Son of Krypton, Daughter of Earth

Larry's Secret

Two nights later, Lexy and Clark completed the last of the three articles for the Planet. Clark sent the file to Perry. "It'd done, Lexy."

Lexy stretched. "I had such a good time working with you, Clark. Thanks so much for helping me with the articles and getting settled."

"My pleasure. You want to eat at the diner?"

"Sure. Are we taking Larry? I haven't seen him tonight. Is he working?"

"He's in the mailroom. Let's take him. Something's been bothering him a lot lately. Maybe we can get him to open up. I can't help him if I don't know what the problem is."

In the mailroom they were surprised to find Barry waiting with agents from the Labs. They, too, were looking for Larry. "He went on break an hour ago, when he heard you guys ask for him," the mailroom night manager said. "He hasn't come back. He's not in trouble, is he? Nice, hard-working young fellow, but he's been jumpy lately."

"Not trouble, exactly" said Barry. "We need to talk with him. He may have run. Barker, you stay here, in case he comes back." Barry left with the other agents and Lexy and Clark followed them. Clark turned around and looked up at the ceiling and the walls as they walked.

They went into the empty break room. Barry said, "Larry is an ET. Apparently arrived during the storm last August. We need to talk with him, and help him. He's just a kid, but kids can get into big trouble."

"He might be somewhere in the building," said Clark. "Why don't I help you search? I've got a pass key to the meeting rooms on the upper floors."

Barry caught the hint and said,  "You three check the lower floors and outside the building, then. Keep in touch via walkie-talkie." The agents left the break room. Barry turned to Clark. "Let's go."

Lexy said, "Let me come. Larry and I have talked often since I've been working with Clark. Me being along might reassure him. He knows you're after him, but not what you want to do with him."

Barry nodded and said, "You might calm the kid. We're not here to arrest him, or send him away, particularly, but he's got to be registered and prove his origins. United Planets protocol.  Where to, Clark?"

"Roof."

They got in the express elevator and rode up in silence. Clark led the way to the helicopter pad. Larry sat on the parapet, looking over the city. He slumped, and rubbed at his face.

Clark shook his head to keep Barry from speeding at Larry. Lexy put her hand on Clark's arm, and whispered, "He could fall."

"I can hear you, Lexy," said Larry. He swung around on the parapet and stood up. He walked over to them. "I heard the elevator coming up here." He looked from Barry to Lexy to Clark. "I won't fall. I can jump forty or fifty feet sometimes. If I jumped from here, I'd land safely, most likely. You're right, Dr. Allen. I am an alien. I guess you have to take me in, now." He hung his head.

Lexy caught his arm. "We're here to help you, dear. Trust us."

"Superman will be angry when he finds out who I am. I could hear your phone call when you called the manager asking for me, even though I wasn't on the phone, Dr. Allen. My hearing is super. Sometimes. Tonight it is. Tomorrow it may be normal."

"We'll take you to STAR Labs, Larry. Tell us what happened to you and we'll help. If you want to return home, we'll try to find a way. Superman will help, I'm sure," said Barry.

Larry's eyes widened. "Please, I don't want Superman near me. He won't like me, I know, when he finds out about me."

"You can't be that hard to handle," said Clark. 'You're not from the Bizarro world, or a Daxamite, who can't survive Earth's lead levels. Let's go to my office and talk."

"Are you hungry, Larry?" Lexy asked.

He nodded, sadly. "I haven't eaten since dinner."

"We'll get a delivery from the diner, and eat before you go to the Labs, OK?" She looked at Clark and Barry. Both nodded.

An hour later Larry finished his apple pie, and drank the last of his orange juice. "Thanks, Lexy," he said. "It's nice to have a good meal before I go to the Lab."

"The Lab is a research center, son," said Barry, dryly, "Not a prison. Sure, we have facilities to detain people, but we also have residences for aliens, like Lexy."

"They've been very helpful to me," said Lexy, hoping to reassure him. "We'd like to help you, too. Clark said we need to know what your troubles are to best help you."

Barry said. "We know you're an alien who arrived during last August's storms. Let's start there."

Larry's straw sucked air as he finished the juice. He put the glass down and wiped his mouth, stalling for time. He said, "My world is a pocket galaxy that can only be entered through the Phantom Zone, although I think my dad found another breach during the storms. I stumbled into a breach during a storm was sucked into the Zone. Dad always said the Zone was no place for us, for he and General Zod are mortal enemies."

Clark listened intently but showed no reaction to Zod's name.

Larry continued, "I fell into another breach that brought me here. I pretended to be an orphan and tried to make it on the streets. I got real hungry!" He looked at his empty plate. Lexy pushed her remaining fries over. He ate them in one mouthful. "Mr. Kent found me and helped. I owe you a lot, sir. You got me a safe place to stay, and school, and a job."

"Are you a Kryptonian, Larry," Clark asked. His arm tensed against Lexy's.

The boy's face fell. "Yes, sir. I am." The three adults stared at the boy.

"Tell us about yourself," Lexy said.

He looked from one to the other. "Those stories they tell about how Superman came here, the timing's wrong."

"How so?" Clark asked, for this interested him greatly.

"Well, Jor-el and Lara sent Kal-el off in a rocket, but the planet didn't explode for nearly a month. Not like in the comics and movies where you can see the explosion behind Kal's ship. Some Kryptonians left for Daxam, but not my parents. My mom learned she was pregnant shortly after that, and that's why she and Dad decided to go to the Phantom Zone till they could get to a safe place, instead of staying on Krypton or Daxam. Because of me, you see. It was thought to be impossible to go there, to the Zone, because of the early explosions." He swallowed hard. "Jor-el found a way, though, and my parents went." He blinked, then spoke again.

"They stayed there for several years of Earth time, or I'd be older. Zod found them. He hates Jor-El, and everyone connected to him, but couldn't do anything there. When a storm breached the gap between the pocket galaxy and the Zone, they escaped there. The world there has a red sun, so we don't have superpowers. People from various planets were already living there, including Kryptonians in two cities about the size of Kandor. Mom and Dad settled in one of them, called Barzon, where I was born. When the storms came last year, that's how I got here."

The three of them watched the boy for a while. Barry said, "We can try to return you to your parents' world, Larry. Superman and STAR Labs might find a way."

"No! No way," said Larry. "My Dad couldn't find a way off. No Superman." He shook his head. "Only, can you send me to Kandor? Promise? I have relatives there. I can't stay here. It would be too dangerous to go back to the Zone. Zod's just waiting for an opportunity to escape, like another storm."

"We'll talk to Superman about Kandor," Clark said. "Why do you think Superman would hurt you or want to harm you? You're a fellow Kryptonian. Surely your parents weren't enemies of Jor-el, if he helped them escape?"

Larry put his face in his hands, then looked up at Clark. "My name is Jem-El. My parents are Jor-El and Lara. I'm Superman's brother."