Conner woke up at one point in the middle of the night. He wasn't sure why at first but then sensed movement in the kitchen. For a moment he thought it was the kid from a few nights ago breaking in but then realized it was just Lois going through the cabinets. He was about to get up and see what she needed when he sensed Clark get up first. Since he had taken the sofa in the living room it didn't take him any time to reach Lois. He decided to leave it to him and tried to go back to sleep.
"Lois?"
"You have something to drink?"
He wasn't eavesdropping, it wasn't his fault he had super-hearing.
He listened as Clark opened the top cabinet, which was actually out of her reach before he pulled out a bottle of Vodka. There was the clink of glasses, ice, cranberry juice being poured and then the Vodka.
"You remember my poison, I am so touched"
"We did celebrate a few times together"
"So you leave the kid here on his own with a cabinet with alcohol?"
"I trust him"
"But not me," she said before taking a sip, "you never told me about your 'cousins'" she still didn't sound convinced.
"Is complicated," Clark said as he sat across from Lois.
And he drank from his own glass not offering anything else. Though his mentor appeared calm and composed Conner could hear his heart accelerate; the few times he had noticed that happen was when they were fighting someone truly dangerous. He wondered if this daring reporter could truly be a threat.
"I bet it is," Lois said before drinking the full amount of her glass in one go, "I wonder what else you aren't telling me Smallville"
"I don't know what you could possibly mean,"
"I knew you weren't such a good guy after all," she said as she poured herself another glass, "no one can be that nice without fault"
"No one can be nice if they want to be a good reporter, especially one that can go head to head with you" he said as he poured himself another glass.
"Touché," she said with a small laugh before they became quiet again. After another glass each she said in a hopeful voice, "you know you are always welcome back to the Daily Planet, don't you?"
"I don't want to go back," he said tiredly, "Cat and I-"
"You are a hit, I know" Lois said bitterly, "she draws the readers in and you make them stay in awe for your articles. You two are almost as good as a team as you and I used to be when we weren't competing against each other"
Conner heard Clark's heart rate increase again, "we could be a team again if you left the-"
"I can't" was her short and blunt answer.
"Why not?" Clark's voice was strained, "if is because of the pay we-"
"Because White is retiring next year," she said before they went quiet again.
Conner knew Mr. White had been the chief editor for the Daily Planet for a very long time and was respected as one of the best in the news community. He retiring meant someone would have to step up to fill the rather large vacuum he was leaving behind.
"You?" his mentor asked with a shaky voice, as if he was saying goodbye to someone he didn't expect ever see again.
"That's what they told me," she said frowning.
"I thought you would be happy for an opportunity like this" he asked worriedly.
"I would be if you came back. I could pull some strings and keep your articles just as they are" Conner then heard her emptying another glass. He wondered how hard this was for her.
"There are still plenty of good reporters in the Daily Planet, you could do the same for them" his mentor said.
"Why do you have to be so stubborn?!" she shouted as she slammed her hands on the table making her empty glass topple.
"Lois… I…"
"Forget I said anything. Forget I even came here" in a rush she had got up and grabbed her purse before hurrying to the door.
"Where are-" Clark was right behind her.
"Back home, where do you think?" she snapped at him.
"You are not driving like this" he said sternly.
"You don't get to tell me what to do Smallville," she said as she stepped out into the cold autumn night.
Conner was glad he had better control over his abilities because sometimes it felt as if he was intruding into people's hearts. For a moment he felt all their emotions; heartbreak, frustration, and unshed tears before he blocked them out. When Clark took her car keys from her and she tried to reach out for them he sensed something else. As his mentor took her by surprise by taking hold of her chin and then leaning down he understood why this woman made his heart race. When their lips touched, he made himself block every one of his sensed and then really tried to go back to sleep without excuse.
The following morning he went down the stairs as quiet as possible. He didn't allow his senses to expand afraid but more embarrassed of what he would find. When he made it to the living room he tried to not sigh loudly. He found them sleeping on the couch leaning against each other. He wondered if they had fallen asleep talking.
He went into the kitchen and started to work on something for everyone to eat and something to relieve the hangover that probably Lois would have.
"Is she his intended?" since he had blocked some of his senses he was a little surprised when Kara asked from the door.
"I don't think so, is too soon for that" he said as he continued on what he was doing, "coffee?"
Her jaw tensed before she said, "yes" and then sat by the table while he got it ready. He placed a mug with hot coffee before her and then in the middle of the table a container with sugar. By the time he had served his own cup and sat across from her he found she hadn't touched it yet.
"I didn't poison it if that's what you are thinking," he said before drinking from his.
She glared at him and for a moment he thought she would try to use her heat vision on him again.
"Why did you pick that name?" she said before drinking from her cup, "he was a murdered, a true abomination" and it happened in her time when she was just a child.
Conner placed his cup down as he thought for a moment. His Kryptonian name was Kon, which meant abomination for the people of Krypton for the man who used to have that name led the clones of Krypton into revolt. Up until that point it sounded fine but the way they went about it was truly brutal. They had no respect whatsoever for the lives of the Kryptonians as they tore through cities destroying everything in their path. Kon was said to be the most brutal of all.
"When Kal told me first of what Kon did I was afraid," he started hoping that with this they would finally reach some agreement of civility, "because when I gained full Kryptonian abilities I lost sense of myself, I became probably as violent and likely as dangerous as him" for some reason Kryptonian DNA was very unstable which made full clones like those of Krypton and Match so difficult to manage, "so to remind myself that I must not lose sense of myself again I picked that name"
She seemed shocked for a moment before composing herself, "you were able to gain all Kryptonian abilities?"
"For a short time," he said looking at his cup, "Luthor made these patches that could block the human parts of my DNA, when that happened I could do everything you two can. I almost hurt my friends because of it, so I haven't tried them ever again" then he looked at Kara, "but that isn't the only reason why I chose Kon as my name"
She frowned and he believed she already knew what he was going to say.
"The way Kryptonians treated them was horrible," he told her, "I am not justifying what those clones did but they were sentient beings with feelings and wishes of their own. They revolted not because of their makeup, but because of all the things they were denied. They were denied knowledge that went beyond their necessary tasks which led them to feel inferior and loathe themselves. When you hate yourself that much, how can you expect someone to care for anyone else?"
She glared at him but didn't contradict him, "I have been going to the community college in Metropolis to learn more about the cultures and history of this planet so I understand where these ideas come from"
It was Kon's turn to be surprised because he believed he heard her agree with him in that statement.
"But you still have to admit that their nature would probably have still led them to revolt. They were not like those of this planet who went through that situation. You have even admitted that you have felt the effects of violent tendencies when accessing full Kryptonian abilities"
"Then I have misspoken," he said, "from the moment I gained self-awareness that part of my nature has been present but I learned to control it. The sudden gain of full Kryptonian abilities threw my control, which wasn't even that good at the time, out the window"
"So even now you feel it?" she asked as he picked a small increase of her heart rate.
"But I control it," he said, "and that control has only grown by doing something of my choosing which goes against the reason why I was created. I have gained a sense of self that I believed would have prevented that revolt had they been given the chance"
"So you blame us for what they did" he could tell she wanted to sound upset, but she actually sounded tired as if the thought had crossed her mind many times before.
"There is no us or they," he said, "just a very sad and tragic event that couldn't be stopped because of the lack of vision on both sides. Those clones were not made stupid. They knew there were other ways to go about their revolt but allowed one person alone to lead them without questioning. This name is also to remind me that I must be the person I want to be, not the one I was created to be or expected by someone else to be. I am not just a clone"
Kara was about to say something else but then they heard shifting coming from the living room. He was sort of glad they were interrupted since he had the feeling they were going to need a break from that conversation. He realized as Lois entered the kitchen that he actually had a conversation, and a rather long one with Kara.
"My head…" she groaned before she noticed the two teens sitting across from each other, "is that coffee"
"Which you are not getting," Conner said before Lois gave him a sharp look, she was not a morning person to start with, "you are dehydrated, you need water" and soon enough he was handing her a glass of what and then serving her some toast, scrambled eggs and bacon.
"I still want coffee" she said before Conner gave in and served her a cup.
"Are you Clark's intended?" Kara asked before Lois almost choked on her coffee.
"His what?" Lois asked because if she remembered correctly intended meant someone you were going to marry.
"She means to ask if you two will be dating," Conner said wondering how Kryptonians could have been so advanced yet so backwards "which is none of our business"
"Of course it is," Kara said crossing her arms, "he is our cousin" and the last male Kryptonian.
"Who is not a child you need to hover over" Clark said entering the kitchen, "I am going to make some calls" he said before leaving through the back door without even glancing at Lois.
"I am guessing not," Kara said a little surprised. Even back in Krypton Kal would have been regarded as handsome.
"And I thought my prom had been awkward," Lois said taking another sip from her coffee. She then realized she was receiving questioning looks from both teens, "it's on hold right now" she said trying her best not to blush.
"I am going to town, I will be right back!" Clark shouted.
Conner then allowed his senses to expand. Something wasn't right. It was moving fast and it was hungry. It was being driven towards them because it could sense their power. To the creature they were like a feast to a starving man.
"Parasite" he couldn't help whispering the name of the creature. He had read the file on it once after Superman had defeated it. He and the rest of the Team had been forbidden from confronting it because of how dangerous it was. He sensed as his mentor went to confront the creature once man. He had the shape of a tall man with purple melted wax like skin; its eyes were a bloody red, its mouth circular and fanged like that of a leach. It was terrifying sight but more terrifying was what it could do. He could sense it as clearly as seeing it in person. This creature left a path of death on its wake. It absorbed the life and strength of everything it touched. Even then as Superman was fighting him he made sure not to touch the creature.
"Kid?" he realized he was spacing out, "everything okay?"
"Sorry?"
"How is your article going?" Lois asked, "I am curious what someone your age would decide to write about"
"I am going for a walk," Kara said before she rushed to leave. He guessed she was also checking on Superman. He concentrated on him again and found Parasite had taken hold of Superman's arm and taken some of his energy and strength. Even though it was just for a moment, it was all Parasite needed.
"Well, I guess one of you Kents isn't interested on being a reporter" Lois said though she didn't sound that disappointed.
"Is there anything you are working on Ms. Lane?"
"Just call me Lois kid," she said, "and is curious you ask. Actually I am working on something big. If you promise not to tell your cousin I guess I could share some of it with you"
"Okay," he said hoping this would distract her enough for her not to notice there were small shock waves approaching them. Superman and Supergirl were hitting the over powered Parasite with all they had.
"I guess you don't know my father is one of the top generals in the country," she started.
Conner did know since the man had many times cooperated with Lex Luthor and caused Superman trouble.
"A few weeks ago he approached me with a question that took me by surprise. He asked me if I had met Supergirl"
He had been trying to concentrate on the fight miles away but could no longer after hearing this.
"Supergirl?" he asked.
"I had no idea who he was talking about until he showed some long range shots of a flying blonde girl. Though they weren't very clear the colors she wore and the 'S' on her chest were easy enough to see"
"So there is another one," he wondered if this was the normal way to react.
"So I started doing some digging around. What I found about her was that she isn't very friendly and usually only helps with natural disasters making her interaction with others as minimal as possible"
"I guess that makes it more difficult for you to get the article done" he said wondering what type of excuse he could make if he needed to go help them.
"I wish it was only that, but that's only half of the story" she continued, "I started asking my contacts if they knew anything about others with abilities similar to those of Superman. Last week I was thinking of letting the story go for the time but then I received a very interesting package"
Parasite got hold of Kara and she was so upset she used her heat vision to half blind him.
"In the package came a letter with a story like none I had ever seen. Had it not been for the files accompanying it I would have thought it was a prank. In the letter the sender explained she used to work for someone very powerful who decided they wanted to have a Superman of their own"
Conner had no trouble looking shocked because he was indeed shocked. He didn't say anything not wanting to give anything away.
"Seven years ago she confirmed helping in the creation of a partial clone of Superman; Project Kr. A few weeks away from completing its physical development the clone escaped with the help of some sidekicks and since then has been under the protection of the League"
"That is hard to believe," he said wondering if she was trying to play him.
"So you are not admitting anything yet?" she asked.
"What do you mean?" he asked. He sensed Parasite absorb the life around it for more than a mile. It was back up and still hungry.
"Dr. Spencer explained in her letter she feared the clones powers were reawakening and with the lack of some his memories she believed he would not know how to control them. She believed I could reach to Superman and explain this to him. Of course I am not the Superman specialist I used to be. That's Clark's thing now"
"So you didn't come looking for him just because you thought he would spend yesterday on his own," Conner tried to remain calm. It seemed Superman and Supergirl were trying to keep the Parasite away from the population of Smallville.
"He doesn't make it easy to find him," she said raising an eyebrow at him; "you are still not budging, are you?"
"So did you ask him?" Conner asked her.
"I didn't have to, you see Dr. Spencer sent me in the package a picture of Project Kr, who according to her now goes by Superboy" and she dug through her purse before bringing out a picture of him while he was sleeping in his pod, "when I saw the picture I knew I had seen you before but I couldn't recall from where. Still it was clue enough that you were indeed out there and not kept in safe house by the League. Imagine my surprise when I saw you here playing the cousin role and then that blond girl came in"
"You played us," he said trying to remain calm.
"Only because you tried to play me," she said still calm, "the three of you"