"John, hurry up, we're waiting for you!", yelled General Lane. John finally made it to the end of the training track and said, "Sorry sir, I'll do better next time". The General stared at him and said, "In war, there is no time for hesitation John, I hope you understand that". "I do", said John. General Sam Lane, otherwise known as Samuel Lane, a.k.a the father of Lois Lane, was in charge of the military at Metropolis. If there was ever a war to break out, he made it clear to be one of the first to be notified. Sam had been working with the military for thirty years, since then he had been training himself, and eventually, training men for any invasion to hit the United States by other countries. Sam started off as a quiet, yet brave soldier, and eventually grew to become the best general working in Metropolis. Lois, was sadly, unaware of her father's whereabouts, as his involvement in the military, meant spending less time with his daughter. Sam, however, was aware of Lois' existence in Metropolis, due to the amount of newspaper stories being written by her.
John Corben, however, was no Samuel Lane. He enlisted in the army to not only help protect his country, but he also wanted to prove to people, how strong he really was. Sam had everything. A beautiful daughter, a high-ranking title, and all the respect he deserved. John had nothing. He was alone in Metropolis. He had no wife, no respect and not even a proper home. He had to constantly move from place, as he never once felt comfortable, from where he was living. He thought that there was no way in hell, that people would look at him, and go, "Wow, now there's a hero". He always thought of doing good, but due to his physique, it wasn't possible. His time and training in the army wasn't paying off, so, he decided to quit. General Lane was baffled, but John was happy. No one had to give him orders anymore. John moved on with his life, thinking that there was no way for him to have all the power he wanted for people to love him. That is, until he might met him, Superman.
John was trekking across Alaska, constantly pushing his body to the test. He wanted to get stronger, but instead, ended up finding someone or something stronger. He noticed a man flying in and out of a cave. John couldn't believe his eyes. "He's flying", said John, amazed. When Superman wasn't around, John would try and find a way to get into the cave. He tried and tried, but somehow, he couldn't get in. It was completely sealed. John then realised that he needed help, if was going to do this. When he returned home, he noticed the amount of love Superman was getting. Superman had a become a symbol of hope to the people, and for John, he despised him because of that. His chance of fame and being a hero, was gone, because of Superman. Whenever he saw Superman fly, he gave him a nasty look. A look of hatred and jealousy. But there was one thing he did have that Superman didn't have. He was human, and to him, he thought that humans were smarter than aliens. Beings not from this planet.
After finding out the location of the criminals locked away, thanks to Superman, he decided to go there and make a bargain. If they destroyed the barrier, blocking the cave, he would set them free, and cause all the damage they wanted on Superman. He knew that Superman had a weakness, and he wondered if that cave had the answer. Once the prisoners said "yes" to agreeing on helping him, they all set out the cave, where Superman was nowhere in sight. This was the perfect chance to break in and find out everything on Superman. "Alright men, he called out to the now escapees, start working, cause I ain't going anywhere, not until I find what I'm looking for". "Do you really think he has a weakness?", asked one of the criminals, knowing that John had already briefed him on his plan. "He may be an alien, but everyone has a weakness. Man of steel or not, he can broken", said John.
After thirty minutes of breaking, smashing and destroying, the entrance to the cave had finally become available. John had a big smile on his face. He walked in and said, "So, this is the famous hideout of Superman. His training ground. His, Fortress of Solitude. Superman was never meant to be alone, yet for some reason, he choose this place as his home. I wonder why". He turned to face the criminals and said, "Find anything you can. I don't to miss anything. We're not leaving this place without a single trace of hope. The hope that we can take down Superman". The criminals began their work, and John left the cave. Half an hour had past, and there was still nothing found, until, "Hey John, we found something", said one of the criminals. John ran into the cave and was stunned as to what was in front of him. Large piles of shiny crystals were displayed in front of him. "What is it?", asked John. "Apparently it's called Kryptonite, said one of the criminals, we found it out through this voice that we found".
