Marcus didn't possess kryptonite, but his void powers could achieve the same effect through entirely different means. When concentrated to sufficient levels, void energy had the unique property of suppressing other supernatural abilities, essentially creating a null field around its target.
As Marcus gradually increased the void energy surrounding Clark, the young Kryptonian immediately felt the change. It was like someone slowly turning down the volume on his enhanced senses, dimming the incredible strength that flowed through his muscles, dampening the nuclear furnace of power that burned in his chest.
The sensation was both alarming and oddly liberating. For the first time in years, Clark felt his superhuman abilities fading away, leaving him feeling more human than he had since childhood.
Within minutes, the suppression was complete. Clark stood in the mirror dimension as an ordinary man—no super strength, no invulnerability, no heat vision or X-ray sight. Just Clark Kent, Kansas farm boy, albeit one with exceptional martial arts training.
The most immediate and surprising effect was the silence.
"Oh my God," Clark breathed, pressing his hands to his ears in amazement. "The quiet... I'd forgotten what real quiet sounds like."
Ever since his superhearing had fully developed, Clark had been constantly bombarded by an overwhelming cacophony of sounds from across Smallville and beyond. Conversations happening miles away sounded as clear as if people were whispering directly in his ear. Car engines, heartbeats, arguments, laughter, crying—all of it layered together in an endless symphony of human noise.
Over the years, Clark had developed mental techniques to filter out most of the background chatter, automatically categorizing sounds and only paying attention to cries for help or genuine emergencies. But the effort was constant and exhausting, like trying to have a conversation in a crowded restaurant while a rock concert played in the background.
Now, for the first time since his teens, Clark experienced true silence. He could hear only what was immediately around him—his own breathing, his parents' concerned murmurs, the subtle hum of energy that permeated the mirror dimension.
"How does it feel?" Marcus asked, studying Clark's reaction with interest.
"It feels incredible," Clark said, flexing his fingers and marveling at how normal his strength felt. "I mean, I can't access my powers, but honestly? I feel more relaxed than I have in years."
Marcus raised an eyebrow, genuinely surprised by Clark's response. He'd expected panic, fear, maybe even anger at having his abilities stripped away. Most powered individuals would be terrified by the sudden loss of their enhanced capabilities.
Instead, Clark seemed almost relieved, like a man who'd been carrying a tremendous weight finally being allowed to set it down.
"That's an interesting reaction," Marcus observed. "Most people would be upset about losing their powers."
Clark shrugged, still experimenting with his now-normal range of motion. "Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful for my abilities. They let me help people in ways I never could otherwise. But living with superhearing... it's like having a radio that you can never turn off, tuned to every station at once."
The revelation gave Marcus new insight into the psychological burden Clark carried. Raw power was only part of being Kryptonian—the constant sensory overload, the need for perfect control, the isolation that came from being fundamentally different from everyone around you.
"Well, since you're adapting so well to this," Marcus said, "let's see how your martial arts hold up without superhuman enhancement. Try the Crushing Ruin technique again."
Clark nodded eagerly and dropped into a fighting stance. Without his powers, his movements were still impressive—he was naturally athletic and had years of training—but they were undeniably human in scale.
His fists moved through the familiar patterns of the Crushing Ruin, but instead of creating hurricane-force winds and reality-shaking shockwaves, they produced only the controlled movements of an exceptionally skilled martial artist. The technique was still effective—Clark could probably take down multiple opponents with ease—but it wouldn't be leveling any buildings.
As Clark worked through the entire sequence of forms, Marcus noticed something important developing. Without the overwhelming power of his Kryptonian abilities to rely on, Clark was forced to focus on precision, timing, and technique. His movements became more refined, more economical.
"Better," Marcus said when Clark finished the sequence. "Much better control. You're not just throwing power around anymore—you're actually using skill."
Clark wiped sweat from his forehead, genuinely winded for the first time in years. "It's different like this. I have to think about every movement, make sure I'm not wasting energy or leaving myself open."
"Exactly. Raw power can compensate for a lot of technical flaws, but it can also become a crutch. When you get your abilities back, you'll be able to use them more effectively because you'll understand the fundamentals."
Marcus was genuinely pleased with Clark's progress. Despite having his powers suppressed, the man's natural learning ability remained intact. He was adapting to his temporary limitations and finding ways to work within them—a crucial skill for any hero.
"Alright, that's enough for now," Marcus announced, beginning to withdraw the void energy.
As the suppression field faded, Clark felt his powers returning in waves. First came the enhanced strength, flowing back into his muscles like warm sunlight. Then his senses began to expand—vision sharpening beyond human limits, hearing extending in all directions, the ability to see through solid objects returning like someone had suddenly given him new eyes.
The cacophony of distant sounds rushed back all at once, but Clark was ready for it. He took a deep breath and activated the mental filters he'd developed over years of practice, automatically sorting through the noise and pushing most of it into the background.
Marcus nodded approvingly as he watched Clark manage the transition. "That was just a test, but it's important that you understand what you experienced. If your powers can be suppressed once, they can be suppressed again. You need to be prepared for situations where you might have to function as a baseline human."
"I understand," Clark said seriously. "If there are other Kryptonians out there, some of them might have technology or abilities that could neutralize my powers. I can't just assume I'll always have my advantages."
"Smart thinking. Power is useful, but adaptability and skill are what keep you alive when everything goes wrong."
Marcus walked over to where Jonathan and Martha stood watching, both parents looking proud but slightly overwhelmed by what they'd witnessed.
"Clark has a remarkable future ahead of him," Marcus told them with a smile. "Both as an individual and as the inheritor of Krypton's legacy."
Jonathan and Martha nodded in agreement. They'd always known Clark was special, and the advanced technology from the Kryptonian scout ship only confirmed that their son had access to knowledge and capabilities far beyond anything Earth could offer.
But Marcus wasn't thinking about the spacecraft or its advanced technology. His comment referred to something far more significant—the Codex of Life that Jor-El had encoded into Clark's genetic structure before sending him to Earth.
Unlike other Kryptonians, who were genetically programmed from birth for specific roles in society, Clark possessed the complete genetic template of his entire species. He was, in essence, a living library of Kryptonian potential, free to become anything he chose rather than being locked into a predetermined path.
Where other Kryptonians were created to be soldiers, scientists, workers, or leaders, Clark had unlimited possibilities. It was a gift that made him simultaneously the most valuable and most dangerous Kryptonian in existence.
As Jonathan and Martha beamed with parental pride, Marcus discretely extended his senses and analyzed the unique energy signature that surrounded Clark. Kryptonians possessed what scientists called a "bio-electric aura"—a field of energy that enabled their incredible abilities and protected them from the physical stresses their powers would otherwise cause.
With careful manipulation, Marcus was able to isolate and sample a small portion of that bio-field, adding it to his growing collection of power sources. The Kryptonian bio-field could be integrated into his Warframe technology, potentially granting his equipment some of the same incredible durability and energy manipulation capabilities that Kryptonians enjoyed.
Several days later...
Red light blazed from Marcus's eyes as twin beams of heat vision lanced out across the void, each beam hot enough to melt steel in seconds. The power was intoxicating—raw solar energy converted into focused destruction with nothing more than a thought.
"Impressive," Marcus murmured to himself, adjusting the intensity and watching the beams shift from cherry red to brilliant white. "Much more effective than I expected."
Integrating Clark's bio-field into his own energy matrix had yielded unexpected results. Marcus had anticipated gaining some enhanced durability and perhaps limited flight capability, but the actual effects were far more dramatic.
Not only could he now channel heat vision and other Kryptonian abilities, but the bio-field seemed to be drawing power directly from the cosmic energies that flowed through the void dimension. Instead of needing Earth's yellow sun for fuel, Marcus could tap into the fundamental forces of reality itself.
The discovery made him think about other Kryptonians who would eventually make their way to Earth. In the original timeline, General Zod and his followers had adapted to their powers with frightening speed, going from baseline Kryptonian to Superman-level threats in a matter of hours.
"Makes sense now," Marcus mused, switching from heat vision to X-ray sight and peering through the hull of his ship to examine its internal systems. "They were adults with fully developed bodies and minds. No need for the gradual adaptation that Clark went through as a child."
Clark's powers had developed slowly over years as his body matured, but that was likely due to his unique circumstances. Adult Kryptonians would have no such limitations—their bodies would immediately begin absorbing and processing yellow sun radiation, granting them the full range of superhuman abilities in record time.
Of course, there was another factor that made Clark different from the Kryptonians who would eventually pursue him. Where Zod and his followers were genetically programmed for specific roles—soldier, scientist, engineer—Clark carried the complete Codex and could develop in any direction his experiences and choices took him.
That unlimited potential was both a blessing and a curse. It made Clark incredibly adaptable and gave him room to grow beyond what any single-purpose Kryptonian could achieve. But it also meant his development was less focused, his powers less immediately maximized for any particular application.
Marcus tested his newly acquired abilities for several more hours, familiarizing himself with the sensation of channeling Kryptonian bio-energy. The power was substantial, but it felt different from his natural void abilities—warmer, more alive, tied to concepts of growth and solar radiation rather than entropy and cosmic emptiness.
When Zod and his forces eventually arrived on Earth, they would find a world protected not just by a young Kryptonian still learning to use his gifts, but by someone who understood their abilities from the inside and had already developed countermeasures.
The coming conflict would test both Clark's resolve and Marcus's preparations. But for now, there was time to train, to plan, and to ensure that when the last sons of Krypton finally met, Earth would survive the encounter.
In the distance, space continued its endless dance of stars and planets, unaware that forces were already moving that would determine the fate of entire civilizations. The universe was vast and full of wonders, but it was also full of dangers that even gods might struggle to overcome.
The real test was still to come.