~~~
MORGAN
EDGE
~~~
There were reminiscences of human and animal remains dotted all around the area.
In a disgusting arrangement like it was the physical embodiment a manifestation of Morgan's plans for dictatorship.
Strung up behind bars and cages.
Were Morgan's failures.
At trying to recreate his greatest achievement.
A pair of doberman in breed dogs.
Rested at the foot of a throne.
It looked like a large office chair.
Noring at blooded bones of their own much weaker kind.
Their fur coats glistened with yellow glitter that had been embedded in their coats.
Contorting when their paws came up to hide their faces.
The muscles underneath their skill rippled with profound strength.
They were in their owner's fortress.
The area felt as though it had been enveloped in heat, making the pair of dogs pant with exhaustion.
Sand whispered in the air.
The animals blinked away the dust that threatened to screech at their eyes.
There was sweat leaving wide paw prints on the marble floor that sat behind them.
There were in a building attached to Morgans desert fortris.
The man had converted it into a testing facility after the partial success of the experiment that he had with his ward.
It was constructed of lage maze-like structures on its outside.
That would allow Edge to keep his test subjects in a controlled area.
Out in the blistering sun to be able to collect specific data points.
That involved leaving them out there for hours treating them like lab mice.
Adding and taking away different parts of the maze in order to push his subjects to their extremes.
Trying to replace the accidental success that he had with Finley.
He had wanted to see the red glint that glossed over Finley's eyes as his light faded away.
He pleaded that he would find a subject that could at least show signs of resistance.
When he laughed his weight over them.
He practically begged to feel the sharp numbing sensation of the cold as his subject screamed under his foot like Finley had done.
Before his passing.
And he found it.
Rarely.
But Edge was too prideful to admit to his grandfather's hologram that his success in finding a way to make super ability and powers in regular humans permanent had been a coincidence.
Involving the eradicator, x-k his blood, and a redheaded woman's particularly resilient nature.
Taking what he had learned from finley's crucifixion and first applying it to actual animal subjects.
The dogs that he had grown fond of.
Isolating the strength in his blood coupled with the k-x allows for the dogs to gain enhanced strength without all the more untameable aspects of kryptonian biology.
Making them perfectly obedient to his every whim.
Something that he also planned to reintegrate within the redheaded woman's superpowered genetics.
As his plan to implant kryptonian consciousness into humans still hadn't worked.
Killing Finley, almost offsetting all Morgan's progress.
There was no telling how many more more would have to be sacrificed in his journey.
Morgan had a weeping turn over rate.
With only one applicant having been able to successfully survive his gruelling possession.
The redhead being a woman by the name of Anita Melcavch.
An unknown person of an unimportant background.
That Morgan had found while prowling the Las Vegas strip.
Anita Melcavch was in search of some nameless man in order to make a couple of lusted laced twenty dollar marked bills off.
So when Edge pulled up beside her on the curve and flashed a few hundreds in her face.
It was no wonder when she practically skipped into the car
Hightail her ass off the side of the road, her red hair skipping off her shoulders and brushing along the sides of her neck as she did.
Unlike what Edge had previously thought about needing more socially superior test subjects.
Morgan had been thankful that his hypothesis had been proven wrong.
As the disappearance of both Bill and Martha Steward's.
Had drawn more attention to his company's little side project then he would have liked.
Having the government on his trail would have not made his sole purpose in life of restoring krypton on earth.
As smooth sailing as it had been up until now.
There was even more of a plus side to the art of taking nobody's into his grasp.
As Morgan thought they were one of -
'The world's most renewable resources, always in back order and replaceable.'
For days on end he would keep them there in order for them to become only reliant on the X-K in their systems but also upon the need to be replenished.
To be rejuvenated.
By his blood.
Turning them much like the dogs.
Into obedient objects for him to command.
But for the dogs that lay at his feet it had only taken a few carefully placed head strokes and a few drops of X-K to make them not only partially enhanced but entirely obedient to him.
Morgan didn't bother trying to give them kryptonian conscience with the eradicator.
As he saw it as unjust to condem his people to a life of being man's lesser best friend.
To be reduced to begging for scraps.
Under humanity's thumb.
~~~
THE MINES
~~~
CLARK KENT
~~~
Clark tried to fight the red headed woman clasping his hands together over his face at the lazer beams of hot anger penetration from her eyes.
Using his regular method of beating the bad guy with his fists until his enemy relented.
But he knew that he couldn't do much against the woman as not only were there still mine workers trapped within the confines of the cave but -
Due to the cave's structure its integrity had been damaged upon the woman's first introduction to Clark.
The push that landed him on his back caused the walls of the caves around him to clasped on itself.
So Clark ignored the red headed at first taking to making the men and woman trapped inside his main priority.
Dodging the woman's shoves that kicked up yellow dust and flying though the woman's ice cold bellowing below.
"Superman"
Clark only came to a hult when there seemed to be all but one civilian that hadn't yet gotten to safety.
Then the woman began to speak from behind Clark.
"His life, for your compliance" The redheaded woman held a mine worker in her grasp who struggled uselessly against the woman's unflinching hold.
At that Clark's speed towards them.
"What's it going to be Superman?" The woman's voice went down, conflicting almost to taunt Clark into telling the man to get hurt for his own safety.
Only stopping when the woman in response to Clark's defence titled her grip on the mine worker.
A scream of anguish escaping the man in her tight hold.
"Fine just let him go ''
Clark was tense.
His head swarmed as he put his hands up in surrender.
'Who was this woman?'
'What does she want with me?'
The woman let go of the mine worker.
Who staggered out to the nearby entrance of the mine.
Shooting on floating glance back at Clark.
Whispering a silent thank you as he passed.
That was enough to reassure Clark that whatever the woman wanted would be worth the man's safety.
"Wise choice, Superman" The redheaded woman flew up and away from the mine.
Only stopping periodically to make sure that Clark was still on her tail.
Clark kept following her due to the fact that he was already aware that she had no problem with harming innocents in order to gain his attention.
~~~
Costlines flocked under them.
They flew over the ocean and sea.
There was a stark difference in colour, the ocean appearing a deeper shade of blue than the sea.
Making Clark question how far they would have to go.
Passing over forest's prospering full of life.
~~~
Then coming towards a land mass of dry barren land with whispered complicated patterns carved into the climates' sand.
There was a hazy pale structure in front of them contoured by the sun's heat moving slightly like it was a part of a mirage.
The red headed woman didn't speak, instead choosing to walk far ahead of Clark towards the pristine white building in front of them.
The land was desolate.
Divot of life and the hustle and bubble of city life.
They were far away from any civilization.
Clark was thankful.
Ss he wouldn't have to run into the same situation that brought him to this desert in the first place.
A howl greeted them at the entrance.
Along with a wasteland of abandoned trinkets and bones.
There were broken out of date phones that looked like they dated back to the early two thousands.
Along with strips of clothing on the floor.
That Clark had noticed were stained with a dark black colour.
He had hoped that colour hadn't once been red.
Though due to the harsh scent of copper in the humid air around him Clark knew that he was wrong in his hopes.
As they went further into what Clark had only assumed to be a trap the sound of aggressive howling quietened into soft whimpers.
Clark had tried to use his X-ray vision to dusifter what was behind the sound but couldn't.
His sights only went as far as the room that was empty opposite where there were.
Before being blocked.
By what Clark assumed to be lead.
This redheaded woman knew his weaknesses.
"My benefactor has a preposition" The woman stopped in the middle of a laboratory-like room with test tubes full of cuttings of flesh, blood and an unidentifiable yellow liquid.
They were everywhere from the shelves to the tables.
'No she was just some heckman or lackey working for or with the larger threat.'
'Her benefactor.'
Clark thought.
"Benefactor?" Clark repeatedly wanted to know who this person was.
'Who is able to hand out so much power to a person?'
Clark had doubted that the woman could have been of kryptonian origin when she didn't display full control of her powers.
As Clark at her age had already mastered the basics of his powers.
And had no need to grapple in the air like he was swimming rather than fly.
Not answering him the woman when on to say
"Join us in our efforts to restore Krypton to its former glory" Her voice was interrupted towards the end of her sentence.
A masculine voice talking over her's.
"Restore Krypton to its former glory"
Clark started noticing that the voice came from the same place where the howls had come from before.
Him only being able to hear it this time being due to his super hearing.
Clarks stared at the woman harshly.
At that she just looked back at him blankly.
Letting her 'benefactor' talk without further interruption.
Clark looked around ignoring the woman in front of him.
"What do you mean?"
Clark turned towards a wall with pinned precious minerals and a diagram of an oval object that looked a bit like a distorted pearl.
"Join me and make the earth into our home" The voice radiated a flavour of confidence and superiority.
"How?" Clark had always wanted for a deeper connection to his heritage.
And this 'benefactor' having a fortress much like Clark's own in Antarctica made him wonder if this could be it.
"Look at her" The voice rang out deeply again.
Clark glanced at the woman looking her up and down and assassinated his likeness towards her.
Clark couldn't see anything out of the ordinary.
"So you gave her superpowers. I dealt with others claiming to have the same powers as mine before" Clark shrugged off the man's taunts, tossing away the idea of finding others like him.
"No ... truly look with your eyes" The man whispered.
Clark got what the unknown man was hinting at and blinked staring into the woman in front of him.
Looking past her bare face and skin.
Seeing the way just under the surface of her skin.
How the cells in her body have differentiated and splintered to be able to absorb the yellow sun's rays.
Looking down at his own hands in confusion, noticing the similarities between him and the woman's biology.
"That doesn't make any sense" Clarks head shook with disbelief.
This man knew of his relation to the sun.
'Was this man a Kryptonian himself?'
It would explain how the man could hear Clark voice which had never risen from above a normal level once.
During the entirety of their conversation.
"I know I could barely believe it when it happened" The voice said, recognising Clark's feelings.
But Clark who still looked down at his hands could notice the differences between him and the woman.
How his cell's shifted more faster then her's.
How even if both their bodys photosynthesised.
He was prospering while her body was deteriorating.
Slowly consuming herself like a malignant tumour.
Like cancer.
Taking over her humanity.
One cell at a time.
Inducting her to the man's nefarious plan's.
"But she's not Kryptonian" Clark's voice was mellow like he was in mourning for the practically already dead woman in front of him.
"She's not" The voice confirmed almost smugly.
"Then?"
"Agree to stay here with me and help my efforts"
"Your effort leads to death" Clark looked at the woman, his eyes glassed over.
"No" Clark despite his despraness to have even a single piece of his lost planet back.
Would deny himself that pleasure if it met the destruction of the planet he had grown to call his own over the last handful of decades.
"No?" The voice sounded surprised.
"What you're doing is wrong'' Clark looked away from the woman and back towards the direction of the voice.
"And don't you crave for your own kind?" The voice was raised with controlled anger and frustration.
"Not at the expense of humanity," Clark said adamantly.
"What so you have some false sense of gratitude towards a race that only barely tolerates your presence"
"I care about them" Clark wasn't going to be fooled into plans of world devastation and harvesting.
He had never once thought of harming humanity.
For all or drawbacks.
Earth was still his home.
It was given to him by his parents.
It was the whole reason he met Lois.
It had given him a chance to raise his beloved children.
It had given him his entire life.
"And they fear you, waiting for the moment you snap"
"That's not ..." Clark couldn't say the voice was wrong because in essence he was right in a way.
Clark was fully aware of humanity's wariness of his power.
How Sam Lane had almost partnered up with Lex Luthor when he first debuted as superman.
How easy it would be for him to cause the same harm the voice was enacting.
"Not true? I know our kind are not to be such a fool to believe in such dilutions''
Clark didn't bother to defend himself.
Instead choosing to continue on diverting the male voice attention to his wrongdoings instead.
"There is always another way" Clark went on.
"That you don't do this I've tried" the voice reserved tone was stripped away levelling nothing but hurt and pain behind.
"Still ..."
"Well then Superman I had hoped to find a brethren in you but I guess I've been hosting the enemy"
~~~
Morgan had hoped he wouldn't have to throw the only non-replicated version of his home planet away.
But alas.
Superman's stubborn nature led to this.
~~~
Green gas escaped through the vertices of the large room.
Spilling out of its corners.
And Pilling at the walls sides.
Where Clark was standing.
He held his breath.
The woman in front of Clark dropped almost instantly.
Clark blinked profusely at the green mist as it made his eyes water
A green tint took over the room.
The woman sounded like she was trying to cough up a lung.
The mucus in her throat is gurgling and dripping violently out of her mouth and onto her chest.
She doubled over with her stomach curled in.
It was Kryptonite.
Clark made a move to help her.
She scratched at Clarks outstretched hands with her nails.
Refusing to leave her benefactor.
Feeling the kryptonites effects make the cells in his muscles turn weak and his mouth instead of its usually icy cold feel turn warm like he was lapping at mushy cereal.
Taking one look at the woman before letting her go.
Not wanting to.
But also unwilling to let himself fall captive to the voices' plans.
Clark knew it would be only a matter of time until his bones stopped cooperating and stiffened as if he had arthritis.
Making him freeze up.
He had to go.
The women's movements slowly stalled.
Though her breath is laboured.
Her chest moved with effort to push out the foreign substance from her bloodstream.
Staggering back and out of the laboratory.
Clark had been thankful that there weren't any more poison traps hidden by the exit of the laboratory.
~~~
MORGAN
EDGE
~~~
Morgan started to where he assumed Superman's face would be.
He was flushed with disappointment.
His hands carving harshly though the pair of dogs that were now resting in his lap.
Up until now he had been aware that Superman was one of his kind.
The dogs whimpered.
Almost copying the red-headed woman's choking noise in the laboratory.
He had studied Superman and his movements and noticed how one of his competitor (Lex Luthor) had always managed to face off against the hero.
Morgan's suspicions about origins of the man powers are confirmed.
When he had found that Lex had Kryptonite in his vults during a business galla, finley at the time only being twelve had run off in a fit of rebellion giving Edge the chance to snoop around.
Morgen set up from his place on his desk chair.
The dogs followed his every step without prompt.
Morgan had been wanting to present his findings towards earth's mightiest hero once he had come about success.
Sure Edge had hoped that by that time he would already have Kryptonians by his side to sway the hero towards his cause.
But apparently Superman had found his place under humanity's foot.
Morgan stepped towards the room that superman was once in.
Not opening the door and risking exposing himself to the gas Kryptonite.
Edge had hoped that he and Superman would come together to save their lost planet.
Instead Edge called the dogs in front of himself then gestured for them to stay while he left them.
Walking back to his airtight office.
Morgan couldn't be bothered to get rid of the thing that most likely cost him his brother.
But now he'd guessed that he would have to go about restoring Krypton to its former glory alone.
Edge thought to himself out loud hearing one of the last of his people abandon him.
Clark staggered out of Morgan's hot abode.
'Isn't it ashame when you have something that almost reaches perfection, but still isn't just quite right'
~~~
Outside the room a constant thrusting of growls could be heard.
The woman who had by now passed out had lay innocent to the disrupted air.
The Kryptonite having already by this point had diffused out of the room
The door nudged open.
Playful footsteps echoed through the room.
A couple of glass test tubes fell from their place on tables as they were pushed to the floor.
Faint Panting travelled across the room.
Their owner wanted the woman gone.
And had left them to deal with his scraps.
Yet again.
The two dogs took their time.
Interweaving though each other as they stalked up to their unaware prey.
One of the dogs wandered over to a spilt canister of yellow liquid.
Lapping at it with his tongue.
Savouring the taste.
Realising it won't fully satisfy its needs.
Followed its other counterpart.
Hunkered drools dripped from their open mouths.
Puddles onto the floor below them.
Creating a little trail of their hunger.
They had been fed nothing but scraps of Morgan's failed experiment up until this point.
Now they knew they had the promise of feeling fullness in their stomachs.
They couldn't help but draw out this meal for as long as possible.
The redheaded woman didn't fight.
One bit.
Not moving to defend herself.
Even as her hair was tossed away from her head.
Exposing curved bones.
The little of what was left of her own free will.
And as they ripped open her chest cavity noring on her lungs and pulling at her ribs.
The dogs were coated with blood and shining with gold.
Tore into her flesh.
Giving into their desires for fullness.
~~~
The dogs paddled back to Morgan.
Opening and shutting doors with their paws and body's.
Just as they had been instructed.
In both their jaws a large thin bow bent bone between their teeth.
Morgan took the bone out of their mouths with a pinched finger.
And threw it at the white flooring for his desert office.
It left streaks of a dark oxygenated shade of red.
That the dogs lapped up before returning the reminisce of the redheaded woman to their master.
Sighing knowing he would have to find a place to dump little miss redhead.
Now that his dogs were done with her.
Morgan petted them both and with a sinister tone said.
"Good"
The dog's bloodied fur became slick and sticky under Morgan's hands.
~~~
THE HOSPITAL
JORDAN KENT
SARAH CUSHING
AFTERNOON : FOUR O'CLOCK
~~~
Jordan who had just trudged back from witnessing Jonathan and that unknown person.
That unknown boy.
'Kiss?'
'Makeout?'
He wasn't sure what to call it.
Jordan was sat by Sarah once again this time though on a chair beside her bed.
Instead of perched at the side of her hospital bed.
With a half empty firm plastic cup clutched in his hands.
He had got two cups on his way into Sarah's room from a vending machine just outside her door.
Sarah had smiled up at him as he handed her cup to her.
Jordan twiddled the cup in his hands.
His short fingernail creates little crescent shaped moons in the side of the cup.
"Are you sure Jonathan's alright?" Sarah took a sip of the hot drink Jordan had got her.
"Ya he is" Jordans tone was slightly dismissive.
"But the way he left ''
Sarah had thought as she had watched the two brother's run out of the room, that Jonathan seemed really shaken up by something.
"He's fine," Jordan said adamantly.
He knew Jonathan was fine.
He knew Jonathan wasn't alone.
He knew that Jonathan was ... with someone at least.
Sarah fiddled and picked at the top edge of her cup.
Picking flakes of rubbery half plastic shards off and rubbing them between her forefinger and thumb.
"Maybe I shouldn't have said anything" Sarah thought that it was her reaction.
To the murder that she witnessed that lead Jonathan on the path of solitude.
"It's fine I asked you about it" Jordan let one of his hands come up to Sarah and wrestled the pieces of white flakes from her hands settling them on her lap.
"But that's the reason why Jonathan left all of a sudden"
"No you weren't" Jordan knew he couldn't say for sure whether or not the reasoning for Jonathan's attempted disappearing act was Sarah's fault or not.
But chose the lesser of two evils and decided to not confirm her worries.
"What other reason could there be?" Sarah looked towards Jordan's eyes knowing that he was holding something from her.
Jordan to avoid eye contact took a large gulp from his cup.
Tilting his eyes to instead to look down at the quickly emptying dark liquid.
"I ... I ... it's nothing Sarah '' Jordan was laying there was something that consistently was racking at his brain since he had seen Jonathan in that car.
As Jordan was grasped with his thoughts.
Sarah looked at him expectantly.
'I can't tell her'
Jordan knew despite his tendency to let everyone know of what he was thinking and feeling.
Letting it out of his mouth like a leaky foist.
That he had to keep his mouth shut.
Even if he believed that Sarah was able to make sence of how Jordan was feeling.
And would understand not only him but Jonathan as well.
Jordan didn't feel particularly angry or betrayed but he didn't feel happy for Jonathan ither.
'Jonathan would never do anything like that to me'
Jordan knew that Jonathan would have been all for Jordan if he was well ...
'What even was Jonathan?'
'Gay?'
'Bi?'
'Pan?'
Jordan chipped at the cup in his hands.
Jordan didn't see himself finding out too soon.
It wasn't like Jordan even felt like he needed to know.
He just wanted to be there for Jonathan.
Like how he knew if their positions were switched Jonathan would be there for him.
"Are you sure? You know you can tell me anything. Right?" Looking at the way that Jordan hid from her.
Sarah could tell that there was something more going on.
"Just know it doesn't have anything to do with you or what you said."
Jordan sat up and looked Sarah in the eyes.
"Ok ... ?" Sarah shuffled awards in her seat, her feet hanging off the side of the hospital bed, in between Jordans knees.
"But there might? Be something" One of Jordan's hands came and traced over Sarah's legs, almost occupying him as he said his next words.
"Ya what is it?" Sarah looked down at Jordan.
Jordan cleared his throat and contemplated his next words.
"How did you know?"
"Jordan you're going to have to be specific. As much as I'd like to be able to, I can't read your mind. Jordan"
"I can't"
Sarah smiled and ruffled Jordans hair, stroking it away from him.
"That you were ... you know ... bi" Jordan was hesitant.
He didn't want to allude to Jonathan at all but he was curious.
"What does that have to do with Jonathan? Jordan'' Sarah pulled away from Jordan slightly confused.
"You know what, forget it, it doesn't have anything to do with him" Jordan sat back in his seat.
Letting his hand that rested on Sarah's knee fall to his side.
"No its fine"
Sarah wasn't dumb.
She knew that whatever Jordan was asking her.
Probably had something to do with Jonathan but she, at Jordan's reluctance to open up.
Decided to play blissfully unaware of Jonathan 's possible connection to the conversation topic at hand.
"So?" Jordan sat up in his seat again, cup in both hands this time.
Sarah took a breath that she didn't think that she needed.
She had told Jordan a lot of things over the past couple weeks.
It was easy.
With each word peeling back another layer of herself.
Leaving her exposed.
To Jordan's ever soft words and careful hands.
But she had restricted her bisexuality to herself for the most part.
Having only told Jordan after a snide comment made by one of her ex's towards them at school.
It had been something about 'threesomes' and being 'selfish'.
"Well it wasn't a big deal or anything ... It was just something that I knew ... I think I always did subconsciously anyway ... All my life ... Those guys were a thing that I was into ... And that girls were a thing too. That I liked"
Sarah's voice was whispered and shy looking down at her lap.
Gulping.
Jordan took that as a sign to press on.
"And?"
Sarah breathed and looked as though she wasn't going to answer.
"Didn't really come to realise until like two years ago"
It was only a second or two.
But at that moment Jordan hadn't been able to stop his hands from freezing up.
Sarah had told him about that year before.
With pills and her bath tube.
How she felt so alone and discontent from reality.
Sarah felt the only way out of the constant cycle of numb and mental anguish.
Was with her death.
Jordan had no idea.
His hands collapsed in on themselves unfrozen.
The cup in his hands made a squeaking sound as it broke into shards
Jordan looked down at himself.
He hadn't meant doing that.
Sarah made to help Jordan pick the pieces that fell into his lap.
Jordan batting her away.
Pushing off the mess onto the floor.
"Sorry ... but that was when you- "
"Ya but it didn't really have anything to do with that, '' Sarah said, cutting him off.
"Sarah" Jordans voice was defeated.
'If someone like Sarah ... so kind and loving, taking her own life ... why wouldn't Jonathan try to?'
Jordan had always been aware of his brother's self worth issues.
How he valued everyone over himself.
Hell it was partially the reason as to why Jonathan hadn't put up a fight when asked to stay in SmallVille by their parents in the first place.
Sarah relented and almost bashful went on to say.
"Maybe a little ... but I'm fine now plus ... I was just got worked up over nothing"
"It's was never nothing Sarah '' Jordan was desperately trying to find the source of her pain.
Jordan thought if he found where everything went wrong with Sarah.
He wouldn't have had to make the same mistakes with Jonathan.
Jordan desperately don't want to lose him
"Ok so I thought that it would change everything ... that my entire life would be over"
Jordan didn't want Jonathan to think his life would be over.
"But it isn't and I'm still here" Sarah smiled bashfully.
Jordan, unlike how she expected him to react.
Didn't calm down at her words.
"Why do you feel like everything would change?"
Sarah sighed and wrapped her arms around her middle.
"Cause everyone would eventually find out about the 'little miss cheerleader's' dirty little secret"
"But that doesn't"
How was Jordan supposed to relate that back to Jonathan?
Jonathan never claimed to be perfect.
And Jordan would bet Jonathan never had any secrets.
Except for that 'unknown boy' in that truck.
"Ya I know it doesn't make any sense right?"
"Things don't always have to make sence for them to feel real"
"I guess so but nothing has changed. Mom and dad still love me just the same as before" Sarah shrugged and turned her body round.
Her feet coming up from the side of the bed.
Jordan feared that whatever Sarah was once feeling.
The sense of loneliness.
The sense of no hope.
And desperation.
Was what Jonathan could be feeling at that very minute.
Jordan shuffled forward and entwined his hands with Sarah's clutching her tightly.
"It was just the fear right? They hadn't actually done anything that told you they were like homophobic or anything"
Sarah blinked.
Her silence already confirmed Jordan's fears before she spoke.
"Things aren't always that simple Jordan" Sarah got a distant look in her face.
Like her eyes were searching for missing pieces of a puzzle in the past somewhere.
"What?"
Sarah shook her hand dismissing Jordan.
"Things changed though so it's fine"
Sarah then looked into Jordans eyes.
"And even though I dropped out of the cheerleading squad there still ... kind of ... my friends."
"Kind of?" Jordan had hoped things hadn't really changed for Sarah that she still was able to keep the same sense of normality that she had before.
"I mean they didn't visit or even text" Sarah reached to her side where her phone lay, turning on the home screen looking disappointed.
"They might not know?"
Jordan said, hoping to cheer Sarah up.
"By now I pretty sure the whole town knows of that man's death and who saw it" Sarah gestured to herself with big wide arms, grinning.
"Ok I was being a little bit too optimistic" Jordan let out a laugh.
The atmosphere in the room was now light and soft in contrast to its latter dark and serious tone.
Sobering up, Jordan coughed and went on to say.
"But things got better right?" In a hopeful tone.
"I mean ya. The people that do care ... aren't the people that matter to me like my family, you and Jonathan. You know?"
Sarah would say she had it a lot better than others.
Looking down at her and Jordan intertwining hands, smiling.
Then thinking back to her previous relationship frowned a little.
But it still wasn't perfect.
"So it's fine now right?"
Jordan squeezed Sarah's hands with an appropriate level of strength.
Almost to prove to himself that he had not lost control earlier.
"Ya I guess you could say that ... Why did you ask?"
Sarah knew without Jordan having to tell her that it most probably had something to do with Jonathan.
But Sarah didn't push for answers from Jordan.
Instead trusting him to be there for his brother.
In a way that Sarah hadn't had two years ago.
"Nothing just wanted to confirm something" Jordan looked up at Sarah with a content glint in his eyes.
Jordan thought.
'Everything was gonna work out.'
'I just have to be there for him.'
~~~
THE HOSPITAL
LOIS LANE
MORGAN EDGE
AFTERNOON THREE FIFTY-FIVE O'CLOCK
~~~
Lois's footsteps tapped and echoed upon the hospital floors.
Scurrying past Mr and Mrs Cushing and saying her pleasantries to them.
She thought to herself hurriedly.
'Was Edge really capable of murder?'
'Sure he was crooked businessman who only looked out for himself'
'But what I just witnessed was sadistic'
Lois checked her phone.
No new messages from Clark.
The thought of Edge swarmed her mind again.
'Though if he can send him own workers into Asbestos filled buildings which evidently killed them anyways'
Five of Edge's workers had died due to a chronic lung disease caused by inhaling asbestos fibres back in twenty fifteen, it had been one of Lois first big storeys that she had reported on,
'What wasn't he capable of doing?'
Lois, off in her own little world, didn't notice the two dogs and wide footsteps passing her.
The dogs stopped and jumped at her heels as she tried to cross their path.
Lois stopped and backed away almost frozen.
Not with fear.
But with shock.
Looking up she was met with the face of her thoughts.
Morgan Edge dressed in a black suit without the tie.
It was clear Morgan was stressed from the sweat on his brows accumulating under his collar.
Though despite this he still remains composed.
With his back straight and arms loose.
With his hands wrapped tight around two dog leashes.
"Lois Lane" Lois stated hard.
Her face set in a neutral frown.
Her voice filled with disgust despite the control she exhibited over her words.
She could imagine an Edge at that moment standing over the dead corpse of Mark Johnson.
Hands dripping with blood.
The knowledge that Mark might have held.
Lost forever.
"I am aware of the infanmouse Lois Lane, how could I forget?" Edge's words were careful and begrudging.
Pulling at his dogs led.
Their heads turned to attention.
The muzzle upon their lips snapping them back into place at Morgan's side.
Growling slightly.
Lois gulped.
The dogs stilled at Morgan's feet.
Sitting with their nose held high.
Omitting an air of superiority that Edge tried hard to conceal.
Under his lost non legitimate son.
And his fake charitable work.
"You came in to give a statement" Lois stated.
"Well yes I was asked"
The dogs that eyes feet stilled.
Unsettlingly.
Peering into Lois' eyes.
She blinked away from their hold.
Before Lois could speak up, Edge spoke over her.
"Such a terrible thing to have happened ... the collapsing of my mines and he death of one of my workers, all in one day"
'The mines clasped?'
Lois thought.
She hadn't noticed.
There was no rumble of earth underneath her.
No warning reports.
Nothing.
'So that's what Clark had been sorting out'
"Such an unexpected unexplainable series of events. Right?'' Lois said, almost batting an edge to relive more.
"Well not everything in life can be planned for" Edge straightened to his full height.
Being a good foot and a half taller than her.
Edge was looking down on her.
Knowing that Lois could see through his facade.
Lois however was not one to be intimidated by the men in her industry.
"Well considering the human right violations that your company has been posed with since June of 2008 one could question whether the mine collapsing could have been prevented"
"I guarantee you my company and any related sites involved in my business pass all inspection tests since" Edge backed down.
Submitting to Lois' question.
'Such a feisty woman for such a subdue farmer'
Edge thought.
He wondered why his brother.
His all powerful Kryptonian brother needed such a thing.
His dogs growled slightly under their breath.
"Can I quote you on that?" Lois opened up her note app on her phone typing down exact words.
"You can quote me, as you wish, Mrs Kent"
Lois stopped typing.
The dobermans quieted their master's astute nature.
"But it would be a shame if you were to discredit me with my own words though"
Edges' words were glistened with the promise of threat.
A familiar stretch of luminescent purple past the edge of Edge's eyesight.
In his far corner were the Cushings.
Sarah's parents.
Standing looking stressed.
Starting at medical files at the front desks.
"If you excuse me I think that's Mr and Mrs Cushing up ahead" Edge turned and didn't wait for Lois to respond to him.
His dogs waited a moment staring at Lois with their beady eyes until their leash was pulled by Morgan's retreating back.
~~~
JORDAN KENT
AFTERNOON FIVE O'CLOCK
~~~
Jordan had gotten home at around five o'clock.
Earlier then he had wanted to leave Sarah but due to her visiting hour being up he had no choice but to go.
He was greeted by a dark house and only the sound of the creaking foundations of the house under his feet.
He was alone.
Dropping his bag by the door.
The house was empty.
Walking into his living room and laying on his couch.
Pulled out his phone squeaking his recent messages.
~~~
Mom 10.15
Sarah's at hospital
Jordan 13.25
What?
Mom 13.30
Nothing serious
Jordan 13.31
! ! !
Mom 14.30
I'm at the hospital (unread)
Mom 16.45
Will be home late (unread)
~~~
Flicking through his phone.
Jordan was particularly thankful for his mother's absence.
As it gave him a chance to think by himself for the first time that day.
Staring at the ceiling Jordan thought deeply to himself.
'Jonathan had been so withdrawn since moving to smallville'
Jordans hands twitched in the same pattern as when he crushed the cup he held in his hands while talking to Sarah.
~~~ Six o'clock ~~~
'Did he just Figure out whatever he was now or ... had he always felt the need to hide'
Jordan's hands clenched.
Crescent moons engraved themselves into his palms.
~~~ Seven o'clock ~~~
'Why in that moment did he choose to run?'
Jordan realises his pain.
Forcibly unclenched his hands and brought them up to his eyes rubbing at them vigorously.
~~~ Eight o'clock ~~~
'Nothing Sarah could have said related to Jonathan'
At least Jordan had hoped.
His eyes shut just like his hands now.
Blinking harshly.
Jordan tried to force his anxiety down.
He didn't want Jonathan to leave him.
Leave mom.
Leave dad.
He wanted Jonathan to stay.
And not believe death was the only way out.
Jonathan's breath quickened.
Jordan had noticed Jonathan being so off putting as of recently.
Fight with dad.
Practically giving up on football only less than half way into the year.
He couldn't take it.
Jordan's vision
Swarmed red and frightful.
~~~ Nine o'clock ~~~
His eyes had a blood shade to them like a filter.
Turning everything dark into black and everything light into a deep pink shade.
'Maybe the fear of being taken ...'
Jordan tried to pull himself out of the downward spiral he was going though.
Shutting his eyes.
'being kidnapped hadn't set in for Jonathan until now'
Jordans retinas burned.
~~~ Ten o'clock ~~~
'Did Jonathan feel like Sarah did two years ago now?'
'Thinking everything would change'
Thankfully for Jordan he had managed to contain his power long enough for only the pillows on the couch to be scorched a burned colour.
Turing from beige white to brown.
'Where was Jonathan anyway?'
~~~ Eleven o'clock ~~~
It was dark outside.
It had been hours since he last saw anyone in his family.
The front door's door knob turned.
Unbeknownst to Jordan.
~~~
JONATHAN KENT
PART ONE : THE AFTERMATH
NIGHT : TEN THIRTY
~~~
Jonathan heard Finley's stolen car back away from him.
Jonathan waited a moment
His face flushed and his mind racing.
Before heading home.
~~~ Eleven o'clock ~~~
Jonathan walking now, fully believed that Finley was innocent.
Pushed to kill.
Didn't do it of his own volition.
Jonathan's steppes slowed.
Like he was in slow motion.
Jonathan now unlike before where he had thought Morgan Edge was just a typical asshole.
Know believed that whatever he was doing was more sinister than even Finley knew of.
Those people.
That place.
Jonathan knew that he couldn't think about it for too long without new tears springing up into his eyes.
What Finely must have gone through.
'God.'
Jonathan didn't dare ask.
Afraid of triggering the same kind of breakdown.
That Finley had hours prior at the mere thought of talking about it.
How Finley could barely breathe.
How his breath hiccups in his mouth.
How he had hesitated
Jonathan came out of his thoughts.
Shaking his head.
Reaching his house.
Jonathan hadn't bothered snaking in he was already past curfew.
But he found himself not caring.
~~~
JONATHAN & JORDAN KENT
~~~
"Where's dad?" Jonathan said in a stuffy tone.
Breathing in sharply.
When he realised Jordan was the only one in the house.
"Mom even?"
Jonathan went on to say.
Off in his own little world Jordan hadn't noticed Jonathan enter the house.
Startled, Jordan sat up.
Jordan picked up his phone showing Jonathan the messages.
Jonathan came closer squinting his eyes to the phone.
Jordan looked at and noticed the phone's light eliminating a glistening sand like substance that had stained Jonathan's lips.
Glitter.
Yellow glitter.
'Odd' he thought.
But didn't see fit to mention it.
"Mom's coming home late"
"When doesn't she?" Jonathan shrugged, throwing his bags down halfhadistly in the middle of the room.
Jordan hadn't noticed whether or not their mother had been out the house.
Usually as he would have had a date with Sarah that had lasted until their mother had gotten home.
"And dad's gone A.W.O.L."
Jordan said with a lighthearted tone.
Jonathan relives in a clipped tone.
"Ok I'm gonna go upstairs"
Jordan paused.
Questioning whether or not he should push on.
"No ... what's wrong?"
Jonathan knew he should have told Jordan at that moment what had happened with Finley.
Not necessarily you know.
The kissing.
But at least the part about the place.
The people.
What Edge had done.
But he didn't.
He just said back in a quiet tone and turned his back.
"Nothing"
Jordan rose to Jonathan's bait.
"Well you're the one who went on a runner. So sorry for asking about it."
Jordan knew he had made a mistake when he saw Jonathan pauses for a moment.
The air hung cold.
And didn't reply.
His footsteps heavy as he began walking away again.
Jordan just wanted things to be as easy as there were in Metropolis.
where he and Jonathan could banter and laugh together about the simplest of things.
Without one or the other rising to the bait.
Running off before Jordan could get a word in.
'Why does everything I say come out wrong and twisted ... Like I never say what I actually want to'
~~~
THE CUSHINGS
&
MORGAN EDGE
AFTER MORGANS EDGE'S ENCOUNTER WITH LOIS LANE
AFTERNOON : SIX O'CLOCK
~~~
Larah Cushing heard Morgan Edge before she saw him.
The paddling of dogs footsteps thumping behind her.
She turned, causing her husband Kyle to look up from the multitude of discharge forms and papers scattered in his hands.
"Mr Edge," Larah said.
Edge looked bashful as he hunched in himself.
Giving off an air of embarrassment.
"Please just call me Morgan" He batted at her.
Acknowledging Kyle with a nod.
"I couldn't," Larah replied.
Larah smiled and went to pet Morges' dogs, both who preened at the attention she was giving them.
There tales wagging behind them beating at Morgan's shoes.
He stepped back slightly.
"You have all the right to ... I mean after the day you've had ... You can do away with silky pretences"
"Fine, Morgan then" Larah stood up straight.
Dusting of her hands.
And walking past the Edge, no Morgan with a fleeting glance.
Walking in the direction of Sarah's hospital room.
Kyle glanced over at Morgan then backed down with the files in his hands.
His browse pinched together creating lines of stress and fatigue to pass over his face.
"Are those your discharge forms?" Morgen drew in closer to Kyle peering over his shoulder.
"Ya there for Sarah," Kyle said.
It was clear from the worried infliction in his voice that there was clearly something wrong going on.
Sensing a chance to get closer to one of the people that knew Clark.
Morgan spoke up quickly.
"You've paid?
Kyle throws a confused glance back at Morgan.
Hesitating as he spoke.
"Umm no"
Morgan with Kyle's wife out of sight.
Didn't say much as he placed his black card down on the desk in front of them both.
"Here don't worry about that I've got it"
"You don't have to"
Kyle was hesitant knowing he couldn't feasibly reject the offer.
"No no ... it be my pleasure, after today I'm sure you just want to forget about everything that happened"
"Well I can't thank you enough"
Prolonged flashes of green swung by Morgan's eyes he turned not facing Kyle Cushing any longer.
"I'm just happy to help"
The dogs as his side growling slightly at the sight of two D.O.D. officers standing to attention.
As they assorted Morgan through his round of questioning.
~~~
Vote?
If you liked.
I think the next chapters going to be shorter so there's less wait time bettween chapters.
And I know pets aren't allowed in hospitals but we'll pretend that's not the case.
Also note to pay attention to the timestamps as they will help contextualise when everything is happening in the next couple chapter's.