ecoming Superboy 23
He woke up in a place he didn't recognize. It looked like an ordinary bedroom for a teenager. He got up and walked to the window. It was very early in the morning. The sun was barely showing in the far. He was tempted to just jump through the window and leave. The place felt very strange. He paused and closed his eyes. He felt, but not how he was used to. He released his control and found there was nothing to free. His powers were gone.
"Conner, are you awake?" he heard Clark knocking on the door.
He rushed to open the door and found him dressed in his suit.
"Good, breakfast is on the table, make sure you make it to class in time. I don't have to talk to your teacher again," he said as he fixed his tie.
"Clark?" he asked.
Clark sighed, "Look son, I know you think I want to make your life miserable, but I swear I moved us out here for your own good. Metropolis was getting too violent, and I don't want you getting caught in the crossfire. You understand, right?"
Conner was at a loss for words.
"I don't have time for this right now son," Clark said, "but I promise we will talk tonight, and no more of that Clark nonsense, I am your father."
Before Conner could reply to that Clark was already walking away. He went after him.
"I don't understand what's happening," he said as they went down the stairs.
"I know you are in an awkward age son, but all will make sense,"
"Where am I?" the house, just like outside looked like out of a brochure.
"In the same place countless kids before have been. I know you are smart enough to figure it out," Clark said.
"Cla-dad," he corrected after getting a warning look. It felt odd to call him that, "I think there is something strange going on."
"Again son, we will talk tonight," he said pausing at the door and giving him an encouraging smile, "now go eat breakfast and get to school. Oh, and your mom is picking you up so don't linger inside. You know how she is like about waiting."
"My mom?" but didn't get a reply. Clark was out the door already and walking towards a car. He watched him leave towards the city. He looked at the street where they were. It was the suburbs outside of the city. He went straight to the phone and dialed one of the League's lines.
The number you have dialed does not exist, please try again.
He dialed Tim's number.
The number you have dialed does not exist, please try again.
Bart's
The number you have dialed does not exist, please try again.
Jaime's
The number you have dialed does not exist, please try again.
Supergirl's?
The number you have dialed does not exist, please try again.
Okay, he had to get to a Zeta beam and get to the Watch Tower to find out what was going on. Though unsure at first, he ate the breakfast Clark had left him before rushing out the front door. He was ready to take the bus towards the city, when something in the back of his mind made him go back into the house and get a backpack he was not familiar with. He had no control over his body as he waited outside until a yellow bus arrived. He got on and sat in the back with another kid, one that he knew.
"Hey Conner, did you watch the Walking Dead last night?" he asked.
"Simon," he said first at a loss. What was the kid doing here?
"It was so cool, right? Your dad didn't catch you, did he?" he said flinching at the idea.
"No, but-" what was he talking about.
"Good, because I really want to check out the new video store we saw. I don't think they check ID. Harry said they don't. But you know how it is. When one of the parents catches up, they will. Let's take advantage while we can. What about after school?"
"My mom is picking me up," he said glad to have an excuse.
"Ugh, that's going to get ugly. Sorry pal," Simon said looking truly sorry.
"Why?" didn't kids get picked up by their parents all the time?
"Are you pulling my leg?" Simon asked him leaning forwards.
"Never mind, I am just not feeling like myself today," he said before becoming quiet.
"I bet so. You are not complaining about either one of your parents," Simon said looking out the window.
He had to get out of there and find help.
888
When the bus got to the school, his body went into automatic again and took him inside. He wanted to shout and run away, but couldn't. He went into a classroom and sat on a desk. He was the first one to get there.
"Mr. Kent? Well, this is a surprise," Dr. Spencer came into the classroom in a dark suit.
He looked at her desk and saw her name stand; Mrs. Spencer.
"You look a little pale Mr. Kent, are you okay?" she asked approaching him, "there is nothing to be scared about. Ms. Lance is not going to judge you or anything like that. She is just going to help you figure some stuff out."
"I hope so," he said more to himself than to her.
"I think it would be good if you showed her some of your drawings," she said before he looked at her. She seemed embarrassed for a moment before she went to her desk and took a small stack of papers out. "I couldn't bring myself to dispose of them. You got some talent, but please make sure not to make use of it while in class."
He took them from her and saw on the first of the pages himself in his black and red uniform. There was no face on the picture.
"My brother likes comics too. I hope you don't mind, but I showed them to him. He said that if you want, he could present you with some editors; with your parents' approval, of course."
He nodded because he didn't know what to say. Was he in some sort of dream or virtual reality? It would undoubtedly explain he strangeness of it all. After others had got the classroom, Dr. Spencer started teaching. By mid-class, he automatically excused himself and left. He walked towards another part of the school. He took advantage of it and sorted through the drawings Dr. Spencer had given to him. There was him, Superman, his friends and members of the League along with some villains. This couldn't be right because first of all he had no idea how to draw. He had the knowledge, but gaining skills like that took practice. He had never bothered to learn how to draw. He looked for any clues on them but found none.
He knocked on a door that said Dinah Lance; School Psychiatrist. He already had an idea of who it was going to be. Black Canary, wearing a suit, her hair in a tight bun, and square glasses invited him to enter and sat him on a chair across from her. He listened to her introduce herself and try to sound as much as possible as a friend. It seemed they had met before, but it was mainly to talk to Clark about their sessions. They didn't much chance to talk back then, but now they had half an hour to do so three times a week. Then she invited him to say something about himself. He told her his name, age and showed her the drawings Dr. Spencer had given him.
"You like to draw?" she asked with a sincere smile. He wondered if this made her job easier. Many psychologists used drawings to guess the mental states of their patients.
"Sort of," he said with a shrug. She complimented the drawings too.
"Is this me?" she asked shocked when she found the one of Black Canary.
"No, her name is Black Canary?" he said hoping he wasn't blushing.
"Really? What does she do besides wearing fishnets and looking fabulous," she didn't believe him. The resemblance was too great.
He gave in and said, "She is a detective, acrobat, can drive many types of vehicles but prefers motorcycles. Also, an expert at tactical analysis, the world's most skilled martial artist, and has a power called the Canary Cry."
"She also gets a power? What does it do?" she said apparently entertained.
"She can create sonic attacks which she can control in intensity. In one end, she can disorient her enemies, and in the other she can even shatter metal."
"And she is a good guy, right? I can't tell with all the black," he could tell she really liked the drawing.
"She is," he said before she changed the picture.
"This one, who is he?" she said looking at one with a lot more detail. It evidently looked like Clark, but she didn't say anything about that.
"Superman," he said pointing at the S.
"He is flying, and bet this one is almost as impressive as the amazing Black Canary," she said looking at him expectantly. She would probably take him as a kid with too much imagination.
Conner couldn't help smiling, "His name is Kal- El, and he comes from the planet Krypton. When he was a baby, his parents sent him on a rocket ship to our planet because theirs was about to explode. He landed in Kansas and was raised by a kind elderly couple. Because he came from a world with a dying red sun, our young sun overcharges his body giving him many abilities. One of them is flight."
"What else can he do?" she said looking at the drawing with more interest than before. She had just helped him realize that wherever he was, there was no Superman.
"He has superhuman strength, invulnerability, superhuman speed, superhuman senses like super hearing, smell and vision, heals fast, super breath, and heat vision," there was more, but he could feel his cheeks redden.
"But Black Canary can beat him?" she asked almost hopeful.
"No one can beat him," he told her, "but they are friends, so they don't even need to."
"Dang it, but Black Canary is the strongest woman, right?" she said sorting through the drawings.
"That would be Wonder Woman," Conner said before showing him the one of Wonder Woman.
"Pff… I am sorry Conner, but she just looks too much like principal Prince," she said with a crooked smile.
"Really?" he asked trying to look surprised.
"Don't worry, all we say, especially this stays between us. So what does Superman do when he is not saving the world?" she asked him and he wondered if there was more to her question than she let on.
"He has a secret identity," he told her.
"Really? What is it?" she asked.
"It wouldn't be a secret anymore if I told you," he said wondering if she would try to push further.
"Fair enough, what about this one?" she said before they went through most of the drawings. He gave her a short version of what they could do. Then the bell rang, "I will see you again on Wednesday, make sure to not be late Conner. I would like to hear more."
Of course she would. She probably thought he was projecting his feelings, and expectations towards the adults around him through his drawing. He wished to tell her already that was not the case. She had yet to ask him of the one with himself on it. The fact that the drawing was missing a face guarantees a whole session all about it. He had to think of something to tell her if they were going to talk about it.
He went to more classes, lunch and then classes again. He tried through the day to leave, but every time his body would just go on its own to the next class. The final bell rang, and he was ready to make another attempt. As he walked towards the exit, he felt someone grab his shoulder and turn him around before landing a punch on his jaw. He hit a locket and felt his head spin before he looked up and saw Jaime accompanied by Bart.
"Get up Kent, I want to beat you while you standing," Jaime said before Conner noticed a bruise on his jaw.
"Watch out Jaime, he might go psycho on you again," Bart said with a leering look.
He straightened up and rubbed his jaw. There was a story here, which he was sort of guessing. So, from what he understood he had been here for a short while. He kind of befriended someone but since he had not seen Simon for the rest of the day he had to guess they only talked on the bus or outside of school; so much for a friend. Then, he had to guess he had trouble fitting in and somehow got on the bad side of these two and even gotten into a fight. This last bothered him because from what Bart said, it told him he wasn't controlling his temper. Powers or no powers he was bigger than most sixteen years old. Jaime luckily was older, but he could tell it still had hurt. Whoever was doing this, they went to a lot of troubles to examine his psyche.
"Wake up Kent, I am not done with you," Jaime said pulling him by his shirt.
"Yes, you are," he said slapping his hand away. He was ready this time in case he wanted to punch him again, "a teacher is bound to show up any moment. You don't want your parents knowing, right?"
There was quite a crowd around them. It was bound to happen any moment. From what Clark said that morning, he had to guess the teachers kept a close look on him and probably Jaime too. If they got Jaime's parents anywhere right, he knew Jaime wouldn't risk getting caught fighting.
"You just find every way to piss me off, don't you?" Jaime said through greeted teeth before walking away.
"Not cool man, not cool at all," Bart said as he joined his friend.
The crowd dispersed, and something in his chest tightened. Something wasn't right. This place wasn't right. He wanted to fly, run, or disappear from that world that he didn't understand. He wanted his life back how it used to be; no high school, no parents, no psychologists, no suburbs, not a world without heroes, and definitely not a world without his powers. He felt lost without them.
"Conner, what the hell are you doing just standing there? I have been waiting for you for half an hour," he turned around and saw a familiar face.
"Oh no," he said holding his head, "this can't be happening."
"Hurry up Conner; I got a meeting in thirty minutes with White. If I give your saint of a father a chance to get ahead, he is going to take it," she said crossing her arms.
"Lois?" he asked.
"That's General Lane to you bucko," she said with a smirk, "Now let's go or I am not taking you for takeout after work."
A few minutes after, they were driving down the highway towards the city. He was thankful he finally had a way to get to the city though he wasn't sure he would find a Zeta Beam anymore. This world seemed fabricated to resemble what a normal life for him and the rest would be like. If they had expected him to like it, they were way wrong.
"… so how was it? I mean… if you want to talk about it," she said tapping her fingers nervously as they left the highway and reached a red light.
"It was fine," he said watching her fidget nervously. This was not the Lois Lane he knew.
"Did the doc ask any question about your dad or me or us?" she asked begging for the red light to turn green.
"No, she only wanted to talk about my drawings," he said keeping his eyes on the road.
"I thought you said you didn't want to show them to anybody," she turned to look at him in shock. Were the drawings that big of a deal?
He shrugged.
"Well, the woman must be a miracle worker," she said with a small smile.
"I am not that bad, am I?" he asked curious to know who he was supposed to be.
"Of course not, bucko; your dad just picked the worst time to move you out of the city. Believe me; I know a thing or two about untimely sudden moves," her tone was prickled with objection. She had opposed the move, yet didn't show just how much. He didn't need his powers to know this, "the place is lovely and so very…"
"Stepford wives like?" he completed for her and heard her laugh.
"Yeah, but don't tell your dad I said that. He loves the idea of you growing somewhere safe," she said as the light finally turned green.
"And you?" he asked her curiously.
"You know I love both of you," she said smiling gently, "but there is no place in the world that is truly safe. I want you to be ready for the dangers you will face, and living in the suburbs won't- I am doing it again, aren't I? God Conner, I am sorry. I know moving was hard enough. Just enjoy it while you can. There is going to be a time when neither one of us is going to tell you what to do or where to go. When that time arrives, you are going to find deciding for yourself is even more difficult. Now," she paused, "you can go ahead and tell me how full of shit I am since I chose to stay in the city."
"I understand," he said in a calm tone.
"What?" she asked, as she glanced at him from the corner of her eye.
"I said I understand. The General had you move all over the world when you were with him. You chose Metropolis for your home when you were old enough, and I understand that's where you want to stay and not be forced to move again."
"That woman is really a miracle worker," Lois said looking at the road still in shock. A teenager that actually understood their parents' wishes and reasoning was not always that common.
"So, you and dad…" he had to know what was happening between those two. It might be a clue of how to get out of that place.
"We see plenty of each other at work," she said trying to give him a reassuring smile.
"I see a lot of people at school," he didn't believe it for a second, and neither would any teenager.
"You and your smart mouth," she grumbled, "but everything is fine. It is just a little weird talking to you about it."
"Why?" he asked
"Well, because," was her reasoning.
"I still don't understand," he told her.
"Oh c'mon Conner, you really want to hear how your dad is courting me? Because I will tell you, he is a farmer's boy at heart," and her cheeks were tinted red.
"And you an army brat," he said unable to help laughing.
"Touché my young one, I have nothing left to teach you," she said as they reached another red light, "damn it, your dad is going to beat me to the assignment."
"Why don't you two try to cover it and see who comes on the top, pun intended," he said leaning his cheek on his hand like any careless teen, but unable to hold his smile.
"Conner!" she said in laughter, shock and outraged.
"What? It would make things more interesting," he said nonchalantly.
"You are setting your parents against each other," she said as they pulled in front of the Daily Planet, "your two very competitive parents."
"Isn't that what you liked first about each other?" he said picking his backpack from the back seat.
"I…" she frowned. He was right. She looked at him and frowned. The way she was looking at him said that she couldn't believe he had really been listening to all they said.
"Well, I thought you said you were in a hurry," he said opening the passenger's door.
But before she could say anything the front of the entrance of the Daily Planet exploded. The windows of the car exploded. His ears were covered by the sound of people screaming in fear. Lois was screaming too. He was a little disoriented as the cloud of debris surrounded them, but it didn't last. As soon as he heard the screams of pain, he knew what to do.
"Stay down," he said getting out of the car. Lois was hunched down as far as she could.
"No, Con-" he slammed the door close.
He rushed into the building pulling the next of his short so it was covering his nose and mouth. He hurried to the nearest person in pain. It was a woman and not for the first time that day he wished for his powers. She could have a concussion, broken bones, or internal bleeding. He didn't know if he should move her at all. It could end up making things worse. He started by removing the de debris that was covering her. She needed to at least be able to breathe. It wasn't long before paramedics arrived. By then he had helped those who were able to move get outside, and then guided the paramedics to the people who couldn't. All the while he heard Lois calling his name, but the cloud of debris made it difficult for her to find him.
Eventually, the cloud settled on a thing mantle of dust and she found him by the elevator helping the people who had been trapped inside get out.
"Conner, what are you-" but stopped when she saw him with the help of the firefighters who had made it the scene, open the elevator.
Inside were soldiers from Bialya. The men pointed their guns at them and fired immediately. The world slowed down around him. He still wasn't sure if this place was really just an illusion or something else, but he couldn't let them get hurt. A familiar feeling surrounded him, and he hoped it was enough.
"Ah!" Lois watched the bullet stop a few inches away from her face. All around her the firefighters fell to the ground unconscious, but uninjured. All the bullets fell to the ground harmlessly.
The Bialya men started shouting in fear. She saw Conner then step towards them, and the men grew more fearful. She didn't know what they were saying, but it sounded interestingly close to a prayer. Suddenly, the men were thrown back by an invisible force and knocked unconscious.
"Conner?" she touched his shoulder before he turned his head to face her. His eyes were shining red.
Conner saw her fear immediately and just like that the familiar feeling was gone and he fell to his knees with a pounding headache.
"Lois! Conner!" they both turned to see Clark come out of the service stairs looking scared out of his mind.
"We are fine," Conner said before Lois could ask what she had just seen, "but those men are armed."
Clark saw the men and the weapons. At once, he told them find a safe place before jumping into the elevator and taking the guns away from the men.
"Let's wait outside," Lois said taking hold his arm and pulling him outside. However, Lois didn't just stand by idly. She went to the people who had been inside at the time and gathered as much information she could from them. It had been a suicidal bomber. It seemed like the one who had the explosives had trouble with the detonator. At once, his companions left him behind for the safety of the elevator. Their actual target had been the central offices of the Daily Planet. It was an hour before Clark finally came out. He looked calmer, but still disturbed at what happened.
"Perry wants us to cover the story," he gave Lois a worried look, "are you up to it?"
"Smallville, you forget who you are speaking to, right?" she said, though she was a little shaky.
"I would never," he said taking one of her hands.
"Before you two start acting like newlyweds," Conner said, "I think we should get something to eat. I am famished."
"Right, right," Clark said giving Lois a questioning look, to which she only shrugged.
"You two are staying at my place," she said as they walked towards Clark's car. Lois had already parked hers inside the Daily Planet. She didn't feel like leaving it outside and risking getting it stolen because of the missing glasses.
"I don't think so. This city is getting worse by the minute," Clark said as he opened the passenger's door for her. He was still a gentleman.
"Oh please, the highway must be packed by now because of the attack. It will take us an eternity to get out of the city," Lois said
"Actually," Conner said sitting on the back seat and stopping their argument, "I would like to stay in the city."
"Conner," Clark sighed, "it's not-" but he wasn't going to let him I-am-your-father-and-what-I-say-goes.
"I agreed to move you told me to, to talk to that quack at school, and I just lived through a terrorist attack. I just want to eat and get a good night sleep, and soon," he pouted and he hoped none of his friends ever knew about it. But to stay in the city he would throw a tantrum if he had to.
"He does make a point Clark. Today has been hell for him," Lois said giving him a pleading look, "please."
"Alright," Clark sighed, "but don't complain to me in the morning from sleeping on the couch."
"As long as you guys don't make too much noise and let me sleep," Conner said.
"Conner!" both Lois and Clark shouted.
"What? You are going to be writing an article, right?" he said before the two adults looked away from each other.
"Smart mouth," Lois said watching him through the rear view mirror. Conner felt her gaze study him. He knew she would have questions about what she saw. He wasn't looking forwards to that.