[Third Person Pov]
Clark stood up from his seat and glanced over toward Golden Darkness, tilting his head slightly as if the idea had just come to him. "You want to come along with us?" he asked casually, like it wasn't anything unusual.
"Seriously?" she replied, her tone edged with surprise. That was the last thing she had expected to hear from him, especially after everything that had happened between them.
"I mean, yeah," Clark said with a small shrug, as if it were obvious. "I figured you wouldn't mind wanting to pay the guy a visit."
Golden Darkness narrowed her eyes at him, clearly not convinced. "Aren't you being a bit too trusting?" she asked, her voice sharpening. "I'm still an assassin after all, and not to mention there's a bounty on your head. Who's to say I won't just suddenly turn on you when you least expect it?" She shot him a pointed glare, watching closely for any hesitation.
Clark simply raised a brow at her, unimpressed. "Did I hit you too hard in the head or something?" he asked dryly. He lifted his hand and waved it lazily in front of her face, a grin slowly spreading across his lips. "Yowai mo~ you're too weak to ever be a threat to me."
A flash of irritation crossed her face instantly.
She was a renowned and feared assassin, someone whose very name carried weight, and she was the farthest thing from weak. Hearing that, and seeing the smug look on his face, was more than enough to set her off.
Without another word, she moved.
She leapt onto the table in a single motion and launched herself straight at him, her arm shifting and morphing into a sharp blade aimed directly between his eyes. "That was because I was being controlled," she snapped mid-lunge. "This time it's different."
Clark didn't move from where he stood. He simply raised a single finger and stopped the blade dead in its tracks. Sparks burst from the point of contact as her momentum halted instantly. Her body trembled slightly as she pushed forward, trying to force her weapon through his defense, but it wouldn't budge.
Clark's finger bent back just a little from the pressure, enough for him to take notice. He raised a brow at that, mildly impressed, before straightening it again without effort. Then, with a small flick of his thumb and middle finger, he sent her flying.
Her body shot backward like a slingshot, crashing hard against the wall with a loud impact. The force left her dazed as she slid down to the ground, her vision briefly spinning.
Clark lowered his hand like nothing had happened. "If you're done playing around, come along," he said plainly. "Or stay here if you prefer, either or." With that, he turned and started walking away.
Golden Darkness remained on the floor for a moment, trying to process what had just happened. 'With a flick? Seriously? Just how strong is he?' she thought, frustration creeping in. She pushed herself back up to her feet, brushing herself off as she muttered under her breath, "I was holding back."
Clark glanced back over his shoulder, catching that immediately. A smirk tugged at his lips. "So was I."
She clicked her tongue in annoyance but didn't argue further, choosing instead to follow after him.
Clark led the group toward the elevator and pressed the call button. As the doors opened, they all stepped inside. He looked up slightly and called out, "Take us to the hangar, Sol."
Momo braced herself instinctively, expecting the sudden ascension of the elevator like the drop earlier, but instead it began to rise smoothly upward. The motion caught her off guard, and she stiffened for a second. When she noticed everyone looking at her, she quickly relaxed, her face turning a bit red from the attention.
She cleared her throat, trying to move past it. "So, Yami-san," she began, turning toward Golden Darkness, "how long have you been an assassin for?"
"Yami-san?" Golden Darkness repeated, giving her a dubious look, ignoring the question.
Clark answered for her before Momo could. "She's Japanese. In her culture, you address people by their second name, and 'Yami' is the Japanese word for darkness."
"'In her culture,'" Momo echoed, making small air quotes with her fingers as she looked at him. "Like you aren't Japanese as well."
"I'm not though," Clark replied, looking at her like that should be obvious. "I'm Kryptonian."
Momo blinked at him for a few seconds, letting that sink in again before sighing. "We've grown up together to the point I keep forgetting you're an alien," she admitted. Her expression shifted into curiosity soon after. "Wait, so then how do you address other people in your home planet's culture?"
Clark leaned back slightly against the wall of the elevator as the lights passed over their faces in steady intervals while they rose. "Our name and house name combine into one single name that we're known by," he explained. "For example, my given name is actually Kal, and I'm from the House of El, so my full name becomes Kal-El."
"Interesting," Momo muttered, clearly intrigued as she became interest in Kryptonian culture. After a moment, she looked back toward Golden Darkness. "Hope you don't mind me calling you Yami-san."
"I don't care," Yami replied flatly, her tone carrying clear indifference as she crossed her arms and looked ahead.
They arrived at the 10th floor of the Fortress of Solitude, where a large open space stretched out before them. Because of how massive the area was compared to the very limited number of vehicles inside, the hangar looked almost completely barren, the emptiness making every sound echo slightly off the walls.
"You know," Clark said, glancing around with a wry smile as he took in the space, "seeing the hangar like this is making me want to fill the entire place with all kinds of different vehicles."
Momo, on the other hand, looked like she could barely contain herself. Her eyes were practically sparkling with excitement as she bounced slightly on her feet. "Yay! I'm actually going to fly in a spaceship and go into outer space! This is going to be awesome."
Clark let out a small chuckle before looking forward again as they approached a sleek red spacecraft. The crest of the House of El was proudly displayed along its side, standing out clearly against the polished surface.
"Sol, can you get in contact with Grandma and Krypto and ask if they want to join us?" Clark asked as they came to a stop in front of the ship.
A sudden whoosh cut through the air, followed immediately by the sound of rapid panting.
"Are we going on a walk?! I love walks! Where are we going?" Krypto asked excitedly as he appeared beside them, already bouncing around in place with uncontrollable energy.
Yami froze where she stood, her eyes locking onto the talking dog. It wasn't the strangest thing she had ever seen, but it still caught her off guard enough to make her pause.
Noticing her reaction, Clark gestured casually toward him. "That's my dog—"
"Wait, Kal-El," Krypto interrupted, suddenly straightening up as if remembering something important. "Now that I can talk, please let me introduce myself."
He sat down properly, puffing out his chest with a proud grin.
"Greetings! I am Krypto the Superdog!" he declared dramatically. His cape billowed behind him as if caught in some invisible wind, and he turned his head slightly as though posing for an audience that wasn't there. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance."
Clark stifled a laugh at the display, covering his mouth briefly, while Yami's expression softened just a little. "Cute," she muttered under her breath.
She hesitated for a moment before carefully reaching out and placing a hand on his head, gently petting him while offering a quiet introduction of her own.
Sol's voice then chimed in again, calm and steady as always. "Lady Seiko has declined. She wishes to spend more time with your mother."
"Of course she does," Clark replied with a weary grin, shaking his head slightly. He wasn't entirely sure whether he should feel relieved or concerned about how well those two were getting along.
"Lady Seiko also told me to remind you not to keep Momo out too late, as it is a school night," Sol added as the group began making their way into the spacecraft.
"Hm," Clark hummed in acknowledgment, though his attention shifted briefly to Momo.
Momo had already stepped inside and was looking around in complete awe, slowly turning in place as she took everything in. "Woah, it's much bigger on the inside," she said, her voice filled with amazement as her eyes moved across every detail.
At the front of the ship was the control area, with a steering interface surrounded by various panels, displays, and buttons. The middle section featured a raised platform with multiple seating arrangements, clearly designed for both comfort and command. Toward the back, a door led further inside to additional facilities like storage areas, rest spaces, a bathroom, and even a small kitchen.
"Of course it is," Clark said as he stepped in behind her and moved toward the raised platform, sitting down in what was clearly the central command seat. "It's all thanks to Lala's dimensional tech. I had Sol and the Superman Robots do a bit of fine tuning to it."
Lala puffed out her chest proudly at the acknowledgment, clearly pleased with herself.
"Everyone sit down and buckle in," Clark instructed as he secured his own seatbelt, prompting the others to do the same.
One by one, they took their seats. Even Krypto sat down in a surprisingly human-like manner, and a seatbelt automatically adjusted itself around him, clicking securely into place.
Clark rested his arm lightly on the side as he looked ahead. "Sol, set the coordinates to the Glaupunk Quadrant, planet Cortexive Prime," he said calmly.
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