> "All right," Clark said quietly, "I should go. I've been gone too long—my parents will start to worry."
He turned back toward the holographic figure that had been his father.
> "Your Earth parents?" Jor-El smiled warmly. "Good. I'm glad you've found a second ho here."
> "We'll talk again soon," Clark promised, forcing a small smile.
He wanted to say the word Father, but it caught in his throat.
Everything that had happened today—the truth, the fortress, the mories—was simply too much to process all at once.
---
> "So you're the real Kal-El."
The sudden, cold voice ca from the entrance.
Clark stiffened instantly.
He spun around—and saw a stranger standing in the doorway of the Fortress of Solitude.
How had he not sensed anyone approaching?
With his heightened perception, that should've been impossible.
Whoever this was… was not an ordinary person.
> "Who are you?" Clark demanded, muscles tensing.
The man ignored him completely, strolling inside with casual arrogance.
> "Hello, Jor," he said smoothly. "It's been a long ti."
Jor-El's hologram froze, then his expression darkened in recognition.
> "Brainiac!" he hissed. "You… how are you on Earth?"
Indeed—
the newcor was Brainiac, the sa super-intelligent machine Alex had supposedly destroyed.
But Alex had only obliterated one of his bodies.
This was another—an upgraded one.
> "Surprised?" Brainiac sneered. "Though I suppose this doesn't quite count as a reunion. You're nothing but data now—an echo of yourself."
> "Kal, get out of here!" Jor-El barked urgently.
> "What are you?" Clark demanded again, his voice low and dangerous.
> "Kal…"
> "You talk too much, Jor-El."
Brainiac's tone sharpened, and in one motion he thrust his tallic hand into a glowing crystal pillar.
CRACK—!
The hologram of Jor-El flickered violently, then vanished in a burst of static.
Imdiately, the crystalline walls around them began to groan and shift.
KRRRCH—KRRRCH—!
In seconds, the entire Fortress collapsed inward—
reverting into its dormant cube form.
Brainiac straightened, the cube rising into his palm.
His voice was cold and triumphant.
> "Do you know how long I've searched for you, Kal-El?"
He began walking toward Clark, each step echoing in the silent chamber.
> "What do you want?" Clark's eyes burned with fury.
> "Nothing much," Brainiac said lightly. "Just a drop of your blood."
He lunged.
BOOM!
The battle exploded into motion.
Fists t tal.
Shockwaves rippled through the mountain above them.
Brainiac's strength was imnse—his attacks fast and precise.
But for every blow he landed, Clark adapted.
Even as he stumbled and fell, his power surged higher—
his body responding instinctively, evolving mid-fight.
Within monts, he turned the tide.
Brainiac found himself hurled to the ground, stunned.
> "Impossible," he muttered. "What is this planet?!"
First, that fake Kal-El had beaten him.
Now the real one was overpowering him too.
He was beginning to hate Earth.
But Brainiac still had one final card to play.
He reached into his chest and pulled out a jagged, pitch-black shard—
Black Kryptonite.
Before Clark could react, Brainiac slamd it against his chest.
> "Ah—!"
Clark scread.
Pain ripped through every nerve.
His body convulsed violently, vibrating so fast he blurred into an afterimage—
until, with a blinding flash, a second figure separated from him.
And when the light faded—
Clark found himself staring at… another him.
---
anwhile, far away in town—
Alex hadn't given the fortress another thought since returning it to Clark.
He'd been focused entirely on his own plans—
particularly the work he had set in motion with Lex Luthor.
In Alex's grand design for his next stage of evolution,
Lex was a key piece on the board.
And to his credit, the man hadn't slacked off.
Whether out of genuine fear or pragmatic ambition,
Lex had indeed poured enormous resources into tracking down other teor mutants.
Of course, he was also secretly building a new underground lab.
Typical Lex.
But Alex wasn't concerned.
> "Let him sche," he murmured to himself. "A mortal like him can't make real waves."
He was in the middle of monitoring Lex's activity through his super-senses when—
Knock, knock, knock!
A sudden knock on the door drew his attention.
Alex turned, curious—and then blinked.
> Clark Kent?
Superman himself stood outside, looking pale and breathless.
Now this was unexpected.
Alex opened the door, one brow raised.
Clark's expression was intense—desperate, even.
> "Holander," he said quickly, "I need your help!"
> "I know this sounds sudden—and strange—but right now, there's no one else I can turn to."
Alex studied him silently for a mont.
Superman—asking him for help?
Now that was interesting.
He stepped aside with a small, amused smile.
> "Co in, then," he said. "Let's talk."
As Clark stepped past him into the room,
Alex's curiosity burned brighter.
Whatever had driven the Man of Steel to co knocking at his door—
it had to be sothing extraordinary.
And that alone made it worth hearing
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