Clark was still a little surprised when he returned home that evening. The events at the market kept replaying in his mind, and no matter how he looked at it, the situation felt strange. He had expected Lex to leave sooner or later, yet the man had stayed at their fruit stall the entire day, never once wandering out of sight.
"I didn't expect Dad to testify for Lex," Clark said as he leaned against the doorway.
Victor Kent raised an eyebrow and glanced at his brother. "Do you think Dad would lie just to get Lex in trouble?"
Clark scratched his chin and shook his head slowly. The idea felt wrong even as he said it. Everything their father had taught them over the years stood firmly against that kind of behavior, and Clark knew it better than anyone.
"Honesty is like a bright mirror," Jonathan said as he stepped inside the house and removed his coat. "It reflects your character. I'm not about to smudge that mirror just because of Lex Luthor."
He spread his arms slightly as he spoke, his expression calm but firm.
"Especially in front of you boys."
The day had been a good one. The fresh fruit from the farm had sold well, and the long weeks of work in the fields had finally paid off. Jonathan's voice carried a bit more energy than usual, and it was obvious he was in a good mood.
From behind him, Martha walked in with a small smile and shook her head.
"I don't know about that," she said. "I seem to remember someone once being late for a date with me. He overslept and claimed his motorcycle broke down halfway."
Jonathan coughed lightly, clearly caught off guard by the reminder. A faint blush appeared on his face before he gently wrapped an arm around his wife.
"Well… sometimes a little white lie doesn't hurt anyone."
He lifted his eyebrows toward his two sons with a playful look.
"Otherwise, how would we have the warm home we have today?"
The atmosphere in the house relaxed as everyone laughed, yet Clark could still sense something beneath it all. Despite defending Lex earlier, his father's dislike for the man hadn't disappeared.
Clark leaned back slightly and folded his arms.
"It's still strange," he said slowly. "Lex stayed at the market the whole day. If that's the case… who robbed the bank?"
He replayed the events again in his mind. The more he thought about it, the more confusing the situation became.
"Everyone saw Lex there," Clark continued. "And the bank's security cameras showed him inside too."
Martha had already washed her hands and begun preparing dinner in the kitchen. She glanced back over her shoulder as she listened.
"Lex only moved to town recently," she said. "Not that many people here know him that well yet. Maybe someone just made a mistake."
She dried the water from her hands with a towel and chuckled softly.
"Jonathan, do you remember Jack King from school?" she asked. "Aside from his curly hair, he looked almost exactly like our English teacher."
Jonathan's face lit up with recognition.
"Oh, I remember him," he said. "He used to imitate the teacher's accent behind his back and talk in the funniest voice. Eventually the teacher caught him and dragged him straight to the office to call his parents."
Clark spread his hands as if the answer was obvious.
"Maybe it's something like that," he said. "Someone who looks a lot like Lex and figured they could try their luck."
The local police officer had explained the situation earlier. According to the report, Lex Luthor had gone to the bank to withdraw money. The department manager recognized him as a major client and personally came out to handle the transaction.
Everything had seemed normal at first.
But when it came time to sign the paperwork, the signature didn't match the records the bank had on file.
"The manager casually asked to see his driver's license," Clark said as he repeated the story. "He said it was just to help process things another way."
Clark paused slightly before continuing.
"And then the guy pulled out a gun. Luckily nobody was hurt."
That was the summary currently circulating around town. Everyone was talking about it, yet none of the explanations fully made sense.
Clark, however, had another guess.
Victor, who had been quiet during the entire conversation, finally looked at him. The brothers exchanged a brief glance, each understanding exactly what the other was thinking.
Neither of them said anything in front of their parents.
Even though Jonathan and Martha were aware that unusual people with abilities existed in the world, there was no reason to worry them unnecessarily.
…
Later that night, after dinner, the farm fell quiet.
The loft above the warehouse was cool and breezy, the open window letting in the gentle night wind. Under the moonlight, the wheat fields stretched out in the distance like a silver ocean.
Victor leaned against the wooden railing and looked toward the horizon.
A moment later, Clark quietly climbed up the ladder and stepped inside.
Victor turned his head slightly.
"Where were you?"
Clark scratched the back of his head.
"Nowhere important."
During the day, Victor and Greg's fight had left the road outside town badly damaged. Now that it was dark, Clark had worried someone might accidentally drive into the crater and cause an accident, so he had gone to check on it.
Victor let out a quiet sigh after hearing the explanation.
"You're too kind sometimes."
Clark shrugged as he walked closer.
"When I got there," he said, "the engineering team the town hired had just finished fixing the road."
He paused and gave Victor a sideways glance.
"They looked completely confused. One of them said even if ten tons of steel fell off a truck, it shouldn't have smashed the pavement that badly."
Clark pretended to speak casually, but the question that followed revealed his true curiosity.
"Victor… how strong are you?"
Victor narrowed his eyes slightly.
"What, are you trying to strengthen our brotherly bond with an arm-wrestling match?"
Clark immediately shook his head.
"No, that's not what I meant."
"Good," Victor replied calmly. "Because I'm not interested in fighting you either."
He slipped his hands into his pockets and gazed out into the dark fields again.
"You should really practice hiding your intentions when you talk, Clark."
Clark frowned slightly.
"I don't see what's wrong with being honest."
Victor let out a quiet laugh.
"Oh really? Are you saying you weren't just trying to ask about my strength?"
Clark's expression froze for a moment.
The Son of Krypton looked slightly embarrassed.
The question really hadn't been simple curiosity. After what had happened with Greg earlier, Clark wanted to understand Victor's level of power. That way, if something similar happened again, he would know how much force he should use to stop someone.
Victor had seen through that reasoning instantly.
"Forget it," Victor said. "I'm not telling you."
After a brief pause, he added another sentence.
"To be honest, I don't even know the answer myself."
Clark blinked in surprise and thought about that response for a moment before speaking again.
"Victor… do you think the person pretending to be Lex and robbing the bank could be someone with abilities?"
Meeting two different superpowered individuals in such a short time had left a strong impression on him. Now whenever something strange happened, Clark's instincts immediately pushed him toward that possibility.
"Maybe," Victor said calmly.
He didn't completely dismiss the idea.
At the same time, he didn't believe every strange event automatically involved people with powers.
Clark's expression turned slightly serious.
"If it really was someone with abilities… they might even be able to take bullets with their body."
Even Greg, who possessed hundreds of tons of strength, didn't have that kind of defense. If someone could withstand gunfire without armor, they might be even stronger.
Victor nodded slowly.
News had spread around town. According to witnesses at the bank, the man had been wearing nothing more than a light suit. There was no sign of body armor or any protective gear.
For ordinary people, however, there was only one explanation.
Someone who had been shot twice in the back yet escaped unharmed must have been wearing a bulletproof vest.
"Relax," Victor said as he patted Clark's shoulder. "Bank robbers usually aren't interested in farms."
He turned and headed down from the loft toward the ladder.
Clark remained standing there a little longer, still feeling uneasy. The idea that a criminal bold enough to rob a bank might be hiding somewhere in their quiet town didn't sit well with him.
"Hopefully everyone else is okay too," Clark murmured.
…
Kick. Kick. Kick.
Early the next morning, the small town slowly came to life.
Inside an old antique shop, Catherine hurried up the stairs to the second floor of her apartment. Her gray hair was slightly messy from rushing, and a red schoolbag filled with money bounced against her back as she ran.
She stopped outside a door and knocked urgently.
"Tina! Where did you get this money?"
The door opened a moment later.
Tina stepped out of her room casually, her long reddish-brown hair still damp from washing. She wiped it with a towel while looking at her mother with calm confidence.
"I told you," she said with a faint smile. "Our lives were going to get better."
Catherine stared at the bag of cash, her face pale.
"Tell me you didn't rob a bank yesterday," she said, clinging to the last bit of hope in her voice.
Tina laughed softly.
"Of course I didn't."
She had a high nose, delicate features, and an attractive face that gave her a gentle appearance.
But before Catherine could relax, Tina lowered the towel.
What happened next was horrifying.
Crack.
Her skin and muscles began to shift like soft clay. Her body stretched taller, her shoulders broadened, and her entire appearance changed in seconds.
The young woman disappeared.
Standing there instead was a bald man with a cold sneer.
"Lex Luthor did it."
....
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