After seeing the silver restraints, Clark's eyes twitched slightly. He understood the military's need for security measures, but couldn't these people see that such devices would be completely useless against him?
He slowly descended from the air and picked up the handcuffs, fastening them around his wrists with deliberate care to show his cooperation.
When the soldiers saw Clark voluntarily restrain himself, many visibly relaxed, as if the metal bands somehow made him less of a threat.
Inside the interrogation room...
"Why are you surrendering to Zod?" Lois asked, studying Clark's calm demeanor with journalistic intensity.
"I'm surrendering to humans," Clark corrected gently. "There's a significant difference."
"But they put those restraints on you," Lois said, glancing at the handcuffs on his wrists.
"If it makes them feel safer, I don't mind," Clark replied with a slight smile.
Their conversation continued as if they were discussing the weather rather than sitting in a military interrogation facility. Outside the one-way mirror, the base commander and his staff watched with growing unease.
"Sir, I'm Dr. Amy Hamilton," said a woman in a lab coat as she entered the room.
"Dr. Amy Hamilton," Clark said without looking away from the mirror. "I can see your ID badge in your chest pocket, along with a roll of unfinished mints."
The casual demonstration of his enhanced vision made Dr. Hamilton glance down at her pocket in surprise.
"I can also see that in the next room, soldiers are preparing tranquilizer darts," Clark continued matter-of-factly. "You won't need those."
"We have to take precautions," Dr. Hamilton said carefully. "You could be carrying alien pathogens or—"
"Doctor, I've lived on Earth for more than twenty five years," Clark interrupted with gentle amusement. "So far, I haven't infected anyone with anything."
The base commander finally spoke through the intercom. "We have reasonable cause for concern. If you can reveal your identity to Ms. Lane, why not to us?"
Clark took a deep breath, then stood calmly.
"Let me be direct, General."
SNAP.
As he spoke, Clark simply pulled his hands apart. The metal restraints shattered like brittle plastic, pieces falling to the floor with sharp pings.
Dr. Hamilton and the other observers stepped back in shock. They'd known intellectually that Clark was superhuman, but seeing him casually destroy steel was something else entirely.
Clark walked to the one-way mirror and looked directly at where the general was standing.
"The reason you're afraid is that you can't control me," he said calmly. "You couldn't before, you can't now, and you never will be able to. But that doesn't make us enemies."
"Who is Zod to you?" the general asked through the intercom.
Clark's expression grew troubled. "That's exactly what I'm worried about."
General Zod's ultimatum had been nothing like the gentle wisdom of his father Jor-El's recorded messages. The military commander's approach suggested someone far more dangerous and unpredictable.
The base commander shared Clark's skepticism about Zod's promises. Like most experienced military officers, he'd learned not to trust ultimatums from hostile forces.
But what choice did they have? Congress had already voted to comply with the alien's demands, hoping to avoid a war Earth couldn't possibly win.
"My orders are to hand you over to him," the general said reluctantly.
Clark remained perfectly composed. "Then please do what you must, General."
He didn't want to hurt anyone, which was why he'd come voluntarily. He wanted to demonstrate that despite his alien origins, he shared humanity's values and could be trusted to protect them.
Although he was technically Kryptonian, Clark had spent thirty-three years living as a human. In every way that mattered, Earth was his home and humanity was his people.
They waited in tense silence as the deadline approached.
At the Kent farm...
"Will Clark be all right?" Martha asked, worry evident in her voice as they sat around the dinner table.
"He'll be fine," Marcus replied with confident calm. "This is also a test for him. But if Zod's people decide to attack Earth, I won't let them succeed."
Marcus knew better than anyone that Zod had no intention of keeping his promises. The general wanted the Codex of Life that was encoded in Clark's DNA, and he planned to use it to terraform Earth into a new Krypton—a process that would kill every living thing on the planet.
Such genocidal ambitions were exactly the kind of thing Marcus found most reprehensible. Perhaps because of his connection to the Void, he valued the continuation and diversity of life above almost everything else.
In Marcus's view, no species was inherently superior to any other—there were only differences in strength and capability. Any group that considered itself above others had forfeited their right to exist, as far as he was concerned.
If Zod wanted to use deception to make Earth lower its guard, Marcus was perfectly willing to have Will attack the Kryptonian ship with its cargo of valuable kryptonite. The green mineral would be essential for future Aya Essence extraction.
Reassured by Marcus's confidence, Jonathan and Martha relaxed slightly. They cared less about global politics than about Clark's safety—their adopted son who had been part of their family for over three decades.
At Wayne Manor...
Bruce and Selina monitored the situation through Wayne Enterprises satellite feeds, watching as an alien vessel descended toward the military base.
"I don't like these people," Selina said, studying the ship's ominous design.
"Neither do I," Bruce agreed. "Something about this feels wrong."
Behind them, Alfred quietly served coffee and refreshments. Despite the global crisis unfolding, he wasn't about to let his charges go without proper sustenance.
"Master Bruce, Ms. Selina, your refreshments," Alfred said with characteristic dignity.
"Thank you, Alfred," Bruce said, accepting the coffee gratefully.
"Thanks, Alfred," Selina added with a warm smile.
"This world grows stranger by the day," Alfred mused. "I hope Mr. Marcus wouldn't be too shocked by current events."
"The technology on that ship…," Bruce observed as the alien vessel landed. "These really are extraterrestrials."
"What's that?" Selina pointed at the figures emerging from the ship.
The beings descending from the spacecraft wore sophisticated armor that looked more like environmental suits than combat gear.
"I assume those are protective suits," Bruce said thoughtfully. "Designed to shield them from Earth's environment."
"But look," Selina said, indicating Clark on the screen. "Kal-El isn't wearing any protection. If they're the same species, why can he survive on Earth while the others need life support?"
The discrepancy was troubling. If Kal-El could function normally in Earth's atmosphere, why did Zod's forces require sealed environmental suits?
As they watched, Clark boarded the alien ship along with one of Zod's subordinates. But to their surprise, Lois Lane was also brought aboard.
"Wait, why is she there?" Bruce frowned as he enhanced the image.
Selina provided the obvious answer. "Remember the arrests in Metropolis? They must have taken her when they were looking for information about Kal-El."
"That changes things," Bruce said grimly, moving toward his equipment lockers. "I don't care what happens to alien visitors, but they have no right to abduct human citizens."
He began donning his custom armor—advanced protective gear derived from Marcus's original combat suit designs. While not as sophisticated as the originals, his equipment provided significant enhancement to his natural abilities.
Selina followed suit, her own form-fitting suit activating as she prepared for combat. "It's been too long since we've done something like this. Usually you're the only one who can give me a real fight."
When both vigilantes had completed their preparations, they put on their distinctive masks—one resembling a bat, the other a cat.
They were the night's guardians: Gotham's Dark Knight and its feline protector.
Back at the Kent farm...
Jonathan, Martha, and Marcus had been waiting anxiously for Clark's return when they heard the roar of approaching aircraft.
The moment he heard the sound, Marcus knew that Zod and his forces had arrived to search for the Codex. "Stay inside," he told the Kents calmly. "I'll handle this."
He stepped outside to face the visitors. These weren't ordinary people—they were Kryptonian survivors whose technology far exceeded anything Earth could deploy.
Their protective suits didn't just provide life support; they enhanced their natural abilities much like Kree battle armor or Nova Corps helmets.
Several ships descended onto the farm, their engines flattening crops with concentrated thrust. Armored figures emerged, led by the imposing form of General Zod himself.
"Where is the ship he arrived in?" Zod demanded immediately upon seeing Marcus.
Marcus studied the general quietly—this man who was willing to sacrifice an entire world for the continuation of his own species. Honestly, if Zod hadn't planned to commit genocide, Marcus might have been willing to work with him. Unlike many villains, Zod was driven by genuine purpose rather than simple malice.
Unfortunately, Zod had chosen a path that required the destruction of all life on Earth, treating other species as expendable resources for Kryptonian glory.
"Go back," Marcus said simply.
General Zod frowned at the unexpected response, his helmet's visor becoming transparent as he signaled to his lieutenant, Faora.
Faora nodded and walked toward Marcus with predatory confidence. As a trained Kryptonian soldier, she had no qualms about killing humans who interfered with their mission.
When she reached out to grab Marcus by the throat, her armored hand was caught in an iron grip.
"I said go back," Marcus repeated calmly.
CRACK.
The armor on Faora's arm crumbled like brittle ceramic, revealing her unprotected limb beneath.
The sight left Zod and his followers speechless. That was military-grade Kryptonian protection, designed to withstand tremendous forces—and this human had just crushed it with his bare hands.
Marcus wasn't finished. He kicked Faora away with casual force, sending her tumbling across the farmyard.
"Get out and clean up my farm while you're at it," Marcus said with obvious irritation.
The other Kryptonians reacted instantly, launching themselves at Marcus with explosive speed that left craters in the ground where they'd been standing.
They were fast—but Marcus was faster. Purple energy surged around his hands as he moved to meet them.
CRACK! CRACK!
Two Kryptonians flew backward even faster than they'd approached, crashing through their transport ship like missiles. Their protective suits shattered on impact, leaving only their breathing apparatus intact.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Writing takes time, coffee, and a lot of love.If you'd like to support my work, join me at [email protected]/GoldenGaruda
You'll get early access to over 50 chapters, selection on new series, and the satisfaction of knowing your support directly fuels more stories.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~