Iris

Healing

Part 2

You're the closest to heaven I'll ever be

And I don't want to go home right now

Chapter 5 – Healing

Clark stood at the entrance of the caves and gritted his teeth. A lot had changed since that day years ago when Jor-El had threatened Jonathan and Martha's lives. Clark had hated him then, hated him to the point of madness. He remembered the only thing that had brought him back to sanity was Lana. He had learned to respect Jor-El during those years that he had been in training. He had learnt accept his Kryptonite heritage and eventually he had learnt to be proud of it. He had learnt to adore the mother who had given him life. He knew that he would never care nor love Jor-El, but there was respect. Or had been.

Clark could feel the hate course through his veins, the hate that he had thought he would never feel again. He felt the respect slip away. He felt the anger and rage burn. He had come to trust and rely on Jor-El's advice. His first instincts to distrust and hate his biological father had been right. Jonathan had always been right about Jor-El. Only Lana had tried to make him see some goodness in him. He even remembered her words.

"Surely there is a bit of goodness in him Clark, to be loved by a woman like Lara. Try Clark, so you never regret."

He continued to look on the symbols on the cave walls. His tried to control the anger that was slowly consuming his logic. He took a deep breath and put his hand on the wall. At the contact the ground vibrated and the wall split in two. He didn't flinch or blink at the harsh light. He stood for a second longer than necessary then walked through the opening. The splendor and grandeur of the ice palace barely registered in his mind. He didn't stand in awe of the technology that was beyond all comprehension. He knew that for the next 1,000 years humans would still be trying to amass this knowledge, but in those 1,000 years would never know a fifth of what was in this Fortress alone.

His people had walked like giants among the stars and the very pride that had brought them that glory had also led to their destruction. Yes, this was his heritage to pass on to his children. The last son of Krypton, maybe all of this would die with him. Who could tell what secrets the future held close to her bosom. The heart had desires and dreams, but time fulfilled or denied.

He clutched his fists tightly, then released them as he stood in the middle of the Fortress of Solitude.

"Jor-El!" he tried to keep his anger in check.

He watched as the image of his biological father materialised before him. The man who was the very image of himself. There could be no mistaking the kinship. He looked into the image's eyes and saw no emotion, nothing but bottomless cold green pools.

"Kal-El you have come. Do you require assistance my son?"

Clark didn't reply as he tried to swallow the anger that had turned into a lump in his throat.

"What I require from you is answers Jor-El!"

Jor-El looked at his son and could see the anger vibrating beneath the surface. He was familiar with this anger and was unaffected by it.

"What answers do you require my son?"

"You knew about Lana!" it was a statement not a question.

"Yes," the reply was emotionless.

"Then why didn't you tell me?"

"Because it was not necessary for you to know. You had a destiny to fulfill and she was a distraction. I couldn't have you go looking for her, so I simply withheld what I knew. I never lied to you Kal-El."