Superman: Dawnbreaker (DC Icons #4)(59)

“Your mother had to make sewing needles out of wire from the ship’s control panel,” his dad said. “That was the only thing that would penetrate the material.”

“It took me some time, all right,” his mom said.

Clark looked down at the suit again. He appreciated all the work that had gone into the gift, and it was pretty cool that it couldn’t be burned or ripped. But what was he supposed to do with it? He looked up at his mom. “So, what’s with the cape?”

This seemed to excite her even more. “There was a good bit of leftover material. And I thought…Well, you kids have your own styles these days. And I felt like the suit could use a little extra…flair. I remembered one of the jackets you ruined. I kind of liked the way it looked flapping around in the wind behind you.”

Clark laughed nervously. The last thing a shiny blue jumpsuit needed was extra flair. He pointed to the chest of the suit. “What about this S?”

“That’s my favorite part,” Jonathan said, turning to his wife. “Your mother was very adamant about this, actually.”

Martha met eyes with Clark. “Listen, you will always be our son. You know that. But there were two important people back on your home planet who loved you very much. We thought it was important to honor them.”

“The S,” his dad added, “is so you’ll never forget who you are.”

Clark fingered the letter on his suit.

“It’s not actually an S, of course,” Martha said. “It’s some kind of symbol.”

Jonathan nodded. “We believe it’s your family crest. It’s on the front of the spaceship, too. And I don’t know if you remember from the hologram message, but it was also etched into the collar of your father’s shirt.”

“Wow.” Clark now understood the weight of their gesture. “This really is an amazing gift. Thank you.” He gave his mom and dad a hug. When he saw that they were still staring at him, he said, “What?”

“Why don’t you go try it on,” his dad said.

“Now?”

“Oh, leave him alone.” Martha took Jonathan’s hand and held it. “We don’t need to force Clark to play dress-up.”

Jonathan nodded. “I guess you’re right.”

Clark was relieved. He’d feel too ridiculous, even in front of his parents. He took the suit up to his room and hung it in his closet.

It looked so out of place next to his jeans and T-shirts and flannels. He sat at the end of his bed and stared at it. The suit seemed to almost glow. He imagined his ex-teammates all giving him grief if they ever caught him wearing a tight suit with a cape. Looking like some kind of space freak.

Clark slumped down on his bed. He lay back on his pillow and stared at the ceiling, thinking of the hologram again. And the spaceship. And someone trespassing on his family’s farm. Then he turned onto his side and looked at the strange suit in his closet again.

The cape was the most ridiculous part. Other than a magician, who in the world would intentionally wear a cape? He stood up, pulled the suit off the hanger, and spread it out across his bed. He stared at it. The S on the chest was cool, though. He loved that his mom and dad were so respectful of where he’d come from.

It was still so strange to think that he was actually from another planet.

Out of pure curiosity, Clark stripped out of his clothes and stepped into the suit, one leg at a time. He pulled it up over his torso and slipped his arms into the armholes, and the suit automatically nestled into each contour of his body. It was the strangest feeling Clark had ever experienced, like being cocooned inside some familiar echo of who he was supposed to be.

When he looked in the mirror, an odd feeling came over him. He was no longer awkward Clark Kent from Smallville, Kansas. He was someone new. Someone greater. He reached a hand up to touch his family crest, the framed S-like symbol resting directly over his heart.

Now you understand who you are, son.

Yes.

You are Kal-El. Lone remaining survivor from the planet Krypton.

Clark’s chest heaved. I’m Kal-El.

You have found refuge on Earth, where you will love and protect. But you must never forget where you come from. And who you were meant to be.

I will never forget, he promised the mirror.

Not ever.





When Clark awoke from his nap, he found himself lying across the foot of his bed, still dressed in the suit. He stretched and reached for his phone to check the time.

7:34 p.m.

He bolted upright, looking out his window. The sun hung low in the sky, which meant he’d been sleeping for hours. Now he was supposed to meet Lana and Lex in front of the library in less than thirty minutes.

He had two texts from Lana and one from Gloria.

All three of them asking where he was.

Clark slid off the bed, put on his glasses, and went to his closet, trying to take off the suit. But the material had sucked to his skin so tightly that it now felt like a part of him. He wrestled with the thing for a few minutes before giving up and throwing his regular clothes on over the suit.

He’d figure out how to take it off later.

Once Clark was fully dressed, an odd sense of calm came over him as he stood there in his room, studying his reflection. What if his whole life had been a journey to this very moment, when he was finally able to reconcile his two separate identities?