---
Holly, with Lia's help, managed to take care of the baby. They both had their own jobs, and whenever Holly was out being a superhero, she left the little one with Lia. Over time, raising him didn't turn out to be as hard as it first seemed. The boy loved the sun, and whenever he could, he would crawl toward the sunlight to warm himself. His powers started manifesting early—he was incredibly resilient, stronger than a grown man, and all of that within his first year of life. As he got older, he would only become more powerful, which surprised both Holly and Lia. At some point, they began to suspect that he might be from the same race as Omni-Man.
Holly adored the boy and treated him like a son, but she didn't have enough time to be with him. She always ended up leaving him with Lia since Cecil and the Guardians constantly needed her help. So, she made a decision—she would let Lia take over raising him completely. Lia was an ordinary person, and deep down, Holly believed she could be a better mother than she ever could.
One night, after a long day of fighting thieves and supervillains, Holly returned home. The sky was already dark, and inside the house, Lia was taking care of the baby. As soon as she walked in, Holly got straight to the point:
'Lia, I want you to take care of him for me.'
Lia looked at her, confused.
'I don't understand, Holly. I already do that.'
'No, Lia. I don't mean just here, in my house. I want you to have him full-time, as his mother. I don't have time to raise him, and you're the best person I know.'
'But I can't, Holly...'
'Please, Lia. I have no one else to take care of him but you.'
Lia fell silent for a moment, looking at Henry, who was holding onto her with his tiny arms.
'Are you sure, Holly? You love him...'
Holly sighed.
'This is for the best. For him, too.'
They talked about it for a while, but in the end, Lia accepted. She had already been a part of the boy's life almost every day, and deep down, she had always wanted to be a mother. Now, she had that opportunity.
---
A few days ago…
Just a few days after Holly found the baby, she was still recovering from the burns she had suffered when stopping his spaceship. During this time, she made a phone call.
'Hello, who is this?'
'It's me, Donald.'
'Holly? Good to hear from you. Is something wrong?'
Donald found it strange. Holly hardly ever called him—she usually went to Cecil.
'Do you remember that you owe me a favor?'
'Yeah… I remember.'
'Then I need your help with something. And Cecil and the others can't know. At least, not yet.'
Donald hesitated. But he knew Holly well enough to understand she wouldn't ask unless it was important. Besides, he still owed her that favor.
'Alright, Holly. What do you need?'
'I want you to use your GDA agents to build something for me.'
Donald thought for a moment and said, 'What exactly?'
---
Present moment
Henry was processing everything. Until now, he believed he was just lucky—chosen by some divine entity to be reborn in this world with Superman's powers. But the truth was something else entirely: he was a real Kryptonian. Krypton was real.
He had never hidden his powers from his family because he knew that, sooner or later, he would have to tell them. But now, he found out that this family wasn't his biological one. He was adopted. He felt like Clark Kent, he thought. Is this how Clark and Loki felt? He didn't like the feeling one bit…
'Was it you who found me, Aunt Holly?'
'It was, Henry. I'm sorry. I tried to find something about your parents, but I never could.'
'It's okay. It's not your fault.'
He took the key from Holly's hands and approached the spaceship. He reached out and placed it into the lock, activating a biometric recognition device. As soon as he inserted the key, the ship lit up, its control panels coming to life. A compartment opened, and a futuristic metallic disc, about the size of a person, was ejected.
Above the disc, a hologram was projected.
It was a beautiful woman with long blonde hair and mature features. She wore a white suit with black details on the arms and, on her chest, bore the symbol of the House of El. She also had a red cape flowing behind her.
The hologram moved and extended a hand, as if trying to touch Henry's face.
'My son… Kallor-El. It's good to see you made it to Earth safely. Unfortunately, I won't be there with you…' the woman said, her voice filled with sorrow.
Henry swallowed hard.
'You… are my mother?'
He stepped forward, trying to touch the hologram, but his hands passed through it.
'Yes, Kallor-El.'
'That's the name you gave me?'
'Yes… I suppose you have another name here on Earth. The person behind you… is she your mother here?'
Henry looked at Holly and nodded.
Holly, who had been silently watching, couldn't contain herself.
'You're his mother? Why did you send him to Earth? Did you abandon him?'
The hologram of Alura moved, looking remarkably real. In addition to Kryptonian technology, it also had an automatic translator.
'We didn't want to abandon him… It was necessary.'
'Necessary? Why?'
Henry already knew Superman's story and the destruction of Krypton, but he needed to hear the answer.
Alura took a deep breath.
'Our planet was attacked. If you're seeing this, then thousands of years have passed since the destruction of our people.'
Henry was thoughtful.
'Who did this?'
The hologram paused for a moment, as if processing the question. Then, it answered:
'The Viltrumites.'
Holly's expression changed.
'What?!'
'They are a race of conquerors. They have exterminated countless civilizations in their quest for imperial domination. They did the same to Krypton. They pretended to be our allies, and when we were vulnerable, they attacked and killed almost all of us. Only a few survived. I don't know how much time has passed since then…'
Holly felt a chill.
'No way… Nolan… did he know about this?'
Alura frowned.
'Nolan Grayson? Who is that?'
Henry answered before Holly could.
'A Viltrumite who has already come to this planet.'
Alura looked alarmed.
'They've already arrived there? That's terrible…'
Holly couldn't believe it. The greatest hero on Earth was a planet conqueror?
She tried to convince herself: Maybe Nolan is different…
Henry asked another question, one that had been on his mind.
'You said Krypton was destroyed thousands of years ago… so why haven't I aged?'
Alura hesitated before answering.
'Your father and I knew the Viltrumites would hunt down every living Kryptonian. As a last resort, we sent you and your sister, Kara Zor-El, to the Phantom Zone.'
Henry's eyes widened.
'I have a sister?!'
'Yes, if she hasn't arrived there, I fear she may still be trapped in the Phantom Zone,' Alura murmured, sadness clearly showing on her face. 'She must have been there alone all this time…'
Henry thought about what his mother had just said about his sister. If she was stuck in a dimension where time didn't pass, where she didn't need to eat to survive, Henry definitely wouldn't want to experience that. He made up his mind—he was going to save her.
Henry: 'How can I get to the Phantom Zone?'
Alura: 'I'm afraid there's no other device. Your father and I used what we had. The ship we sent you and her to the Phantom Zone had a backup bracelet that allowed a user to enter and exit the Zone. She probably used that bracelet on you, and that's why you ended up here.'
Henry: 'But… what do I do now? We need to get her out of there.'
Alura: 'I can teach you how to make a new bracelet like that. We also sent Kryptonian crystals in your ship. Some contain knowledge, others are sources of energy. I believe there's still hope to save your sister, but it will take time before you can create one.'
Henry: 'So, what are we waiting for?'
Holly, who had been listening to the entire story, stepped forward.
'Henry, when you finish building that thing and plan to enter that dimension, I'll go with you. I can't let you go in there alone.'
Alura: 'Thank you for taking care of my son.'
Holly: 'He's also my… nephew. It's the least I can do.'
Henry: 'Holly… thank you so much.'
Henry walked to his ship, grabbed a book, some Kryptonian crystals, and sat down. He had no idea what he was doing—he couldn't even understand what was written in the book.
Henry: 'So, what now? What do I do?'
Alura: 'First, I'll teach you the basics, my son. You'll begin by learning advanced math and how light and energy work. You'll also need to understand the various energy sources on Krypton, some quantum mechanics, and a little bit of this and that…'
His mother started listing a bunch of complex words he had never heard before.
Henry sighed and thought:
Shit, I'm screwed.
---