Superman God Among Men

Clark Kent stood in front of his parents' farm, and looked at the horizon. He looked like any other young farmer in this part of Kansas, of course he was anything but. Clark Kent, adopted son of Jonathan and Martha Kent was not an ordinary youngster. He was the last survivor of the planet Krypton. Krypton was a distant world once inhabited by human-like entities who had built a mighty, technologically advanced civilization.

Jor-El, a Kryptonian military scientist sent his son Kal-El on a small spacecraft so that he might survive the end of Krypton. The planet Krypton had been destroyed by a cataclysm. Kal-El's spaceship landed on the planet Earth where it was found by the Kents. Kal-El, the Last Son of Krypton was raised by ordinary human beings from Earth.

These days, Clark Kent was living in the city of Metropolis. He was still a freshman in college. A few months had gone by since his father, Jonathan Kent died of a heart attack, hours after winning a nomination as senator of the state of Kansas, defeating the ruthless billionaire Lex Luthor. Clark had faced many challenges during his young life. He had dealt with men and women with incredible powers hell bent on his own destruction. He had also dealt with ordinary mortals who were no less dangerous than their super-powered counterparts.

Clark didn't feel sure of himself anymore ever since his father died. He felt unsure about his place in the world. His adopted father, Jonathan Kent told him to use his powers to help people, to fight for justice and peace. His biological father, Jor-El of Krypton wanted him to conquer the planet Earth and unite it under his rule. Clark was just a young guy who was trying to lead his own life. He didn't want to become a superhero. He only wanted to lead a normal life. Unfortunately, fate had other plans for him.

Clark Kent was in Metropolis, hanging out with his friend Chloe Sullivan when he suddenly heard the Call. The Call was that special low emission coming from the Fortress of Solitude erected by the ancient Kryptonian technology in the Artic. Clark sighed.

"What is it?" Chloe asked. "Something's bothering you, I can tell."

Clark Kent looked at his pal, and his eyes darkened. "I've got to go," he said. "Will you cover for me?"

Chloe Sullivan looked at the young man she had been best friends with since the fourth grade. "You got it, Clark."

Clark smiled and tapped her on the shoulder, then he sped away.

"Be careful," Chloe said.

Of course, Clark Kent didn't hear her. Or perhaps he did. He ran away at full speed, faster than a bullet, too fast for the human eye to see. The young woman shook her head. In the entire world, there was nobody else like Clark Kent. A good-two-shoes who was also a stud with super powers. Her best friend. Smiling, she headed back to her journalism class.

Clark Kent flew through the streets of Metropolis. He went at full speed, moving too fast for any human being to see. He quickly took to the air, soaring into the heavens at full speed. There was nothing Clark Kent loved more than flying, except maybe being in Lana Lang's arms. Unfortunately, he was beginning to realize that they weren't meant to be.

Clark Kent felt a lot of guilt since his father's death. He loved his dad. Maybe he didn't deserve to be happy, that's why he couldn't be with Lana Lang. He had too many responsibilities and not enough time to himself. Also, his life was incredibly dangerous. Every week there was a super-powered man or woman out in the world, causing harm to innocent people. Someone had to stop them and Clark Kent was usually the man for the job.

Clark flew over continents at the speed of light and soon found himself in the Artic. He scanned the landscape, and quickly found the Fortress of Solitude. The massive alien super structure stood a full mile high. Naturally, only he could see it. The Kryptonian technology inside displayed a holographic illusion over the gigantic fortress. Anyone looking at it would see a huge pile of ice but Clark had X-ray vision. He could see through the illusion. He landed and walked through the doors. He marched to the center of the city-sized structure, and entered the Chamber of Knowledge. This was the place where the artificial intelligence which maintained the Kryptonian fortress resided. An artificial intelligence modeled after the mind of Jor-El.

Clark stood there, and called out to Jor-El. "Why have you summoned me?"

"Ah, Kal-El, it is good of you to come," said a voice.

Clark Kent turned around and saw...Lionel Luthor! The young man's eyes narrowed. He didn't like Luthor one bit. Still, this wasn't the first time that Jor-El had used Lionel Luthor as his avatar. The sentient Kryptonian machine residing inside the Kawatche Caves downloaded the consciousness of Jor-El inside the mind of Lionel Luthor and also gave the wealthy industrialist the powers of a Kryptonian. When possessed by the mind of Jor-El, the body of Lionel Luthor could display spectacular powers such as super strength, speed, invulnerability and heat vision.

"My son, I have dire news, said Lionel/Jor-El. Clark crossed his arms over his chest.

"When do you ever have any good news?" He growled. "Thanks to you, my father is dead, and you dare ask me to come here again?"

Lionel/Jor-El shook his head. "I am sorry about that, Kal-El. But you knew what was going to happen. The life of someone close to you would be traded for yours." He touched Clark's shoulder and smiled sympathetically. "I am sorry, son. But the world is in need of you."

Clark shrugged. "What has the world ever done for me? I've lost my father. My girlfriend has left me. My life is falling apart. Why should I care about what happens to the world?"

Lionel/Jor-El grimaced. "There is very little time left, my son. I have a story to tell you." He gestured and suddenly a crystal chair formed behind Clark. "You'd better sit for this."

In spite of himself, Clark Kent sat down. He had to obey his father, after all.

"A long time ago, long before Krypton was destroyed, I traveled to a distant world," said Lionel/Jor-El. Clark groaned.

"I know this story, father. You came to Earth."

Lionel/Jor-El looked annoyed. But he continued. "The planet Earth wasn't the first world that I visited," he said. "I went to a planet called Apokolips, a nightmarish place ruled by a titanic dictator who calls himself Darkseid."

In spite of himself, Clark Kent was captivated. He had always wanted to know what his biological parents were like, what they did before he was sent away to Earth. He could imagine Jor-El traveling through the galaxy, visiting unknown worlds. It was...a pleasant thought.

Lionel/Jor-El went on. "Apokolips is home to a breed of warriors known as the Parademons, and all of them serve Darkseid. Darkseid is the conqueror of planets, the destroyer of worlds, and he has set his sights on Earth."

Clark blinked. "What does he want with Earth?"

Lionel/Jor-El shrugged. "Thousands of planets have already fallen under the dominion of Darkseid. He has been around for thousands of years. He is pure evil. All he craves is power. His planet's military and scientific powers were far beyond those of Earth. This world doesn't stand a chance."

Clark Kent stood up. The thought of an alien army coming to Earth to destroy it didn't sit right with him. He wasn't fond of aliens, though he was one. The first aliens he had ever encountered were Nam-Ek and Aethyr, a Kryptonian man and woman who served General Zod, a Kryptonian tyrant who opposed Jor-El a long time ago. He remembered the stories told to him by Brainiac, also known as Professor Milton Fine. Brainiac, the super-powered sentient humanoid machine was loyal to Zod. He had come to Earth with Nam-Ek and Aethyr to bring Zod back from the inter dimensional prison he inhabited and conquer Earth together.

Lionel/Jor-El looked at his son. "I can't help you in this mission, my son."

Clark Kent glared at his father. "Why not? If Darkseid and his people are half as powerful as you say, then you know I can't do this alone!"

Lionel/Jor-El touched his son's shoulders. "You won't be alone, Kal-El. There are many super humans in this world. You have encountered a few. Find a few among them who are worthy of being the protectors of their world. It's a battle for all humanity, Kal-El, though you may lead it, it's up to them to win it."

Clark Kent nodded, slowly taking it all in. He looked up at his father, to see a smile on Lionel/Jor-El's face that was not unlike the smile Jonathan Kent often wore when he saw his son. "I understand, father."

Lionel/Jor-El grinned. "Do not hesitate, Kal-El. Do what must be done. Only then will you be strong enough to save this world and those you love from certain peril."

Clark Kent smiled, nodded, and turned to leave. Lionel/Jor-El stopped him. "I know a way to rid you of your weakness forever, my son. Once it is done, no Weapon forged in heaven or on earth will be able to cause you harm."

"What do you mean?" Clark asked. "You are talking about Kryptonite, aren't you?"

Lionel/Jor-El nodded, then produced two glowing amethyst stones, practically out of thin air.

"What are those?" Clark asked.

"Amethyst stones from our home world," said Lionel. "Once you touch them, their energies will flow into you and nothing will be able to cause you harm. Kryptonite will no longer harm you. Nor will the effects of what ordinary humans call 'magic', though magic itself is an ancient technology older than even we, and not at all the mystical element that Earth people believe it to be."

Clark Kent took the amethyst stones from his father, and felt their energies flow into him. He grunted, though not in pain. The sensation that he felt was amazing. He had never felt anything like it. He couldn't compare it to anything he'd ever felt. When he'd been under the influence of red Kryptonite, he felt like a pure hedonist. Black Kryptonite had split his personality. Green Kryptonite drained him of his might. White Kryptonite rendered him extremely paranoid. The amethyst stones made him feel...great. Not the pure rush of red Kryptonite but a more balanced, beneficial rush. He felt great. Strong. Powerful. Ready for anything.

"You feel it, don't you?" said Lionel/Jor-El. "Feel the power inside you, my son. Nothing can ever hurt you. You are now ready to make full use of your powers." Turning around, the Kryptonian patriarch pointed to the gigantic fortress in a broad, expansive gesture. "All of these technologies are yours, my son. Our Portals will allow you to teleport to any location in the known universe. Our weapons can stop any technologically advanced army or fleet. You are now ready to defend the Earth. You only need the determination to do it at no matter the cost to those who stand in your way."

Lionel/Jor-El looked at his son. "Are you ready, my boy?"

Clark Kent nodded. "Yes."

Lionel/Jor-El grinned. "Kneel before me."

Clark Kent obeyed without hesitation.

Lionel smiled. "Go now, my son."

Clark Kent nodded respectfully at his father, then he rose into the air, soaring through the roof of the mighty Fortress of Solitude and heading to the skies above. He was a young man on a mission given to him by his father. He had to save the planet Earth from Darkseid, an evil alien overlord who wanted to conquer all the civilized worlds in the galaxy. Only he could stand against the fury of Darkseid's mighty alien armies. He was the protector of the planet Earth and he had a job to do.

Lionel/Jor-El looked upward, where Clark Kent had gone. He smiled. If only the young man knew what he was in for...

Clark Kent was such a simpleton. He thought he was communicating with his father, Jor-El. If only he knew that since the beginning, he had been talking to General Zod himself. For it was Zod who, before he could be locked away into the inter dimensional void known as the Phantom Zone by the Supreme Council of Krypton, sent a powerful machine containing his memories, intelligence and agenda to the distant planet Earth. Jor-El and Lara had sent their son Kal-El to Earth so that he might live. General Zod knew of this. So did the machine which contained his intellect.

The sentient machine containing Zod's intellect had come to Earth and embedded itself inside the Kawatche Caves. It had lain there for centuries, waiting for the arrival of the ship carrying Kal-El. Drawn to the young Kryptonian's energy signature, the sentient machine had come up with an elaborate scheme to use the son of its master's enemy to bring its master back from the void. All those years, the Zod-machine pretended to be Jor-El, its hated enemy, in order to trap Kal-El.

So many times, the Zod-machine had been close to unlocking the void and freeing its master. It had used red Kryptonite to turn mild-mannered high school student Clark Kent into Kal-El, arrogant, cocky and aggressive rebel and somewhat reckless hedonist. The Zod-machine had planned to manipulate Kal-El into freeing him. It had even used the young man to open the gateway of the location where a Kryptonian spaceship had been frozen in space for many centuries. The spaceship which contained two living Kryptonians, a male and a female, in cryogenic suspension. Those two Kryptonians were the savage Nam-Ek and his lover, the deadly and seductive Aethyr. Also traveling with them was Brainiac, a highly intelligent Kryptonian machine.

Now, finally, the Zod-machine could free its creator. It took the DNA it had collected from its encounters with Kal-El, and used it on the scanner of the machine built by Jor-El. Only someone with DNA like Jor-El's could unlock the mechanism. The ancient Kryptonian machine was actually the Portal to the chaotic dimension known as the Phantom Zone. The place where General Zod had been locked away for many centuries.

"At last!" said Lionel/Jor-El/Zod-machine as the mechanism was activated.

The awesome powers of the machine built by Jor-El, the greatest scientific and military mind ever seen on the planet Krypton were unleashed. The Zod-machine actually stepped back, as a large mechanical entity which served the Fortress of Solitude reached into the void. The Zod-machine knew that the mechanical entity would search for mind-boggling distances through the void, looking for the energy signature of a Kryptonian body trapped in an energy Prison. For hours, the Zod-machine waited. It was almost impatient. Finally, its master would return. They would conquer the world of the humans in glorious battle, as they almost did Krypton, eons ago.

Hours passed, and the Zod-machine waited. It waited a long time. Twenty-four hours, in fact. Finally, the mechanical entity returned from the void. Inside its clutches was the precious body of its master. The machine built by Jor-El dropped the body of General Zod unceremoniously on the floor of the Chamber of Gateways, deep inside the Fortress of Solitude. If a machine could feel joy, the Zod-machine would have been ecstatic. Finally, its master was home.

Elsewhere...

Clark Kent returned to the city of Metropolis. The young man took a spin around the city, just to clear his head after all that he had been told by his father. The planet Earth was in danger, an alien fleet was coming to conquer it. First, though, he had to get back to his gal pal, Chloe Sullivan. He spotted her talking to somebody at school. She turned around and saw him. Smiling, she came to him.

"Hey, Clark!" said Chloe. "Where have you been?" She was whispering.

Clark grinned. The girl continued to amaze him every day. "We've got to talk," he said.

The two of them went to a secluded spot on campus, the student lounge. There, he told her...everything. When he was done, Chloe Sullivan couldn't believe her ears. Getting used to the fact that her best friend (and crush) Clark Kent was an alien had been tough, but now, she was learning that there were a lot of other alien forces out there in the universe and some of them were coming to the planet Earth, to conquer.

"We've got to do something, if what he told you is true," Chloe said. "If aliens are coming, we should..."

Clark looked at her, gentle amusement on his handsome face. He shook his head gently, and raised his eyebrows.

Chloe tapped herself on the head. "Yeah, go around telling people aliens are coming, they'd lock me up and label me a loony." She laughed. "So, he wants you to start a league of super people to fight the alien threat, uh? Where are you going to find this League?"

Clark blinked. When Chloe mentioned the word "league", he remembered something. He smiled. "I just might know a few people who would be willing to join me."

New York City....

Bart Allen stood on the corner of Madison Square, and gazed at the city of New York. 'Nice,' he thought.

Ever since he first came to the city, three days ago, the young man had been having a blast. Of course, Bart Allen always had fun. After all, he was the Fastest Man in the Universe. He ran through the card, and things seemed to be moving in slow motion. Well, slow for him. Everyone else appeared to stand still. They weren't. Bart was just moving really fast. Faster than the speed of light actually.

He 'relieved' some of these people of their 'excess baggage'. He stood on a corner, and took a look at his bounty. He had snatched five hundred dollars from Kathleen Norway McDonald, a prominent district attorney and former supermodel who made a bundle every year. Her money came from 'suspicious sources.' Bart, concerned citizen that he was, simply couldn't let taxpayer money go into the wrong hands for the wrong purposes. His next 'case' was Max Gregory, a big and tall Irishman who was an enforcer for a local mob boss. A guy who wore five-hundred-dollar-shoes wouldn't miss the three hundred bucks in his wallet. Or so Bart thought.

The young Speedster walked away, smiling to himself.

"Thief!"

Bart turned around, and stared at the man who had spoken to him. "Excuse me?" Bart stared at the tall, dark man who stood a few feet away from him. When Bart was moving at super speed, nobody could see him. The only guy who had even come close to matching his speed was Clark Kent, a farm boy from Kansas. There was no way that Clark would come to NY. Which meant that someone else with super powers had spotted Bart.

Bart sized him up. The guy was a tall, broad-shouldered and muscular African American male. He wore a black and green leather trench coat over black leather pants and dark gray boots. He looked a bit odd, but Bart had seen weirder fashion statements in San Francisco. "What do you want?" he asked the guy.

"I demand that you return the money to those people you stole it from," the man said, with authority.

Bart only laughed. "Dude, I don't know what you think you saw, but I don't know what you're talking about." With that, Bart Allen took off, running at super speed. He ran to the Hilton Hotel where he was staying. The Hotel room was fully paid for, courtesy of his friendly neighborhood drug dealer with deep pockets. He was very surprised to see the green-and-black-clad man standing in front of him, in his room!

"How did you get here so fast? You're another farm boy or something?" Bart yelled.

He looked at the man. The dude was taller, bigger and he was as fast as he was, if not faster. He meant business. Bart Allen had always been a fun-loving, joke-telling, hedonist with some mild kleptomaniac tendencies. He wasn't a fighter. Yet he didn't like anybody showing up in his room unannounced, (that is, unless it was a pretty girl with loose morals and freaky sexual tendencies) so he prepared himself for a fight.

Just when Bart Allen was ready to put the whammy on him, the dude did something completely unprecedented. A ring on the middle finger of his right hand began to glow with a greenish light. "What the hell is that?" Bart said.