Chaos In The Flesh

Chapter 2

"Hello Jon-El."

Jonathan shivered. This wasn't Kansas.

Surrounding him were stalagmites of ice forming a fortress around him. Towers of ice and snow built and supported the roof of icicles. The snow beneath his feet was soft and already patted firmly down. A large mirror and small cylinders of ice were before him.

He let out a breath of hot air into the freezing temperature. The cloud of heat disappeared before he could take another breath in.

"Over here."

Jonathan looked into the mirror. Instead of his own reflection, he saw an old man with a gray beard and black Superman suit. A black cape covered his shoulders and pooled at his feet. He had big brown eyes and stress wrinkles all across his forehead.

The man looked him over. "You're built like your father, but you have the eyes of your grandmother."

Jonathan sucked in a breath. Shards of ice sliced through his lungs. "Grandpa."

The old man smiled. "I prefer Jor-El."

Jonathan looked around. "How am I here? I know dad wouldn't have taken me, I have no powers, and I'm pretty sure I couldn't sleep walk across the ocean even if I tried."

Jor-El raised an eyebrow. "This is your dreamscape. As for your powers, that is quite interesting. Kal-El never mentioned you never having powers. I assume you had none since your brother has been the one to make more than a few breakthroughs."

Jonathan rolled his eyes and scoffed. "Yeah, yeah, I get it. I'm the screwup. Superman's son is actually normal. Surprise."

Jor-El shifted in his uniform. "I never said it was a bad thing."

Jonathan crossed his arms, the cold seeping through his shirt. "So what am I doing here? Need me to pass along a message?"

"No. I felt a disturbance in your molecular build." Jor-El ran his hand down the side of the mirror. A hologram appeared in front of Jonathan's body. "I supposed that you were going through certain bodily changes, but this seemed more powerful. As though your own powers were awakening."

Jonathan looked at the hologram. He could see every vein, bone, and muscle. His heart, lungs, and brain all pulsed with energy.

"Must've been a bug." He said simply, waving the hologram away. "A glitch."

Jor-El didn't look satisfied. "Perhaps. But stay alert. I was wrong with your brother once. I won't be wrong again."

Jonathan nodded. "Can I go back to bed now?"

Jor-El sighed. "You are turning weak, Jon-El. Weaker than you know."

Jonathan snorted and closed his eyes. He heard Jor-El sigh. Suddenly, the cold blasted away and instead, he felt the heat of the Kansas air settle against his skin.

He opened his eyes and sat up.

Nothing had changed it seemed. Still in his own bed, but it was now dark. He checked his clock. 1:36.

He leaned back down and closed his eyes. It was all a dream. He never actually saw his grandfather, never went to the fortress, never heard his grandfather say—

"What do you mean someone got there before you?"

August 10, 2022; 8:26am:

Jonathan took a deep breath in and slowly opened his eyes. His room was still messy and smelly. The sun still shined through his curtains and the dust still floated through the air. Damn he needed to clean his room.