A Boy and his Dog, Part One

*Krypton, Arctura Sector, Earth Date March 5, 1977*

Deep within the polar ice of Krypton's Arctura Sector, a lone crystalline outpost stood, built into one of the majestic ice-cliffs, which gleamed brilliantly in the waning evening light of the red sun. On the outpost's landing pad, a tall, strongly-built Kryptonian man, in his early thirties, tinkered with a small silver-metal spacecraft, shaped like a torpedo, less than half his size. He had short black hair, and blue eyes, clad in his traditional black bodysuit under his silver trenchcoat-style robe, with the crest of the House of El emblazoned in silver upon the suit's chest, a silver head-ring about his head.

As he finished the last of his preparations, Jor-El smiled to himself, before welding the last panel into place. It was finished; his first prototype Trans-Warp vessel.

Despite the Krypton-Shi'ar War having ended a few months ago, the Council of Twelve was reluctant in reactivating Krypton's World-Gate Network, which had traditionally facilitated travel throughout space; Jor-El could understand that, as he was a Councilman, himself. The Council had to be sure that their technology was *never* used for conquest, as the Shi'ar Emperor, Kral'Nor, had wanted to. Even though Kral'Nor had been exiled, along with his young son and daughter, D'Ken and Caly'see, and a new, more moderate Empress – Kral'Nor's other daughter, Lilandra – was being groomed, this kind of thing could *never* be allowed to happen again.

Krypton needed a new form of space-travel...and Jor-El hoped that Trans-Warp would be it.

As an earthquake shook the ground, Jor-El frowned to himself; these quakes had been gradually increasing in frequency, lately – this was the *third* one, this month. He'd once theorized that Krypton's planetary core could become unstable, but the rest of the Council had laughed at such a notion, refusing to even *consider* it. '*I'll have to send a probe to the core.*' he thought. '*Hopefully, it's nothing...*'

But he *had* to be sure. He would send a probe after he tested the Trans-Warp vessel. Keeping his musings to himself, Jor-El headed inside his home.

As Jor-El walked in, he smiled as he was greeted by his beloved wife, Lara. She was as intelligent as she was beautiful – Jor-El's dream come true. Her long hair was midnight black, her eyes a sapphire blue, accentuating her creamy skin, her flawless curves accentuated by her long, slim, black gown.

Lara returned his smile, as they shared a sweet kiss.

"All set for your test, *tausha?*" She cooed.

Jor-El grinned, nodding.

"It's ready, *taushi*." He replied. "If this goes well, Krypton will no longer *need* the World-Gates."

Lara looked worried. "I just hope that nothing bad happens to the dog you purchased to test the ship." she said. "Little Kal's gotten so attached to Krypto."

"Based on my calculations, Krypto should be just fine." Jor-El assured her. "The *worst* that should happen is that he gets a bit of motion-sickness after the ship jumps back."

Lara chuckled. "As long as *you* clean it up, that's fine."

Jor-El grinned. "Fair enough." With that, he headed further into his home, looking for their new pet.

As Jor-El came into the living room, he couldn't help but smile; there, sitting on the floor, playing fetch with Krypto, was his son, little Kal-El. Kal was a happy, healthy baby of four months, fairly big for that age, with black hair and sky-blue eyes, clad in black-and-blue pajamas, giggling as he tossed a ball to the little white puppy, who barked happily before catching it and bringing it back.

"Krypto! Here, boy!" Jor-El called; at once, the little animal perked up, dropping the ball. He quickly gave Kal a tiny lick – as if to say 'good-bye' – and ran to Jor-El's feet, wagging his little tail.

Krypto had taken to obedience training very well.

Smiling, Jor-El picked up the little puppy, who licked his nose as soon as he was close enough. "Okay, Krypto," Jor-El said, "you're just going to go on a little trip, okay? You'll just be out and back before you know it." Krypto simply barked in agreement. Smiling, Jor-El took Krypto with him as he walked back out to the launch pad.

Within minutes, Jor-El had placed the trusting puppy within the main compartment of the Trans-Warp ship, wrapping him in his favorite red blanket, before sealing the compartment and placing him in cryo-stasis; the stasis didn't work quite as well for animals as it did for people – Krypto's life processes were slowed to nearly stopping, as opposed to being completely frozen. Still, he'd be fine, as the ship was *more* than capable of sustaining him indefinitely.

Once Krypto was all tucked in, Jor-El headed inside, to the control console, where Lara was waiting. Jor-El smiled.

"Here we go." He said. "Wish me luck."

Lara smiled. "Good luck."

At once, Jor-El started the ignition sequence for the ship; in seconds, the ship's engines ignited, and the little vessel soared into the atmosphere...and then through it, out into the black of space.

Quickly, Jor-El entered the calculations for the initial jump to Trans-Warp, and then the jump back to Krypton, where he could guide the vessel back from here; once the commands had been entered, the ship did the rest. Automatically, two wings extended from the underside of the ship, as two pylons extended from its dorsal side. The pylons quickly energized, and the ship streaked away at Trans-Warp, moving *hundreds* of times the speed of light.

After a few seconds, Jor-El's scanners quickly picked up the ship's signal as it came out of Trans-Warp...over a hundred light-years from Krypton.

The test had been a success.

Jor-El let out a whoop of joy, hugging Lara to him.

"It *worked*, Lara! It *worked!*" He crowed. "With a stronger power source, a ship can travel from one galaxy to the next in *minutes*, without using the Gates! I *have* to deliver these findings to the Council as soon as possible!"

Lara looked worried. "What about Krypto? Is he okay?"

Jor-El nodded. "I programmed the ship to lock on to our home's beacon, to use it as a reference point." he said. "The ship should be jumping back to Krypton at Trans-Warp any time, now..."

Suddenly, an alarm signal started to beep on the console. Looking to the alert, Jor-El was horrified to see that a spatial rift – a fold in the fabric of space itself – was forming a few hundred meters from Krypto's ship! Jor-El had once theorized that such rifts were natural occurrences in space, but he had never before *seen* one.

It was threatening to pull the ship into it.

Quickly, Jor-El's hands *flew* over the keys, as a horrified Lara looked on.

'*Hang on, Krypto,*' Jor-El thought, as he tried to jump-start the ship's Trans-Warp Drive, to get it to jump back *faster*, '*just hang on...*'

But it was too late; the rift pulled the little craft inside, closing instantly.

Jor-El hung his head, his eyes clenched tight. '*Poor Krypto.*'

Lara looked just as sad as he felt.

"That poor little thing..." She whispered. "What will happen to him?"

Jor-El could only shrug. "Spatial rifts are folds in the fabric of space; somewhere in the universe, Krypto's ship is going to just pop out of that rift." he said. "When that happens, the ship's computer is going to try to locate our beacon; it'll wander the cosmos, looking for us – Krypto's still alive, but he's lost."

Lara nodded sadly. "Kal will be just *heartbroken.*"

Jor-El sighed sadly, getting up from the console, keeping his balance as another quake shook the ground. "I'll send out a probe, to see if Krypto's ship is nearby. For now, we'd best head inside; it's getting late."

Lara nodded. "Also, there was a message for you from Zod; he says that the Council is investigating his conduct during the war, and he wanted to let you know before the Council told you."

"That's *ridiculous!*" Jor-El exclaimed, incredulous at how the Council could do that to his old friend. "How can the Council even *suspect* him of misconduct?"

"I don't know." Lara replied. "I just wanted to tell you what his message said."

Jor-El nodded. "I'll sort this out in the morning." he said. "For now, let's just get some dinner." Lara nodded, and they both headed into their home, but not before Jor-El cast one last glance to the sky.

'*Good luck, out there, Krypto.*' he thought, and then he headed in.

*Deep space, over 1 billion light-years from Krypton*

Deep in the black of space, a spatial rift opened, and a single, tiny silver ship glided out of it. As the rift closed, the ship's computer resumed its programmed activity.

*Action: scanning for homing beacon.*

*Observation: beacon not found.*

*Action: scanning for recognizable constellations.*

*Observation: no recognizable constellations located.*

*Conclusion: ship is no longer in Xerius Galaxy.*

*Action: initiate emergency protocol.*

*Action: chart most probable course to Krypton.*

*Observation: no point of reference; unable to plot course.*

*Action: plot random course.*

*Action: enable sub-space homing transponder.*

*Action: continue scanning for homing beacon.*

The little ship began to slowly glide through space, carrying the sleeping Krypto within it, as it continually broadcasted its distress signal, in the hope that a Kryptonian vessel would find it, and as it kept scanning for the homing beacon, which would lead it home.

*New York City, New York, April 26, 2008*

The dead of night had fallen over New York City, and not a soul was stirring in an empty street, the only sounds being made by pieces of newspaper being blown about by the wind.

Suddenly, the silence was cut by the sound of metal grating on concrete, as a manhole slowly rose up , before it was shoved aside...and a youth climbed out of the sewers, of average height, and lean frame, clad in ragged jeans and a tattered white t-shirt. He had pale skin, short brown hair, brown eyes...

...and a face that extended out, almost like a kind of turtle's jaw.

The youth looked about nervously, before darting towards the sidewalk, making his way to the dumpster. As he reached it, he opened it up, and looked in, hoping that, this time, there would be a meal for himself and the others...

The screech of tires cut the air, as several black vans pulled up, surrounding him. The youth darted into a nearby alley, as numerous black-clad armed men poured out of the vans, chasing after him. The youth ran as fast as he could...until he came to a dead end, as the soldiers rapidly closed on him.

He bit back a cry as a dart plunged itself into his arm, before the tranquilizer in the dart flooded his bloodstream, enveloping his brain in a drugged haze. '*This must be...what happened...to the others...*' he thought, before he passed out.

As the mutant went under, the soldiers moved closer, placing their handguns in their forearm-holsters...just above their black arm-bands, with the white letters 'F.O.H.' stitched into them. As two soldiers carried the mutant away, their leader took out his communicator. "This is Squadron One calling in." he said. "You were right, sir; there *are* mutants hiding in the sewers."

"*As I thought.*" came the voice of Graydon Creed on the other side. *"Just like cockroaches. Our other test-subjects must be part of their group.*"

"It seems likely, sir." the soldier agreed. "Should we head under, and flush them out?"

"*Negative; we have all the test-subjects we need.*" Graydon replied. "*As much as we would all enjoy a hunt, we are on a tight schedule. Once the tests are done, however, we could always conduct a little...field-exercise; test out our new troops in actual field conditions.*"

The soldier smiled. "An *excellent* idea, sir!" he agreed. "Understood; Squadron One is returning to base." With that, he switched off his communicator, and rejoined his men, before they got back in their vehicles, driving off with their new test-subject.

*Castle Doom, Doomstadt, Latveria*

The skies over the foreboding Castle Doom were their usual gloomy grey, even as the sun's morning rays started hinting over the horizon. Deep within Castle Doom, in his private laboratory, Victor von Doom stood at a computer console, looking over a computer readout. '*Interesting.*' Doom thought to himself. He glanced to the shielded glass case, which held the glowing green crystalline element. **Even** I' *had not anticipated this substance's properties to be so fascinating.*'

"Father?"

Doom smiled to himself as Anita, in her uniform, entered his lab. "*Now, Anita,*" he lightly scolded, "*have I not often told you that I am not to be disturbed when I am in my lab?*"

Anita looked stricken, and lightly bowed. "Please forgive me, Father," she said, "but I wished to see you. I had not heard from you in several weeks, and I was worried..."

Doom turned to his daughter, and gently lifted her chin to meet his gaze. "*You need not have worried, my child. I was simply undertaking an extensive experiment, which produced some intriguing results.*" He gestured to the glass case.

Anita's eyes went wide as she saw the glowing green crystal. "Papa...is that..?"

Doom nodded. "*Yes, Anita. That is the element that Kal-El calls 'Kryptonite,' in its processed, refined form.*" he said. "*I have made several discoveries concerning its properties.*"

Anita smiled. "

Would you tell me, Papa?" She asked.

"*Of course.*" Doom replied, glad to answer his daughter's curiosity. "*This element, upon closer examination, is a trans-uranium element: Atomic Number 137. The only known source of it is the meteors that crashed into Earth 21 years ago; many of these meteors landed in Smallville, Kansas – in all likelihood, the meteors were chunks of Krypton that were hurled through space when the planet was destroyed. This suggests that the element either existed on Krypton as it exists now, or it was another element that was transmuted by the explosion.*"

Anita nodded. "And it is completely harmless to us?"

"*After only brief exposure, yes.*" Doom agreed. "*It is no more harmful than the ultra-violet rays in sunlight; only extensive exposure is carcinogenic. In its refined form, however, the radiation from the element is considerably stronger, comparable in strength to weapons-grade uranium or plutonium.*"

Anita's eyes widened.

"Papa." She asked, "Could this form of Kryptonite...be used to make a weapon?"

"*Not an explosive weapon.*" Doom said. "*A unique property of this substance is that it is non-fissile; a fission weapon is impossible. However, its emissions **could** be focused into a beam-weapon.*"

"I see." Anita said softly. "So...you plan to make such a weapon?"

"*No.*" Doom replied. "*That is for our pawns; Kal-El must see the humanity he cares for turn on him and his loved ones, and with such a weapon at their disposal, he will have no choice but to accept his **true** destiny.*"

Doom looked to the crystal. "*Not only that.*" He added, "*But the rays of this refined element are considerably mutagenic; having such a weapon close by is a considerable risk. The operator of this weapon will have to be a non-manned vehicle.*" He chuckled. "*I do not believe that will be an obstacle for our pawns, given what they are planning.*"

Anita nodded.

"If *that* doesn't convince him of his foolishness, I do not know what *will*." She said.

Doom nodded. "*I have learned that, two weeks prior, Kal-El made contact with Namor and his family.*" He said. "*They initially met at Richards' headquarters, before proceeding to the Atlantic, where they proceeded with a salvage operation of some sort, with Richards' assistance.*"

Anita frowned.

"There's *no* accounting for taste with my future husband." She said archly. She remained composed, though her left hand clenched into a fist. "Just look at who he's dating."

Doom lightly chuckled; if there was *any* soul whose hatred and disdain of Reed Richards exceeded his own, it was Anita. Even *his* voice did not carry that edge of venom when Richards' name was uttered.

"*Our reckoning with Richards will come soon enough, my child.*" He said. "*As will **yours** with that Blaire girl.*"

Anita nodded dutifully. "Yes, Papa."

"*Naturally, our pawns should learn of these findings; already, they are experimenting with the element's mutagenic properties.*" Doom said. "*But enough of that, my dear; you should return to Bayville. After all, you have school.*"

Anita chuckled. "As if those buffoons could teach me *anything* that you cannot." she said.

"*Nevertheless, you should not pass up any opportunity to observe Xavier's students.*"

Anita nodded. "Yes, Father." she said. With that, she left the lab, leaving Doom to his thoughts.

*Xavier Institute, Bayville, April 27, 2008*

It was fairly late in the afternoon when Superman returned to the Institute, the faintest hints of red starting to color the horizon. After heading to his room to change back to his street clothes, Clark headed downstairs, to see what everyone else was doing.

It had been a fairly quiet day. At the Bugle, there hadn't been any major stories to cover, so all he'd really had to do was catch up on his paperwork. After that, he'd headed to the Fortress, to continue work on the *Argo.* After only a couple of weeks, he figured he was making pretty good progress; he'd managed to patch up the Speeder's hull, reinstall the damaged Ion Cannon and repair the other Cannon, and started the upgrades he was planning to install. He'd had to reconfigure the main power-core, and add an extra EPM to compensate for the excess power-consumption that the upgrades would require. After that, he'd started modifying the shield generator according to Jor-El's specifications; based on his father's notes, it was possible to generate a kind of "energy-armor" that was *infinitely* stronger than the Speeder's conventional shields, as well as a cloaking system that would render the *Argo* completely undetectable to radar, visual detection, and most other scanning technologies. Once that was done, he could start tweaking the Speeder's weapon-systems, and give the relatively-light-armed *Argo* a little extra *oomph*. The most difficult task was proving to be installing a Trans-Warp Drive. After moving the *Krypton* to the Fortress, Clark had gotten a whole new respect for the intricate complexities of the Drive.

As Clark walked downstairs, he was surprised to see that no-one else was in the living room. "Hello?" he called, as he walked through the living room and into the kitchen. "Guys?"

No answer.

Passing through the kitchen, he came to the dining room, which was completely dark. He flipped on the light switch. "Hello?"

"*SURPRISE!*"

Clark nearly jumped through the *ceiling* as he saw the entire Institute family gathered in the dining room, each one holding a gift, with a birthday-cake on the table...with his Ma standing next to the table.

The entire group moved closer to him, but Alison was the first one to reach him.

"Happy Birthday, Clarkie!" She cooed.

"What?" Clark said. "But..." He mentally smacked himself. "Aw, dang it!" He laughed, returning Alison's embrace. "Thanks, everyone!"

"*Dude*, you forgot *again?*" Evan laughed.

"How can you forget your *birthday?*" Jubilee exclaimed.

"I'm not surprised, honestly." Thunderbird commented dryly.

"Oh, leave him alone!" Martha said, smiling. "Heaven knows, my boy's been busier than a worker bee in a flower-garden, with that job of his!" Her smile grew, as she walked over, giving Clark a hug. "Happy Birthday, honey!"

Clark grinned, returning his mother's hug.

"Thanks, Ma." He said. "Let me guess; Professor Xavier coordinated this whole thing so I wouldn't catch on, right?"

The Professor smiled knowingly.

"Thought so."

"But, seriously, Clark; *how* can you forget your birthday?" Bobby asked.

Clark smiled sheepishly. "Because it's *not*, technically." he admitted. "Today is the day, 21 years ago, that my ship landed on Earth; we just figured that this day was as good a day as any to celebrate it."

Remy chuckled. "Dat works f'r us, *mon ami.*"

Amara nodded.

"This *was* the day that you arrived on this world." She agreed.

"Thanks." Clark said. Grinning, he added, "Well, since you all went to such trouble, let's get started!" With that, they all headed into the dining room, to commence with the celebration.

The celebration went pretty well, Clark had to admit. His Ma had outdone herself with the cake she'd baked, to everyone's delight. After the meal, the others presented their gifts to him, which included a DVD of "Heartbreak Ridge," the only movie that was missing from his Pa's old Clint Eastwood movie collection, a knitted red-and-blue sweater – from his Ma, of course – and a collection of episodes from the old TV comedy "Mork and Mindy."

After a few hours of watching the hilarious antics of Robin Williams' character – Mork from Ork – as he tried to fit in on Earth, Clark and the others decided to call it a night. As most of the others started to retire, Clark headed out to the balcony, to watch the stars, like he always did on this day. Today was about his birth-parents – Jor-El and Lara – as much as it was about him. If they hadn't sent him to Earth...

"Everything okay, honey?"

Clark smiled as his Ma walked onto the balcony, standing next to him. "Yeah, everything's fine, Ma." He replied.

Martha smiled. "Just remembering?"

Clark nodded. "Sometimes I just wonder if...if they'd be proud of me, if they were still here."

Martha hugged her son.

"Oh, honey...they'd be the proudest parents in the entire *universe*." She said. "Just like your father and I."

Clark smiled.

"Thanks, Ma." He replied. His tone turned sad. "I miss him." He whispered.

"I do, too, sweetheart." Martha answered. "I do, too."

Just then, Alison peeked her head out through the door, smiling shyly. "Am I interrupting?"

Martha smiled.

"Not at *all*, honey; we're all done." She said. To Clark, she added, "I'll just leave you two alone; I have to get ready to go home, anyway."

Clark smiled. "Okay, Ma. It was great to see you!"

"It was great to see you, too, Clark. Don't be a stranger." Martha replied, before she headed back inside.

Alison smiled as she walked closer to Clark, who looped his arm around her shoulders in a loving gesture. "So, what were you and your Mom talking about?" Alison sweetly inquired.

"Oh, you know...just family stuff." Clark replied.

Alison nodded, before her smile turned sheepish. "I hope you didn't find my gift *too* lame."

Clark grinned.

"*Taushi*, I *loved* it." He replied. Alison's gift to him had been a ceramic hand-sized model of the planet Earth, with a message-card saying, '*Without you, this would SUCK.*'

Alison smiled. "Regardless, I have a 'back-up' gift for you, but it's for tomorrow." She said. "Starting late-night tomorrow, a week-long horror-movie marathon is starting. I was hoping we could watch it."

Clark blinked in mild confusion. "Okay."

Alison laughed. "You big blue doofus...you don't get it, do you?" She sweetly teased. "Didn't you hear Bobby's 'theory'?"

"Well, sure." Clark said. "Last week, he said that nothing turns a girl on faster than a good horror movie..." His eyes widened in understanding. "*Oh!*"

Alison smiled slyly. "Two tickets to Make-Out City, please!"

Clark grinned, and gave his *taushi* a kiss. "You are the best girlfriend *ever!*"

Alison smiled at the compliment, before her gaze turned skyward, becoming a bit anxious. "So...do you think that Jor-El and Lara would – I mean, if they were still around – would...approve of me?"

Clark smiled.

"What? Ali, they would just *love* you!" He laughed.

Alison smiled weakly. "Even though I'm not...one of you?"

Clark nodded. "Alison, I'm pretty sure my people mostly grew out of xenophobia and prejudice a long time ago; such things have no place in a space-faring society."

Alison looked worried. "But...what about that guy Kon-Lir? Didn't he get disciplined for falling in love with a human?"

Clark nodded in understanding, seeing what she was worried about. "Ali, Kon-Lir was reprimanded because he interfered – though unintentionally – with humanity. He was disciplined because his actions could have altered the course of human evolution; he was punished for affecting *you*, not us." He answered. "It was nothing against humanity."

Alison smiled. "You really think they'd like me?"

"I *know* it." Clark said. "My parents would love you to *pieces*, Ali...and if Krypto was still around, he'd have *adored* you, too."

Alison blinked. "Who?"

"Krypto." Clark answered. "He was my family's dog, just before Krypton was destroyed."

Alison smiled.

"You had *dogs*, too?" She exclaimed.

Clark nodded. "Yeah; they were pretty much identical to Earth dogs – the wonders of co-evolution!" he said. "Anyway, Jor-El adopted Krypto a few months after I was born; I found reference to him in my father's notes." His tone turned sad. "Jor-El had needed to make sure that Trans-Warp travel was safe for living beings; he was pretty confident that it was safe, but he needed to *test* that theory...so he used Krypto as a passenger for an automated Trans-Warp ship. He was right – Krypto came through Trans-Warp okay in suspended animation...but the ship was lost in a spatial rift. Jor-El searched for him, but never found him. A month later, Krypton was destroyed."

Alison looked stricken. "That's awful...that poor little puppy..."

Clark nodded. "The ship's power cells were pretty strong, just in case something like this ever happened," he said, "but they should be running out, right about now, and who *knows* where Krypto's ship is in space."

Alison nodded sadly, placing a hand on Clark's shoulder.

"Wherever he is, he'll be going to a better place." She said.

Clark smiled.

"Thanks, Ali." He replied. With that, they headed back inside.

*Deep space, just beyond Pluto's orbit*

The light of the main sun of this system was incredibly faint as the tiny Kryptonian ship, its silver hull dulled with space-dust, glided into the system, its main engines giving off a faint glow, as its EPM-power waned.

*Observation: main power 98 percent depleted.*

*Observation: life-support failure will occur in 10 standard minutes.*

*Action: continue scanning for tracking signal.*

Slowly, the dying ship cruised into the system, still carrying its canine occupant, now aged to adulthood through the slowness of suspended animation. As it flew, the ship continued scanning, in the vain hope that the beacon could be found...

*Observation: beacon found.*

*Observation: beacon-signal located on north-magnetic pole of third planet of system.*

*Action: lock onto beacon and initiate Trans-Warp Drive.*

*Action: plot course for stable re-entry into atmosphere and activate rescue transponder.*

At once, the ship extended its wings and pylons, stirred to life by the beacon it had been searching for. In seconds, the pylons were energized, and the ship took off at Trans-Warp speeds, streaking through space, and exiting Trans-Warp at the very edges of the blue planet's atmosphere, where it powered down its Trans-Warp Drive, retracting its wings and pylons, and began transmitting its distress signal, which only Kryptonian receivers could detect.

*Action: commence re-animation sequence.*

As the ship began to glow red with heat from re-entry, the canine passenger within the vessel began to stir, emerging from the cryogenic suspension that he had slept in for so long...

As the blanket of night fell across the Institute, Clark was getting ready to start his evening patrol. He had already donned his uniform, and was getting ready to head out through the nearby window...

Suddenly, his belt-computer started to beep. Surprised, Superman unclipped the computer and unfolded it, to check the alarm.

*Alert: Trans-Warp event detected. Incoming object detected from Trans-Warp event; object is in re-entry.*

*That* surprised him; as far as he knew, Krypton had been the only civilization to develop Trans-Warp technology. If *another* space-faring society with Trans-Warp capability was in this system, he *had* to check it out. Besides, whoever these people were, they needed help; coming out of a Trans-Warp burn so close to atmosphere was *darn* hard to control, he knew from experience.

Quickly, Superman darted to the nearby window, opened it, and flew off at top speeds, a sonic boom echoing behind him, as he soared towards the falling vessel.

Within minutes, Superman had intercepted the falling ship, high above the Earth; the vessel was quite small, only large enough to hold one person, at *most*...and it looked eerily similar to the ship that had brought him to Earth, the *Krypton*. Whatever it was, it had *definitely* seen better days. '*It must have been traveling through space for years...*'

Quickly, Superman grabbed hold of the ship, and lifted, alerting its course, as the glowing red heat of re-entry began to dissipate. Superman carried the vessel towards the United States, setting it down in an empty field just outside of New York, far from prying eyes. As he set the tiny vessel down, Superman had time to take a look at the ship's hull...

...and he *froze*.

The characters written on the hull were *unmistakable.* '*My God...this writing is **Kryptonian!***' Superman thought. The message was clear: '*Trans-Warp prototype. If found, please return to Jor-El, Area 6487, Arctura Sector.*'

'*This was...my father's prototype ship.*' Superman thought; the ship was not only *similar* to the *Krypton*...it was practically *identical* in shape – the only real difference was that *this* ship was *smaller*.

Just then, the canopy-panel opened on the front of the ship...and a distinctly canine groan came from inside.

Superman didn't dare move as a fully-grown dog climbed out of the cockpit; the dog had short white fur, slightly floppy ears, honest blue-green eyes, a small black nose, and a white, slightly bushy tail, with a red collar around his neck...

...a collar with the crest of the House of El emblazoned on it.

As Superman looked at the dog in sheer surprise, the dog groggily opened its eyes, and saw him. The dog immediately started to snarl, baring his teeth...but then suddenly stopped, sniffed the air...

"*Arf! Arf!*"

The dog's happy barks confirmed it. "*Krypto?!*" Superman exclaimed.

"*Arf!*" Krypto barked happily, as if he was answering the question.

"I don't *believe* it!" Superman exclaimed. "Come here, boy!"

Krypto didn't need any more invitation than that; instantly, he jumped at Superman, knocking him down, and promptly started to lick his face.

Superman laughed at his old family pet's show of affection.

"Okay, okay!" He chuckled, as Krypto stopped, letting him stand up, as he sat at his feet, panting happily. "It's *great* to see you, Krypto!" He added, patting Krypto's head. "Now, let's go home, okay?"

Krypto barked in agreement.

"Now, it's not the home *you* remember, boy." Superman said, "but I think you'll like it." With that, he picked up Krypto under one arm, and then lifted up the ship with his other hand, and then took to the sky, flying towards the Institute.

Within a few minutes, Superman had touched down on the back yard of the Institute, and set Krypto and the ship down; the very second that his paws touched solid ground, Krypto started to sniff around the yard, his nose working overtime, as he tried to get his bearings from all the new smells that were assaulting his nostrils. Superman chuckled. **That's right; Krypto's never smelled a** human'*, before...*'

Just then, the back doors opened, as Logan emerged from the Institute, his claws extended...and then he retracted them as he saw Superman. "*Flyboy?*" he asked. "What're you doing back so early?" He then spotted Krypto and the ship. "What's with the pooch...and what the *hell* is *that?*"

The unfamiliar scent instantly put Krypto on alert; the dog started snarling, baring his teeth, hunching down, ready to spring. "Krypto, *heel!*" Superman said firmly. At once, Krypto obeyed, ceasing his growling, and sitting at Superman's feet, though he was still fixing Logan with a wary gaze.

Logan arched an eyebrow. "If you wanted a pet for your birthday, Flyboy, you just needed to *ask*."

Superman smiled sheepishly. "Yeah...I guess I have some explaining to do." he admitted. "Let's just head inside." To Krypto, he added, "Here, boy!" With that, Superman and Logan headed back into the Institute, with Krypto following.

From what Superman could gather, his early return had awoken the others, as the entire Institute family had gathered in the living room, curious as to his early return. '*Well, I guess that's good; I can tell everyone all at the same time.*' he thought.

"Well, Clark," Professor Xavier said, an eyebrow arched quizzically, "this is certainly a surprise."

Superman chuckled, nervously scratching the back of his head. "You're telling *me!*"

"You got a *dog?*" Jamie exclaimed, nudging his way through the older New Mutants, to look at Krypto. "That's so *cool!*" He moved closer to Krypto, extending his hand. "Hi, boy!"

At once, Krypto backed up warily, unsure what to make of all these strange-smelling creatures. Superman chuckled. "It's okay, Krypto." he assured the bewildered dog. "They're friends." To the others, he added, "Don't worry; he's just never smelled humans, before."

Ororo's eyes widened in surprise.

"He *hasn't?*" She repeated.

"Start talkin', Flyboy." Logan said. "That ain't yer run-of-the-mill pooch, isn't it?"

Superman sighed, and shook his head. "No, Krypto *isn't* like any dog you'd find at a pet store." he said. With that, he began to tell the others the story of how Krypto had been lost in space before Krypton was destroyed.

When he finished, no-one spoke for a few minutes...and then Alison smiled. "Clark, that's *great!*" She exclaimed. To the others, she explained, "Clark was only just telling me about how Krypto was lost, this evening, and now Krypto is *here!*"

Scott smiled. "Looks like you weren't the *only* survivor of Krypton, after all." He quipped.

Superman grinned. "Hey, I'm not complaining."

"Oh, you poor thing!" Kitty exclaimed, kneeling to Krypto's level. "You were lost in space, all alone..." Her expression brightened. "But don't worry, Krypto; we're *all* going to take good care of you!"

Lance chuckled.

"As long as he doesn't eat any of Kit's muffins, he'll be fine." He joked, which earned him a half-hearted elbow-jab from Kitty.

Jubilee turned an imploring gaze on the Professor.

"Can we keep him, Professor?" She pleaded.

Jamie picked up where Jubilee had left off. "Oh, *please, please, **please*** can we keep him?"

The Professor chuckled. "I see no reason why not..."

The New Mutants promptly cheered.

"Hold on." Logan interjected. He turned to Clark. "He's *your* responsibility, Flyboy. That means that *you* feed him, *you* walk him, and so help me, if he *ever* leaves a mess on the floor, *you're* cleaning it up!"

Superman chuckled.

"Sounds fair." He replied. To Krypto, he added, "Krypto, meet your new family!"

At that, Krypto slowly moved closer to the others, and began to carefully sniff each of them, one-by-one. As he sniffed Rahne, he took an extra sniff, as if he was making sure he was smelling correctly. As he sniffed Logan, he let out a soft grunt, as if to say, '*Watch it, buster.*'

Logan snorted. "Same to you, Pooch."

Then, Krypto came to Alison. He sniffed her, and then paused, as if confused. He then sniffed again...

...and he started to pant happily. "*Arf! Arf!*" He barked, before he jumped at Alison, and started licking her rapidly.

"*Eeeewww!*" Alison laughed under Krypto's barrage. "You goofy mutt! Quit it!" Promptly, Krypto stopped, letting Alison sit up. Smiling, Alison scratched Krypto's head, behind his ears. "Well, he's certainly a friendly fella!" She said. Chuckling, she added, "If just a little sloppy!"

Superman grinned. "What can I say? I guess he just has good taste!"

Alison lightly blushed at that.

Slowly, the other students moved closer to Krypto, and started to pat him on the head. At first, Krypto was a bit anxious, but he slowly started to pant happily, his tail wagging.

"Alright, alright, break it up." Logan muttered. "It's late enough, already; everyone get back to bed. Just make sure you get that ship out of sight, Flyboy; we don't need people seein' a spaceship on our lawn."

Superman chuckled. "On it." he replied. With that, he headed back outside, and Krypto followed him, while everyone else headed back to bed. Outside, Superman simply picked up the ship, and carried it down to the cliff-side entrance to the hangar bay, where he tapped his belt-computer, opened the hangar doors, and deposited the ship in the hangar, before flying out, shutting the hangar behind him. He then flew back to the back yard, and touched down next to Krypto, who had been waiting for him.

Superman knelt by his dog.

"Listen, boy." He said, "I just need to go do my patrol, so I want you to stay here and be good, okay?"

Krypto let out a little whine.

"I know, I know, but I'll be back soon, Krypto. I *promise.*" Superman said. "Just wait here, okay?"

Krypto barked in agreement.

Smiling, Superman gave his pet a scratch behind the ears, before he took to the sky, flying off at top speed, starting his patrol.

After a few hours of patrolling, Superman hadn't picked up any emergencies; it was a quiet night. After finishing up his patrol over Australia, Superman turned and flew back to the Institute. Within minutes, he was over his home; looking down, he smiled as he saw Krypto sitting on the back porch, waiting patiently for him. As he descended, Krypto perked up, and started barking happily as Superman dropped altitude, before he touched down.

"Hey, boy!" Superman said, smiling as Krypto darted to his side. "It's been a busy day for the *both* of us, so let's go inside, okay?" Krypto barked in agreement, and Superman headed inside, with Krypto following him. After changing out of his uniform and into his black boxers and white t-shirt, Clark promptly brushed his teeth, headed to his room, got into bed, and switched off the lights. Seconds later, Krypto zipped into his room, hopped onto the bed, and curled up at Clark's feet, before closing his eyes. Clark could only smile, before he, too, fell asleep.

Today, he'd gotten back a little piece of Krypton.

He couldn't have been happier.

As the dead of night fell over Bayville, two shadows darted across the streets in front of the Xavier Institute. They stopped just in front of the gates. "Is he in there?" one figure – clearly a female – asked, as the moonlight glinted off of her one good eye.

"Yes..." the second figure – a male – replied, his voice soft, as the moon made his bald head shine, only making his deathly pallor seem paler, "...but hard to see which one is him..."

"Why, Caliban?" The female shadow asked.

The other shadow winced in concentration. "There is one in there...he is different from the others." He said. "Too powerful...he blinds my sight, Callisto."

Callisto frowned.

"Then we can't risk going in." She replied. "Unless we know *exactly* where Ray is, we can't risk setting off the alarms...and if this 'one' is as powerful as you say, then we mustn't risk encountering him. We'll have to wait until tomorrow." With that, the two silently moved away from the Institute gates, and darted back into the streets, heading for a nearby manhole. Callisto lifted up the cover, and she and Caliban slipped into the manhole, replacing the cover behind them.

As her alarm clock rang, a very groggy Alison sat up in bed, groaning to herself as she shut off her alarm.

She hadn't slept a *wink*, last night. After the revelation of Krypto, she hadn't been able to get back to sleep; she'd been tossing and turning with a mild fever all *night*, which, coupled with a sudden headache-attack, making every noise *deafening*, made sleep *impossible*. Even now, the fever was lingering a bit, though it felt like it was fading. Putting on her blue bathrobe, Alison made her way downstairs, to get breakfast.

As she reached the kitchen, Alison found that, with the exception of Clark, everyone was at the table, having breakfast. "Hey, Ali...*whoa!* You look like *hell!*" Kitty exclaimed, and then quickly covered her mouth. "O-Oh my *gosh*, I-I'm so *sorry!*" she said. "I didn't mean..!"

"It's okay, Kitty." Alison replied, half-smiling weakly as she poured herself a glass of orange juice. "I *feel* like hell."

Jean looked concerned.

"Do you want to stay home, today?" She inquired. "We could just tell the Professor that you're sick..."

"No, I'm okay." Alison said. "I think this bug should be out of my system shortly; no problem."

"Hey, guys," Ray spoke up, "me, Bobby, Roberto and Jubes were going to head to the mall, today. Anyone else want to go?"

"Not me." Amara said glumly. "I have an assignment."

"Aye; me, too." Rahne added.

"Hey, vere's Clark?" Kurt asked. "Doesn't he have vork, today?"

"I think he got up early, to take Krypto for a walk." Scott replied.

Remy chuckled. "Remy t'ink dat it be more accurate t' say dat Krypto took *Clark* f'r a walk."

Logan looked up from his paper, an eyebrow arched. "Why do ya say *that*, Gumbo?"

"Remy jus' gon' say dis: from what Remy seen, it be safe t' say dat Krypto got a lot more in common wit' Boy Scout den jus' a home planet."

No-one spoke for a minute.

"Wait..." Roberto said, "...are you saying that *Krypto* has super-powers, *too?*"

"Apparently."

Everyone turned to see Clark walk in, with Krypto promptly following him.

"Remy's right." Clark said, chuckling. He reached down to scratch Krypto's ears. "Krypto seems to have some of the same powers *I* do; super-speed, at *least*, and I wouldn't be surprised if he already has super-hearing and vision!"

"*Cool!*" Jamie exclaimed.

Evan chuckled. "Krypto the Superdog."

"Now we've seen *everything.*" Rogue quipped.

Clark smiled. "I guess we shouldn't be surprised." he said. "Legends were told of ancient Krypton, during the Age of Wars, before the sun went red, that spoke of mighty war-hounds that followed their masters into battle. These war-hounds were said to have many of the same gifts as Kryptonian warriors, and it was said that it took many strikes to bring even *one* such war-hound down." He patted Krypto's head. "Apparently, Kryptonian canines evolved the same kind of energy-transfer system that my people had, though not *quite* identical, since they lacked the kind of invulnerability that we had. Eventually, these war-hounds became the domesticated dog that lived on Krypton at the time of its destruction, much like the domesticated dogs of Earth."

Jean smiled. "It's nice to know that Kryptonians and humans had the same taste in pets."

By then, Krypto's nose had picked up the unmistakable scent of food coming from the kitchen table, and scampered over to the table-side, softly whimpering. "Krypto." Clark said firmly. "You were fed just an hour ago; you shouldn't be hungry. You can have a treat *later*." At that, Krypto grunted obediently, and walked back to Clark's side.

Lance chuckled. "No matter *what* planet they're from, dogs will be dogs."

Alison giggled. "Looks like it." she agreed, as she finished the last drop of her juice.

Clark turned to Alison, his eyes widening in concern. "Ali, are you okay?"

Alison nodded, lightly smiling.

"Just a little bug." She replied. "Anyway, guys, I'm not all that hungry." With that, she left the kitchen, heading back upstairs.

As Alison walked into her room to get her toothbrush, Clark followed her, gently placing his hands on her shoulders. "*Taushi*...what's wrong?"

"Nothing." Alison said, turning to meet her boyfriend's sky-blue gaze. "It's just a little fever. I'll be over it in an hour or two; no big deal!"

Clark wasn't buying it. "Ali...you had another headache-attack, didn't you?"

Alison sighed; she never *could* fool him. She nodded.

Clark's eyes filled with loving concern. "*Taushi*, you *need* to get those checked on..."

"I *tried!*" Alison cried, utterly frustrated. "I've *been* to the doctor, Clark! They tell me that nothing's wrong! They don't see *anything* wrong with my sinuses or *anything!*" She suppressed a sob, burying her face in her beau's chest. "Oh, *God*, Clarkie...what's *wrong* with me?"

Clark gently held her, comforting her *immensely*. "We'll figure it out, *taushi*." He promised. "We'll find a solution."

Alison smiled. "Thanks, *tausha*." she cooed, and she punctuated the sentence by standing up on her toes to kiss him on the cheek.

Clark grinned, and slowly released her from his embrace. "I'm really glad that you and Krypto get along so well, Ali." he whispered.

Alison giggled. "What can I say? I guess I just get along really well with aliens!" she cooed. Her smile became flirtatious. "You can just call me a Xenophile." she teased.

Clark smiled lovingly.

"And, *boy*, am I glad that you are." He joked. "Anyway, I'd better get ready for work." His expression became worried. "I hope Krypto will be okay until I get back..."

"Oh, don't worry, Clarkie!" Alison assured him. "The Professor, Mr. McCoy and Miss Munroe will be here, and so will Logan..." She paused. "On second thought, maybe you *should* worry!" She laughed.

Clark chuckled.

"I'll see you tonight, Ali." He said. "I hope you feel better." With that, he gave her a quick kiss, and headed to his room. Smiling to herself, Alison headed for the bathroom.

She felt better already.

Shortly after the Young Master said goodbye and left, Krypto watched as the other strange-smelling creatures – including Young Master's Mate, Sun-Hair – left, in several metal vehicles.

As much as he liked this new place, Krypto found it confusing. It didn't smell like home at *all*. Not only that, there were so many here; before, it had only been the Master, Master's Mate, and Young Master.

It had taken Krypto a while to notice, but this place was really a Pack-Home, though it was home to two separate Packs, who were really all *one* Pack. The first Pack consisted of the older creatures, including Young Master and his Mate; this Pack was apparently led by Strange-Eyes, with Fire-Hair as his alpha female. The second Pack consisted of the younger creatures, with Young Master as the Pack Leader, judging from the respect they gave him. There were also four older creatures: Big Blue Fur, Metal-Claw, Wind-Walker, and Man With Wheels, who was evidently the Pack Elder.

Left to his own devices, Krypto decided to look around his new home. As he came into the room with the big viewing-screen, he found Big Blue Fur sitting in one of the chairs, watching the screen; it was showing something about jungle-plants that Big Blue Fur was interested in.

Heading upstairs, Krypto found all the chambers that were used for sleeping. The only ones he recognized were those of Young Master and Sun-Hair. Krypto knew Young Master's scent from home, and his Mate had smelled very much like Young Master, so it was easy to recognize which chamber was hers.

After coming back downstairs, Krypto returned to the room with food, and found Metal-Claw leaning by the big white thing that housed food, sipping from some kind of a metal canister. Metal-Claw stopped in mid-sip to look at him. "Trust me, Pooch; you wouldn't like this stuff."

After taking a sniff, Krypto grunted. Metal-Claw was right; the stuff he was drinking smelled *awful.* After heading out of the food-room, Krypto decided to go outside; he simply pushed his paw against the door, and pushed it open, heading outside. As he came outside, Krypto found a large flower-garden, where Wind-Walker was tending to the plants. As he walked over, Wind-Walker turned to him, and smiled. "Why, hello, Krypto! Did you come to keep me company?" She said. She turned back to her garden, and then frowned to herself. "Hmm...I seem to have misplaced my spade." She said to herself. She looked around...and then saw it on the ground next to a potted plant. "Oh, there it is!"

Krypto spotted it, as well. Eager to help his new family, Krypto zipped over and picked up the gardening tool with his teeth; he didn't know what, but there was something about this new world that was making him faster, and stronger.

Wind-Walker smiled.

"My, aren't you a clever fellow!" She said. She held out her hand. "Bring it over!"

Promptly, Krypto zipped towards Wind-Walker, to give her the spade; unfortunately, he still wasn't quite used to his new speed. Krypto yelped in alarm as he tried to stop, only to slide *past* Wind-Walker, to crash into the nearby steps.

Wind-Walker chuckled as Krypto recovered, shaking himself off.

"Are you okay, Krypto?" She asked. Krypto grunted, and walked over to her at his regular pace, placing the spade in her hands. Wind-Walker smiled. "Thank you!" She said, before she got back to her gardening.

Krypto decided to look around a little more, leaving Wind-Walker to her work. In another section of the garden, Krypto found Man With Wheels sitting on the patio, reading a book. As Krypto walked closer to him, Man With Wheels smiled. "Hello, Krypto." he said. His smile grew, as he reached under his wheeled-chair, and took out a small, green rubber ball.

Krypto barked happily; he knew what that meant.

"Oh, so you *do* want to play!" Man With Wheels said. With that, he tossed the ball...

Krypto didn't wait for it to hit the ground; he leapt into the air – leaping over ten feet – to catch the ball in his teeth...and then he just *floated* there.

Krypto looked down at what he was doing, and let out a confused, "*Arf?*"

Man With Wheels chuckled. "Well, Clark was certainly right; you *do* have the same powers as he does, Krypto."

Slowly, Krypto managed to return to the ground, and dropped the ball back at Man With Wheels' feet. Just then, Man With Wheels headed back into the Pack-Home, and Krypto was about to follow him...

...when he smelled it.

Krypto froze in place as the delicious aroma filled his nostrils; it was a fair distance away...but there was no mistaking the mouth-watering scent of meat...

Instantly, Krypto darted off at top speed, becoming a white blur as he raced across the garden, leapt over the fence, and ran down the road, following the scent. In seconds, he had caught up with it: a metal vehicle, with the picture of a large, circular disc of bread, coated with red paste, yellow cheese, and topped with all kinds of delicious meats.

In seconds, Krypto caught up with the vehicle, and grabbed its rear bumper in his teeth, holding on tight; if he held on long enough, maybe it would stop and let him have some. The vehicle's wheels spun rapidly, kicking up smoke...until the rear bumper popped off, and the vehicle sped away.

All Krypto was left with was the metal bumper in his mouth. Softly whining, Krypto walked to the sidewalk, and put the bumper down. Just then, a familiar scent caught his nose, coming from the large building to the left, where many strange-smelling creatures were gathered.

It was Sun-Hair's scent!

Quickly, Krypto darted towards the building, keeping in the bushes so no-one would see him. The scent led into the main doors, but Krypto didn't think that being seen was a good idea. As he crept along, his nose picked up a few more familiar smells: Small Blue Fur, Wall-Walker, and Ground-Shaker! They were in the room just above, on the second floor!

Panting happily, Krypto hopped up, leaping up to the level of the second-story window, and looked in at his family members, before he dropped back to earth, where he hopped right up again, glad to have found the rest of his family.

*Bayville High*

It was the last class before lunch, and Kitty was bored to *tears*. **God, does Trig** always' *have to be so dull?*'

In front of her, Lance looked ready to fall asleep. To her left, Kurt, with his inducer active, was trying desperately to keep himself awake. On her right side, Amanda looked *just* as drowsy as Kurt.

Looking up, Kitty saw that there were only a few minutes left in class. '*Finally.*' She lowered her gaze, looking briefly to the window...

...*and seeing Krypto's head pop up from the ground below!*

*That* woke Kitty up. She looked again, making sure she was seeing correctly; sure enough, Krypto's head was popping into view every few seconds.

"*Lance!*" Kitty whispered, jostling her boyfriend awake. "*Look!*"

As Lance sleepily looked to the window, his eyes widened as he saw Krypto. So far, no-one else had seen the Kryptonian canine, but if *anyone* happened to look over...

Focusing, Lance generated a micro-quake, so faint that no-one could feel it...but enough to cause the shutters on the windows to drop, concealing Krypto. Before anyone could wonder what had happened, the lunch bell rang, and everyone left the classroom.

"*That* was *too* close." Kitty murmured, as she, Lance, Kurt, and Amanda headed for lunch.

"*I'll* say." Lance agreed. "It'd be tough to explain how a dog can jump over twenty feet straight up."

"Vait...zat vas *Krypto* at zhe vindow?" Kurt exclaimed. "*Mein Gott*, you got zhe shutters closed just in time!"

"Huh?" Amanda piped up. "What are you guys talking about? Who's Krypto?"

"Oh, sorry, *liebe.*" Kurt said, smiling sheepishly. "Krypto is Kal's dog from...back home."

Amanda's eyes widened in amazement. "You mean...he's from..?"

"Yep." Lance said.

"Wow."

"Yeah." Kitty agreed. "We'd better get to lunch; Scott and Jean will want to know about this." With that, the four of them headed to the outdoor cafeteria.

After her Chemistry class let out, Alison headed to her locker to stow her books before going to lunch.

She was feeling much better, now; like she'd told Clark, she'd just had a little bug.

Just then, as she put her Chem text in her locker, her cell phone rang. She promptly answered it. "Hello?"

"*Hi, sweetheart.*"

Alison automatically smiled. "Hi, Dad!" She replied. "How are things at the office?"

"*Busy; we're still working on the Fisk case – we're still trying to find evidence to put that bastard away for **good.***"

Alison nodded. Her father had recently told her that his firm was prosecuting Wilson Fisk – the Kingpin – for an illegal arms shipment that had been seized a while ago...thanks to Clark's listening to Fisk's phone calls and reporting anonymously to the police. "You'll get him, Dad; I *know* it!"

"*Thanks, honey.*" Carter replied. "*And how are you? How are things going at your...special school?*"

Alison smiled; recently, she'd confided in her father that she was a mutant – she'd told him during their last dinner, and she was *immensely* relieved at how well he'd taken it. "Things are going great!" she said.

"*That's good, Alison. Anyway, I can't wait to meet this 'Kal' who's made my little girl so happy!*"

Alison's smile grew. "Actually, Dad...you kinda know him already."

"*I'm not following you, sweetheart.*"

Alison looked around, making sure that no-one else was listening. "Dad," she whispered, "'Kal' is *Clark!* You know, Mr. and Mrs. Kent's son?"

There was a pause. "*Really?*" Carter asked. "*He's back?*"

Alison nodded. "The reason he left was to find his birth-family, Dad; 'Kal' is his birth-name. He just uses it so that none of those crazy paparazzi figure out who he really is and harass poor Mrs. Kent to death!" That *was* true, though it wasn't the *only* reason Clark used his birth name.

"*Oh, I see.*" her father replied. She could hear the smile in his voice. "*Well, that **does** sound like him, all right.*"

Alison smiled. "He's still the same, absolutely *wonderful* guy I had a crush on as a little girl, Daddy." she said. "I *love* him, and he loves *me!*"

"*I'm so happy for you, sweetheart. I'm **definitely** looking forward to seeing you two in a few weeks.*"

Alison sighed piteously. "*Please* tell me that Aunt Embeth isn't coming."

Her father sighed. "*I'm sorry, Alison, but you know that sister of mine; once she's made up her mind, it's **impossible** to change it.*"

Alison groaned. "Terrific."

"*I'm sorry, honey, but I've got to go; lunch is over.*"

"Okay." Alison said, smiling. "I love you, Daddy!"

"*I love you, too, sweetheart. I'll see you soon! 'Bye!*"

"'Bye!" Alison replied, and she hung up, before heading to meet her friends for lunch outside.

Alison was just about to walk into the outdoor cafeteria...when she felt her fever start to come back. It came on so suddenly, Alison had to lean against the wall for support. Her vision started to blur for a moment...and then she regained focus, though she still felt feverish.

"What's the matter, Blaire? Under the weather?"

'*Oh, I do **not** need this.*' Alison thought, as she looked up to see Anita standing a few feet from her; no-one else was nearby, so the little witch had decided to take advantage of her rival's illness. "Go *away*, LeRoux." Alison muttered.

Anita smirked. "Had one too many recordings?" she snapped. "One too many late nights?"

Alison rolled her eyes. "Doesn't your old man have some masses for you to oppress? Or has he already cornered the psycho-dictator market?"

Anita's eyes narrowed in sheer *fury*. "You *little*..!" She hissed, and she stormed towards Alison, her fist clenched. Alison braced herself for a fight...

Suddenly, a white blur tackled into Anita, knocking her down. "Who *dares?!*" Anita shrieked, but her shout trailed off, as her eyes widened in sheer *horror*.

Krypto was now standing between Alison and Anita, facing Anita and *growling*, ready to attack at the *slightest* provocation.

Alison couldn't help but smile at how the tables had turned. "Anita, this is Krypto, Kal's dog from back home." She said. "Krypto, Anita."

Anita gulped, her face pale as she got back up.

"H-He should get t-that mangy mutt tested f-for r-rabies." She said, trying to sound confident.

'*Looks like someone has an Achilles' heel when it comes to dogs.*' Alison thought. Smiling, she reached down to scratch Krypto's ears; at her touch, Krypto started panting happily, and then resumed growling at Anita as Alison withdrew her hand.

"He doesn't seem rabid to *me*." Alison said. "I think it's time for you to go."

Krypto barked in agreement.

Anita's eyes narrowed angrily. "This is *not* over, Blaire."

"Krypto thinks it is." Alison retorted. Krypto barked again, as if to emphasize the point, and at that, Anita walked off, a bit quicker than she normally did whenever they traded barbs.

Smiling, Alison knelt down and gave Krypto a little hug. "*Good boy!*" she exclaimed. Krypto barked happily, and gave Alison a tiny lick on the cheek. Alison stood back up. "I know we're not supposed to have pets *inside* the school...but they didn't say anything about having pets *outside* the school." she added. "I guess you can stick around for a little while." With that, she headed to lunch, and Krypto followed.

When lunch came around, Scott and Jean headed out of their Biology class and went outside with the rest of the student body; now that spring was here, they were allowed to eat outside, for a change. Before too long, the others met them at their usual table, along with Amanda, Paul, and Taryn, who had become part of their little band since they'd learned their secret.

"So Krypto followed us to school?" Tabitha asked.

"Looks like it." Lance replied.

Taryn chuckled. "Well, you have to admit, that's kinda cute." she said.

Scott frowned. "Not when he's got the same abilities that Kal does; he could have been *seen*."

"Yeah; good luck tryin' to cover *that* up!" Rogue agreed. "What could we have said? That Krypto was a runaway circus-dog?"

Jean nodded. "Still, it's not like we can just put him on a leash."

Evan chuckled. "Yeah; if he's as strong as Kal, he'd just rip the whole thing right up out of the ground."

Paul chuckled. "Good luck paper-training him." he joked.

Remy glanced to their side. "Speak o' de devil."

Scott turned, and saw Alison walk up to them, followed by Krypto. "Talking about Krypto?" Alison asked.

"He was jumping up to our Trig class window." Kitty said. "He could've been *seen*, Ali!"

"Well, don't get *too* mad at him." Alison replied. "We just had a little run-in with LeRoux, and I learned something interesting: apparently, Anita *hates* dogs."

Rogue chuckled. "That's a surprise. Ah figured she'd *relate* to her own kind."

That quip made *everyone* laugh.

"I *know!*" Taryn agreed. "She is an absolute *witch!*"

"And she's *still* trying to get between you and Kal, Ali?" Amanda asked. "*God*, can't she take a *hint?*"

Alison smiled wryly. "Doesn't look like it." she said. Then, she put her hand to her head.

Kitty looked worried. "Is it your fever again, Ali?"

Alison nodded.

"*And* one of my headaches." She murmured, scrunching her eyes.

Amanda looked stricken.

"*Another* one?" She asked. "Ali, you need to see a *doctor*..."

"She *did*, Mandy." Kurt said. "Even Herr McCoy at zhe Institute couldn't find zhe problem."

Alison slowly opened her eyes. "Okay...it's gone, now." she said. "But these attacks are getting old *fast.*"

"I can imagine." Jean said.

Just then, the bell rang, signaling that lunch was over. As they all got up to go back to class, Alison knelt by Krypto. "Okay, Krypto, you need to go home, now. We'll see you soon, okay?" Krypto barked in agreement, and scampered off, heading for home, as Alison followed the others, heading for class.

As Krypto left the building, he paused, sniffing the air. Home was *that* way...but there were so many interesting smells coming from the *other* direction, towards the tall buildings.

One little look-around couldn't be bad.

Turning, Krypto scampered off at high speeds, towards the city, to see what he could find.

After school let out, Ray, Roberto, Bobby, and Jubilee promptly caught the bus going into New York City, to head to the mall, as planned. Before long, the bus pulled into the New York Mall, and the four of them got out. "So, what're we gonna do?" Roberto asked.

"Well, first I was going to go to the music store, to pick up a copy of Ali's new CD." Jubilee said. She shyly glanced to Bobby. "But, after that...I don't have any plans..."

Bobby smiled sheepishly. "Hey, Jubes...after you get that CD...do you wanna...maybe...catch a movie?"

"I'd...like that." Jubilee replied.

Ray chuckled. "Well, I'm heading to the arcade; I've got a wallet full of quarters and nothing better to do with them!"

"I just need to pick up a new pair of soccer cleats; my old ones have holes in them." Roberto said. "But, after that, I'll drop by the arcade." He grinned. "Up for some table-hockey, Crisp?"

Ray grinned back. "Anytime, anywhere, DeCosta!"

"We'll meet back here in three hours, to get the bus home." Bobby said. "See you then." With that, they headed off, towards the mall, going their separate ways as they stepped inside.

As he walked towards the arcade, Ray passed by an old fire exit...and stopped; he thought he'd heard something...

"*Psst!*"

Turning, Ray thought he saw the old exit cracked open a bit. Slowly, he walked towards it, to get a better look...

The second he got close enough, the door opened, and a pair of hands grabbed him and pulled him through. Ray stumbled a bit, but quickly recovered, and turned to face his assailants.

His eyes widened in surprise as he saw who it was...

*Undisclosed location*

Steam erupted from rusted pipes as Graydon Creed walked down the darkened hallway, before he came into the observation room that overlooked the laboratory.

"What's the project status, Doctor?" he demanded.

The main researcher on the project turned to him nervously. "W-Well, sir." He stammered, "As I previously told you, as this is our first time doing this kind of experiment, we could expect to see quite a few losses from the volunteers."

Graydon frowned. "How many?"

The scientist gulped. "N-Next time, we'll have a better idea of how to refine the infusion process..."

Graydon leaned in closer, his eyes narrowed. "*How...many?*" he asked, with slowly growing fury.

"S-Sixteen, sir."

"*Sixteen?!*" Graydon snarled. "We lost *sixteen out of twenty?!*"

The scientist stepped back. "S-Sir, this element is extremely carcinogenic – *especially* in the refined form that our benefactor told us about." he said. "Not only that, its infusion into our subjects caused severe degeneration of brain tissue at an even *faster* rate than it increased muscle mass! We lost half of our initial subjects to sudden onsets of cancer, and of the ten that survived, six of *those* underwent massive psychotic breakdowns after the third infusion process; they suffered hallucinations, paranoia, violent outbursts...*everything* associated with severe psychotic disorders! It took an entire platoon of soldiers to pacify even *one!* We were *lucky* that our losses weren't *worse!*"

Graydon calmed down. "And what of the four that survived?"

The scientist smiled, eager to present good news. "The survivors all show exceptional tolerance to the infusions, sir! Their muscle mass is over 200 percent above normal human levels, indicative of superhuman strength and stamina! MRI scans show no indication of infusion-related brain degeneration! Basically, sir, they're all ready to go!"

Graydon smiled. "Good, Doctor. Excellent work." he said. "Where are they, now?"

The scientist smiled, and gestured to one screen; the screen showed a recreation chamber...where four tall, immensely muscled men were relaxing. They were all wearing black pants, with no shirts; there were no clothes large enough to fit their increases in size. Their veins were visible under their skin...and were a toxic *green*, which matched the color of their eyes.

These were all that remained of the twenty brave soldiers who had volunteered for this program, Graydon thought grimly. These men were what Project: Weapon X *should* have been: an attempt to fight the mutant menace on their *own* terms. Instead of using mutants to hunt mutants, these men – these true soldiers of humanity – had volunteered to undergo an untested procedure that infused their bodies, their very DNA, with a previously unknown mutagenic element.

Graydon smiled. "And the test subjects?"

The doctor gestured to another screen, showing four people – four *mutants*, Graydon thought with disgust – in a fairly large holding cell...which would double as a testing chamber.

"They're ready, too, sir: four Gamma-Class mutants." The scientist reported. The S.H.I.E.L.D. data-files they had acquired classified mutants in four classifications: Gamma, the lowest, Beta, Alpha, and the highest, Omega.

Thankfully, Omega-Class mutants were few and far between.

"We still need to wait a few more hours; our subjects have only recently come out of the *fourth* infusion process – we're still waiting to see if there are any negative side-effects. If there are, they should present within that time period."

Graydon nodded. "How are they, so far?"

The scientist gulped. "So far, sir, they're fine...for now."

Graydon's eyes narrowed.

"'For now'?" He repeated.

"W-Well, sir, no matter the reason, the human body wasn't built to endure what we subjected them to." the doctor stammered. "Recent full-body scans show the earliest signs of multiple organ failure; it's still a long way off, though – the men still have ten months to a year, and hopefully by then..."

"A *year?!*"

The scientist gulped. "As I said, sir, this is our first try at this! Based on the data we gathered, we should be able to correct this problem..."

"Correct it *soon*." Graydon said coldly. He turned around, and looked upon the slim, glowing, toxic-green crystal housed within the protective glass shield. "This is it, isn't it."

The scientist nodded. "It's a trans-uranium element, sir...one that we haven't discovered yet."

Graydon arched an eyebrow. "What?"

"It doesn't exist on Earth, sir. The only known source of this element is from the meteors that landed in Smallville, 21 years ago." The scientist explained. "This, sir, is an *extraterrestrial* element!"

Graydon automatically scowled at the word. '*Mutants are bad enough...*' He thought, **...I will not let our planet be polluted by any** alien' *threat!*'

Most scoffed at the existence of extraterrestrial life...but Graydon knew that such a threat could not be ignored.

'*This is **our** world.*' Graydon thought. Out loud, he asked, "When can we begin the test?"

"Five hours, sir; the subjects should be ready by then."

"Excellent." Graydon said. Once this test was done, they could begin proper training of their new super-slayers.

And then, between their slayers and the new weapons that were nearing completion, the mutant menace's days were *numbered.*