My Brother's Keeper (a Superman story)

Chapter 20: Lor-Zod VS Omar

            Clark's POV

The next morning, I walked into the barn and saw Omar scrolling through his phone. He sat on the sofa, with the plasma TV turned off, as well as all the game consoles. It was odd he was up here without a controller in his hands, being a kid.

He was also wearing a blue surgical three-ply mask, which made me wonder why. But more than that, it was the expression in his eyes that said it all. He was scared of these powers but I had to understand the reason behind it, aside from how scared he was of not being or feeling normal.

"Hey" I said.

"Hey" he said, his voice a bit shaky.

"What are you doing up here all alone? And why are you wearing a mask?"

"I woke up with a sore throat. Not sure if it's the flu, a cold, or COVID."

"Well, if you do have it then we've all been exposed."

"Except, you're immune to human diseases."

"Tell you what, we'll do a quick COVID test to rule it out but first, take the mask off so we can talk."

"Fine" he took it off, revealing his somewhat red and congested nose. He didn't seem to have a cough, just a runny nose and sore throat, as his voice did sound a bit raspy.

"What's on your mind, aside from thinking you might have caught the coronavirus again for a third time?"

"Just thinking, how these powers are starting to ruin my life."

"What is it you're really scared of?" I decided to listen before I spoke. "What are you thinking about?"

"Just how totally screwed we are, how screwed I am now that I have powers."

"Oh, that" I chuckled.

"Come on, you already know this. Don't act as if it's news to you."

"I know. I'm sorry."

"It's fine."

"But tell me what's bothering you. I know it's about your powers and your being a Kryptonian-Meta-Human hybrid. But I want to hear you explain everything in your own words, without a single skip."

"You don't understand. You don't think I am...Never mind, you're never afraid of anything. It's what I envy about you. Always have."

"Yeah, well, don't because it's what used to get me into trouble when I was your age" he laughed. "Omar, talk to me."

"I know you've always known you were different and our whole lives I believed we were normal like everyone else. Rushing off to work, going to school, taking care of things on the farm with dad and mom, going on bad dates, buying simple things like shoes, clothes and then suddenly I wake up and everything is different...I'm an alien-Meta-human. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing."

"Are you kidding, it's a great thing" I smiled, trying to get him to see the bright side of it all.

"You don't know that. You grew up and learned how to use these powers and help people, even before I knew you were Superman. But I also don't know much about these powers, or why they were even given to me, to begin with. What it even means for me. I mean, how do you know that these powers I have are not somehow from evil?'

"Buddy, habibi, we've been through this. You're a good person, you're a good meta-human Kryptonian."

"What about all the other meta-humans, aliens, even Zod and that Chris guy, or Aunt Nour? How do you know I am not just like them? That's what scares me. That these powers might somehow corrupt me into believing I am somehow invincible or superior to others?"