see his appearance, and now that I had cooled off enough to notice, I realized that while he was shorter than Hugh Jackman's 6'2", he was actually taller than his comic counterpart's 5'3", If I had to guess he was around 5'8" or 5'9", pretty much mid way between the two portrayals.

By the time I had defused the situation, (dodging a few claw swipes along the way), and flown him back to the farm, everyone's injuries had been treated, and thankfully nothing was too serious. After a touch from Logan even Rogue was quick to regain consciousness, no worse for wear, which effectively calmed my worries on my power doing something strange to her. Hopefully nothing would come from the strange reaction, but I'd keep my eye out.

After everyone was adequately patched up, and Lexi was upstairs sleeping off her fatigue, we had gathered around the dining table to talk things out. Here, the professor explained the reasons behind this misunderstanding, further expanding on the type of facilities they had encountered before, and that they were only trying to help a little girl they had every reason to believe was in danger. We had insisted that he and Jean wear the signal watches to block their telepathy, while I listened to their heart beats to detect lies. Which brings us back to the present.

Pa was quick to voice an amendment. "I won't argue with the appliances and the medical costs, but that tractor was on its last legs. Workable, and well maintained, but very old. Getting a used tractor in good shape would be more than enough."

Both Charles and I were shocked by this, our mouths open. I spoke up first, "Pa! Are you kidding me?! They attacked our house, tried to take Lexi, hurt Mom and you are talking them down?!"

Professor Xavier found his voice, clearing his throat. "Yes, well, as much as I hate to agree, I am also quite curious as to why you would refuse a brand new tractor."

Pa took a moment to look deeply at me. "Because this isn't about them or what we may think they deserve, Clark. It's about what's right. I'm not a man driven by spite. It is only fair that they replace what they broke, but to try to leverage them for all they have just because we are In a position to do so is greedy and dishonest. Nobody died, or was crippled. They'll replace all they broke, and pay for medical expenses.

So long as they keep their word, then get out of our hair I'm more than eager to part ways as quickly as possible and hopefully never see or be bothered by each other ever again."

I took a breath, and nodded. As much as a small part of me wanted them to suffer for what they did, I knew that wouldn't do any good for the future. The message that we wouldn't be bullied had already been sent when I beat them, and taking anything more than what we needed to fix the damage might be considered a gift, or even a debt. It was better to wash our hands completely of the matter and go on with our lives.

Of course, we still probably could get away with getting a new tractor by claiming the old one wasn't the piece of junk that it was, but I guess Pa thought his honor was worth more than a new tractor. A bit more rigid that what I might've done had it been me, but that's why I respected Pa as much as I did. He knew the world wasn't fair, heaven knows it wasn't, otherwise this shit show never would have happened, but Pa never used that as an excuse to be unfair to others. He embodied the change he wanted to see in the world, and led by example. Even so, I wanted to make sure we still got a fair shake. Being honest wasn't the same as being a pushover.

"Lexi went through a traumatic experience. We consider any therapy she might need as a medical expense." I tacked on.

Pa sent me a look(tm), but Ma nodded emphatically. "Absolutely! Whatever help we genuinely need from this whole ordeal," she paused, staring at Pa whose gaze softened, then she continued, "I'm sure that someone with a stealth jet will be more than capable of providing." She finished, backing me up. Pa grumbled at the mention of their wealth as a motive, and I knew it was because he thought it came across to others as opportunistic and greedy, but in the end he deferred to his wife's wisdom. He would never deny his daughter the help she needed for the sake of pride.

Charles, once again shocked to his core, slowly had a soft smile form on his face. It was so extremely rare to see someone view counseling and therapy as actual medical care and not 'for nutjobs only', that as a professional he couldn't help be touched despite himself. Furthermore, the honor and compassion he observed in this family completely floored him, and he tried and failed to remember when he had last been dealt with with such uprightness from a non mutant. These people were special.

"Of course. I would never compromise on matters of mental health." He stated, his eyes oddly misty, "despite your eagerness to be rid of me, which is entirely justified I assure you, I still believe I have not truly repaid the emotional damage I in my foolishness have wrought on your family. If you will not allow me to show my goodwill with a new tractor, allow me to put forth another offer."

Pa looked over to Ma, who raised her eyebrow in response. They seemed to have a non verbal conversation, which seemed to end in Ma's favor. Pa sighed.

"What is your offer?" Ma asked, "Not that we will necessarily say yes, but we would like to hear you out." She clarified.

"An offer of education. I have a great amount of resources and connections within the educational system of both the US and the UK, and many of the students that attend the Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters are now PHD holders. While we initially assumed your daughter's memories of college level classes were falsified, we now know this is not the case. She has a genius level intellect, and an incredibly powerful mutant ability. We could help her hone and control her gifts, while also cutting out the vast majority of the busy work that usually comes with college classes. So long as she truly learns and masters the information, I can use my contacts to allow her to take the final exams and be graded on the final projects of any college classes she may apply for. This would allow her to grow her knowledge rapidly, and gain the proper diplomas and certifications to accurately represent her knowledge and expertise to the professional world when she does eventually enter it as an adult. She could perform research and defend her thesis to actual boards of experts. With her frankly astonishing learning speed, by the time she reaches the age of 18, she could very likely already be the genuine holder of multiple PHDs. I am more than willing to sponsor her on this journey."

Both Ma and Pa immediately looked at me for anti-lie verification. I nodded. I had been listening to his heartbeat and he was genuine the whole time. "No lie. He's sincere."

Silent, Ma and Pa looked at each other. Despite the fact that Pa never wanted to take charity, he also cared deeply about his daughter, and such an opportunity could make an enormous difference in his daughter's life. That wasn't something he felt he could toss away as easily as a new tractor. "We definitely won't make a decision until we've thoroughly researched everything about you and visited the campus at least. Where even is this institute of yours? And what do you get in return?" Pa asked.

Xavier nodded. "The institute is in upstate New York. We have exquisite student dorms that—"

Pa interrupted "I'm going to stop you right there. We aren't interested."

Xavier, once again caught off guard by his current lack of telepathy, was at a loss for words. "So quickly? I thought you would take some time at least, to think about it if nothing else—"

Once again Pa interrupted, "I was under the impression that this institute was nearby. I am not sending my 7 year old daughter across the country to some boarding school with a stranger. I am more than willing to make certain sacrifices for the sake of her future, but her home, her childhood, and us, her family are all NOT on that list of sacrifices. She comes home every day and stays with us till she's 18. We are her family. Non negotiable."

The professor pinched his nose in frustration. "Many parents send their children to boarding schools and overnight summer camps. It is not that uncommon."

"Well we aren't most people. And you and your people aren't even close to having that level of trust with us. Again, I am not sending my 7 year old daughter to live full time in New York without her family! End of story!"

Honestly, I agreed with Pa, but there was one thing he was forgetting. As salty as I was about the attack, I also knew that professor Xavier now saw Lexi as one of his people, and would do anything to protect his own. She would be safe there. And we didn't exactly have to compromise between New York and Kansas.

"I could take her there in the morning, and pick her up in the afternoon." I added.

Ma looked contemplative, and I could already see her weighing the merits, but Pa was still being stubborn. "Clark." He started.

"What?" I asked. "So long as I get her there in the morning and get her home in time for dinner, how is it different than her going to public school? I can grow a crystal pod that will protect her from the wind and inertia, while cloaking both of us. I'm not saying we should say yes right now, Lexi deserves to make what she wants known, and we still have to do research and visit the campus, but if the major issue is transportation than I can easily fix that. Heck, I could even make a family version and we could pop over for a visit."

Pa sighed. He looked to Ma.

She spoke up, "It couldn't hurt to at least see the place, especially if we have Clark with us. Lexi is running out of AP classes as it is. We should at least talk to her about it first."

Pa sighed again, but more explosively this time. "Fine! We'll talk to Lexi about it, and if she wants to look and see, well... we'll look and see. This is NOT a yes."

Charles smiled, pleased. "A chance is all I ask. You all have been more than fair."

Hank McCoy, a who was apparently a licensed doctor in addition to being an expert in biochemistry, had assured that Lexi was only suffering from fatigue and nothing more, but when it reached noon the following day, the Kent's began to worry it was something more. Forge had arrived at the Kent farm on some kind of hover scooter, and had jury rigged the X jet enough that it could fly home, where he would work on getting its other systems back online. The X men had all left early that morning.

Lexi was still sleeping.

Just as Ma and Pa had made up their minds to take her to the hospital and damn the consequences of 'outing' their daughter as a mutant to the community, she stirred, her eyes flickering open.

"Hhmmmnnmmmgh" was all she got out before she got smothered in a hug by Ma. "Uough. Hey Ma," she said, confused, "What's… what's going on? Why am I in bed? And…" she looked at her hand, which lit up green, and her hands flew to her head as she got a headache.

"Don't use your powers for a bit, you strained yourself pretty bad fighting those yahoos." I said.

"S-so I guess that wasn't a Dream huh?" She answered, "What happened?"

We explained each part of the story from our point of view, and when we were done with our accounts, finally she spoke.

"So… why did they think you guys were experimenting on me? Why did my X gene activate so early?"

I scratched the back of my head in embarrassment. "That's actually kinda my fault." I admitted. "Apparently the energy I produce, in some cases, can awaken the X gene before it's time. Remember all the times I used to accidentally shock you with static?"

Her eyes widened, "I knew it being green wasn't normal! I knew it!"

I threw my hands up in surrender. "I'm sorry Lexi! I promise you it was accidental! I never meant for this to ha—"

She interrupted me, "Are you kidding?! I have superpowers because of you! In what universe is that bad?! Th-this is the coolest thing that has ever happened to me!"

"Well… I'm glad you feel like that, but I have you know I didn't 'give' you anything. The energy didn't necessarily give you anything you didn't already have, it just unlocked what was dormant. Your talents and abilities are yours. If I took credit for them I'd be a liar."

She rolled her eyes, but her smile widened with joy. I could tell she was relieved by something, but I couldn't tell what exactly. "So… we're both mutants huh?" She said, "That's crazy! I didn't even think Mutants were real! Everyone says they're an urban legend!"

"Well… not exactly," I said, "you know how I'm adopted?"

"Umm yeah? Duh? What does that have to do with anything? You're still my brother."

I smiled, and my eyes got misty. "I'm not… exactly… human"

Her eyes widened, but she was quick to regain her composure. "S-so? Neither am I apparently!" Lexi responded.

"No, you are definitely human. I'm not a huge fan of the whole 'human' vs 'mutant' thing. Scientifically it doesn't make sense. You inherited your X gene from either Ma, Pa, or both, but they are considered 'human' because theirs aren't active and you are considered 'not human' because yours is? There is literally no major genetic difference between you and them. An individual of a certain species that has a favorable mutation is still a member of that species, just changed slightly. Human, and… Meta Human."

"Meta-human huh?" Lexi seemed to turn it over in her mind, looking at Ma and Pa, then nodding, "I'll be honest, I like the sound of that much better than mutant, even if I am a human with a mutation. It emphasizes the human part. It's nice." Her eyes snapped back to me. "But you haven't answered my question. So if you aren't a… Meta-Human, then… what are you?"

I took a deep breath to calm myself. Lexi was being remarkably calm about all this, but I couldn't predict how she would respond. "I'm an alien. From a planet called Krypton. I was sent here as a baby by my biological parents to escape the planets destruction. Ma and Pa found me, took me in, and raised me as their own."

Dead silence. Lexi glanced at Ma and Pa, just to confirm I wasn't pulling her leg, and they both nodded. She turned back to me. "I knew it." She whispered.

"What?!" I shouted, flabbergasted, "You knew this whole time that I was an alien, from Krypton?!"

"Well, maybe not all the details, but I knew something was up! I've seen the inside of that signal watch with my powers enough times to know it was light years ahead of any other tech I've ever touched! My money was actually on time traveler, but alien was definitely in the top ten! Why didn't you tell me sooner!? This is the coolest thing that has ever happened to me! And you're telling me that all this time you've been hiding it from me?! Do you not trust me?! Did you think I couldn't handle it?! Why have I been living some humdrum farm life all this time when I could have VISITING OTHER PLANETS WITH MY BROTHER?!"

"Now hold on just a second young lady!" Pa interjected. "First of all, being a farmer and being a part of a community is not humdrum. It is a perfectly respectable profession and life, one that sustains this community."

Lexi rolled her eyes, sighing, "I know Pa. I'm sorry for saying it like that, but you know what I mean! Why did you hide this from me?! Was it just some fun game that everybody knew about this except me?!" Tears started to form in her eyes. "Aren't I your daughter?" Her eyes swung to me "aren't I your sister?"

"Of course you are!" We said, going in for a hug, but she pushed us away.

"I wanna be alone! Get out of my room!" She yelled at me. Ma quirked her eyebrow, signaling danger, and Lexi was quick to add, "Please?"

Pa sighed, then nodded. We left the room, closing the door behind us. Pa headed downstairs.

Ma put her hand on my shoulder. "I'll talk to her when she's cooled off. Explain things more, and let her know about the school. I hope you noticed, but the thing that upset her wasn't that you were born somewhere else, but that she wasn't told about it. She doesn't think of you as lesser. She's still your sister."

I nodded. "I… I get it. I guess that makes sense, but… when she said she thought her powers were cool, I thought we could get through this without a fight. I wasn't expecting her to mood swing like that."

Ma sighed. "She has been through a lot. She's putting on a brave face, but she was in a situation where she thought she would be abducted, and the stress from something like that doesn't instantly go away. She's purposely focusing on the upsides of the situation, but there's a lot to unpack. It'll take time."

I nodded. This sucks. I then immediately knocked on Lexi's door, which Ma gave me the look(TM) for but I barreled ahead. "Lexi, I'm gonna make a space pod, and we'll all go to the moon. It'll be done in a few days if you want to take a trip up there. Sorry for not telling you sooner."

She cracked open the door. Her cheeks were wet. "Really? The moon?" She said quietly.

"Yep." I said. "We'll even write 'Lexi was here' on the dark side. Blow the minds of some future scientists."

She giggled. "Thanks. But… I still wanna be alone right now."

I nodded. She closed the door, and I heard a squee of nerdy excitement pierce through. I nodded, satisfied, turning back to Ma, who had a smile on her face.

"Good job son. But really? The moon?"

I nodded. "I figure I can get a functional space pod about the size of a mini van ready by Saturday. Could it be our weekend family outing?"

She shook her head, chuckling. "Sure Clark. So long as we don't get detected by some government satellite?" She seemed nervous, which was valid.

I nodded. "Absolutely. I'd need a cloaking device anyway to cart Lexi to school every day if she goes for it. Nobody will detect a thing."

"Good..." she paused, like she was stuck in a memory. "I still remember when I first watched the broadcast of Neil Armstrong taking his first steps. I actually wanted to be an astronaut once upon a time. Going to the moon… would actually be a dream come true."

I blinked, surprised. I didn't know that about Ma! "That's awesome Ma! I can't wait!"

She smiled. "I'll talk to Lexi when she's ready. You get started on that space pod."

I laughed, "Ha! Can do. I'll head over to the fortress to get it started. I'll be back tonight." With a whoosh, a quick hug and a "heyPawe'regoingtothemoonthissaturdayseeyoutonightbye!" I was flying through the sky once again.

I think… everything's gonna be alright. Lexi went through something rough, and is still handling it in her own way, but knowing that I could once again be my full, authentic self in front of all my family was like a weight off my chest. It felt like things were really looking up.

I spent the rest of that night with Jor El at the fortress designing a pill shaped pod roughly the size of a minivan that would fit the whole family and have life support, artificial gravity, and inertial dampening. It was made out of the same diamond-like crystal as the fortress, and anyone sitting inside would be able to see out in all directions, but still wouldn't be visible to anyone outside, and be protected from any harmful radiation. It didn't have any thrusters, as I would simply carry it, but it did have a cloaking field that would cover us, even me, who'd be outside. Because it didn't have anything crazy like kryptonian sublight engines, a phantom drive, or even any weapons of any kind, it would only take about a day and a half to grow in the crystal fabricator. It would also be usable as a submarine, which would help in future field trips and outings. Eventually I'd add everything it needed to be a proper flyable space ship, but for now I wanted it done as quickly as possible.

I smiled, smacking my hand on the side of the room sized fabricator. "Seat belts everyone!" I sing-songed, imitating Ms. Frizzle, then hummed the magic school bus theme to myself as I walked across the hallway to the only other fabricator currently in use.

The project in this other fabricator was first started about a month ago, and actually pinged me as complete a few days ago, but needed… adjustments. The new timer said the final version would be done in just a few hours.

Looking through the viewport, I laid eyes on a blue kryptonian skinsuit. It had the same simple bold coloring to the human eye as the red blanket had, but looking closer one could see the microscopic links of a near indestructible Kryptonian metal known as kryptonium. It was this material that had given the blanket it's shimmering quality in my X ray vision, and it was this blanket Jor El and I had used to make the cape on the suit.

Kryptonium was an incredibly energy intensive metal to synthesize, as it ate up energy in the fusion reaction even worse than iron did.

Because of this, it had been incredibly rare on krypton, with most armor suits made from the material being relics that were made in the age of 'expansion' when the Kryptonian empire had access to yellow sun powered worlds.

Because I was on earth, under a yellow sun, it was once again feasible to synthesize.

Unlike the full suits of armor worn by red sun warriors, who needed every ounce of protection they could get from the super predators of krypton, the yellow sun skinsuit was thin and had no plating, it's only purpose to be slightly more durable than the kryptonian wearing it, and to increase the solar absorption rate of the wearer.

When I had worn the first prototype, I had expected it to be like spandex, and in some ways it was, but instead of compressing the muscles down flat it seemed to hug them, perfectly tailored to my form for maximum mobility, acting like a second skin. It didn't look painted on, the material clearly had a substantial thickness, but it moved with me and my form better than any other clothing ever could have.

And while this had meant my yellow sun enhanced muscles were on display just as well as if I had been shirtless, it also meant that… other areas were on display as well. The suit was a bit too contoured if you know what I mean.

The design I had at that point had mostly aligned with the classic Superman suit from Superman TAS, just without the trunks, and with a red belt instead of yellow.

However, after seeing the family jewels quite undisguised through the skinsuit leggings, I elected to bring back the trunks.

I had briefly considered making the trunks blue like the leggings to stick to the more new 52 design I was going for, but I eventually decided that If I had to wear trunks anyway, there was no reason not to make them red dammit!

So I had entered the changes, and now, it was almost ready.

Deep blue suit. Bold red cape, boots, and trunks. A yellow belt with an oval buckle. A red and yellow crest of the house of El emblazoned the chest, and a solid yellow slightly smaller one on the back of the cape. No mask, no gloves. Even without the last few touches needed it looked like a comic book come to life, the vibrant primary red, the shiny slightly golden yellow, and the deep rich blue all came together like Superman himself had flown out of the animated series.

It looked truly amazing. I briefly wondered what it would be like to see Superman actually wear it if he were real, when I realized with a start that I was supposed to be Superman.

You would think that having these powers for a bit over 7 years now, and studying kryptonian science with Jor El would have gotten it through my head, but being Clark and even being Kal El wasn't the same as being Superman.

I looked in the mirrored surface of the glass in the fabricator window. I certainly looked the part. I had stopped growing taller a bit after age 19, and now at 20 years old I was 6'4.5" (194cm) and 276lbs (125kilos) of pure muscle. Jor el said this would most likely be my height and weight for the foreseeable future so long as I was healthy and under a yellow sun.

I looked like Superman. And when the suit was fully ready in a few hours, I'd really look like Superman. I'd look exactly like him.

My stomach bubbled with stress. I felt acid at the back of my throat.

But would I be Superman?

Am I Superman?

Am I really?

I ran my hands through my hair. I didn't know. Superman was a symbol of hope. The manifestation of the concept that when a man is gifted with great power and influence, that it is possible to remain uncorrupted, to remain moral, to use that power to help your fellow people.

A living breathing dream that things like truth and justice weren't convenient lies scammers tell to gain cult followings, or worthless things that can be tossed aside so easily as soon as you have the opportunity. They were real, and they were good. And Superman was a symbol of that.

But how many people had walked out their door with good intentions? How many people's dreams survived first contact with reality? Speaking of truth and justice, the third part of that saying is "the American way."

This is referring to the line in the constitution that "all men are created equal", 'all men' referring to 'all mankind' or all of humanity. In the moment, the founding fathers had even considered including a condemnation of slavery as a natural extension of this sentiment, but ultimately decided against it, because it would require them to change too much about the people's own lives, and undermine support for the revolution. They knew slavery was wrong and yet they still practiced it because at the end of the day they decided it was too convenient to give up.

Where was "all men are created equal" during slavery? Where was "all men are created equal" during the trail of tears? Where was "all men are created equal" during women's suffrage? Or the civil rights movement? Or the pride movement? or anything else that happened in our history?

Still, I believed it was good. I believed it was worth fighting for. Truth, Justice, and yes, the American way, as stated in our constitution. I believed that Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of happiness was the unassailable right of all sentient beings, to mix Jefferson and Optimus Prime.

To be treated as a respected equal no matter who you were, what you looked like, what you wore, or what you believed.

Maybe it was just a dream. But to me? Dreams were Important.

Could I be Superman?

I honestly don't know.

But can I stand for a loving dream? Can I stand up for Truth, Justice, and the American Way? A theoretical way that arguably hasn't ever been successfully implemented fully by the American government themselves in the entire history of our country?

I believe I could. I believe I could stand for that. I believe I could fight for that.

And in the end, whether or not I was Superman didn't matter about the suit, or my muscles, or anything else about my appearance that matched with a comic book only I could remember.

I may look like Superman, but the only thing that mattered would be my actions.

There were still a few hours left till the suit was finished. I'd go home, talk to Lexi, grab dinner, and go to sleep. I'd be with my family and have a wonderful night.

And tomorrow? That was a job for Superman.

It was morning time in Kansas, and I had shown the suit to my family. Ma and Pa had loved it, saying I looked like a wrestler or a circus strongman. Lexi had predictably made fun of the trunks, saying that 'underwear is supposed to go under your pants not over them!'

I blasted off into the upper atmosphere, cresting above the ozone layer. I was high enough that most of the suns rays were full strength and unfiltered, but still low enough that I could hear the multitude of voices that rippled throughout the atmosphere.

People calling for help.

It was time to go to work.

OST: Superman theme by John Williams.

Derek Lee's teeth chattered as he struggled to get out of the snow that he was buried in. He was a cross country skier that enjoyed going down rough slopes and deep powder, carving up untamed mountains as he sped down their surface. But this time he had bitten off more than he could chew. Stuck face down underneath an avalanche, he was well and truly buried. He hadn't bothered bringing a buddy, and his friends weren't expecting him back until tomorrow, more than enough time to freeze to death.

He was going to die out here. Alone in the snow. There was nothing he could do.

Tears streamed down his cheeks as he came to this grim realization.

"HELP!" He shouted in desperation, "HEEEEEEEELLLLP!"

He drew breath for another yell, but someone grabbed him by the leg, pulling him out of the snow!

Rising up through feet of snowfall he continued up into the air, held by a man a bright blue suit, a red cape blowing in the mountain winds.

"Don't worry, I heard your call." The man said. The wind continued to whip by, and when Derek looked down, and realized they were flying through though the air.

"Wha— what the— holy shit!" Derek said intelligently.

Within no time they had reached the ski town, and after the man set Derek down, his eyes glowed red and a deep warmth seemed to infuse Derek's entire being, banishing his shivers and putting a bead of sweat on his forehead. People around stared in shock, as the man flew up into the sky with a whoosh and a sonic boom.

Melodia Williams was on her way to her job as an office worker in downtown New York, weaving through traffic in her green Volkswagen Bug. She had meant to replace the brake pads soon, as they had begun to grind, but she never had the time between her job and her kids.

Unaware of the high speed car chase going on between two rival gangs, her car was rammed from behind as she weaved out into the fast lane.

Stomping on the break, she heard something snap, and there was no resistance to the pedal. Sent careening forward, she screamed at the top of her lungs as she was about to shoot into a busy intersection, when her car began to fly!

Sailing gracefully over the oncoming traffic, her green Volkswagen bug was set gently down on the other side of the intersection. Then, with a rush of wind the gang members were instantly rounded up and restrained, their vehicles inexplicably upside down.

Her eyes nearly popped out of her head as a man in an honest to god superhero costume straight out of a comic book flew up into the sky and disappeared on the horizon.

A passenger airliner was going down, one of its engines in flames. Suddenly, before it would have crashed catastrophically, it began to level back out with a groan of metal.

They seemed to float lazily before being gently deposited in an open field. As the emergency exits were opened, there was a man floating outside the door! Reaching in, he helped them deploy the inflatable ramp to exit the plane. Before he left, he said, "now folks, I hope this whole experience hasn't put you off flying. Statistically, it's still the safest way to travel."

His line said, he flew off to his next destination. The passengers rubbed their eyes, many of them pinching themselves to check if it was a dream.

J Jonah Jamison gathered all the accounts and stories of this new hero pulled straight out of a 60s cartoon, and lamented the fact that they didn't have A SINGLE PHOTO OF THE MAN.

Apparently he was as 'nimble as a bird and as fast as a plane', like that was any excuse! There were stories pouring in from all over America, Canada, and even Mexico, all wondering who this strange new hero was!

Suddenly, Stan, the old janitor with a bombastic personality and aviator sunglasses entered into his office. "Stan, what are you doing here!" Jonah barked.

"I was in town when that new hero caught that green V W bug! Not as snazzy or classic as a 1937 DeSoto, but it'll do! I managed to take a pretty good photo of the action!" The energetic old man said.

Jonah leaned forward with interest. "You?! Got photos?! Let's see!"

The old janitor pulled out a pristine photo of the new hero holding the green car above his head from below just as he was landing, captured so beautifully it was practically posed.

Now that he got a good look at the so called hero, Jonah scoffed. "Who the hell wears primary colored tights to save people?! What an attention seeking blowhard!"

Stan pointed at the picture, "maybe so, but look at his face, it's completely uncovered! What's the harm in seeking a little notoriety if you can also be held accountable for your actions?"

"I'll give it to you there Stan, you're right about that! So what's this guy's deal? He needs a name! He's got an s on his chest, how about, the Sentry!"

Stan made a face, as if someone was stepping on the grave of comic book history. "You're overthinking it Jonah. You need something simple, something classic! He may not be one of mine, but he paved the way for what I do! So How about Superman?"

"Superman? Huh. He's strong, he's fast, he shows his face. Fine. Superman it is! I gotta say, something about this idea just feels right! I'm glad I thought of it!" He turned around to talk to… who was he talking to? He cold have sworn there had been someone at his desk. On the edge of his desk laid the perfect picture of Superman holding the green VW bug. Flipping it over, he saw a single word scribed on the back. "Excelsior!"

"Huh. Weird." Jonah said, than immediately went to work, the mysterious janitor completely forgotten.

A burning building with a woman screaming for her child, the remaining people trapped instantly rescued, then the whole building covered in snow and ice from a figure in red and blue blowing a mighty breath!

A surfer in a riptide, unable to get to shore, almost passing out from exhaustion lifted from the water and returned to shore by a larger than life superhero!

A broken down car in the middle of the desert, flown to the nearest service station!

A shootout between two biker gangs in a small town suddenly found their guns too hot to hold!

When a hiding gunman was threatening a hostage, the new hero on the scene rushed forward and -caught- the bullet -after- it had been fired! New hero faster than a speeding bullet?

This morning, A runaway mountain train with burnt out engines was careening downhill, only for the Daily Bugle named hero Superman to grab the back and act as the caboose, slowing then stopping the entire train car line under his own power! You heard it here first folks, Superman officially more powerful than a locomotive!

In a feat of daring heroics, Superman leapt from the foot of a building to catch a pair of falling window washers, depositing them safely on the roof! Even without flying, it seems our newest hero Superman can leap tall buildings in a single bound!

"I don't fucking believe it! Look at this Max! This guy literally got a little girl's cat down from up a tree! How fucking cliche can you get?! How do people like this guy?!"

"Because, Jeff, cliche doesn't matter when the good he's doing is positively effecting real people's lives! Who cares if he dresses up like a classic superhero and does cheesy shit with his godly powers! There are a hell of a lot of way worse things he could be doing with them!"

"But that's exactly my point Max! There is no way anyone would do this without an ulterior motive! There is no fucking way he isn't a creep behind the scenes! True heroes are people like teachers, educators, and social warriors! People like Bill Cosby! Not fucking gay weirdos in tights!"

"Jeff, just because you can't imagine using superpowers for anything other than creepy illegal shit doesn't mean that anyone else wouldn't choose to be a hero! Get on the Superman bandwagon already!"

"Hell no! His name is literally Ubermench! This guy is a literal nazi!"

"Now hold on! Is he gay? Or is he a nazi? It's pretty hard to be both!"

this radio broadcast has been cut from the air

Superman has done it again! In the fifth tornado outbreak this year, Superman evacuated all the citizens in the the storms path, even safely retrieving a small boy sucked into the winds, protecting the child with his own body from the debris! Superman truly is a man of steel!

Superman has once again saved the day, this time—

This morning, Superman helped a—

Superman—

Super—

Su—

SLAM! (End ost)

Nick Fury was too well trained to jump when Secretary Pierce barged into his office, but his hand was on his pistol under the desk, its barrel secretly pointed toward the door.

Seeing his old friend and colleague, he relaxed. He had been reading reports on the new enhanced/possible mutant flying around the North American continent the last few days, and he didn't bother closing out of them, as he assumed Pierce was here to talk about that very enhanced.

He was correct.

"Have you seen this? Just this morning!" Pierce said with an air of angry desperation.

Fury quirked his eyebrow, pouring Pierce a drink, "The Gatling gun?" He questioned the secretary.

Pierce sat down with a sigh. "The Gatling gun." He confirmed.

Fury nodded. The newly dubbed hero 'Superman' had displayed more and more mind boggling levels of power with every sighting, but this time was different. He hadn't just flown through fire or lifted a car, he had gone up against legitimate military ordinance. A group of cartel criminals in chihuahua Mexico had somehow gotten their hands on a modified U.S. military GAU-8 'Avenger' auto cannon that had been customized for ground use, and was mounted on a swiveling tripod with a built in seat. How they actually got it was currently being investigated by agent Sitwell in conjunction with the FBI and the Mexican Government, but crazily enough, that alone wasn't the wildest thing about the report. Fury had seen footage captured by a nearby security camera himself.

They had fired on Superman. He had already shown the capability to dodge gunfire, and at first he had, but when they turned the hilariously huge auto cannon toward civilians, Superman had flown in the path of the gunfire and, just standing there with his hands on his hips, took the full force of the barrage of explosive rounds to the chest.

To the combined horror and fascination of Nick Fury, superman wasn't harmed at all by this, hell, he hadn't even been pushed pack, just stood there and took it like an immovable wall. Then, having given the criminals just enough time to realize what was happening, he began to march forward, the bullets effecting him about as much as bugs on a windshield. Once he reached them, he destroyed the ridiculously huge Gatling gun, capturing the criminals.

"It didn't even move him Nick, not even an inch!"

Fury nodded. There was a surreal quality the last few days, as if they were living a dream. "At least he's shown himself to be friendly, if a bit childish in his methods. We know he isn't a total glory hog, or else he'd stay and shmooze the paparazzi. From what I can gather, he seems to genuinely want to help people, which is pretty rare." Fury stated.

Pierce was not pleased. "You actually want him for that initiative of yours don't you? Fury! Of all the insane—"

"What?" Fury interrupted. "I haven't seen a single thing he's done that has disqualified him so far. We'll of course have to figure out the source of his powers and any weaknesses he has, as well as his background and his identity first, but that shouldn't be to hard, the man doesn't even wear a mask! But so far his conduct has been something I can't complain about."

Pierce calmed when it was clear Fury was taking this seriously. "We ran facial recognition." He stated. "0%. On everyone. Just to make sure we ran Rumlow through, and with his hair color and Jaw shape he should have been at least a 70% match if not a little higher. 0%. Something is effecting our systems! Something we can't trace!"

Now that? That was scary. If he was just some super powered yahoo in tights it would be manageable, after all, even if Superman himself was bulletproof, whoever his loved ones were probably weren't. But if he was capable of hacking into their systems it was different. It meant he had connections. "Have we traced the breach?"

"No!" Barked Pierce. "No we haven't! The closest we got was vague location, but it was a out in the bumfuck nowhere middle of Antarctica! We figured it was obviously a decoy location, but we still did a deep ice scan in the area just to make sure, but there isn't anything underground. He's in the wind. We have nothing. Not even any hint about what tech he's using or how even now it is still effecting every facial recognition system across the entire US!"

Fury poured them both another drink. "If all he did was affect facial recognition, we know he has a secret Identity he doesn't want revealed. We'll start there."

Pierce ran his fingers through his hair. If they could be hacked so easily, other things could also come to light that he'd prefer stayed buried. It was imperative this enhanced be subjugated, converted, or eliminated ASAP. There could be no other option.

That's a wrap! I was gonna end it here, but here is something extra! It's an Omake that takes place an unspecified amount of time(likely a few months) after the present time in the story. Merry Christmas y'all!

Eric Lehnsherr was in a formal yet comfortable set of clothes, a dark maroon suit and hat with a black shirt, gloves and shoes, and a midnight purple tie and scarf. The whole ensemble was innocuously laced with metal wires and plates in subtle locations, and he carried a walking stick with a solid steel core. To an uninformed observer, he was simply a well dressed man, but in reality, he was one of the most dangerous beings on the entire planet. If this ended up being an elaborate trap, he would easily kill everyone involved.

He had been surprised to hear from Charles again at all, much less to be invited to a Christmas party of all things. Charles had been clear that the person throwing the party had requested to speak to him specifically, and it had been Charles' clear disgruntlement at the idea of Eric meeting and perhaps influencing this person that had finally sealed the deal. He would definitely be attending, he decided right then and there with a smile.

He now walked through the freshly falling snow, and observed the farmhouse he now approached. The fact that they were in Kansas was strange, but with the new recruit Portal, no location was too distant.

The windows of the house were lit by an inner flickering warmth that told him the fireplace had been lit, and smoke billowed merrily from the chimney. Merry voices echoed out from the residence, and he shook his head at how picturesque it all looked. Advancing across the porch, he knocked on the door, and was met with someone he didn't recognize at first. It was a large young man, tall and broad, with black hair that tickled his memory. Suddenly he realized just who this man was! The new hero called Superman (horrible name) by the mewling sheep that were the public.

"Ah. Now I see why Charles was hesitant for us to meet. He is afraid I will influence the great and powerful superman." He stated dramatically.

The young man winced at the distain that practically dripped from Eric's lips at the superhero name, but quickly recovered. "Welcome Mr. Lehnsherr, I'm glad you could make it. The professor has already arrived."

Eric nodded, and entered the home. It was quaintly decorated and warm, and as he removed his snowy shoes and followed the large frame of the young man as they walked through the entryway, he observed pictures of a happy family of four, and found himself wondering what grizzly truth surely lied beneath the veneer of perfect family he saw presented in the photos.

As he was introduced to each member of the Kent family, he was found himself liking them despite himself. Their youngest was magnificent, blessed with a truly powerful ability that she was eager to demonstrate, but shockingly enough both parents were human and totally accepting of both their mutant children.

They bragged about their children's accomplishments with the same pride as parents whose children were in college sports or a valedictorian of academics. Throughout the night, Eric found himself glancing at Charles to ensure they were sincere, and every time was met with a nod.

He participated in inane conversation, discussing food and the holidays, and found himself relaxing into the atmosphere in a way he hadn't thought was possible anymore.

Noticing that a Christmas tree wasn't the only holiday decoration they had set up, he commented on the nine pronged candlestick they had set up on a skirt of blue and silver. "I see you've put out a menorah." He said, his voice deep and smooth. "I hope you know I haven't been practicing in many years."

Johnathan Kent nodded. "We weren't sure, but wanted to make sure you were included."

Martha Kent chimed in, "Our home is welcome to anyone that wants, and that includes the Maccabees."

Eric chuckled at that, not expecting her to have even a lick of knowledge about the holiday. It was strange. His memories of Hanukkah and other Jewish traditions were old, as the last time he had practiced had been with his mother, and were always colored with the inescapable feelings of agony, loss, and hatred that had accompanied that early time in his life. But the relaxed atmosphere, the pure love and acceptance that passed between the members of the Kent family sent his heart back to the days before he and his mother were taken, before his world had first crumbled so devastatingly around him, back to a time when he had hope, joy, and a pure love in his life, and It ached.

Dinner was absolutely delicious and Eric was once again found wondering when the last time he had felt like this. Johnathan and Martha Kent were extremely likeable, and Clark was surprisingly humble about his super powered exploits, perfectly content to share mundane stories of childhood and sing his little sisters praises, much to her embarrassment.

After dinner, they moved to the living room, where they were all presented with gift boxes. Clark and Lexi were quick to unwrap theirs, and revealed a pair of thick woolen sweaters knitted by Martha, bright red with a reindeer for Clark and equally bright Christmas green with a snowman for Lexi. Martha and Johnathan had simple zig zags and stripes, but when Charles and he were handed similar boxes, Eric froze.

Charles opened his first, revealing a cream colored sweater with thin red diagonal stripes like a candy cane and a decorated Christmas tree emblazoned on the front, complete with red pompom ornaments, gold colored tinsel, and a shining brass star button sewn on the top. It was just the right kind of garish awful hideousness that he knew Charles would absolutely adore pranking his younger students with, and from the absolute joy in his old friends eyes, he was already planning to do just that.

Hesitantly, and with an air of horrified anticipation, Eric opened his box to reveal a beautiful sweater of navy blue. When touching the fabric, he was expecting a rough, itchy affair, but was once again pleasantly surprised at its wonderfully soft warmth.

Unfolding the sweater, for a wild uncomfortable moment he thought there was a Star of David on the front, which would have been far too much, but he quickly saw it was in fact an embroidered snowflake, wonderfully patterned and actually a bit tasteful, at least when compared to that monstrosity Charles was proudly wearing. Once again feeling the thick woolen fabric, Eric was surprisingly struck with the desire to put the sweater on, and he did so.

It was a bit big, but not noticeably so, and he considered that that was probably something you wanted in a sweater anyways, so long as it wasn't too visibly baggy. Surprising himself once again, Eric actually found himself quite liking it. He decided he most likely would wear this sweater again, if the opportunity arose.

"Thank you." He said stiffly, unpracticed in expressing genuine gratitude, though a soft smile adorned his face.

The Kents beamed, and it hurt inside, but he didn't care. It was a good pain.

Later Lexi asked if there was a special method or order to lighting a menorah, and he found himself preparing to teach her before he realized it. He quickly plowed through his reservations and did so anyway, and found himself reliving one of his earliest and most cherished memories, lighting the menorah with his mother. He never in a million years would have thought he'd ever be a part of the other side of this memory, and if a few tears of mixed joy and sadness for what was and could have been, no one pointed it out.

As the night drew to a close, he and Charles found themselves together in the night, both wearing their respective sweaters. "This." Eric said. "This is what you fight for. I'll admit I didn't think it was possible."

Charles smiled, misty eyed, "The Kent's are a particularly… potent example, but… yes. This is exactly what I fight for. Peace on earth and good will toward all, if you will."

Eric sighed. What a bizarre situation.

Thoughts, feelings, and memories long thought buried had been unearthed, and now that he felt the hope for the future once more he was suddenly unsure of his path. "Perhaps…" he said, musing, "It is not as impossible as I once believed. Perhaps there is some cooperation to be had after all. I will not fully change my methods nor my dream for mutant kind. But I am willing to show… temperance… in certain matters. We have been at odds for far too long."

Charles eyes widened like dinner plates.

They were interrupted by Clark flying out of the house to catch them, landing softly by them. "Hey guys! Sorry, I forgot to give one more gift, though this is more business than pleasure. I have the fortress accessing the internet and security cameras for mutant farms, real ones this time," he looked pointedly at Charles, who had the grace to look sheepish. "The program has only been running for a few hours, but there were already three hits when I checked just now. I figure we can divide and conquer. Put these drives into a computer and it'll connect you to the program. Mark the ones you'll take care of and they'll show up blue for me, yellow for Charles, and Red for Eric. I figure we can be the Christmas miracle for these people."

Eric, no, Magneto looked down at the flash drive in his hands, a wolfish smile on his face and violence in his eyes. "I will of course be approaching this with all the lethality I am capable of."

Clark Sighed, "I won't deny they probably deserve it, but I probably shouldn't hear anymore, just for plausible deniability."

Magneto smirked. It seems Christmas wasn't over for him quite just yet.