Man of Tomorrow

Smallville

Young Baby Kal-El's space ship comes into Earth's orbit. It begins to burn as the ship begins to get closer and closer to Earth, heading directly into the atmosphere on a direct course for the North American continent.

*       *       *

A truck is driving along the empty road with nothing but farmland around it. The truck drives along at a slow pace as its two occupants, Jonathan and Martha Kent talk. Jonathan and Martha Kent make their way home, discussing the future.

"So what do you think Martha? Does it look like it might rain to you?"

Martha Kent looks up into the sky to check for rain and sees what looks like a comet hurtling towards them at an incredible speed.

"Jonathan? Look."

"What? What is it?"

"Up in the sky."

Jonathan Kent looks up into the sky and gets a glimpse of the space ship coming at them.

"It's, what is that?"

"I don't know. It couldn't be a bird."

"A plane maybe?"

"It's... oh my god. Stop."

Jonathan Kent slams on the breaks of the car and it comes to a screeching halt just as Young Baby Kal-El's space ship passes in front of their windshield and descends to the ground in a field. Jonathan and Martha Kent start looking around at the event that just happened in front of them.

"What was that?"

Jonathan Kent begins to get out of the truck.

*       *       *

20 YEARS LATER

The early warning siren sounds through the town. Jonathan and Clark Kent are in the living room of their home.

"You can do this son." insists Jonathan reassuringly.

"I can't. It's too big." responds Clark.

"Not for you. This is the kind of job that only you can do." Jonathan pushes back.

"But I've never done anything this big before. It might be too big, even for me. I can't do it. The radiation..."

"Clark Joseph Kent. I taught you better than that."

"Dad."

"I always taught you to put other people before yourself. Don't turn your back on everything I've taught you just because you're scared. I've seen you run into burning buildings, keep bombs from exploding, and catch bullets meant for others with your bare hands. You were okay then, and you will be okay now."

Jonathan Kent put his hands on Clark Kent's shoulders.

"But what if I fail? I can't afford to fail this time Dad. If I do, you and mom..."

"Your mother and I aren't important son. What's important are the thousands of people who will die if someone like you doesn't have the strength of character to step up and do the right thing. And I know you have that strength because I was the one that raised you. I raised you to be the kind of person that people could look up to. To be the kind of man that no one else could be. Because I believe that you can be that kind of man. A super man."

A few moments pass before Clark looks at Jonathan. Jonathan steps aside.

"I believe you can do it son. All you have to do is believe in yourself."

Clark Kent uses his super-speed to leave his home.

"Go be a hero Clark."

Jonathan Kent is left alone in the house, watching the open front door of his home with pride. After a few moments, he stumbles towards a nearby easy chair and pulls himself into it, sitting down.

*        *       *

Clark Kent runs at top speed across the field in front of the nuclear power plant. His trajectory takes him directly towards the plant.

*        *        *

Clark Kent walks through the door of his home in search of his parents. His clothes are tattered and blackened from the ordeal at the nuclear power plant.

"Mom? Dad?"

There's no response from within the house.

"Dad you were right."

Clark Kent begins to search the house for his parents.

"I could do it. I stopped it. I did the right thing."

Clark enters the kitchen and finds Paramedics in the kitchen with Martha. Jonathan is lying on the floor of the kitchen as the Paramedics step away from him.

"What's going on?" Clark asks, concerned.

Martha runs over to Clark and puts her arms around him, "Clark, I'm sorry."

One of the paramedics walks up to Clark and Martha as the second paramedic starts packing up the emergency supplies.

"I'm sorry Mr. Kent. But with all the stress of the plant scare and his heart condition I'm afraid his heart simply gave out. There was nothing anyone could've done." the first paramedic says before he walks out of the room with the other Paramedic, leaving Clark and Martha alone.

"We'll send the coroner out to pick up the body as soon as we can."

Clark Kent and Martha Kent simply stand in the kitchen motionless.

*          *          *

Clark stands in the cemetery in front of his father's coffin at dusk. Martha is standing next to him as others in attendance stand behind them. They begin to leave as the service ends but Clark continues to stand there. Eventually, Martha leaves and Clark continues to stand in the cemetery alone as Jonathan Kent's coffin is lowered into the ground.

Clark Kent continues to stand in the cemetery alone as night falls.

"I did it for you Dad. Because it's what you wanted. I did it because you believed in me."

Clark Kent walks over to where the soil is that will cover Jonathan Kent's grave. Clark Kent gets down on one knee with the soil and the grave in front of him.

"Never again."

Clark Kent pushes the large pile of dirt onto the grave.