Chapter 173: Ch.7
Clark ended up breaking up with Lana that night and a week later he ended up dying albeit temporarily, trying to save Lana who was drugging herself with the help of some med students at Met U.
I'd showed up after the med student had died while falling on a bone saw. I smacked Clark's chest with a thousand volts to jumpstart his heart. He woke up startled and I looked at him and Lana saying. "I was never here. I have nothing to do with this mess either."
I blurred and went home before grabbing some sleep. Watching Clark's ass was getting repetitive. He came home later saying he saw dad and he'd said Lionel knew his secret.
I sighed. "Clark, I know Lionel knows you're secret. He's Jor-El's vessel. A last ditch effort from Jor-El to protect you if things go to shit and I can't protect you. He became Jor-El's vessel because I sent him the stone of power he'd used before to switch bodies with you."
Clark was speechless before asking. "Why didn't you tell me? Why, just why?"
I sighed and sat down and waved for him to sit down. He did so and I told him. "I sent him the stone to keep it out of temptation of my own and away from the house in a safe place. He was truly changed by the experience Clark, I read it in his mind. I also needed an ally to protect you from the government should they or Lex ever come knocking. I hadn't told you before because I didn't want you to behave recklessly if you knew we were watching your back. All I've ever wanted to do is protect you little brother, it's what big brothers do."
He looked at a loss as to how to reply as he sat there in silence for a long while before asking. "Can we trust him?"
I nodded. "Jor-El will see to it that Lionel never betrays you, no matter how convoluted his plans are. That's why he's there. To be the manipulative bastard of a shield that will do everything in his power to protect you, just like me."
He shook his head. "You're nothing like him."
I patted his back sighing. "If I ever lost you or mom, I'd be far worse than him Clark. Far, far worse. All I'm trying to do is to protect what family I have left in this world. Jor-El is doing the same and that's where we've come to an agreement on."
I turned and went to do the chores and rebuild a chicken coop. Clark went to Honduras to find Fine not long after that. When he came back I left it to him to tell mom or not as Lionel can't harm her either.
A month later Clark brought a little girl home along with a deputy as her adoptive mother had been brutally killed with glass. I watched over her for a bit when I wasn't taking care of the animals and he and Lois took their own turns until the child protective services came.
The glad started shaking so I made a barrier around me and Lois who dived to the ground. When the glass in the car exploded, killing the child service agent, it hit my barrier and I gained the ability to control and manipulate all things glass.
It was a unique ability that worked on gems as well. The girl's father came and threw shards at me but I shot him in the knees, bringing him down screaming. I called the police and Lois took Maddie inside while I tied up her father.
When the police came I warned them he was a meta human who could control glass and showed them the dead Social services agent. They hauled the man away in suppressive cuffs to be fixed up before being sent to Belle Reve.
Clark came back with news but saw the cops cleaning up and decided to mention Chloe finding the girl's grandmother. She really responded to Clark so she was a bit hesitant to go with an old lady she didn't know but Clark talked her in to taking a chance.
Two weeks later after Lionel was almost killed by a train accident, I sent him a message that it was the guy doing the bug sweeps. Lionel took care of it in his own way and I told him to have his office swept clean again.
He knew I had cameras that were undetectable in there and that they were for his and Clark's security only. They were a fail safe in case Lex or an employee lost it like this one had.
He thanked me for the tip knowing I couldn't care less about his dirty business or even him murdering people so long as Clark and mom were safe. He also knew not to try and use that fact against me or I'd kill him, Lex and his two bastards, ending his family tree at the roots.
Some two weeks later Clark saved an assassin that sent gifts to thank him. after Clark returned them, the assassin showed up but before he could reveal himself, I grabbed him, tossing him into my inner galaxy to Drake for food as I'd gained his form of invisibility as well. It was more of a see through rather than a reflection sort of deal.
Three weeks later we celebrated Clark's birthday. Mom gave him a letter from dad that had left it behind for him in his desk. The next day he mentioned seeing dad and being told to kill Lionel Luthor. Immediately I told him it had to be Milton Fine as dad wouldn't have asked him to kill Lionel, he'd have asked me to to spare him.
That brought up questions he didn't want to ask about my military career so he just agreed as I was so sure of it. I headed to the fortress to get the last bit of my training in for Klurkor as well as learning Horu-Kanu.
I don't know how long I was inside the training simulations but the next thing I knew, Clark and another Kryptonian, a female I heard him call Raya, used up the last of the power holding me in learning stasis.
I broke out of the crystal container and asked. "What the hell is going on? Better yet, how long was I in there?"
Clark looked relieved. "Jake, where've you been?"
I snorted. "Training in the fortress to fight Zod. I got trapped in there on repeat when the fortress started losing power. On the bright side- oh, we have a visitor."
I looked to the phantom who started acting all tough. I told Clark. "I need to blow off some steam, why don't you and your girlfriend sit this one out little brother?"
He chuckled. "In that case, have at it. Just let me know when you're done."
Raya asked. "Are you sure that's wise Kal-El? Baern is a dangerous being even to Kryptonian's and especially now that he's absorbed the brain interactive construct's power source."
Clark answered with a smile. "He May be powerful, but nothing beats Jake."
Baern fired a radiation beam at me and I stood my ground as the ground cracked around me then I smiled as I gained his powers and moved faster than he could see. I used Torquasm vo mixed with Klurkor and warped the air around my blows as I used the speed force to turn the phantom into a living pinball. The last blow was with the crystal Clark had tossed me, sucking the power and phantom out of the poor kid as he passed out.
I tossed it back to Clark. "That was refreshing and all, but I'm gonna go home and grab a shower. Use that to power up the fortress and let me know if you need more. When I get back you can fill me in on what's happened while I was out."
He agreed and I heard Raya ask. "Who is he?"
Clark replied. "That's my big brother. He's my human brother only he's part unknown alien as not even the fortress knew what type of alien DNA he has. He also has a bit of my own blood in him thanks to a piece of Kryptonite and us both being injured. He's part human, part Kryptonian and part something else."
I blurred and headed home for a hot shower and a change of clothes. I also checked how Shadow was holding up and surprisingly found I'd officially made my first billion and was quickly adding to that with investments.
I came up with a cover story for my absence which was actually simple as I was out of town. I simply said I needed a vacation from the farm work to work on my algorithm. I called up some contacts starting with General Lane to see if the military was interested in my algorithm and at what price, assuming it works, that it would be worth to catch criminals, terrorists and spies by simply adding their characteristics into it.
I locked out any meta human, alien and the like, targeting as well as wrote complex laws to prevent others from hacking it and changing what I put in. General Lane contacted the pentagon and from there a lot of government higher ups.
He knew I wouldn't be bringing this to him without it working so there was no chance of a failure program like the crap Lex peddles. By the afternoon I was in a conference meeting in Metropolis with three generals, two congressmen and five senate majority leaders.
I showed them the program and specified it was for terrorists, average lawbreakers and spies hiding in the US boarders or elsewhere if it's given a dedicated satellite. I had it identify two terrorist cells and twenty seven spies in the US by the first fifteen minutes.
I told them while they made calls. "This is proprietary technology and is up for sale solely to the government and US based businesses for weeding out corporate spies. If you offer enough, I'll guarantee not to sell to any of them either."
When they got confirmation on the targets, the leading four star General spoke up. "Why don't you name your price and we'll go from there."
I sighed. "I'll sell for six billion but that doesn't include the agreement for sole ownership. That'll cost you fifteen billion in total. Remember gentlemen, this is unhackable and can be used worldwide. No matter the country or zip code it's accurate up to three feet from the target but that's with it's own satellite connection. Like I said, it's guaranteed to work."
They discussed it for a bit and one of the congressmen asked. "And what if we'd like this for just one of us?"
I raised an eyebrow. "Then it comes down to the highest bidder, but make no mistake, if it's a tie, I'll favor the military. I am a veteran after all."
General Lane smirked and the other Generals smiled. I sighed. "Look. It's six billion for one of the copies or fifteen. I'm not lowering the price as this has taken me years to finish and perfect. I don't mind if you all pool your resources and buy it, that's between you. If you want it for yourself then make me an offer."
They looked at each other before they agreed to stick together and buy it for fifteen billion. I took out the briefcase and the hard drive with the algorithm on it and set it all on the table for them after I got confirmation of the funds being transferred.
I handed them the flash drive to it saying. "This is the instruction manual. It has how to hook it up and activate as well as deactivate it. I call it constellation but I'm sure you'll have a different name for it soon enough."
With that I shook some hands and made sure Shadow invested all that money as well. I plan to majorly short LexCorp stock soon enough and fuck Lex's world up.
I left after saying goodbye to General Lane and headed home. Clark and Raya were there and she mentioned staying at the fortress from now on. I personally had no more use for the fortress so I doubted I'd see her again anytime soon.
Clark told me about his fight with Zod, saving Lex, dark Thursday, the phantoms, his super breath and Oliver as green arrow. I listened to it all before sighing. "It's good to be back. Even with all the crap that comes with it."
He smiled wryly before agreeing it sucked sometimes. I spent the next week bugging halfway houses and Queen industries laboratories. When I finished, I got the whole story on RL65, the healing drug Queen industries was developing and Lex co-opted.
I even got it on camera and audio of Lex telling the doctor who developed it to use the halfway houses as an illegal testing ground. I hung around Oliver's loft on the ground floor and listened for the mugging that was to take place each night until it actually happened.
I blurred, putting on a black suit with a green phoenix on the back with the word Prometheus written in gold. The robe mask was spelled to make me look like Anubis's robed form from the Stargate universe. A shifting black and grey mist is all that can be seen.
It was also enchanted to not come down unless I myself took it down so that was a bonus. My armor underneath was what I'd gotten and improved on from Knull. I'd added Nth metal and various others as well as all sorts of magical enchantments to it as well.
When Oliver was about to be shot, I blurred and appeared before him, turning the bullet into flames as it melted before reaching me. I then heated up the assailants gun and through a fire covered punch at the human, knocking him out. The fire died as I sucked the heat out of it and I turned to Oliver who was shocked at my towering form.
Smirking I told him with my voice modulator. "You're getting sloppy. A mugger nearly taking you out, how embarrassing."
He asked. "Who are you?"
I chuckled. "Can't you read? I'm Prometheus. Now, let's see about getting out of here before the cops come."
I grabbed him and blurred away after taking all his arrows. I brought him to the farm and took his drugs before revealing myself as I took down the hood. He was a bit shocked before saying. "Clark always told me he had a powerful big brother."
I nodded. "I've been trapped in a virtual training simulation for a while, learning martial arts. I just got back and heard about you and did some digging. You know your drug here has serious psychotic effects right? I'm talking rage that'll have you lashing out and killing the ones you love."
He grunted. "I wasn't told that, besides, how did you find that out?"
I snorted. "I went to the labs and saw your scientist telling Lex Luthor about them before she agreed to work for him behind your back."
I grabbed the tablet and showed it to him as he watched the video recording. When he set it down he sighed. "Well she's definitely fired."
I chuckled. "On the bright side I can remove the bad effects and leave the healing factor, improving the drug a bit in the process. I looked it over and her research is flawed but nearly solid."
He was a bit skeptical. "A farm boy and a scientist?"
I sighed. "It takes all kinds besides, I studied all sorts of engineering at college including bio engineering. I should be able to replicate the drugs healing effects though it'll be slightly weaker, but the psychosis effects will be removed. As for Lex, I'll take care of him as that same video goes on to have him saying to use halfway houses as testing grounds. I'm planning on releasing it to the public and ruining his sterling reputation. The project can be shut down and you can open another with my research and perfected drug."
He nodded. "It seems we have a deal, so, what's in it for you?"
I snorted. "Fifty percent of the profits. I need the money for a serious project I'm working on. I'm gonna change this world, end world hunger, droughts and even stop most major earthquakes as well as tsunamis. Each project will be focused and if your willing, sold under Queen consolidated's umbrella. I'll even be making a recycling plant able to turn all non organic materials into fertilizer and make atmospheric cleaners to prevent and reverse green house gasses building up."
He raised his eyebrows. "That's a little of good, so what's the catch?"
I smiled. "I use your name to get it done. You find it and we split the profits fifty-fifty. You can even donate the extras to countries that simply can't afford it. All I ask is that you don't try and weaponize any of my projects."
He agreed easily before asking. "Why do you need all that money though?"
I smiled. "For my largest project, to protect the future of this world. But that's not important right now. Suffice it to say it's worth every dime."
He agreed and gave me the rest of his healing compounds before I dropped him off at his place and got to work. I had shadow short LexCorp stock before releasing the video to every news station on the planet.
By morning Lex was in a rage and LexCorp had taken a massive hit. I bought back all the stock I'd sold off and so much more for really cheap. Queen industries started buying up shares in secret. While Lex was going through a PR nightmare.
I saw videos of Lionel warning him not to act rashly. Oliver fired and disgraced the college professor and scientist that sold out and announced the shutdown of the project as it's research was burned and deemed to hazardous for human health.
Lex and Lana's relationship became strained as well but she found out she was pregnant so she stayed with him anyways. I signed several project contracts with Oliver who stopped by the next day before heading off to explain his absence to Lois. He used the fallout as an excuse as he'd had to save his company from serious ramifications.
He even stopped by on thanksgiving and ate with us before leaving with the files and designs for the projects I drew up. It was all already ready to be patented so there was no issues there. I'd easily made the modifications to the drug once I had samples so it to was ready to be mass produced and sent out.
All that was left was me running around the world to gather every disease and virus known to man and replicating Lex's research into a super vaccine that he never patented.
It took me a month before I had it replicated and figured out. I sent it to Oliver as well to be patented and mass produced. LexCorp recovered and barely staved off destruction in that time as Lex paid his way through court and made back room deals. The public now knew what type of man Lex really was while Oliver was just releasing the first of many projects to clean up the earth and save humanity.
He released the super vaccine first and marketed it while LexCorp claimed theft but couldn't come up with a patent claim or proof of the serum so they shut up after Oliver threatened them with court. Billions of dollars poured in as he sold it to the top one percent first.
Every dime I received was invested automatically. My name was kept out of it as the patent was under Oliver's company name and a confidentiality contract. Lex himself was busy with a 33.1 breakout patient. The 33.1 project was a meteor freak and super powered project that experimented on ex Belle Reve patients who instead of being released, were hidden away in a secret lab and experimented on.
I'd already known about it but that wasn't my concern for now. What was however, was the farm and how Clark had taken it over. He was still going to college, doing his hero bit on occasions and running the farm.
Seeing him manage it all, I packed my bags and told him and mom. "I came back to help out on the farm and did so. Now that Clark's got it handled, I'm moving to Metropolis and going to work for Oliver as a bodyguard and part time hero of my own."
Clark was a bit stunned but when he saw I was serious, he agreed it was a good thing for me. Mom was happy as well. I put a hundred million in their bank accounts as I was technically a researcher under Queen consolidated and if the government asked mom, she could point them to me which as they bought my previous project, they'd know I had money and would back off.
It was for the future of our family and emergencies. I moved into a penthouse loft Oliver set up for me and began helping him with his hero gigs. I headed to Seattle after a few hours of helping Oliver saying there was a serious powered threat there.
I got there and found the phantom zoner ripping out bones and eating dock workers. I punched him lightly and he returned the blow, sending me through a couple shipping containers. When I felt the extra added strength, I grabbed the alien and sent him into my inner galaxy to Blonsky to play with.
Inside my realm they're still powered as it's a separate reality of sorts in there. Blonsky found a new friend and boy were they tearing it up. I left Seattle after burning the house of El symbol into the concrete dock and blurring away like Jor-El had taught me to.
I headed to the house to tell Clark about it all before grabbing Chloe and taking her to Jed McNally's farm a bit away from ours. I forced him to release the migrant workers he was keeping as his personal slaves and persuaded him to confess his crimes to Chloe for an article.
I talked to mom about getting visas for the workers and helping them out before calling the cops on Jed. He was dragged away long after Chloe got her scoop and was busy at work with the story.
I then went back to Metropolis and continued cleaning up the crime wave in effect caused by Lex's drug idiocy. Once we were done, Oliver and I moved to New York with a lead on 33.1 and found Bart living on the streets. Then after he joined up, Victor was found as well.
A month later we picked up Arthur trying to sink a whaler off the coast of Japan. We barely managed to get to him in time before he was about to become shredded and packed into tin cans. He joined up easy enough as we took our group on the road, fighting crime and occasionally doing body guard work while Oliver released sea quake and earthquake prevention technology as well as drought and cold resistant seeds that needed little to no water to grow fast and could be repeatedly harvested.
He won the Nobel peace prize for his efforts and Queen industries became known for their generosity. I grabbed some vacation days a few months later while they were in Gotham doing leg work on a crime syndicate to head to a fight ring in the Metropolis underground.
There I faced a few meta humans and eventually won until I faced Titan. We traded blows before I broke his leg after adding his strength to my own. I left after that and let them deal with it all.
He'd heal soon enough and I had no reason to stay now that I was much stronger. I spent several million a couple days later on an online auction for the book of Zatara. After reading it all and smiling as my own magic adjusted, I made a connection to a much purer dimension to draw magic from as well, no longer just relying on my own magic.
After that I found Zatanna and gave her the book saying I picked it up during an auction. She thanked me quite readily and enthusiastically. When I left her, she was mumbling about no more and being sore, trying to do a spell. I'd made sure to do a contraception spell to prevent unwanted kids with a woman I hardly knew.
I hadn't realized I'd needed the release until she'd been riding me and I unloaded deep inside her. She'd held on for dear life and ended up spending a whole day taking me for her efforts.
I headed back to Gotham the next morning and caught up with the guys. We ended up back in Metropolis after a series of LexCorp facilities we broke into for information on 33.1.
Bart went to see Clark and catch up while I relaxed a bit and stopped a few robberies and murders. Each time I saved someone, I'd burn the house of El symbol into a wall or the ground itself. Eventually we, Bart and I, went to a facility where the mainframe for 33.1 was supposed to be housed.
He got shocked and I grabbed him before flashing away to the hideout. I heard Lex cursing as we left that there was two of us. Smirking, I got to the hideout and told Oliver it was a trap.
Before we could pick a different target, Clark showed up demanding answers and calling us terrorists. Chuckling, I revealed myself. "That's a ballsy stance little brother. Perhaps you should hear us out before you go labeling us with such a moniker."
He frowned when he saw me before asking. "You're in on it with them?"
I rolled my eyes. "Look here Clark, I don't care what Lex told you about us or what we're doing, but we aren't terrorists, well technically we are but that's besides the point. Lex has been opening labs and experimenting on powered individuals. As far as I can tell every meta human supposedly released from Belle Reve in the passed two years has gone missing and ended up in a project called 33.1. He's building a super powered army and experimenting on these people like lab rats. Now you can either stand by and accuse us of being terrorists or you can help, because if I have to Clark, I take you over my knee like dad used to."
The others stayed very quiet as this was a talk between the big powers in the room. Clark sighed, knowing I wasn't kidding. "I'm that case, what can I do to help?"
I sighed and Oliver spoke up, telling him about the mainframe and information we were looking for. I'd even used my bugs in LexCorp but I couldn't find the locations of that specific project mentioned out loud.
It was as if Lionel was working to keep it quiet as well. Clark brought in Chloe to help and she, Victor and I managed to hack all of LexCorp's building schematics and shadow narrowed it down for us. Clark joined us on mission and I gave him a magical makeover to prevent others from recognizing him.
We devastated the place as I knocked out all the guards and removed the refined meteor rocks while Impulse planted charges with AC and Oliver. Victor hacked the mainframe and found what we needed while Clark made sure the experimented people were set free and got out.
When we left, the building blew up behind us while I heard Watchtower on coms. "Wow!"
We headed back to the farm as morning set in and Chloe met us there. Bart started mentioning naming ourselves as Chloe asked what our group was called. Oliver said it needed the name justice in it because that's what Lex was going to get a big dose of.
Chuckling I told them. "The Justice League. A legion of superheroes to stave off the darkness in the world, a shining beacon of hope in an otherwise dreary place."
Chloe spoke up. "I like it."
Bart agreed and the rest did as well. I turned to Clark. "So, are you in little brother? We could use some more big guns."
He shook his head. "I'm not ready for the Justice league yet. I've my own things I need to square away before I'm ready."
I nodded. "The phantoms."
He nodded as well, while Oliver asked. "Anything we can do to help?"
Clark shook his head and I sighed. "In that case we have places to be and people to save. It seems Lex isn't happy with playing in his own backyard anymore. He's taking 33.1 global. Wherever there are powered people he's setting up shop to experiment on them."
Oliver spoke up. "Speaking of which, wheels up in thirty."
I agreed and said goodbye to Clark and Chloe. A little while later during the jet ride, Oliver announced the release of the new healing drug he labeled Ambrosia. With that now on the market plus the recently released water purifiers and garbage fertilizer, he was up for another Nobel prize.
On the bright side after it hit the market, my investments reached fifty billion within the next six months. I was no longer just playing the American markets either as shadow had branched out to global markets.
For six months we took out 33.1 facilities as fast as they popped up and when Shadow informed me it was time and that he'd shorted LexCorp when Lana was announced dead and Lex didn't fight the accusations, I had Oliver dump the stock he grabbed before picking it up again for a song while shadow bought more stock in LexCorp after the market got hit and it became next to worthless.
I'd nearly doubled the fifty billion I'd invested over night.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone