Echoes of Krypton

The Xerius Galaxy

Lying near the universal core, the site of the "Big Bang", this galaxy was the first to cool to the point where life could exist within it. Across the universe, the shock wave seeded the empty space with proto-stars, and planets in the making. As eons passed, the planets and stars took form, and life began, each form of life taking it's own form, unique to the pressures that it's world placed on it.

In the Xerius Galaxy, only one stellar system - the Ku'Raon System - gave birth to lifeforms...but none more so that it's jewel, the third world of it's sun, Rao.

Krypton.

Upon the green world of Krypton, life formed, then grew, then became sentient. Ages passed, and the Kryptonian race evolved, until the point where their very bodies drew strength directly from Krypton's sun, giving them amazing abilities, nearly godlike in power...power which, invariably, drew Krypton into a seemingly never-ending Age of Wars, ending only by the actions of a handful - the Twelve Wise Ones - that led Krypton into an era of peace, with their powers now used for the common good of all of Krypton.

But all things pass.

The yellow light of Rao began to fade, turning red in it's age. Slowly, the Kryptonians lost their powers, becoming mortal once more, the red light of dying Rao too weak to fuel their abilities. Their planet cooled, with much of their green fields giving way to frozen plains.

Their physical abilities dampened, the Kryptonians turned inward, using intellect to solve the problems that might could not. They developed advanced technology, enough to halt the tide of glacial ice. Slowly, Krypton began to thrive again, with only the vast polar areas of the planet covered in ice. With the passing of countless millennia, Krypton's new scientific and technological revolution gave rise to untold marvels, among them the marvelous World-Gate network, the birth of Artificial Intelligence, the mighty Entropic Power Module and the fearsome Sentrius Battle Station. Powerful and enlightened, Krypton's people wandered and charted the stars, establishing contact with the younger, friendly and some unfriendly - peoples of the cosmos. It seemed as though Krypton had entered a golden age that would not end...

...But end it did.

Another race, alien to the Xerius Galaxy, invaded: the Shi'ar. The Shi'ar Empire's advancing conquest had reached this far into the universal core. War had come to Krypton.

To repel the invaders, the Kryptonian people retreated to their home world, using their incredible intellect to build energy shields, to protect their planet, and deadly plasma cannons, to destroy the ships that hovered above Krypton. For five years, the Shi'ar laid siege to Krypton, but their weaponry could neither pierce the shield nor destroy Krypton's mighty defense-fleet, nor could the Kryptonian's plasma cannons and powerful vessels eradicate all of the warships of the vast Shi'ar Empire.

Then, in the sixth year of the siege, something changed. General Zod, the head of the Kryptonian Defense Force, led a brilliant, daring counterattack, breaching the Shi'ar blockade; using the new technology developed by his longtime friend, Jor-El, Zod used the World-Gates and Sentrius as a tactical weapon, utterly annihilating the Shi'ar fleet.

The Shi'ar were defeated, and utterly humiliated. The Shi'ar Emperor Kral'Nor was overthrown and exiled by a group of Shi'ar that opposed the war and the expansion, led by another of the Imperial Family. The new Shi'ar Empire quickly negotiated for peace, ending the war.

But the hardest truth remained: in his campaign, General Zod was accused of destroying warships that were about to surrender. Krypton's Council of Twelve, of which Jor-El was a part of, called a tribunal, to determine Zod's guilt or innocence...

Krypton, Kryptonopolis, Earth date April 13, 1977

Jor-El was a tall, strongly built Kryptonian man, in his early thirties, his skin light, his short hair a dark black, and his eyes blue. He wore a traditional black body-suit, with the crest of his family – the House of El – emblazoned on the chest: a stylized 'S', surrounded by a diamond pattern. He also wore a silver overcoat-style robe over it, with a silver head-ring around his head.

He still couldn't believe what he was reading. How could Zod – his friend since his university years – do this?

He and Zod had met in their first years of university; both had been determined to pass their quantum physics class. They had succeeded, and a friendship was born. They had been friends through it all; Jor-El had been there when Zod had achieved the rank of General, leading the Defense Force against the Shi'ar aggressors. Zod had been his best man at his wedding to Lara, had been there when his son, little Kal-El, had been born. Zod was like a brother to him.

And now, he would have to pass sentence on his best friend. The evidence was beyond doubt. His heart heavy, Jor-El stood up, and walked into the main Council Chamber.

The Chamber was large, and mostly empty, with only the holographic faces of the other 11 Council members floating there; Jor-El was the newest member. And there, standing in the center, imprisoned in energy-bonds, was Zod. Zod was a few years older than Jor-El, with the same skin tone, and black hair, with a few distinguished grey streaks through it, a fine, trim black beard encircling his mouth, his eyes emerald green, staring straight ahead, his mouth set in a firm line, refusing to bend to pressure. He wore the traditional uniform of the military: a black body-suit with a black and silver cape, his own family crest upon the suit's chest: a stylized 'Z' with two lines through it, surrounded by a square diamond.

"General Zod." The voice of the head Councilman, Ren-Dos said, "You have been accused of war crimes against the Shi'ar. The Council has reviewed the case against you. What say you, my fellow Councilmen?"

The word "guilty" rang out ten times. Jor-El felt ill; the verdict had to be unanimous.

"And guilty say I." Ren-Dos said. "Councilman Jor-El, your verdict?"

Zod's eyes narrowed. "You think you judge me?"

"General Zod, please be silent. You will be allowed to respond."

Zod exploded. "Do you think the war is over with my sentence?! Do you think we've heard the last of this?!" he roared. "Do you fools truly believe that that bastard Kral'Nor is just going to go off and lick his wounds, that he isn't going to fight tooth and nail to regain his throne?!"

"General Zod, be silent."

"Idiots!" Zod roared. "The Shi'ar are going to be bombarding our shield again before year's end! The only reason they gave up so easily is because I gave them a taste of what I had for them if they didn't!"

"General Zod, BE SILENT!" Ren-Dos roared. After a few seconds, he added, "Councilman Jor-El, your verdict?"

"My fellow Councilmen." Jor-El said, "May I speak with the accused?"

"You may."

Slowly, Jor-El approached Zod, whose expression remained utterly neutral. "Well, old friend." Zod said, "This is an unexpected development."

"Zod..." Jor-El said, "...did you do this?"

Zod's silence spoke volumes.

"How could you?" Jor-El exclaimed. "Zod, we are better men than that!"

"But the Shi'ar are not." Zod countered. "The only language those barbarians understand is force. Well, I just explained a few things to them. They'll think twice before coming here again."

Those words were crushing blows; Jor-El had hoped that his friend had been falsely accused, but that was not the case. "Zod...I can talk to the Council; I can get them to reconsider, to lessen the sentence. All you have to do is apologize. Show remorse. Just give them something, please."

Zod's eyes narrowed. "I will be dead before I grovel before a Shi'ar."

Jor-El didn't give up. "Zod, the Shi'ar leading the Empire aren't the ones who wanted this war; most of them opposed it. It's possible that our races can co-exist. Zod, fighting in war is one thing, but what you did...Zod, it was murder!"

"It was war." Zod said. "In war, people die. The only way to win a war is to kill more of them than they kill of you. I will not apologize for winning a war." He looked right at Jor-El. "The decision is yours, my friend."

Jor-El couldn't speak.

"Councilman. Your verdict?"

"Guilty." Jor-El whispered. He looked to his old friend for possibly the last time, his heart filled with remorse.

The friendship between them was enough to let Zod understand in an instant. "Save your sorrow, old friend." he said, his expression softening. "I have a feeling that you will need it more than I."

"The verdict is unanimous." Ren-Dos said. "General Zod, you are guilty of war crimes; the sentence is banishment to the Phantom Zone. You will drift in limbo for the rest of your life, so that you find penance for your crimes."

In an instant, a beam of light shone down on Zod. Zod closed his eyes, facing his sentence.

In less than an instant, Zod's body was encased in a small square crystal, which began to float away, out into the vastness of space.

Possibly forever.

"Now that the tribunal is concluded, is there any additional business?"

Jor-El instantly remembered; his theory. "There is, fellow Councilmen." He said. He took out his palm-top computer, and relayed his data to the other Councilmen. "These are seismic and tectonic shift measurements that I have taken over the past six months." he said. "There has been an exponential increase in tectonic activity, far above normal; we have had more shifts in the past six weeks than in the past six years. After analyzing the data, I sent a probe to our planetary core; what I found was horrifying. The core is undergoing a radical chain-reaction. In less than a month, the entire planet will – "

The laughter of the Council interrupted him. "My young friend, do you still pursue this silly idea?" Ren-Dos laughed.

Jor-El remained calm. "Councilman..."

"Very well. If you insist, we will let Brainiac look at your findings."

Brainiac – the Brain Inter-Active Construct – was Jor-El's greatest creation; an artificial intelligence with capabilities unlike any A.I. ever before designed. At Ren-Dos' words, another hologram appeared: one of a triangular pattern of three interconnected dots. "Greetings, Councilmen." Brainiac greeted. "How may I be of assistance?"

"We are sending data to you now, Brainiac." Ren-Dos said. "What do you make of it?"

After a few seconds, Brainiac replied, "Jor-El's concern shows his kind heart, and his love for his people, and we can all appreciate his hard work...but he is mistaken. The recent tectonic activity is the result of a planetary shift, nothing more."

Jor-El's heart sank.

"There you have it. You will speak of this no more, Jor-El; nor will you attempt to leave Krypton – we will not have you panicking the people. You are dismissed."

Jor-El bowed his head. "I promise, Councilmen; I won't leave." Then, he left the Building.

It took Jor-El a few hours to return to his home/laboratory, far in the polar ice of the planet; he piloted his hover-car into the docking bay of his home, a collection of gleaming crystals, jutting up from the ice at 45-degree angles, interweaving in ways that seemed impossible.

As Jor-El entered his home, he braced himself as another quake shook the ground. Then, as the quake subsided, he smiled as he saw his lovely wife, Lara, step into view, carrying Kal. Lara was the loveliest woman Jor-El had ever seen, with a wit to match her beauty; her long hair was black as midnight, her eyes a sapphire blue, her skin creamy, her long, slim black gown accentuating her flawless curves. In her arms, 5-month-old Kal-El giggled. Kal was like a smaller version of him; black hair, blue eyes, and big for his age, a perfect, healthy baby.

As Lara drew near, Jor-El leaned in and kissed his beloved wife, smiling to himself as she happily reciprocated. Then, as the kiss ended, his smile grew, as he picked up Kal. "Hey, how's my big boy?" Jor-El said to his son, causing Kal to giggle.

Lara smiled. "So, how did things go?"

Jor-El sighed. "Guilty."

Lara's expression saddened. "Honey, I'm so sorry." she cooed, embracing him. "I know he was like a brother to you..."

"He was unrepentant." Jor-El said softly. "He knew what he did...and he wasn't remorseful at all..."

"Ssshhh..." Lara sweetly shushed him. "It's over, now, honey."

Jor-El shook his head. "No, it isn't." he said. "Lara...Brainiac rejected my findings."

Lara frowned. "Jor-El, you need to let this go." she said. "The planet is not going to blow up."

"I want to believe that, Lara; I hope to the Creator that I'm wrong." Jor-El said. "But I have to be sure." He handed Kal-El to her. "I'm going to check on Brainiac."

Lara sighed; she knew better than to try and stop him. "Then, if he's okay, will you please let this go?"

Jor-El smiled. "I will honey, I promise; if nothing's wrong with Brainiac, I'll never bring this up again."

Lara smiled. "Thank you." she cooed. "Hurry back, honey." Then, she quickly kissed him on the cheek, and went to put Kal to bed, as Jor-El headed to his hover-car.

It took him a little while to drive to the Brainiac Center, where Brainiac's mainframe was stored. The guards let him in without question. He was in the hall leading to the mainframe, about to head in...

"Hello, Jor-El."

"Hello, Brainiac." Jor-El replied. "I'm just here to check on you."

"You're not upset about the meeting with the Council, are you?"

"Of course not." Jor-El replied. "I just want to make sure you're okay, that's all."

"I would rather that you do so tomorrow."

That was unusual; Brainiac had been programmed to be helpful, to always volunteer for check-ups, to ensure he was working at full efficiency. "I would like to do a check tonight." Jor-El said, as he keyed in his code...but the door wouldn't open. He took out his Master Override code-card, and opened the door.

There was Brainiac's mainframe, his screens showing numerous readouts...one of which showed Krypton's core.

The readings were unmistakable.

"It would have been better for you not to have come, Jor-El."

"You monster!" Jor-El roared. "The core is going to explode in less than a day! How could you..." Then he got a better look at the other screens. "You're copying files...downloading..." His eyes narrowed. "You're saving yourself!"

"I am saving Krypton." Brainiac replied. "I am downloading all the knowledge of Krypton; all its history, science...everything that is Krypton. I will ensure that Krypton survives. The blast will be too large for all the Kryptonian people to escape; by my actions, Krypton will be preserved."

Jor-El was silent for a moment, a plan forming in his mind. "You're right, Brainiac." he said. "Krypton will be preserved." Then, he pulled out a data-crystal.

"But not by you!"

He inserted the crystal and downloaded all the information Brainiac had downloaded; all the knowledge of Krypton was on that crystal. Before Brainiac could react, he inserted his card and activated a shut-down command. "Sorry, pal, but you're going to die like the rest of us." Jor-El snarled. Then, he ran out of the building.

Had he stayed a moment longer, he would have noticed an upload command being issued by Brainiac.

When Jor-El returned home, he felt another, much larger quake shake his home. As Lara came to him, she saw the look in his eyes. "Jor-El...what's wrong?"

"Brainiac lied." Jor-El said. "The planet is going to explode; it's only a matter of hours, now."

Lara gasped. "What...what will we do?!" she cried. "We...we can't escape!"

"No...not all of us." Jor-El said.

Lara was confused. "What...what do you mean?"

It nearly broke Jor-El's heart to suggest it...but it was their son's only chance. "Lara...do you remember what we planned to do...if worse came to worse?"

Lara's eyes widened in horror. "No..." she gasped.

Jor-El quickly keyed in a sequence on his palm-top computer, opening up his secret lab...where he had stored the experimental Trans-Warp ship he had built...the only one that could possibly fly fast enough to escape the blast. "It's Kal's only chance." He said, walking into the lab. He took the experimental nano-crystal he had created, the one that could automatically assemble a lab/outpost identical to this one, and walked to the ship. The ship was a long, almost cylindrical craft, tapering to a point, like a torpedo, made of silvery metal, with a small cockpit, enough to hold a child, the ship's on-board computer controlling the flight. At the rear of the craft were the thrusters, powerful enough to safely propel the ship faster than light.

"With this nano-crystal and the data-crystal I took, Kal will know who he is and where he comes from." Jor-El said. "I managed to encode a message into the crystal, so Kal will know us."

"But where will you send him?" Lara cried.

"Earth." Jor-El said. "It's a small planet, in a galaxy far from ours, almost at the very edge of the universe. The people there look very much like us, and their beliefs resemble our own; he will find a home there. Its people are as we once were, Lara; they are on the verge of evolution – they have great potential. And Lara..its system has a yellow sun."

Lara gasped. "Jor-El...it will make him so much more powerful than any other person on that world." she said softly. "He will have strength and speed unlike any the Earth people have seen...he will see and hear what they cannot...his eyes, and his very breath will be deadly weapons...none of their weapons will hurt him...he will be able to fly..." she suppressed a sob, "...and they will hate him for it...he'll be so alone..."

"He won't be alone." Jor-El promised. "He will carry a great legacy; all of Krypton will survive through him...and he will teach Earth the lessons we learned...and we will always be with him." He looked to his beloved wife. "All that is better than death here, Lara. We have no choice."

Another quake shook the lab, emphasizing Jor-El's point. Lara suppressed another sob. "All...all right." she agreed. "Just let me go get him." With that, she left the lab.

By the time she had returned with Kal, Jor-El had readied the ship, and inserted the crystals into it. Lara walked into the lab, holding their son. Suppressing a sob, she kissed Kal's forehead. "Be happy, little Kal." she sniffed. "Your mother loves you."

Lara then handed Kal to Jor-El, who looked sadly upon his son. Kal cooed, and reached up to touch his father's face. A single tear ran down Jor-El's eye. "You carry a great legacy with you now, Kal-El." he whispered. "You are our son...the Last Son of Krypton." He kissed Kal's forehead. "Be happy."

And with that, he gently injected Kal with a sedative.

Slowly, he felt Kal fall asleep in his arms. Savoring these last few precious moments, Jor-El wrapped his son in a blanket, placed him in the cockpit, and sealed the cockpit, the ship automatically placing Kal in suspended animation for the long trip.

By then, massive volcanic eruptions had begun to tear the planet's surface apart, and the quakes had given way to one constant rumble. Jor-El quickly finished programming the ship, plotting its course...and then, it was done.

Jor-El held Lara close as the ship's engines roared to life, and the ship soared into the sky, slicing through the roof of the lab, soaring up through the ash-blackened clouds...and above them, out into space, with all the speed that the two Kryptonians could will it...as it carried their son to safety.

When the ship was out of sight, Jor-El held Lara close as his wife wept. Then, the quake doubled in intensity.

Doomsday was seconds away.

Jor-El and Lara looked into each other's eyes. "Lara...I love you." Jor-El whispered.

"I love you, too, Jor-El." Lara murmured.

Then, the two shared one last, loving kiss...as doomsday claimed them.

As massive eruptions blotted the surface of Krypton, the Trans-Warp ship breached the surface, tearing out of the atmosphere, flying away at top speeds. Once it was clear, the on-board computer plotted in its course, and prepared to jump to light-speed. Outside the ship, two sleek wings extended from under the craft, as two small pylons extended back from the top. The pylons began to energize...

Suddenly, the planet Krypton exploded, in a monumental blast that shook the very fabric of space. The fiery plumes of the blast reached for the ship, as if trying to grab the one survivor, to bring the last trace of Krypton down with it.

...and then the ship's pylons energized, and the ship streaked away at light-speed, taking the Last Son of Krypton far away from the Xerius Galaxy.

Earth, New York State, Westchester, April 13, 1977

In the Westchester city-state of New York City stood the stately, mansion-like Xavier Institute, newly-purchased, bought just this morning. In the office of the new Institute, two young men were talking.

One was a fairly young man, in his mid twenties, with a bald head, light skin, and dark eyes, clad in black slacks and a grey sweater. He was Professor Charles Francis Xavier, the owner of the Institute.

The other was slightly older, in his early thirties, with short, silver hair, blue eyes, and light skin, clad in a brown trench-coat, with a broad-rimmed hat. He was Charles' old friend Erik Magnus Lensherr.

Both were good friends, and respected colleagues, both having a great deal in common...including one thing.

They were both mutants, both possessing the X-Gene, which gave them abilities that normal humans did not.

Charles was a telepath, possibly the strongest telepath in the world, with the ability to read the thoughts of others, and even control them, if he so desired. Charles had long resolved to never misuse his powers.

Erik, on the other hand, held the power to manipulate electromagnetic fields, enabling him to master the forces of magnetism.

Both were immensely powerful mutants...and they were having a discussion.

"Erik, please." Charles pleaded. "You can't be serious."

"I am very serious, Charles." Erik countered. "When humans discover our existence, they will never accept us. A war is coming, Charles...and I intend to fight it."

"Erik, the times are changing." Charles reasoned. "Violence will never solve anything. Humans hurt you, you hurt them, they hurt you back...it's a cycle, Erik, one that is very hard to stop. Give them a chance."

"They've had a chance." Erik said sourly. "World War One...then Two...the Holocaust...they've had enough chances, Charles. I don't intend to let history repeat itself."

"Erik...mankind has changed, grown." Charles said.

"Yes." Erik said. "Into us."

"Erik..." Charles began, but he suddenly gasped, as a massive telepathic surge caught his mind, as a massive wave of thoughts, all crying out in terror, overwhelmed him. Then, as suddenly as it had come, the cries stopped, leaving only silence.

Erik had noticed. "Charles? What's wrong?"

Charles looked to his old friend. "Screams...millions of voices crying in fear and anguish...and then silence..." he whispered, his voice haunted. "Erik...something terrible has happened."

Erik looked concerned for his friend's welfare...and then re-composed himself. "I have to leave, now Charles; there is nothing more to say." he said. "For your sake, I truly hope you are right...but I cannot afford to be so naive." He turned to go. "I wish you luck, Charles Xavier." With that, he left, leaving Charles alone, to ponder what had just occurred.

Elsewhere...

The screams could also be sensed by a nearly 400 feet tall gray-skinned dinosaur with a row of spines going down it's back that just emerged from the Pacific Ocean.

"SKREEEEEEEEEONGK!" The dinosaur reared it's head back and produced a ear-splitting sad cry.

10 years later...

High above the planet Earth, the Trans-Warp ship finally came out of light-speed, retracting its wings and pylons, its journey complete. It glided into the Earth's atmosphere, entering at just the right angle, as it began re-entry...

New Orleans, Louisiana, April 27, 1987

In the streets of New Orleans, a blind woman was walking down the sidewalk, clad in blue jeans and a white t-shirt under her black coat, her cane held in front of her, guiding her path. She was in her late twenties, with mid-length brown hair, and sightless blue eyes.

Her name was Irene Adler, but she preferred to call herself "Destiny."

She was a mutant, with the ability to see into the future.

As Irene passed by an electronics store, she overheard the news. "...reports indicate that a meteor shower will be passing through Earth's atmosphere, over Kansas; some may be passing within 100 miles..."

Irene continued on her way, heading for the bus stop. She reached it, sitting down on the bench...and gasped as her gift took hold, showing her the future. She didn't always have control, but she thought she had some idea of what she would see.

She was wrong.

Her gift showed her something she had never seen before, not in any of her other visions. She saw a massive explosion, a world being obliterated...and she saw a single figure, a man, flying through the air effortlessly, with power that no mutant had ever dreamed of.

"The Child of the Star..." she gasped...and then her vision left her.

Xavier Institute, Westchester, New York

Deep beneath the Institute, Charles Xavier, in his wheelchair, was heading through the new metallic hallways, towards his newest creation, aided by his dear friend, Ororo Munroe, or "Storm" as she had nicknamed herself. Ororo was a lovely African-American lady in her early twenties, tall and elegantly built, her long, cloud-white hair complementing her chocolate skin, her eyes a dark amber, wearing a light violet blouse, with a long, dark purple skirt. She, too, was a mutant, with the ability to manipulate the weather.

"I can't believe it's done." Ororo commented, smiling.

"It isn't quite done." Charles corrected. "This is only a field-test, remember. I'll be fine-tuning Cerebro after this."

Cerebro. Charles' mutant-detection system, which amplified his telepathic abilities, enabling him to home in on the X-Gene...and find mutants, wherever they were. It wasn't perfect; it could only trace mutants whose abilities had become active – which usually happened at puberty – but it was a start.

Finally, they had reached the room where Cerebro was housed. Ororo let go of Charles' wheelchair, and Charles wheeled himself towards the massive steel door, stopping to let the retina-scanner identify him. "Identity confirmed: welcome, Professor." the computer greeted him, as the doors opened, allowing him to enter, sealing behind him.

The chamber consisted of only a long platform, with a console at its end, with a single metal helmet attached to it with two silvery metal cables. The chamber was spherical, consisting of numerous steel panels. Charles rolled to the console, took the helmet, placed it upon his head, and reached with his powers...

There were so many, in comparison to what he'd expected. There had to be nearly a hundred, much more than he'd expected. He could feel all of them; he was sharing in their lives, their hopes, their dreams. He could find them all if he chose, but for now, he was content to simply stay like this...

Suddenly, a blinding surge cut through him; he felt such power, more than any mutant could ever achieve. It was one mutant...or was it? He tried to locate this individual; it was moving so fast. It was in Mexico...then Los Angeles...then in Kansas...no, over Kansas.

Charles couldn't take any more. He struggled to reach out of his telepathic trance...and hit the emergency fail safe button on the console.

Instantly, Cerebro shut off, as the doors hissed open, letting Ororo rush in, crying his name, as he passed out, with the knowledge that he had almost located a mutant more powerful than anything he'd ever seen.

He didn't wake up for three hours.

Smallville, Kansas, a few minutes earlier

On one of the many dirt roads leading to and from Smallville, a single red pickup truck drove along, heading out of the little town, towards the Kent farm. In it were Jonathan and Martha Kent.

Jonathan was tall and well-built, in his mid-forties, the picture of the strong, trustworthy farmer. He had short, sandy-blond hair, green eyes, light skin, and he wore his usual faded blue jeans and green t-shirt under his favorite red flannel shirt.

Martha was a slender woman in her late thirties, with mid-length auburn hair, blue eyes, and light skin, wearing blue jeans, a white blouse, with her brown jacket over it.

Today had been a sad day for the Kent family. For the longest time, Jonathan and Martha had been trying to have a baby, but to no avail. Finally, after seeing a doctor, they knew why; the doctor had tried to be nice about it...but there just wasn't a nice way to use the word "barren."

They had both wanted a child so much...and now it was impossible, at least on their own. Jonathan glanced over to Martha; she was trying to put on a brave face, but Jonathan knew that this was killing her.

Smiling, Jonathan reached over with his right hand, keeping his left one on the wheel, and took her hand. "Hey, it'll be okay." he whispered. "This doesn't mean that we can't have a baby at all; we can always adopt."

Martha looked at him, smiling weakly, squeezing his hand. "I love you." she whispered.

"I love you, to – Holy!" Jonathan yelled, as he swerved the truck to avoid a huge rock that shot down from the sky, impacting the road where the truck had just been, nearly knocking the truck off the road. Looking up into the sky, Jonathan saw numerous flaming cosmic projectiles blazing through the sky.

It was a meteor shower.

"Hang on!" Jonathan declared, as he accelerated, trying to watch the road and these deadly space-missiles. He had managed to evade several of them, and was nearly home...when, in his rear-view mirror, he saw a large object, seemingly gleaming silver, coming right at them. He couldn't outrun it. "Martha, brace yourself!" Jonathan yelled.

The object hit the road inches from their rear bumper, cratering the ground, sending the truck flying.

When Jonathan came to, he found himself, other than a few bruises, none the worse for wear. Looking around, he saw that the truck was at the base of a huge crater...with Martha standing at its edge, looking down.

"Martha, are you okay?!" he cried, practically leaping out of the truck, rushing to her side. Martha said nothing...and pointed into the crater. Jonathan looked...and froze.

There, lying in the crater...was a silvery spaceship, like nothing that NASA had ever built...and nothing that the Soviet Union had ever knocked together, either.

All the late-night alien horror movies he and Martha had ever watched came flooding into his mind.

"Martha...that...that isn't human..." he murmured. Suddenly, the spaceship hissed, its cockpit opening...and Jonathan's ears were assaulted by a sound he had never heard before...

"WAAAAAAHHHHHHH! WAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

Instantly, Martha ran down to the spaceship, and reached into the cockpit. Jonathan was about to protest...until Martha extracted its occupant. "It's a boy!" she cried, holding the tiny infant. "It's just a baby boy!"

Jonathan almost smiled...until he remembered where that sweet little boy had just come from. "Martha..." he began.

"Jonathan, look at him!" Martha exclaimed. "He's beautiful!" She walked over to him, and held the baby out to him.

As Jonathan looked at the kid, the baby smiled, and began giggling.

Any worries Jonathan had about this little miracle vanished in an instant.

Hey, little guy." He cooed to the baby, taking him in his arms. "Where'd you come from?" The baby just giggled, his tiny hands reaching up to explore Jonathan's face. Jonathan smiled, and gently touched the baby's tiny hand; the baby giggled, and gripped his finger. "Wow! What a grip you've got! Ow!"

Crack!

"OW!" Jonathan howled.

Instantly, Martha took the baby in her arms, as he started to cry.

"You scared him." She admonished.

Jonathan winced, shaking his hand; nothing felt broken...but it had been close. But then he saw the baby's sniffling face, as if he knew he'd done something bad, and was sorry.

"Hey, it's okay." He murmured, taking the baby in his arms.

Martha beamed. "Our prayers have been answered." she whispered.

Part of Jonathan almost wanted to argue – almost – but he somehow knew that she was right. "What'll we call him?"

Martha smiled. "How about...Clark?"

Jonathan smiled at his new son.

"Hi, Clark." He said. "Welcome to the world." Then, he handed the baby – Clark – to Martha. "Wait in the truck, honey; I'll try to get this ship into the back – we can't have it lying around, now, can we?" Martha smiled, nodding, and headed to the truck, cooing to their new son.

Clark's ship had been amazingly light; Jonathan had no trouble loading it into the truck. He quickly covered it, got in, and drove off. He glanced over to Martha and their new son, smiling. Martha had been right.

Their prayers had been answered.