First Encounters

North Pole, July 20, 2006

In the frozen wastes of the North Pole, amidst the glacial ice, a vast, solitary structure stood. It was composed of countless gleaming crystals, all jutting up from the ice at 45-degree angles, interweaving in ways no human mind could fathom. Within this impenetrable sanctuary, this Fortress, was a laboratory and a home...for a survivor of a race 29 years extinct, save for one.

Within the crystalline Fortress, in the main computer chamber, was a vast computer-screen, with no control console; this computer responded to thought...specifically the thoughts of one: the Master of the Fortress.

The young Master was currently within the knowledge chamber, a holographic capsule that enabled him to absorb information at a rate that would make Earth supercomputers green with envy, working with his brain physiology, unlike that of much of this world. The Master was learning.

Just then, the Master's lesson ended; the light-walls of the capsule vanished, and the 19-year-old Kal-El emerged from it. Kal-El was tall, and very strongly built, with short, black hair, mostly slicked back, with a few tufts spiking down over his forehead, and piercing blue eyes, with a light complexion. He now wore a uniform of his own design, based on the old uniform of the Kryptonian Defense Force: a blue body-suit, skin-tight against his chiseled abdominal muscles, and his powerful arms and legs, with red boots, red tight shorts, a yellow belt about his waist, a long red cape, and his family crest – that of the House of El – emblazoned on the chest, the stylized 'S' a bright red, surrounded by yellow, and outlined with a red diamond, and the crest was also done in yellow on the back of the cape.

In his four years cloistered here, in his Fortress of Solitude, after coming here a few months after the death of his beloved Earth-father, Jonathan Kent, he had been training in the use of his new powers, training made possible by the Fortress assembled from the nano-crystal bequeathed him by his biological father.

His real parents had not abandoned him. They had saved him.

In his training, Kal – named Clark by his Earth parents, a name he would happily resume once he left his Fortress – had gained more than 50 pounds of pure muscle, trained to a peak that no human would likely ever begin to fathom. His body, drawing and harnessing the energy of Earth's yellow sun, was now a living weapon. His abilities – even after knowing all his life that he was different – astounded him. He could lift well over 50 metric tons, and move at speeds well over Mach 3. He was borderline invulnerable; he had yet to find something that could actually hurt him, other than the green space-rocks he had once come across as a child in Smallville. His parents had destroyed them, and Kal did not know of any others...but he would have to be wary. His vision was practically telescopic, and he could see through solid objects – an "X-Ray" vision – as well as see in infrared, and on a microscopic scale. His eyes could also fire deadly heat-laser beams, with enough sheer destructive force to level a building at the very least. His hearing was almost deafeningly sharp, and extended into Ultra-High Frequency and Ultra-Low Frequency; it had taken practice and a lot of concentration to master it, to force himself to focus on only one thing at a time. Even his very breath was a weapon; he could exhale with hurricane-force intensity, or freeze anything in the wake of his breath to absolute zero. And – perhaps most wondrous of all – he could fly.

As a child, Kal had always had to be careful...and now he would have to do so more than ever.

In his time in the knowledge chamber, Kal had absorbed all the knowledge of Krypton; his people's history, science, philosophy...and all the lessons they had learned, their values, what they felt was important in life, what they believed happened to them when they died.

It was the only memory he would have of his people.

In addition, Kal had taken in many forms of combat arts, not just those of Krypton; in its time, Krypton had been in contact with numerous other races...including the Shi'ar, before the Empire had attacked Krypton. Kal had also learned from the knowledge of Krypton's most honored philosophers, its most brilliant scientists and scholars, and its most decorated tacticians.

And he had learned of the planet he now lived upon. Through the revolutionary quantum computer – designed by his father, Jor-El – he had absorbed much of the culture, philosophy, and religion of the world. He learned all of its history, and learned of its people, the ones he would walk among, though he was not one of them.

And, perhaps most importantly of all, he had heard his father's voice, in a message Jor-El had left for him. He would never forget it:

"Hello, my son. I am Jor-El, of the planet Krypton...and I am your father. By the time you hear this, I will be long dead; Krypton, our world, is undergoing a chain-reaction in its core – our world is doomed. To save you from our fate, your mother – Lara – and I have sent you to Earth. There, you will have power that no human can match, as your Kryptonian body draws strength from Earth's yellow sun. I have designed this structure, this Fortress of Solitude, to teach you of your heritage, your abilities...and my hopes for you, Kal-El, the Last Son of Krypton."

"They can be a great people, Kal-El; they wish to be. They only lack the light to show the way. And for this reason above all others, their capacity for good, I have sent them a light...for I have sent them you, my only son."

"Live among them, Kal-El, and find where your great power is most needed. You must never directly interfere in their natural development; that is forbidden by our highest laws. Instead, lead by example, my son; show them that there is a better way, through your actions."

"There may be those on Earth who will fear and hate you for what you can do, my son. Do not be disheartened, for no matter what happens...your mother and I love you. Be happy, my beloved son. Farewell."

'Father...I will always remember.' Kal thought to himself. As he walked towards the main computer, he said aloud, "Computer, begin planet-wide genotypic scan of human population; limit results to genotype coded as 'X-Gene.' Also, pull all records with the keyword 'superhuman'."

In his time here, the computer had once pointed something out to him; there was a number of people with what the computer had termed the "X-Gene"; it was a genetic mutation that gave its bearers unique abilities, and each was different. This had fascinated him.

"Scans complete." the Fortress reported. "Feeding results to main screen."

The main screen instantly lit up with a world-map, with blotches of red across it; these were X-Gene-positive humans, or "mutants."

Kal's eyes widened in surprise; there were so many...

Then, the computer fed numerous newspaper articles to the main screen. Several of them caught his eye, such as "Avengers, Assembled?", "Spider-Menace of New York," and, "Fantastic Four: Heroes of Science".

People with super-human abilities using them for good.

"I know what my purpose is." Kal-El said, smiling...though it felt like part of him had known all along. Kal turned, and headed for his personal chamber.

He would be leaving, soon.

Xavier Institute

Upstairs on the second floor, a black-haired young man in a black and red uniform stopped what he was doing and stared out the window before heading down to the first floor of the mansion.

In the Cerebro chamber, Charles Xavier, now in his early fifties, mostly unchanged with time, though with a few more lines across his patient face, was scanning the planet with Cerebro.

His attempt had been a success; he had located a new potential student, a young mutant capable of teleportation, currently living in Germany. He planned to head to Germany with Ororo to talk to this young man and his family. He was now looking across the globe, trying to find others like him...

Suddenly, Charles felt it; a massive surge racing through his mind. He instantly remembered that day, 19 years ago; the mutant he hadn't been able to track.

He was back.

Focusing every ounce of mental energy, Charles fought the surge, trying to locate him.

'He's in the Northern Hemisphere...Greenland...no, further north...the North Pole!'

Finally, Charles activated the fail safe, shutting down Cerebro, opening the door. Instantly, Ororo – now in her late thirties, and still stunning – ran to his side.

"Charles, what happened?!" She cried.

"Get Logan, and tell him to meet us all in my office." Charles gasped. "Our unknown is back."

"Scott, Jean, Emma, report to my office immediately."

The instant he'd gotten the Professor's telepathic call, 16-year-old Scott Summers, code named "Cyclops," hurried towards his mentor's office. Scott was a fairly tall, well-built young man, with short, dark brown hair, a light complexion, and blue eyes...at least, they were blue the last time he checked; his mutation caused deadly, concussive force-beams to shoot from his eyes, and due to a brain injury from an accident as a child – the accident where he'd lost his parents and baby brother – he had no control over them whatsoever, forcing him to constantly wear red, ruby-quartz shades, to hold back his blasts. Scott was wearing his usual light brown khaki pants and blue-grey sweater. He'd been the Professor's first recruit; Professor Xavier had given him the shades to control his powers...and had given him a life.

Upon reaching the office, Scott smiled as he saw his fellow classmate and best friend Jean Grey, who smiled back. Jean was a tall, slender young woman of 16, with long, ruby-red hair, emerald eyes, and a light complexion, clad in her usual khaki pants and light pink-violet long-sleeved shirt. She, too, was a mutant; a telekinetic, as well as a telepath.

Nearby was Emma Frost. She was a young woman with blond hair and blue eyes. Emma was a mutant as well. Like Jean, she was also a telepath.

"Hey." Jean greeted. "What do you suppose the Professor wants?"

"Beats me." Scott replied. "But from his message, it sounded urgent, so we'd better head in." Jean nodded in agreement, and they both walked in to the office and greeted John Proudstar and Sean Cassidy.

John possessed superhuman strength and other superhuman capabilities. Sean, on the other hand can create sonic waves of various effect. Their code names were Thunderbird and Banshee.

In the Professor's office, Scott felt ill at ease as he saw the concerned expressions on the Professor's and Miss Munroe's faces. What worried him even more was the fact that Mr. Logan, A.K.A. "Wolverine" was there. Logan was a fairly tall, well-built man, seemingly in his forties, with short, black hair, dark eyes, and a light complexion, wearing blue jeans, and a dark navy t-shirt. His mutant ability gave him heightened senses, as well as incredible healing powers, but he also had an adamantium-reinforced skeleton, with retractable razor-sharp claws. If Logan was worried about this, it had to be serious.

"Professor?" Scott asked. "What's going on?"

The Professor took a deep breath. "Scott, Jean." He began, "it's time to tell you something I thought I might never worry about again. About 19 years ago, when I was first testing Cerebro...I found something."

Scott did not like the sound of that.

"It was a mutant...at least, I think it was, and it was more powerful than I ever thought a mutant could be. I was never able to locate it, it was so powerful; I was only able to keep Cerebro going for a few seconds...the level of power I felt..."

"Whatever it was, it was strong enough to knock the professor out for three hours." Thunderbird explained. At that, both Scott and Jean were speechless; Professor Xavier was the most powerful telepath in the world.

If something had knocked him out...

"Professor?" Jean asked, "What does that have to do with anything?"

"A few minutes ago, I found that mutant again; it was stronger, this time...so much that I was able to locate it." The Professor said. "This mutant is in the North Pole."

"The North Pole?" Scott exclaimed.

"What's it doing there?" Jean cried.

"I don't know." the Professor said, "But we cannot ignore a mutant as powerful as this. I want all of us to head out there and find out about this mutant. Cyclops, Jean, Storm, Wolverine, Emma, suit up and head to the Blackbird. We leave for the North Pole as soon as possible." At once, Scott nodded, and headed for the locker room, to suit up, as Jean did the same, heading for her locker room.

The Professor was right; they had to get to the North Pole A.S.A.P.

Once they were suited up, the eight boarded the Blackbird.

While the X-Men were preparing to take off, something monstrous was swimming towards the North Pole.

In the Fortress of Solitude, Kal-El was at his workbench, his uniform belt in his hand, as he tinkered with the buckle. He had just finished installing the high-tech link to the Fortress in the buckle, and was just welding it into place with an electron-micro-welder. His task complete, he put the tool away, and slid the buckle right out of the belt, and tapped a button on its inside; instantly, the buckle expanded into a palm-top computer. "Fortress: run a Level-Five Diagnostic on the link to the mainframe." He instructed.

"Running diagnostic...done. Link to mainframe at 100% efficiency."

"Very good." Kal said. "And the computer's other features?"

"Unit's scan function is operational at 100% efficiency. Receiving functions are at optimal level. Unit's wireless communication function is at optimal level, with optional masking function at 100%. Unit's casing will endure up to 5.2 kiloton impacts."

"Excellent." Kal-El said, shutting off the computer, and sliding it into the belt, before clipping it around his waist. With a link to the Fortress mainframe, he'd be able to keep one ear to any threats or disasters that his hearing might miss. He started to head to his room, to gather up his personal belongings; it was time to leave...

"Alert: aircraft approaching. Craft is not of commercial configuration."

Instantly, Kal darted to the main screen. "Identify."

Instantly, the screen showed the frame of the craft: a sleek, flat frame, with two pairs of wings, flying under radar; fortunately, the Fortress had better detection systems than simple radar. 'A Blackbird...' Kal thought, '...but those were never put into production...so they can't be the military.' That was a relief. "Life-signs?"

"Eight life-forms on-board. All are X-Gene positive."

Kal sighed. So, his presence here had finally been noticed.

"Initiate defense system?"

"Negative." Kal said. "No sense in offending our guests, since they're already here. Activate the landing bay lights." Instantly, the Fortress computer responded, as Kal-El went to greet his visitors.

As the Blackbird soared over the Arctic Ocean, the water below becoming increasingly dotted with icebergs, Charles felt concerned. Who was this mutant, and how had he eluded Cerebro for 19 years?

Charles reasoned that Cerebro had not detected him because Cerebro was designed to detect new mutant signatures most readily, while older ones were harder to trace. Most X-Genes became active at puberty, but this mutant had clearly been an exception, and on subsequent scans, his signature was too old for Cerebro to pick up right away; it would have been like looking for a drop of water in an ocean.

But now, his powers had grown, to the point where Cerebro would have difficulty not seeing him...and that worried Charles to no end.

He looked about him, seeing Scott piloting the Blackbird, clad in his black body-suit with a yellow 'X' across his chest, his glasses exchanged for a visor. Next to him sat Jean, in a similar body-suit, but with a long, green triangle extending down through the mid-section. On Charles' left sat Ororo, in her dark blue uniform and cape. On his right sat Logan, clad in his orange and brown uniform, with a mask over his face, which resembled the ears of a wild animal.

He hoped they were all up to this challenge.

Suddenly, Jean cried out, "Look!"

Charles looked to where Jean was pointing, as did the others...and froze. There, in the glacial ice, was a huge, crystalline structure, larger than the Institute.

"Whoa..." Scott murmured, "...what is that?"

"Offhand." Logan said, "I'd say it's where our boy's been hidin' out."

As they drew closer, lights became illuminated on a long, icy strip near this structure, this...Fortress; landing lights. Whoever it was that lived in there, they had been expecting them. Slowly, Scott set the Blackbird down, and they all got out.

As Charles and the others looked around, Logan sniffed the air...and growled. "Chuck, I don't like this." he muttered. "This place don't smell right."

"What do you mean?" Ororo inquired.

"It doesn't smell human." Logan said. "You smell human, 'Ro. Chuck and the kids smell human. This place doesn't."

"What's it smell like?" Scott asked.

"I don't know, Shades." Logan growled. "And that bothers the hell out of me." Suddenly, he growled, and popped out his claws, turning. The others followed his gaze...

...in time to see a massive door open, as a single figure stepped out. He was a young man of 19, tall and powerfully built, with black hair, blue eyes, and light skin, wearing what looked like a blue body-suit with red boots, red tight shorts, a yellow belt, and a red cape, with a stylized 'S' on the suit's chest.

Logan growled. "Chuck...this place...it smells like him."

"Professor." Jean whispered, "I...I can't hear his thoughts; it's like he's not even there."

"Neither can I." Charles admitted; he was really worried, now. Even if someone blocked his telepathic probing, it was still possible to sense a presence...but all he got from this young man was telepathic white-noise.

The figure slowly walked towards them, looked at them...and smiled, putting them partially at ease. "If you're looking for Santa Claus, try a few hundred miles down the road."

Charles was surprised, both at the response and at his own automatic smile. "Well...hello." he greeted.

"Hello, yourself." The stranger responded pleasantly.

"We are mutants, like you." Charles continued. "We are from a school that helps mutants learn to control their powers, and we were wondering if you would like to join."

The stranger smiled kindly. "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid you've wasted your time. I'm not a mutant."

"Right." Logan said sarcastically. "Someone's in denial, here. I hate to break this to ya, bub, but humans don't exactly hang out at the North Pole for kicks."

"I never said I was human; I just said I wasn't a mutant."

That threw everyone for a loop. Jean was the first to recover.

"What...who are you?" She demanded.

The stranger's eyes narrowed in annoyance, his powerful-looking arms folding. "This is my home." he said sternly. "I should be asking that."

"Our apologies." Charles placated. "I am Professor Charles Xavier, Headmaster of the Xavier Institute for Gifted Children. These are Ororo Munroe and Logan." He gestured to Storm and Wolverine, "My instructors."

"John Proudstar."

"Sean Cassidy, lad." Thunderbird and Banshee introduced themselves.

"Emma Frost."

"Scott Summers." Scott volunteered.

"Jean Grey." Jean said. "We're sorry we intruded, but please...who are you?"

The stranger relaxed. "I am Kal-El." He said, and then he lightly smiled, "But my friends call me Clark Kent." He then gestured to the open door. "I guess you're all going to want more than just my name." he added. "Well, you'd better come inside; I'm expecting a blizzard, soon."

Ororo smiled. "I wouldn't worry about that." She said, "But I think we could all use some time out of this cold." With that, the stranger – Kal-El, or Clark – headed into his home, and Charles and the others followed.

Clark led his new guests into the main hall of the Fortress, where he relaxed between training sessions, passing by the myriad wonders of his home. "This is amazing..." the African-American lady – Ororo – murmured. "What is this place?"

"It's my sanctuary...my 'Fortress of Solitude'." Clark answered, as he led them into the main hall, where six hover-chairs were waiting for them, hovering above them. Effortlessly, Clark pushed off the floor, gliding into the air to rest in one of the chairs, as the other five floated down to them, bringing them up to his level...with astonished expressions.

"You can...fly?" The red-haired girl – Jean – asked.

"Among other things." Clark admitted.

"Well...Clark...I must say that I am intrigued." Professor Xavier said. "You say that you are not a mutant; well, what are you, if I may ask?"

'Hoo, boy. Here it comes.' Clark thought. "I am...well...not from around here."

"We guessed." Logan said.

Clark held up his hands. "But I mean I'm not from around here...in the same sense that...Halley's Comet 'isn't from around here'."

Jean looked confused. "But...Halley's Comet is from...space..."

"Bingo."

There was silence for a few moments. "Where...are you from?" Scott murmured.

Clark sighed; time to drop the bomb. "Krypton."

"Krypton?" the Professor asked.

"A planet in the Ku'Raon System, located in the Xerius Galaxy."

No-one talked for a full minute after that statement. Then, Ororo spoke: "You're an...alien?" she said softly.

Clark slowly nodded.

Slowly, Jean smiled.

"Oh, my GOD!" She exclaimed. "This changes everything! Guys, we've just been given an answer to one of the most important questions of our time! We're not alone!"

Clark looked among his guests; all held similar smiles, and even the gruff Logan was half-smiling.

"Wow, you're all taking this well." He said.

"Please, tell us more." Ororo said kindly. "Where exactly is Krypton?"

Clark almost flinched; he'd been hoping they wouldn't ask that. "Fortress." He instructed, "show star map, with relative distance from Earth to Krypton's last known location."

Instantly, a holographic map appeared before them, showing numerous spiral galaxies, with one circled in green – "That's Earth." Clark said – and one circled in red.

Jean looked at the other galaxy – Xerius. "That's where Krypton is?"

Clark closed his eyes. "That's where Krypton was."

Everyone looked up. "'Was'?" Scott repeated.

The X-Men and Kal-El then felt the icy ground shake from footsteps. Something massive was heading their direction.

"SKREEONGK!" A loud screech was produced.

Slowly approaching the North Pole was a enormous gray-skinned dinosaur. Upon emerging from the ocean and reaching land, it looked down at everyone.

"No way!" Scott exclaimed in shock upon seeing it.

"Professor I'm not able to read this creature's mind." Jean told him.

"Same here." Emma nodded in agreement.

"I suppose I should tell you who I am. The Japanese refer to me as Gojira. Everywhere else, I'm called Godzilla King of the Monsters." Godzilla explained while introducing himself with a snort.

"Almost thirty years ago...Krypton was destroyed." Clark said. "My parents sent me here, in my father's prototype Trans-Warp ship, to escape Krypton's destruction." He lowered his head. "I am Kal-El, son of Jor-El and Lara...and I am the Last Son of Krypton." Even now, thinking of all that he had lost saddened him, the fact that he was so alone.

Instant sobriety. "Oh, my God...I'm so sorry." Jean murmured.

"Dear Lord..." Xavier said softly, "...almost thirty years ago...I felt something...like millions of screams...and then silence..."

"So did I." Godzilla added. "Felt the screams after emerging from the Pacific Ocean over a decade ago."

"The screams of every Kryptonian as their planet blew up...and then the planet blowing up." Clark said.

No-one said anything for a few moments.

"So...how exactly did you guys find me?" Clark asked.

"Cerebro. It enhances my telepathic abilities, enabling me to home in on those with the X-Gene...or those with DNA fundamentally different from a normal human's." the Professor said.

Clark smiled. "Well, Kryptonian DNA would qualify."

"True, but I actually found it difficult to find you; the only reason we're here is because you seem to have dramatically increased in power." the Professor replied.

"I guess my training worked."

"So, what can you do?" Scott asked.

"Basically, my body absorbs energy from Earth's yellow sun." Clark said. "It gives me a whole host of abilities."

"Such as?" Ororo asked.

"Brace yourselves." Clark warned, as he rattled off all the powers that he had discovered so far.

When he was done, the looks of astonishment was almost comical on everyone's faces, if things hadn't been so serious; even Xavier looked flabbergasted. Then, Jean giggled. "Sorry, Slim." she said to Scott. "Looks like you don't have the eye-beam monopoly, anymore."

"Well, it's a free country." Scott replied, chuckling.

"So, Clark...what exactly do you plan to do with your powers?" Xavier asked.

"Help." Clark replied. "I plan to use my abilities for the good of humankind."

Ororo smiled. "That's a very good idea, Clark."

"One problem." Logan said. "If Flyboy here starts zippin' all over the place with his Good-Samaritan-routine, it's gonna get mighty hard to keep a lid on mutants' existence."

"As much as I admire your compassion, Clark, Logan is, unfortunately, correct." Xavier said. "For the longest time, the existence of mutants has been kept secret. People simply are not ready to accept that there are those being born among them with abilities that they do not have; we have kept our existence secret."

"For fear of reprisals." Clark observed.

"Yes." Xavier agreed. "Now, I am sure that someone practically invulnerable to weapons-fire, such as yourself, would have nothing to fear, but the rest of us, for the most part, are quite vulnerable. If you use your powers blatantly, even for a reason as noble and selfless as yours, it will draw attention."

Clark hated to admit it, but the Professor was right; he wanted to help people, but if he started using his powers so openly, people were bound to start asking questions. "I guess I'll try to stay under the radar when I help people."

Xavier nodded. "I think that is a good idea." He agreed. Smiling, he added, "But the far north isn't much of a home, even with technology as amazing as that of your Fortress. Would you like to join the Institute?"

Clark smiled. "You want me around, even though I'm something of a risk to your secret?"

"Ours is the cause of peace, my Kryptonian friend." Xavier replied. "In time, mutants will be revealed to the public eye...and when that time comes, mutants will need shining examples, both to aspire to, and for the public to see that we are not a threat to them."

Ororo smiled warmly. "We would certainly love to have you with us, Clark."

Clark grinned, and floated out of his chair, hovering in front of Xavier, holding out his hand. "In that case, sign me up!" Xavier smiled warmly, and shook it.

In less than an hour, Xavier and the others had gathered outside the Blackbird, as Clark powered down the Fortress' nonessential functions, and locked the door behind him. With the Fortress now silent, Clark walked towards his new friends, a duffel bag with his few personal possessions over his shoulder. "So, Clark." Scott asked, "Anywhere you need to stop by before we head to the Institute?"

"Yeah, there is." Clark admitted. "I'd like to drop by my house, and check on Ma."

"Your house?" Ororo asked.

"Smallville, Kansas." Clark said. "I'd better call, first, to make sure she's alone; it'd be hard to explain all of us to her bridge tournament." He smiled sheepishly. "Just one minute." He removed his buckle, switched it on, and activated the call-masking, so no satellites could pick it up. The phone rang a few times...

"Hello? Kent residence, Martha speaking."

His Ma's voice sounded older, but Clark attributed that to four years of living without her husband and son. "Hi...Ma..."

There was silence.

"Ma..?"

"Oh, God! Oh, God!"

"Please...don't cry, Ma..."

"Clark...oh, Clark, is it really you?!"

"It's me, Ma." Clark whispered. "I'm okay."

"Come home." his mother ordered, with fierce happiness. "Come home, right now."

Clark laughed. "I will, Ma...but...can I bring a few friends?"

"A few...oh, of course, Clark! Bring the whole U.S. Senate, for all I care! Just come home!"

"I'm coming, Ma." Clark promised. "I'll be there, soon. Bye." Then, he hung up, and put the buckle back on his belt.

"So, Smallville it is, then." Scott said.

Clark nodded. "So...think you can keep up?" He asked, grinning.

Logan chuckled. "Hate to break it to ya, Flyboy, but the Blackbird's the fastest thing in the air."

Clark laughed. "We'll see." He replied. "Well, Ma said to get home now, so there's no time to waste!" With that, Xavier and the others headed into the Blackbird, and took off. Godzilla headed towards the ocean and began to swim away from the North Pole. Clark waited until they were in the air and sea, then took a deep breath, and began to run.

Clark accelerated down the strip of ice, running at a speed of Mach One before he leapt off, flying through the air, his hands in front of him, his body straight, like a torpedo. He accelerated to Mach Two...then Three...and then well above Four.

In less than a second, he had shot past the Blackbird, flying so fast that the air seemed to be collecting in front of him, forming a wake behind him as he flew, as a sonic boom echoed behind him.

He reached Smallville in a matter of minutes, hovering in the sky above the Kent farm...waiting for the Blackbird to catch up. After about ten minutes, the Blackbird had caught up to him.

"SKREEONGK!" Godzilla slowly advanced towards the farm sometime after the Blackbird's arrival. His footsteps could be felt all across the continent.

Clark gracefully descended to the ground, landing without so much as a sound, the Blackbird landing a few feet away. Smiling, Clark headed towards his house...to see his mom.

After arriving in Smallville, Charles and the others had respectfully stayed out of the way of the tearful reunion of mother and son. Mrs. Kent had cried as Clark held her, sweetly reassuring her that he was fine, letting her cry. The two had talked for a full hour before Clark had excused himself to step outside for a while. And now, Charles and Ororo were having a cup of tea with Mrs. Kent, with Logan in the background, leaning against the kitchen wall, sipping a beer. Scott and Jean were outside.

Martha Kent was in her late fifties, her face now wrinkled, with mid-length grey hair tied in a bun, in old blue jeans and a grey sweater, with glasses framing her nose. She smiled as she poured Charles a cup of tea. "Quite a vehicle you have, there." she commented kindly. "It got here so fast, and I never even heard it!"

Charles smiled. "I'm afraid it isn't much compared to Clark's speed, Mrs. Kent." he replied. "Clark has told us about...his origins."

Martha smiled. "Please, call me Martha." She said. "And yes, Clark has had a difficult time before, dealing with the fact that he's...not human." She looked to Charles. "And Clark told me about all of you! In my wildest dreams, I would have never imagined that everyday people could have such amazing abilities! What a fascinating time we live in!"

Charles smiled. "Call me Charles." he replied. "And I am glad that you're reacting so well to our existence, Martha." His expression saddened. "I only hope that, when mutants are revealed to the world, others react as you do."

Martha nodded. "I know; Clark told me about that. The sad thing is, you could be right." She said. Then, she smiled proudly. "And what Clark plans to do doesn't surprise me one bit! Leave it to Clark to compromise his dreams to help others!" Then, she looked to Logan. "You know, Mr. Logan, there is enough tea for you."

"Nah; the stuff gives me gas." Logan said. "Thanks for the beer, though."

"Oh, don't mention it; Jonathan always kept some stored in his old cooler; you could leave opened wine down there for years, and it'd still keep its flavor. Help yourself!" Then, Martha's expression saddened. "Jonathan...if he were here, he'd've moved hell itself to find out how to help Clark." She suppressed a sniffle. "I'm...I'm so sorry..."

"Oh, don't worry." Ororo assured her. "It's hard to lose the ones we love."

Martha nodded. "I cried for days when Clark left." She murmured. "But then, a month or so later, I got a package, with no return address." She reached over to the counter, and took down a little glass sphere...with two holographic planets floating in it; one was Earth, and the other looked very much like Earth – Krypton.

"When I got this...I knew my boy was okay." Martha said. She smiled at Charles. "You have the most special young man on the planet with you, now, Charles." she said. She laughed. "You be good to my boy, or, mutant powers or not, I'll drive my truck up there and tan your hide with a frying pan!" she joked.

Charles laughed, as did Ororo. "You have nothing to fear, Martha." he assured her. "Clark is likely the most important thing that has happened to us...to this world. We will help him, any way we can."

On a hill overlooking the Kent farm, a single tombstone rested. Clark stood before the grave, silently reading the inscription.

"Jonathan Kent: Husband, Father, Friend."

"Hi, Pa." Clark whispered, his red cape lightly flowing in the breeze. "I'm sorry I haven't been to see you in so long. I've been busy." He smiled. "I made some new friends today, Pa. I think you'd really like them." He paused. "Pa...you were right. You always said that I was here to do good in this world. You were right."

His eyes began to sting. "I'm so sorry I couldn't save you, Pa." he whispered. "I'll save the world for you, I promise."

Just then, he heard someone, and he turned to see Jean walking up to him. "Hey." She greeted. "Who were you talking to?"

Clark stepped aside, showing her his Pa's grave.

"Oh...I'm so sorry." Jean said quickly. "I'll just go..."

"That's okay." Clark said. "We're done."

Jean was silent for a few seconds. "It's...a lot to take in." she finally said.

Clark chuckled. "Imagine how I felt." he replied. "I was about 8 or 9 when I found out; I was going to jump into Dad's arms...and ended up jumping over the whole house."

Jean giggled. "You didn't!"

"Oh, I did." Clark said. "When I got back, Pa said – I remember his exact words – 'Martha, I think it's time to show the boy the package that the stork used '. They showed me the ship...and I knew."

Jean was silent. "Well...you don't have to face things alone." she said. "Maybe you are the 'Last Son', but you're not alone. The Professor, Scott, Storm, Wolverine, and I...we all get what it is to be different."

Clark smiled. "Thanks." he said.

Jean smiled. "I can tell you're both going to be great friends. You're so alike, it's scary; I'm kinda glad I can't read your mind – I don't think I could handle two guys pure-minded enough to make a telepath gag."

Clark chuckled. "Thanks...I think."

Jean smiled. "So...that's an interesting suit you have there." she appraised. "But I don't think I could wear blue and red...and definitely not a cape and an 'S'."

Clark gave her a mock-glare. "Hey, this is based on the uniform of the Kryptonian Defense Force." he said. "And that's the crest of the House of El you're slammin', missy."

Jean laughed. "Sorry, sorry. It looks nice; very inspirational."

"I hope Scott isn't jealous of you talking to me."

Jean blinked. "Why would he be?"

"Aren't you two..?"

"What? No!" Jean laughed. "Scott's my best friend, that's all. I'm seeing someone else."

"Oh." Clark said. "I just thought..."

"Common mistake." Jean assured him. "Since Scott and I hang out so much, everyone automatically assume we're together."

"Hey." Scott greeted, as he walked up to them. "The Professor said to let you two know that we're just about ready to leave."

Clark nodded. "You both go on ahead; I'll be right there." Nodding, Scott and Jean went on ahead. Clark turned back to his father's grave. "I'll be back soon, Pa; I promise." he whispered. "Bye." Then, he began to walk away, following his new friends.

When Clark had caught up to Scott and Jean, everyone had gathered outside the Blackbird, the Professor, Storm, and Wolverine having already gotten on board, with his Mom waving good-bye. Clark walked to his Ma's side, who smiled at him. "Your father would be so proud," she whispered, tears in her eyes, "just like I am." She hugged him. "Don't be a stranger, honey." she added. "You can come home any time you like, and your friends are welcome, too."

Clark smiled. "Thanks, Ma." he replied, carefully returning her hug. "I love you."

"Oh, I love you, too, honey." his Mom replied. "You just visit when you can; Lord knows you'll be busy helping people."

"Bye, Mrs. Kent!" Scott called, as he got on board.

"It was nice meeting you!" Jean added, as she followed Scott.

"It was nice meeting you all, too!" Martha called. "Take care!"

With that, the hatch closed, and the Blackbird took off into the air. Clark took one last look at his childhood home, waved goodbye to his Ma, and then took off into the air, closely following the Blackbird.

After about a half an hour, Clark saw the Blackbird start to descend, over New York state. Clark followed it, down over a stately mansion, built on a cliff over the sea. The Blackbird glided around to a secret hangar, built into the cliff.

This was the Xavier Institute.

Clark smiled as he touched down. He had a feeling that he would like it here.